Mission/Purpose/Calling

Being an Exorcist

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

In my experience, there are four kinds of exorcists:

  1. The ones we see in movies modeled after the tradition of Catholic priests especially trained and commissioned to research demonic possession and if deemed demonic, also charged with freeing the “host” of said demon.
  2. The shaman-types who “eat” demons who have made a home in an animal, person, or place.
  3. Psychiatrists who successfully treat those suffering from extreme mental illness which in former times would have been labeled as possessed.
  4. Those who help regular people identify, transform, and release the demons of fear, past wounding, trauma, etc.

Normally I would say that I am solely the fourth kind of exorcist, but due to recent events, I must now acknowledge that the deeper “releasing of demons” that I’ve been doing is more akin to #1.  YIKES!

For yesterday I was given a vision and a command

The vision came during my Sunday morning yoga class.  Sitting in child’s pose, I was overcome with a terrible anxiety, bordering on panic. First, I tried stuffing down the anxiety.  Then I tried praying it away. Neither of these released the anxiety so I did what every exorcist knows to do –

Instead of running from the fear, I went into it.

As I drew closer to the fear, I began to “see” through my third eye, becoming like the three-eyed raven of Game of Thrones fame. I found myself “flying” over the world and being shown all the pockets of a world readying for war. They are legion.

I was then drawn into and past the war machine and was shown the “players.”  These players might better be called “puppet masters” for they are never on the front lines.  Instead, these are the men behind the men behind the men. These “puppet masters” are made up of a council of men hiding behind, manipulating, and controlling the wealth in the world and all the violence that created (and continues to create) and is brought about by that wealth.  These are the men who benefit from a world at war and who create the perceived conflicts that ensure the world is always at war so they may continue to grow in wealth.

I was then drawn into and through these men to the evil that feeds and sustains them, for the evil they do is not simply born out of gluttony and greed.  It is born out of the darkest and most hideous actions man can dream of – namely:

Human sacrifice, the most hideous of which is child sacrifice.

Yes. You heard me right. The evil these men feed upon is that which is sustained through the sacrifice of human life. These sacrifices include the women and men who die in war, innocents killed in the streets and in their own homes, children trafficked for the purpose of sexual/murderous acts.

I shudder to share these words, and many might accuse me of lying or being insane. I’m only telling you what I saw.  You can look away, but the reality remains.

There is true evil being done in our world and until this evil is rooted out, we will never know peace.

This is where the task of the exorcist comes in.  I’m not a Catholic priest. Neither am I a shaman. Instead, the work I do is invisible and performed in the non-physical realm. Here I remain with the visions as they come and follow the visions as they lead me toward the sources of these evils – what some might call “demons.”  At first glance, they appear as demons. Some big. Some small. Some absent of form. Then I use the tools I’ve been given (through the Holy Spirit/Shekinah) to support these “demons” in being healed of the evil that befell them so that they might return to their original nature as love. 

The work is not about banishing demons, it is about restoring them to Love.

This is the work that has consumed me for the past 24 hours and which will continue to unfold as it needs to. The great news is that I have spiritual sisters and brothers who are doing similar work, so I know I am not alone. I am humbled (to the point of tears) to be called to this work and grateful for the years of what I now understand was the training necessary to develop the courage to face these evils and to be a vessel through which they might be healed so that our world might be healed.

Click on the images above to learn more about Lauri’s training programs – for your own transformation and in service to your work of Love in the world.

Seeing the Truth Beyond the Veil

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I once had a friend beautifully articulate one of the gifts that has helped support me in my own journey while also being a tool through which I am able to be a source of support for others.  She put it this way, “Lauri, you have the ability of seeing the truth beyond the veil.”

I have indeed accepted this as being one of my superpowers.  In the Catholic tradition in which I was raised, this superpower would be considered a charism (a gift of the Holy Spirit) and would be called:

Discernment of Spirits

Traditionally, discernment of spirits is described as “the immediate and intuitive ability to capture the spiritual source of certain behaviors or ideas or to grasp the nature of the spiritual presence in people, places or things” (Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory, Weddell, 1997, p. 27). 

Discernment of spirits might be thought of as the ability to detect “the devil in the room.”  I think of it more as being able to see the truth beyond the illusion and to hear the truth beyond the words.  

I have experienced this gift in several ways.  My earliest recollection of this gift was in my uncanny ability to “read” the integrity (or lack thereof) of a person.  At a very young age I seemed to immediately know if someone was a liar, a cheat, or quite simply evil.  I also knew if they were an honest, authentically good person. The individual didn’t need to say a word or demonstrate an action. I simply knew. Later experiences with these individuals always proved my earliest sensations (discernment) to be true. In hindsight, I can humbly say that my discernment of spirits in 100% accurate. The challenge has been to believe it and not give into the societal conditioning that tells us we must “give them the benefit of the doubt.”

At 57, I uncompromisingly believe my first impressions of people because I find I have never been wrong.

The other, and perhaps most helpful use of this gift is in working with clients and students. I see and sense that which is holding them back from living their truth. I see and sense resistance, fears, unhealed wounds, and past traumas, as well as beliefs and behaviors based not in truth, but in conditioning. When facilitating process work with a client, I might ask them a question and in whatever way they respond, I can tell if that is the path of inquiry to continue, or if there is something “hiding” behind their words.  The client will often say one thing, but I hear or sense another.  It’s difficult to describe.  I just know that there is something hiding that seeks to be known – something that is their REAL truth and not just that which they show to the world or want to believe about themselves.

Admittedly, seeing the truth beyond the veil is not always pleasant.  Sometimes I see, sense, or know something “the other” doesn’t want to know or doesn’t want others to know about them.  I have known, for example, that certain individuals were choosing the wrong partner or venturing down a path of failure. I have also sensed decisions that would open doors to liberation and freedom for an individual – decisions they may or may not be willing to make. It’s one thing to share these awarenesses in a client/practitioner relationship.  It’s another thing when what you are seeing and knowing is related to a family member or friend.  Having the ability to see the truth beyond the veil requires me to carefully discern in what circumstances it is appropriate to share what I know and when it is best to remain silent.

Silence, I have learned is also one of my superpowers.

Discovering and learning about your own unique giftedness and how you are called to use those gifts is one of the critical stages of the Magdalene Priesthood Training (for women and men) and the Authentic Freedom Mastery Training.

Learn more HERE.

When Given the Gift of Prophecy

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

One does not ask for the gift of prophecy.  If one were to ask for this gift, they would not know for what they are asking as the gift of prophecy often feels more like a curse than a gift.  I know this because I am one who has been given this gift. It is not with pride, but with deep humility and some personal agony that I acknowledge this gift.

used with permission: Catherine E. Case

Prophecy is a many-edged sword.  It allows us to see the sign of the times – to understand what will happen if humanity (or individuals) continues on its current path. With this gift we are provided with the tools and steps that could be taken to turn a path of potential destruction into one of peace, harmony, and fruitfulness.  We are called (compelled, forced) to share what we see and know with an audience that is most often deaf to our words. Herein lies the pain of being a prophet:

  • We often find our words and our very selves ignored.
  • We are accused of being insane.
  • People turn against us for speaking the truth. (Sometimes we don’t even need to speak it.)
  • People hate us for seeing the truth they don’t want to see for themselves.
  • We are condemned for challenging the world to let go of the status quo and the perceived comfort therein in favor of actions that could lead to a better world.

Being a prophet is a lonely calling for which we don’t get paid.  Prophecy leads not to welcome and acceptance, but to rejection and condemnation. I know this because it is exactly what happened to me – most specifically in my (now former) relationship with the Catholic Church – more generally as it relates to some acquaintances, friends, and the world at large.

No one in their right mind would ask for the gift of prophecy.  

And yet, here it is. As it relates to the gift and calling of prophecy, I take comfort in these words from the prophet Jeremiah:

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
            Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
                        before you were born I dedicated you,
                        a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

            But do you gird your loins;
                        stand up and tell them
                        all that I command you.
            Be not crushed on their account,
                        as though I would leave you crushed before them;
            for it is I this day
                        who have made you a fortified city,
            a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
                        against the whole land:
            against Judah’s kings and princes,
                        against its priests and people.
            They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
                        for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Jeremiah 1: 4-5, 17-19

As one endowed with the gift of prophecy I have no other choice but to continue in its use – seeing the signs of the times and sharing what I see as a way humanity just might save itself from itself. As Jesus often said, this gift is will be received by “those who have ears to hear.”

What is Your Magic?, created by Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS  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.

Online course. 13 lessons at your own pace.

Learn more and register HERE

Deepening

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

So far, January has not been at all what I expected. At 57, I’ve learned to be pretty much free of expectations, so I’m not sure what I thought 2022 would bring….but certainly not this.

I’m not even sure what “this” is. Certain things are obvious:

  • A world on the brink of war.
  • A raging pandemic.
  • Continuing conflict over vaccines, masks, conspiracy theories, etc.
  • Government corruption.
  • Increasing restrictions on reproductive rights and access to voting.
  • The on-going unveiling of the evils of the ruling system.

Sadly, this has all become “business as usual.”  War? Famine? Pestilence? Death? Everyday occurrences – right?! As Lord Varys (Game of Thrones) once said, “Perhaps we’ve grown so used to horror, we assume there is no other way.” 

The good news is there is another way.  It is the way I am choosing:

As the world continues its path of self-destruction, I’ve been serving as objective witness while quietly building my own new world.

As one cannot stop a runaway train, neither can we prevent the current world from its unraveling. It needs to unravel, but we don’t need to unravel with it. Instead, we can observe the world in its dying from a place of detachment, non-judgment, and non-reaction. Letting go of our need to control or “save” the dying world frees us to get on with the real business at hand:

Building our own new worlds.

Building my own new world is exactly what I find myself doing. It’s quiet work. It’s also mostly invisible. And it begins with choice. Asking myself:

  • To what do I want to give my energy and attention? 
  • With whom and how do I want to spend that time? 
  • In what do I find meaning and purpose?
  • What gives me joy and helps me find peace?
  • What feels like a good balance between solitude and engagement?
  • What do my body and soul need to feel healthy and whole?
  • How do I want to move within and upon this world?

For the past many months, I’ve been seeking the answers to these questions and as the answers arise, I have been choosing them. Now I’m being given an opportunity to put these answers into practice. The result has been a quieter, gentler, more peaceful and contented existence than what I had before – especially when the before was very much defined by societal conditioning and the expectations of others. No more! Now I’m living by my choices around what gives me peace and realizing the rewards of that choice. If I could provide a single image to what my new world looks like, it would be this:

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS

Lauri’s gifts as a mentor are centered in her ability to see. She sees your truth along with what might be hindering your ability to live that truth fully. By seeing clearly, Lauri can help guide you through the process of identifying, healing and transforming the wounds, fears, traumas and conditioning that keep you from living a life in which your purpose is fully embodied and your mission fulfilled.

Lauri provides this mentoring one-on-one and through her classes and training programs.

Email lauri@lauriannlumby.com to inquire.

Podcast Interview on the Magdalene

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I am humbled and honored to have been interviewed by Dr. David Morelos for the Psychology After Dark podcast, “Secret Teachings of the Magdalene” Listen HERE.

The story of the life of Jesus Christ is one of the most quintessential in all of humanity, and is celebrated across many cultures. And yet, many argue that parts of his life are still shrouded in mystery. His complicated relationship with the enigmatic Mary Magdalene, for instance, is one such mystery. Some scholars argue that Mary Magdalene was more than just a follower of Jesus, but a spiritually realized partner who would continue to teach after his death and resurrection. What are the teachings of Mary Magdalene? How was her role in the life of Jesus Christ marginalized in history? How does an acknowledgment of a divine feminine side of the Jesus mythology change-and potentially enrich-the understanding of his teachings? Join Dr. Morelos as he interviews author and fellow transpersonal scholar Lauri Ann Lumby about the secret teachings of Mary Magdalene. This special bonus episode drops Wednesday, January 12th!!!

SPOILER ALERT: David and Lauri discuss plot lines from the The Matrix Resurrections movie in this episode! Hopefully we don’t give away too much!

Living in Two Worlds

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Today is the “anniversary” of the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the US Capitol.  As the US Justice Department continues to investigate and hold those accountable for their actions of domestic terrorism, it seems like a good day to reflect on the two worlds in which we are living.

The First World is where I, and many of my companions, friends, clients, students, and community members are choosing (have trained ourselves) to live:

The World of Unity and Love

This world exists BEYOND the trappings of the (other) world which is rooted in fear, power, oppression, and control.  The World of Unity and Love exists BEYOND the imprisonment of Capitalism and all the rules that have kept that beast alive:

Fear Power Oppression and Control

The “other” world is that which has been built on fear, power, oppression, and control. Capitalism rules that world with its rules that make rich men richer, on the backs of the working class and poor. The “other” world is defined by separation and division, creating a perception of “us vs. them.”  It is only out of such a world that events like the insurrection can happen.

The World of Unity and Love co-exists with the world of division but is not of that world.  Being not of the world of division, allows those choosing Love to observe the divided world through an objective lens without getting dragged into the emotional reactions typical in division.  It also allows us to disengage from the ongoing conflict and chaos of the divided world. We may see it, even become angered or saddened by it, but it doesn’t have to destroy our life.

Instead, we might look with compassion on those who are choosing division because they don’t yet know how to love.

Living in the World of Unity and Love is not escapism.  Instead, it is a kind of Divine activism. Here we demonstrate to the divided world that Unity and Love are possible. That compassion is a strength, and empathy is a superpower.  That harmony in a diverse world is possible and that in fact, diversity can be celebrated for the beauty it brings into our world. That the drive for peace is fueled by the search for understanding and that

PEACE IS POSSIBLE.

As we reflect on the events of January 6, 2021, let us ask ourselves, which world do we really want to live in?

Click on image above to learn more and enroll.

Taking Back Our Power to Choose
For the past 5000 years our world has been imprisoned by those who benefit from a people afraid.  For 5000 years, we have been conditioned by institutions that manipulate and control us through fear, guilt and shame.  Religious institutions, governments, corporations, banks, advertising, social media, education, health care, pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry (to name a few) are all guilty of benefiting from a people afraid.  As has always been true of feudal societies, only a few truly benefit from a culture rooted in fear.  The rest are made to suffer while those who are manipulating us are getting rich at our expense.  

When we stop believing in these fears by healing the conditioning that caused these fears in the first place, we are no longer vulnerable to manipulation and are free to choose love instead of fear.  In choosing love, we are able to experience the peace, freedom and union spoken of by the ancients and which has been taught by the highest expression of every spiritual tradition on this planet.

It is time that we say NO MORE by taking back our power to choose by healing our wounds and transcending cultural conditioning. 

Authentic Freedom empowers you to TAKE YOUR POWER BACK!

Learn more and Enroll HERE

The Search for Beloved Partnership

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

From the introduction to my upcoming live course:  Mary Magdalene and the Path of Beloved Partnership:

I cannot say exactly when my search began, but for as long as I can remember, I have felt (what I now know to be) the longing that fuels the search for beloved partnership.  It was both a longing and a deep inner knowing of a “love” that was deep, abiding, honest, loyal, supportive, and uplifting. In hindsight, I experienced glimpses of this love during the times of silent prayer. But mostly, I was inclined to look outside of myself for that love – primarily in the search for “the one” with whom I would enjoy the fairytale “happily ever after.”

Happily Ever After eluded me, even in marriage.  As my marriage was falling apart, dreams of this elusive love resurfaced, becoming more potent and urgent.  I began having dreams of “the one” and visions of “him” while in prayer.  This “one” took on the appearance of any number of Jesus-looking men and started showing up in movies, television, advertisements, etc. Along with “hot Jesus,” a woman cloaked in red began to make her appearance. She revealed herself as Mary, called Magdalene, who I somewhat already knew through my academic studies. 

All of this was happening as I was experiencing the most profound emotional and spiritual crisis of my life.  The Universe had pulled the rug out from under my feet, and I was in the throes of clinical depression and spiritual collapse.  Through the help of a therapist and my spiritual director, I was brought back to the practices I had learned in my ministry training and began a deep, soul-eviscerating dive into the wounded areas of my Soul and began stitching myself back together.

As I was stitching, my marriage came to an end, and I began the search for the “one.”  I continued to believe in a “love out there” that would make me happy, whole, and complete. In this I turned to the romantic ideas of Jesus and Mary Magdalene as ones who have lived and modeled the external love I imagined.

The “one” I dreamed of never came.  Instead, what arose out of that search was the profound realization that the love I was seeking for “out there” could only be found within.  This is the love that Jesus described as the kingdom of God and which both he and Mary Magdalene embodied in what gnostic scripture refers to as anthropos. This is the love that I have been seeking, nurturing, and cultivating since 1999 when the foundation of my life began its collapse.

As demonstrated by both Jesus and Mary Magdalene, Beloved Partnership is Union with the Divine within.  In this Union, we come to know the Love that we are in Union with our Source.  In this we know that there is no separation between ourselves and Source.  Who and what we are, and our purpose in this life, is to be the full embodiment of the Divine who lives in and dwells through us – through our own unique giftedness and calling. 

At 57, I cannot claim to have fully realized Beloved Partnership within, but I am much closer than I ever have been.  With this I feel I have the experience and wisdom to share what I have learned of this journey while providing a map for those who have heard a similar calling. 

Mary Magdalene and the Path of Beloved Partnership LIVE/online course begins January 17, 2022

Learn more and register HERE

Being a Human Barometer is Hard

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 3 Comments

It seems no matter how much training and practice I have put in to being an objective observer of this world, remaining emotionally detached from the ongoing violence that plagues our world, my body has something else to say. When collective attention is directed at another of the many violent events of our world, I feel it. No amount of spiritual practice or discipline seems to change that.  I feel the violence in every cell of my physical body, and it hurts.  It hurts both physically and emotionally as the collective emotions around said-events creep into my being.  As my mind is saying, “another day another shooting” (how sad is it that for many of us it has come to this!) my body is collapsing in on itself – writhing in the collective pain of disappointment, fear, sorrow, and an increasing feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. 

Being a human barometer is hard.

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of another so that we can understand their struggle, their suffering, and their pain.  Being an empath places us in those shoes whether we choose to be there or not.  Being an empath allows us to literally feel the physical sensations and emotions of another.  Being an empath is like having a body that is constantly testing the “pressure” of our world.  Like a barometer, we cannot turn ourselves “off.”  We are always “on” feeling what is happening in our world, or what is about to happen.   We might not know what it is we are feeling…but believe me

WE ARE FEELING IT!

As a Capricorn who has mastered the fine art of detachment, who is doggedly self-sufficient and (on good days) believes I can accomplish anything, I keep forgetting the debilitating reality of being an empath. When the barometer that I am reads “high pressure” I simply cannot function. My ego tries to push through it so I can do “the work” I have been programmed to believe I need to be doing to “survive” in this world and to be “a productive member of society.”  The harder I push against the high pressure reading, the sicker I become, reminding me of the Buddhist saying, “What we resist will persist.”  UGH! 

Being an empath is hard!

So what is one to do?  As the past week has reminded me, there is NOTHING I can do.  Instead, I am invited to surrender.  To just be. To sit in the yuck.  To feel it.  To dive deep into it.  To bring it into my prayers and to surround whatever it is I’m feeling with love.  I find I really have not other choice.  I can’t turn the barometer off and I cannot turn away from the pain of our world.  What I can do is remember that as I am allowing myself to be with the pain that the world may not be able to be with on its own, in some small way the pain is being healed and the path cleared for humanity to begin making a different choice – even if it kills me.

What are your experiences of being an empath?  How have you come to understand this gift and its calling? 

In Defense of Reiki

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I am honored to have been at the forefront of the conflict between the Catholic Church and Reiki – a conflict that (at least officially) continues. To my knowledge, the Catholic Church HAS NOT rescinded it’s prohibition against Reiki.

Oshkosh WI 2/9/11: Photo by Jeannette Merten.

I first heard my calling to practice Reiki in the late 80’s and it wasn’t until 1999 that I found the path that resonated with me. My path of Reiki training was facilitated by CATHOLIC NUNS! I have always seen Reiki as part of my ministry of service to the world and as a natural response to Jesus’ call that we continue the healing work he did in the world. Jesus laid hands on people for the purpose of healing. Why wouldn’t we do the same?

Below are the opportunities I was given to respond to this conflict. I continue to stand in support of Reiki and the calling thousands have been given to be a source of healing in the world through hands-on-healing.

Reiki allows me to continue the healing ministry of Jesus.
Reiki and the Catholic Church
Obedience to God or Man?

You may also find support through my book, Christouch – a Christ-Centered Approach to Energy Medicine through Hands-on-Healing.

Lauri Ann Lumby is a trained Reiki Master Practitioner who completed her training under the guidance of Maureen Conroy, RSM and Donna Koch, SFHC. You can reach Lauri at lauri@lauriannlumby.com or by calling (920) 230-1313. Lauri lives in Oshkosh, WI and provides local as well as remote Reiki services.

Wise Woman in the Wild

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Embracing a once-valued archetype

Wise Woman: one who sees beyond the illusion. One who has embraced her gifts and suffered for the sake of her Soul’s calling.  One who has been tried and tested and who has conquered her demons and embraces her shadow. 

In the Wild: One who trusts her own inner authority and supports others in doing the same.  One who lives her own sovereignty and therefore cannot be contained by the status-quo. One who has broken free from the fear, power, oppression, and control of the prevailing system.  One who is authentically free.

Before patriarchy wrested power from the masses, wise women were held in high esteem.  These were the women of the community/tribe/clan who were healers and midwives.  They comforted the dying and journeyed with the grieving.  These were the women who were the seers, oracles, prophets, counselors, and guides.  They were the secret-keepers, knowledge holders and record-keepers, protectors of the clan’s history and their stories. Finally, they were the “pray-ers”- engaging with the powers of Great Spirit to ensure the clan was in harmony with the Wisdom of the Universe and Her cycles.

These were the women whose services were so critical to the survival of the community that their needs were provided for by the clan so that the women might focus solely on their good work.  My Irish ancestors gave these women the names of:

Seabhean – the woman who walks between the worlds

or

Bean Feasa – the woman who sees

We live in a world where the Wise Woman are no longer honored.  Instead, for centuries we have been ridiculed, condemned, even murdered because of the gifts we display, and more specifically, because we have risen above the fear that keeps the patriarchy in its power. Women who have claimed their own inner authority and who use it freely are a threat to the patriarchal system. It is for this reason that for centuries, our ancestors have hidden or denied their gifts and suffered – not only the imprisonment of patriarchy, but also the emotional/physical/mental/psychological/spiritual consequences of putting a lid on the Spirit of Love that seeks to be known in the world through us.

Isn’t it time we set that Spirit free?

How are you called to embrace the archetype of the Wise Woman in the Wild?  What steps are you currently taking to live your truth?  What are the systems of control that you have escaped?  What is still holding you back from living your sovereignty?