Seeing Beyond Appearances

December 27, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / 1 Comment

As 2024 draws to a close, I have grown especially fond of the memes that identify this past year as one of the most difficult ever! I don’t need to get into the details for you to know what I mean. While things could have been a whole lot worse, 2024 was a year I would not choose to relive! I’m weary. The whole world seems weary.

Despite what we might see on the surface of things: the conflict, the wars, the politicking, perceived division, etc.; a much greater movement is happening. That which has been born out of fear and rooted in power and control is breaking apart. On many days, it may not look like it, but it is.

Perhaps the best way to see this breaking apart is to look at the political conflicts in our world, in particular, the men with large faces and even louder voices who seem to be leading us all toward our own destruction. Interestingly, those who are the most boisterous and who garner the most attention are those who perfectly represent and embody the dying system. These are the men who have thrived in a patriarchal and hierarchical system and who are clinging and grasping after the control they believe they need to maintain their power. Damn the rest of humanity, what matters to them is their power.

While we may look upon these men as our enemies, what if instead, they are the vehicles through which the dying world will finally die so that a new world might come forth. What if, as my mom used to say, “the kitchen has to get dirtier before it can become clean.” What if what seems to be humanity moving backward, we are simply being pulled back like a sling shot so we can be hurled to our new futures?

Things are not always as they appear to be. As human beings, we see our lives and our world through the limitations of our judgment which has been formed by our preferences, previous conditioning, and societal expectations. In order to survive the breaking apart of what has been and the temporary discomfort of that breaking, we have to see through different eyes. We have to lay aside our own judgments and perceptions and allow for another view. For me, this means turning to my highest self (what some might call God) and asking to see the truth beyond the illusion. In every instance where I have asked for help in seeing so that I might understand, I have been surprised at what I’m shown and in that surprise, I have found comfort, along with the courage to keep on existing while the entire world seems to be falling apart.

As we timidly move toward 2025, let us be open to seeing beyond appearances and to the Love that is ultimately guiding it all.

Seeing through the Lens of Love

The Order of the Magdalene Formation Program provides you with resources, knowledge, and tools to support you in your own journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Through this eighteen-month training program, you will:

Become rooted in scholarly and intuitive knowledge of the Magdalene, her role in the ministry of Jesus, and her example in the ongoing mission of Love.
Discern your own unique giftedness and how you are called to use these gifts for the sake of your own fulfillment and in service to the world.
Learn practical skills for uncovering and healing all that separates you from Love and from living as your most authentic self.
Rediscover ancient knowledge and practices for self-healing.
Cultivate and deepen your contemplative life while growing in contentment and compassion.

Enroll in the FREE Preview Course

Created and facilitated by Lauri Ann Lumby

64 weeks of content

7 individual courses

6 private mentoring sessions

UFO’s Aliens Disclosure

December 16, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

One of this week’s top headlines has been about multiple UFO sightings over New Jersey and other places along the Eastern seaboard. My response to the UFO’s is “Mothership, take me home.” I know I’m not alone in these sentiments.

Many people I know have feelings of not being from here – of not fitting in, of not being like other humans, having sensitivities, etc. that others seem not to have. It sometimes gives me comfort to believe I’m not from here – explaining why I feel so often out of place. I have offered this suggestion to others who have found these thoughts equally comforting.

But what if it’s true? What if we’re really not from here? What if we were sent here from another dimension, planet, plane, galaxy, universe so that we might help to save human beings from themselves? On many days, it seems like this might be the case.

I would consider this nothing more than a comforting fantasy if I haven’t had sooooo many otherwise unexplainable encounters and experiences of otherworldly beings. This full-disclosure is not something I often share, but it seems with the increasing talk of aliens and UFO’s it might be time.

I have had enough first-hand encounters with non-human entities that I am fully convinced that we are not alone. Further, I am certain that many of us are not fully-human, but are hybrids of some kind from other worlds, perhaps sent here to show humanity that there is another way of being. Case in point: A friend of mine recently shared with me well-documented military proof of other-worldly intervention in what could have been catastrophic human actions – cases where (for example) nuclear arms were inactivated by other worldly means. Don’t take my word for it – do a simple Google search using the terms: UFO. Northern tier. Nuclear Silos.

Evidence like this suggests to me that other-worldly beings are not something to fear but are here and involved for the sake of our higher good. The other-worldly encounters I have had further support this belief. Yes, they were startling experiences, and the appearance of some of these “beings” was so dramatically different than our own that they initially caused me fear. Once I got past the fear, however, I was able to be open to their reason for reaching out and could receive their messages to me and to humanity. Sometimes (often) the messages are less of a message and more akin to a download – where I feel the energy of information, knowledge, even healing being pumped into me. Sometimes, their appearance was simply to communicate protection and support. I have since learned to welcome their appearance in the same way I would the appearance of an ancestor or an angel. Who’s to say, maybe aliens are the angels the bible and the Quran have spoken of for centuries.

The way in which these encounters have surfaced for me, further convince me that it’s not likely “the mothership” will be showing up as any sort of physical craft. Instead, these beings seem to have the ability to move through dimensions and planes – showing up at the foot of my bed, in my dreams, during meditation, and in any other number of times where the veil between worlds is thin. Sometimes, the veil isn’t thin, they just show up, wanting to be known. Only once have I seen/encountered a “ship,” but that may simply have been me seeing into a room that is in reality light years or universes away.

Additionally, I have had a few experiences that could be interpreted as alien abduction but as is true of all alien counters, there’s no way to prove it as the only witness there has ever been is myself.

Are aliens and UFO’s simply a function of our imagination? Perhaps we will never know. For myself, it doesn’t matter if my encounters were objectively true. They felt real enough to me to give them credit and to experience the benefits that have come from said-encounters.

To all the aliens among us, including ourselves, thank you for whatever support you have been and continue to bring to humanity. It’s comforting to know we’re not doing this alone and that perhaps there is something out there (or within us) that will keep us from doing further harm to ourselves.

Please, may it be so!

Transcending Division

December 10, 2024December 8, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Recently I spoke of the perceived division that America has been caught up in for these past many years and the opportunities we have to transcend that division, find common ground, and work together for the good of the all. To do this, however, we first have to heal the division between us. This may sound like an impossible task, but from personal experience, I can attest that moving beyond division (especially political) is not only possible, the effort is profoundly worthwhile.

Let me share with you two stories from my own life that demonstrate this point…

Before sharing these stories, I should probably share where I tend to stand politically. Based on my social media and other public accounts, some would likely think of me as a bleeding-heart liberal. On some policies, maybe. But in truth, I tend to be moderate-to-progressive while being somewhat left leaning. In an electoral college system, this means that for the past many elections, I have cast my vote for the democratic candidate. That is not to say I wouldn’t vote for a candidate of another party, if their policies were in line with my beliefs and vision of what our country can be. It’s just that for most of my adult life, the democratic platform has more closely aligned with my beliefs.

I should also add that I have many friends and family members, who I deeply love and respect, who tend to vote differently than I. Knowing these individuals and what is important to them, I can (for the most part) understand their choices. Even if I don’t understand them, I can honor their choice. Their vote doesn’t make me love them any less.

Love, as it turns out, transcends division.

Now on to the stories that demonstrate some simple ways in which we can begin to move beyond division as a culture and find common ground…

The first happened sometime after the Parkland school shooting. As you likely remember, there was a loud cry for a ban on guns along with an equally loud cry in defense of the second amendment. In the midst of the outcry, not being a gun owner myself, and really knowing nothing about guns, I reached out to a good friend who both a gun owner and a strong advocate for second amendment rights. I asked if we could meet and discuss all of the above. I reached out to this friend because I knew he would provide me with intelligent, well-researched, and historically accurate information. I also knew that this would be a civil conversation.

It was. He instructed me on the history and original intention of the second amendment. He explained the current gun laws and all the protections therein. We discussed guns for hunting, assault weapons, and handguns – and where they fit into the discussion. In the end, I felt I could make an informed decision about where I stand on the topic of gun ownership. As it turns out, my friend and I discovered we had arrived at a similar position, perhaps with a few nuances, but that we could honor those differences between us.

Perceived division arriving at common ground.

The second conversation was more recent as it related to the 2024 presidential election. I knew of several family members and friends who voted differently than I did. In the midst of a friendly chat, I learned of another friend who had voted in that way. This is one of my closest male friends and I wasn’t surprised about his vote based on his background and life experiences, but I was curious, so I invited him into a conversation. I wanted to know what inspired him to vote the way he did, and he wanted to know what motivated me to vote the way I did. We had a respectful and informative conversation without judgment or condemnation. We both wanted to understand the other because we are friends and care about each other – and that’s what friends do. I think I can speak for both of us in saying that while we chose differently, we could understand why the other chose the way they did and honor that choice.

Differences don’t have to end a friendship.

Admittedly, both examples were conversations that happened between trusted friends who were emotionally mature and could carry on a civil conversation without judgment or condemnation. No one was attempting to prove they were right or convince anyone of anything. I don’t know what a similar conversation would look like with a stranger or with one who appears to hold violent beliefs. If we ever want to heal the division that has been created and imposed between us, however, and work toward finding a common ground from which we can improve our lives, we have to start somewhere.

WE are the Revolution

December 8, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Whereas I do not advocate for or support murder as a means of getting across a message; an interesting phenomenon has unfolded following the assassination of United Health CEO, Brian Thompson. (For the record, his death is a terrible tragedy. I would never joke about nor celebrate this murder!)

The phenomenon about which I speak is the overwhelming bipartisan outpouring of frustration over the abysmal state of the American healthcare system and the epic greed of the private insurance industry. The almost universal opinion seems to be that the only people whose needs are being met as it relates to healthcare are the CEO’s and stockholders of the for-profit insurance industry. It’s unfortunate that it took the murder of a corporate employee to awaken our collective rage, but for the first time in many years, Americans have found something upon which most (if not all) can agree.

In the frustration over healthcare, insurance, medications, etc. I suggest that we Americans have found common ground. What would happen if we set aside our perceived political differences and got real with the topics that actually matter TO ALL OF US:

The cost of healthcare.
Access to quality education.
Access to healthy food, clean air, and water.
The widening economic divide.
Adequate and affordable housing.
Personal and public safety.

We stand at the tipping point of the American experiment. In the past many years, the powers that thrive upon our dependence have pitted us against each other, and we have fallen for their trick. This division, they believe, is how they will continue to gain power. What they don’t realize is that we have begun to awaken. The outcry over the insurance industry is evidence of this awakening.

I am calling this a moment of hope, and a moment of invitation. We can continue to participate in the perceived division imposed upon us and remain in a state of imprisonment to the system, or we can come together in search of common ground and begin to work on behalf of that good.

When we step away from division and come together, then we will be the revolution the system fears and the one we’ve been seeking. We are that revolution!

Assembling Your “Stay-Bag”

December 5, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Recently, I have heard a lot of chatter in the news and in social media about assembling go-bags. The go-bag contains necessary items for survival for when the shit hits the fan. Go-bags are equally helpful in case of a natural disaster forcing evacuation. Amazon even sells already assembled go-bags with more things than anyone would even think they might need.

In this chatter I hear many people talking about fleeing the country should (insert reason here) happen. While fleeing the country might entertain our thoughts, the reality is that many, if not most of us do not have the resources or the means to leave. Furthermore, what, if any, country is willing to welcome asylum-seeking Americans into their country, especially when current political rhetoric centers around the threat of closing our own borders? (insert shrug emoji)

The reality is that no matter how bad things might get, most Americans have no choice but to stay put – if not for financial reasons, then by calling. I, for one, have been told in no uncertain terms is fleeing America a choice for me. I am meant to stay here and ride out the waves of whatever may come – being both witness and a source of support for those who need it. I suspect the same is true for many. I know the same to be true for many I call colleagues and friends.

For those of us who are to stay put, we will not be assembling our go-bag. Instead, we are being called to assemble our “stay-bag.” The stay-bag is all that we need to survive where we are. While the stay-bag may vary from person to person, there are essential elements that I believe we all need:

A sound practice – one that allows us to find center when all that is around us is chaos.
A place we can call sanctuary. For me, this is my home. In this sanctuary, we are able to find rest and feelings of safety from the chaos of the outside world. My home is my monastery, my church, and the place where I welcome family and friends.
A safe community – for me this is my family, close friends, and colleagues. Some are local. Some are at a distance.
SOS contacts – those we can turn to when it all becomes too much or feels completely insane. Those with whom we can be vulnerable and share the deepest fears or losses of our hearts.
Professional Support – spiritual counselors (like me), therapists, yoga teachers, massage therapists, acupuncturists, compassionate physicians, etc. Anyone and everyone that we can turn to for our own well-being.
Enjoyment – those simple things that nourish our souls. Books, TV, spending time with friends, art, music, dancing, being in nature, etc. In this, it is helpful to remember that even in the darkest of times, humanity has found support and inspiration in “the arts” – whatever form those arts took.

In this season of giving, and as we approach the new year, perhaps the most important thing we can give to ourselves is all that we need to survive this next stage in the evolution of human consciousness and the unfolding of the American experiment.

What is in your “stay-bag?”

First World 2.0

December 3, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

During an online conversation related to imports and tariffs, I was reminded of a piece I had written originally titled, “Hope at the End of the Industrial Age.” It seems this piece originally penned in 2015 is just as relevant today!

I have had several in-depth conversations with people who are concerned over manufacturing jobs leaving our country, wondering if in this mass-exodus the United States would cease to be a first-world country and will revert into third-world status. As these concerns were raised, I turned inward and instead of doom, saw before me a new world in the process of being born.

The industrial revolution created rapid growth in the Western world and ushered in the distinction between first, second and third world status. With the advent of industry, Western culture emerged and thrived (or so we have said), while developing countries lagged behind. The industrial age supported advancing technology and assembly-line based manufacturing allowed us to meet the growing needs of Western society. Soon, we could produce everything the world would need to survive. The industrial revolution provided people with jobs and a regular wage which provided some with sense of security. Eventually employee benefits such as insurance, paid time off, vacation, retirement plans, etc. were created to further support the illusion of security.

While industry has provided workers with perceived surety, there is an insidious side to modern industry. Industry’s primary concern is not for its workers. Instead, it is driven to provide wealth for the corporation owners. At the height of the industrial age when production met the common needs, industry owners sought to create more demand. Advertising was born which purposefully manipulates people through their deeper-seated insecurities, compelling them to believe they need things they don’t, thereby causing them to spend more money. This has created a vicious cycle of misplaced needs and outward expenditures, where in the end…..nothing is ever enough.

While the industrial age has provided many benefits and has supported advancement in technology, there is much that was left behind. Previous to industry, people worked to provide for their own needs through their own unique talents and abilities. Some farmed. Others were craftsmen. Some were teachers. Others provided medical care and support. Some served the households of the landowners. Others governed the land. Some maintained peace. Others upheld the law and presided over questions of the law. Some were artisans, musicians, storytellers, poets, writers, builders. And in all of this, there was time for leisure. Things weren’t perfect as many went without, but the same is true today, in spite of our “first world” status. With all the advances we have made, poverty and violence country are at an all-time high. Many go hungry. Many are without basic healthcare. Education is floundering. Racism, sexism, orientationism, prejudice, discrimination and ignorance still reign. And more than anything else – the vast majority of those living in our culture – no matter how much wealth they possess – are unfulfilled and despairing over a life that has no meaning. The industrial age has been both a blessing and a curse.

The good news is that as our manufacturing jobs flood toward developing countries (Mexico, China, India, etc.), something new has already taken its place. We just need to see beyond our attachment to industry to perceive it, specifically looking to the youth (millennials and beyond) who are already living it. The new world that is in the midst of being born has moved us beyond the industrial age into a world that is comprised of the perfect marriage between information, technology, creativity, entrepreneurialship, old world knowledge and craftsmanship, and (let us not forget!!!) leisure. It is a world that combines the best of the old world with all the advantages and benefits of the information/technology age.

While it will be a struggle for some, it is time to step beyond the industrial age and welcome in the new world, not one that plunges us into third-world status, but one that moves us beyond even the first world into First World Version 2.0 – a world that is already here and filled with blessings beyond imagining. If we open our hands and hearts and release what we have known and be open to the new, amazing things will begin to happen. We will find enjoyment in simpler lives defined by the satisfaction of our more basic needs. We will find fulfillment in what creatively nourishes us. We will grow closer in the more intimate connections that will be required in the new world. We will return to the wonders of nature and begin to care for our world. We might even learn how to take better care of those who are not able to care for themselves. As the industrial revolution in the West dies a natural death, a new and promising world is in the midst of being born. Welcome First World Version 2.0!

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, MATS is an internationally known leader in the human-potential movement, specializing in the self-actualization of individuals and society. She has been providing transformational education and empowerment since 1995. She is also a prolific writer and published author. You can learn more about Lauri and her work at http://www.lauriannlumby.com.

On the Verge of Tears

December 2, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / 5 Comments

As I read through the comments on Sunday’s blog, the energy and words I heard were, “always on the verge of tears.” I heard these words as true for me, and wondered if it has also been true for others.

I believe we have a lot to cry about.

As one who has been on the forefront of the human consciousness evolution, calling myself (among other things): lightworker, shadow worker, depth worker, healer, guide, prophet, witch, and starseed, I have been both witness to and participant in what many have called (incorrectly) ascension.

To put it in simple terms: I have felt a calling and a drive to be part of a movement to provide humanity with the healing it needs to live more fully from love and less from a place of fear. Since 1994, this work has consumed me.

It’s been a bittersweet journey. I’ve seen the benefit of deep inner work within myself, in my ability to parent my children, in my work with clients and in conversations with friends and collaborators. I have found a community of people in Oshkosh, and beyond, who are involved in similar and complementary work. I have established an online community of a few who are equally committed to being love in the world for the sake of the betterment of the human experience. I am connected with hundreds of people online who are committed to this kind of work through their own unique gifts.

And yet….I find myself weary. I know many others who have also grown weary.

Human beings are a stubborn lot. Firmly attached to the status quo. Resistant to change. Often seeing change-makers and visionaries as the enemies, leading some to resist that change through violence. It seems humanity would prefer to live in a world of hatred and fear than to do the deep inner work of healing that which causes them to be non-loving toward themselves and others.

Remember when this work was supposed to be completed by 2012? (insert hysterical sarcastic laughter) How we find ourselves approaching the end of 2024 and not much has changed. Human beings are still making war and solving conflicts through threats of violence. Humans continue to be greedy, destructive, and jealous.

In short, humans kinda suck. It’s why I refuse to claim membership within the human species. I’m not sure what I am, but not one who thrives on being cruel to other human beings. (admittedly, some might consider me cruel – but in reality, I just have really good boundaries!)

When I look at humanity, I feel sad. I’m sad that they would choose hatred over compassion, fear over love, violence over peace. I’m dumbfounded by the dogged clutching after separation, division, prejudice, and discrimination.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be so saddened by humanity’s choice if I hadn’t discovered another way. This “other way” was somehow present in my heart from the moment of my birth/conception. I also found that “other way” in the peace movement of the late 1960’s and early 70’s. I further found it in the social justice work performed by the church in which I was raised. Most acutely I discovered it in Jesus’ teachings – not as they were taught to me from the pulpit, but that which I discovered through my own meditation, prayer, contemplation, and study, additionally reflected in the spiritual teachings of the ancients whose books have fallen into my lap over these very many years.

I know I’m not alone in this. Everyone with whom I have been doing this work, talking about this work, supporting this work, speaks of “another way.” This “other way” came to us. We did the work to be healed by it and to be made more whole. We’ve tried to share it with others. We’ve even provided the resources and tools for human beings to learn to become this love themselves.

And yet…..here we are.

I am weary. I am sad. Pretty much every day I feel on the verge of tears. Tears over what? Not getting my way? Tears over all that I/we have given up to do this work? Crying over the things that could have been had we not been called into this movement of love? Weeping over what others seem to have/enjoy that were never an option for me/us? Tears over the friends, family, clients who feel away over the years? Grief over all those millions who have died simply because humanity refused to set aside their separation and learn how to love?

Indeed. There is a lot to cry about.

And maybe this is part of the limbo I spoke about. Maybe we need this in-between time to process all we’ve been through. Perhaps we need this time to grieve – to grieve all we personally lost, all we were made to leave behind, all the difficulty and struggle we’ve experienced in choosing love over fear. Grieving all the times we’ve been misunderstood, ignored, ridiculed, condemned. Weeping over the deep loneliness that comes in doing this work.

If indeed we are at the end of something and preparing for something new to take its place, grief is not only predictable but appropriate.

When we feel on the verge of tears, the invitation is to embrace these tears as part of our grieving, and in giving those tears release, allowing healing to take its place. Or if you’re like me and you’re on medication that hinders your ability to cry, find those things that help to bring them on. Yesterday for me, it was watching the “Making of Mary Poppins” documentary on Hulu – the bird lady does it to me every time!

The World Needs You

November 14, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Desperately!

As we are finding our way through the great collapse, I am reminded of how now is not a time to shy away. Instead, “all hands on deck” is imperative. But not necessarily in the way that our capitalistic conditioning would have us believe. Instead, we are invited to look deep within ourselves to be reminded of our true uniqueness and how we are called to bring that forth.

Each and everyone of us is uniquely gifted to participate in the collapse of the empire. Some are being hospice for the dying world- tending to the grief that comes when things are coming to an end, providing comfort, hope, and pain relief. Some are visionaries – imagining what a new world might look like. Some are prophetic messengers – pointing out the truths that no one wants to admit. Some are revealers – pulling back the veil of illusion so that the sometimes difficult truth can be seen. Some are healers, providing care and support for those who are hurting. Some are beacons who simply by their presence are leading and guiding people to truth and love. Some are gatherers – bringing forth community for a common cause. Some are builders – creating something new out of the ash of the old. Then we have our artists, writers, poets, musicians, dancers, etc. – all those who communicate despair, frustration, rage, beauty and hope through their arts so that all we are feeling in the midst of the collapse might be given expression.

These are the gifts we want to acknowledge. But, beyond perceived separation there is unity and wholeness. From the perspective of wholeness, even that which we might judge as evil or destructive is also playing its role in the story of the great collapse. These men and women are showing us what is in need of healing among us. They are showing us the lies and deceptions upon which this empire was built. They are showing us our greed, our gluttony, our lust for power, and the truth of our envious natures. They are reflecting back to us corruption, prejudice, and hatred. They are living out their pre-ordained roles as harbingers of truth – the truths we don’t really want to see or acknowledge about ourselves. It is only in seeing the truth of our woundedness as a species that we can begin to bring forth healing.

The journey is difficult, but the destination is the same. No matter what role we are playing in this drama, it is all leading to the same place. The place and the destination is LOVE. Whether that Love is something we uncover within ourselves, or something we come together to build, it is all the same. We came here for the purpose of Love, to come to know Love, to heal all the barriers to that Love, and then to live out that Love. Experiencing life is how we get there – each in our own unique way.

Uniquely Gifted:

Uniquely Gifted, was created to support you in knowing the truth that YOU are uniquely gifted to experience meaning and purpose in your life and to find fulfillment in the use and engagement of your gifts, first for yourself, and then, in service to the betterment of the world.

13 lessons
online at your own pace
Choose your own pricing

Learn more HERE.

Unable to Make Plans

November 13, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

The most surreal experience I have had (am having) in my life is living through the collapse of an empire. In case you haven’t noticed: ROME IS BURNING. In this case, “Rome” is every single thing in our world that has been built on a foundation of fear, power, and control. It is all collapsing with the United States seemingly leading the charge.

Times of collapse are both a death and a birth. Old systems and the world as we have known it is falling away while new systems are trying to be born. Collapse is a time of great unrest, and when we remember to look, a time of great hope. Those who have benefitted from the old system cling, and fight, and grieve. Those who have suffered from the system are hoping for something new.

Currently we are living on the shifting sands of the collapse. Nothing makes sense. The truly bizarre and insane seem to hold reign while reason and sanity seem to have left the room. Every moment of every day is an exercise in shock and surprise. “What the hell is happening,” we wonder.

Living through a collapse is like John Mulaney’s analogy of a “horse loose in the hospital.” We never know what the horse might do, and we are surprised at the things it is able to do, and dumbfounded by the basic essential human skills that seem to be lacking. While John Mulaney wrote this bit about Donald Trump, it isn’t just about him. It is truly about the entire system – that which serves the needs of the very wealthy while leaving everyone else behind.

Normal people are anxious, angry, and afraid. We have a right to be. What about our rights? What about our needs? What about the economy and the cost of housing? What about education and healthcare? What are we to do and how are we to prepare for the possible worst?

The answer is: WE CAN’T! A system in collapse, by definition, is unpredictable, volatile, and potentially violent (think earthquake or hurricane). A collapsing system touches on every single thing to which we have become accustomed. On the other side of the collapse, likely nothing will look the same. We don’t even know what our currency for exchange will be, our sources of energy, our models of education and healthcare, banking, commerce, entertainment, religion, etc. etc. etc. EVERY SINGLE SYSTEM will fall and be rebuilt – but into what we do not yet know. In truth – the new world will not be mine (Gen X) to build. Neither will it likely be built by Millennials. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and those yet to come will be awarded this task – but not until the current has painfully and finally come to an end.

In the meantime – we wait. We watch. We bear witness. We keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. We do what we need to care for ourselves. We get out of the way of the collapsing system and we let it fall.

And we live radically IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, for there is nothing for which we can plan. We meet each moment as it comes to us. We respond accordingly. And for the love of all things, we refrain from the normal human reactions to fear: clinging to the need to control. We cannot control the collapse. Neither can we control what will follow. Instead, we live for this present moment and nothing more. Only by doing so will we survive the ebb and flow of the collapse – not by the skin of our teeth – but in the peaceful state of acceptance by surrendering to what is.

While always and in every moment being and choosing Love.

The Book of Revelation as a Guide to Inner Peace

Victory of the Holy Bride shatters over 2000 years of patriarchal dogma that cast the Book of Revelation in the role of doomsday prophecy and presents to you the tools for discovering a profoundly simple truth that is the key to inner peace and the formula through which we can build a whole new world – one rooted in peace, understanding, wisdom, harmony and love.

Learn more HERE

Being Love in a Divided World

November 12, 2024 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

We live in a divided world. Divided by gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, religion, and politics – to name a few. When viewed as sacred differences that make each of us uniquely special, these differences serve us. When treated as something to be judged or feared, these divisions cause us harm, leading to prejudice, hatred, violence, and war.

Our differences are meant to be our gifts, instead humanity has turned them into the cause of hate. Hatred, however, is a choice. We can continue to choose hate, which leads to the devolution of humanity, and our eventual extinction; or we can choose Love and be witness to and participants in the grand evolution of human consciousness which would lead to all kinds of miracles – the likes of which we can hardly begin to imagine.

I choose Love.

Choosing Love, however, is no simple task. In fact, it has taken me a lifetime to even come close to being the Love that I truly want to be in the world. My version of Being Love is by no means perfect. There are people I continue to despise. There are experiences and situations that hurl me into a rage. There are times I want to say or do the unkind thing. I’m still human after all. I don’t, however, act on the surface feelings of my unhealed wounds, neither do I purposefully cause harm. Choosing Love is a moment by moment task.

Choosing Love is also a lifetime process. This process begins by learning to identify every obstacle in front of, and within us, to love. Then we are invited to enter into the arduous task of clearing those obstacles. Sometimes these obstacles are the result of human conditioning – the ways in which we were taught to be and act in our family systems, our communities, our culture, our society, our world. Sometimes identifying our conditioning is simple and the choice to move past that conditioning is easy. Other times, it can be quite complicated as our conditioning is often subtle, even unconscious.

Beyond conditioning, the obstacles to love are all the places within us where we have been wounded. These wounds include times were felt betrayed, where our needs were ignored or denied, where we were criticized or condemned for who we are, where we felt unloved or were treated in non-loving ways. These wounds include past abuse, rejection, and times our love was met with hate. These unhealed wounds are, in turn, the cause of our own non-loving behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs.

Division is a choice. So too is Love. Choosing Love begins by choosing Love for ourselves, and doing to the deep and challenging work of healing the inner obstacles to knowing and being that Love. As we transform ourselves, we are more free to be Love and being that Love plants the seeds of inspiration for others to do the same. When we are faced with Division, Choose Love. When challenged by hate, choose Love. When our unhealed wounds are triggered by the unhealed wounds of another, choose the loving thing and heal our wounds.

As our world appears to be increasingly divided, we can choose to participate in that division, or we can choose to Be Love.

I choose Love.