Spiritual Practice

Understanding the Book of Revelation

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Revelations – the great mystery book of the bible.  For centuries, used as a tool to strike fear in the hearts of humanity.  Touted as a prophecy of things to come if humanity doesn’t get their moral act together, and told as bedtime stories to scare children into good behavior.  If we don’t obey God we will suffer “His” wrath…but wait, even if we are good, kind, loving, and obedient, the end times will still come…..and it is coming soon!  (It’s been coming soon for 2000 years!) With the end time comes war, pestilence, frightening beasts, and terrifying portents in the skies.  But if we can endure the trauma, then we will be rewarded with the coming of the King, and the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven, heralding the reign of peace.  It seems no matter what we do, the apocalypse is coming and only the few and the brave will be rewarded with an eternity in heaven.  The question that hangs in the balance is “Are you one of the 144,000?” 

But here’s the deal, the Book of Revelations has nothing to do with the end times.  It never did.  It has always been about NOW.  Revelations is not a book of prophecies; neither is it a warning of God’s wrath; nor a manual for the end times.  While Tim LaHaye and his buddies made millions on their Left Behind series, Revelations has forever and always been about RIGHT NOW.  Revelations, plain and simple, is an allegory expressing the difference between a life with “God” and a life without.  When we lose track of our connection with the Divine, we suffer torment and unspeakable horrors.  When we remember this connection, we experience heaven on earth.  But here’s the twist – when we suffer it isn’t because God is punishing us.  It is simply the natural consequence of turning away from our true nature which is in Union with God (Love).  When we are One with our true nature (God/Love), we know peace, joy, contentment, and are able to live from compassion and love. 

It really is this simple.  And the formula is even easier:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

This single proclamation of the Divine, repeated over and over and over throughout the Book of Revelation, is the key to it all.  When we make our union with the Divine the center of our life, we know peace.  When we forget this union, we are disturbed.  That’s it!  End of story!

But, maintaining our attention to this union is easier said than done.  We live in a world of distractions.  The human condition is a distraction.  There are (seem to be) a million things vying for our attention.  TV.  Work.  Family.  Friends.  Money, OBLIGATIONS.  Ugh!  Yes, we must provide for ourselves and our families.  Yes, our relationships require our attention.  But really, how much of our time is simply wasted on unnecessary tasks, unfulfilling “obligations,” things that we are simply doing out of habit or because we were told we had to do this by our societal conditioning.  Or maybe we are keeping ourselves busy to avoid the real task at hand which is the invitation to get right with Ourselves. 

Right with Ourselves!  Not right with God.  God loves us for who we are….IN THIS AND EVERY MOMENT!  We are the ones who are not right with ourselves.  Every time we deny the yearning and calling of our Soul.  Every time we ignore our inner pain.  Each time we distract ourselves from our true self and its needs and wants.  When we are not right with ourselves, we suffer anxiety, worry, restlessness, fear, emotional and physical pain.  When we are not one with ourselves, we are not one with God.  Or rather, we have forgotten our Oneness with God…..because in spite of all our efforts to separate ourselves from our Truth, God remains.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

God is all there is.  All there is is God.  And we are part of and an expression of the Divine Source that is within and through us all.  If we are feeling unrest, it is because we forgot this singular truth.  This IS the truth that will set us free – if and when we remember it. 

So this is our task – to remember our Union with the Divine and in remembering this Union, coming home to ourselves.  The “New Jerusalem” isn’t a castle in the clouds, and neither is it happening in some future time in a Heaven light years away. It is NOW.  It is within us.  WHEN we remember this Truth.  So, let’s get to it, shall we?

Suggested Spiritual Practice

This is the hard part.  Remembering our Union with the Divine is an every moment of every day job.  It requires discipline, persistence and PRACTICE.  And we will never, ever, ever, in our human experience perfect this remembering.  All we can do is take it moment by moment, day by day and practice forgiveness of ourselves WHEN we forget.  J  We will forget and we will fail.  But the task is to keep coming back, again and again and again, to this truth:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

In the coming week, I invite you into a practice of observation.  Through this practice, you are invited to observe where you are remembering this truth and feeling that sense of Union with God and your higher self and where you are not.  You will notice oneness vs. separation in the following:

Oneness = peace, contentment, joy.

Separation = anxiety, worry, fear.

I also invite you take note of where your attention is placed.  When is your attention on your Soul and God and when is it elsewhere?  Make note of the difference you feel within yourself when you are connected to Soul/God and when you are not.

Connection = peace, contentment, joy, fulfillment, flow.

Separation = restlessness, boredom, anxiety, worry, fear, frustration, impatience.

Simply take note.  Then, if you feel so-called, begin the work of turning away from those experiences that cause separation and turning instead toward those that support you in feeling Union.

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 endure the “times of tribulation” while building a whole new world – one rooted in peace, understanding, wisdom, harmony and love. 

Learn more HERE

The New Monasticism

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Contemplative Living in the Modern World

As the Institutional Church continues its decline, and monastic communities along with it, we are invited to Re-Vision Church, while at the same time re-visioning monasticism. What does it mean to be contemplative, in community, and in service to the betterment of the world without taking vows of chastity and poverty?  What does it mean to be called to the contemplative life while living in the modern world?   In this week’s lesson, we are going to explore these questions. I invite you to join in this exploration with me!

Church, as we have known it, is dying.  Included in this death is the dramatic decline of women and men entering religious orders. In the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Episcopal traditions, these monastic orders have been the guardians of the contemplative traditions while dedicating their lives in service to the Divine and to the betterment of our world. These are the women and men who serve the needs of the poor, bring healing to the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and who are continually working for social justice and the rights of the vulnerable and oppressed.  These are the people who are “boots on the ground.”

In the modern age, however, the number of those who are “boots on the ground” has drastically declined. To put it simply, few are called to the vows of chastity or poverty that are required for in most monastic orders. Additionally people (in the first world anyway) are not looking toward religious life as an escape or as a means to an education. As our world becomes increasingly pluralistic (embracing the truths present within a multitude of belief systems) and institutional religion continues to decline, there are quite simply fewer to choose from as potential candidates for religious life.

This does not mean, however, that women and men are not looking for what monastic life has provided:

  • A life centered in contemplation, meditation and prayer.
  • Spiritual Formation and Empowerment.
  • A Community of like-minded women and men.
  • Meaningful and fulfilling work that is both personally enriching and which serves the betterment of the world.

How can women and men get these needs met outside of institutional religion, while embracing a multitude of beliefs? 

I have shared this quandary with many of my friends, students and clients.  There seems to be a deep hunger among people to connect – and to do so along a similar intention or goal.  One friend for example, has carries within him the long-standing vision of building a sustainable community – one whose focus is on agricultural sustainability and permaculture – living away from the distractions of the capitalistic world and providing for their own needs while providing for others.  He has seen this as a collaborative collective of like-minded people dedicated to building community, while caring for the earth with sustainable farming practices.  This is a vision that he has held for the six years (lifetimes) I have known him.  He has been slowly working toward this vision and only recently have the pieces fallen into place which are allowing him to fulfill this vision. 

A former student has held a similar vision, but for her the vision isn’t centered on agriculture, but is instead about providing a place for women to be safe (her focus is women who have been abused and their children), where they can heal and become empowered through a sisterhood of supportive women.  The focus of this community would be on ritual, healing practice, meditation and prayer.  Additionally, shamanic healing practices, counseling and empowerment would be offered to help these women create a new life for themselves – either within or outside of the community.

Another example of attempts that are being made to support women and men in receiving the benefits that monastic life used to provide is the way that many Catholic retreat centers have re-visioned themselves.  Many are housed within former convents or monasteries, providing a place of prayer, contemplation, formation, healing and stewardship.  The FSPA (Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration) sisters, for example, have several retreat centers that share a common mission – stewardship of the earth, sustainability, contemplation and prayer, outreach to the community. 

These are all examples of how women and men are finding creative answers to the deep calling within themselves that would have formerly been met within vowed religious life. The one thing that all of these examples have in common is PLACE.  They all require land and buildings – a place people have to go to be a part of these communities. While these examples meet the needs of some, what about the needs of those who are not called to “place”?

I am one of those people, and I suspect if you are part of this community, you might be too.  How do we live a monastic life outside the confines of place and within the rhythm of our everyday lives?  Most of the women and men in this community have “day jobs” and/or a family to care for.  We are called from a wide range of professions, vocational callings and life circumstances – all of which preclude living out a contemplative life defined by place.  Instead, we are called to create space within our everyday life for the benefits of monasticism:

  • A life centered in contemplation, meditation and prayer.
  • Spiritual Formation and Empowerment.
  • A Community of like-minded women and men.
  • Meaningful and fulfilling work that is both personally enriching and which serves the betterment of the world – work which we may or may not get paid for.

It isn’t easy, but it can be done. In order to fulfill this calling we will likely have to defy the rules and conditioning of our patriarchal world – rules that say our value is determined by what we do, how hard we work, how many people know us, how much money we make and by association, what we own.  Living a contemplative life in the modern world requires a shifting of priorities – creating space for the above mentioned items.  Carving out time for meditation and prayer. Making a commitment to our spiritual formation and to the calling which comes forth from that exploration and study.  Taking time to connect with those who are choosing to share in this journey.  Turning away from work, relationships, activities and expectations that no longer serve our Divine calling and turning toward that which fulfills and serves the betterment of the world.  All of this while ceasing from judging the paths and choices of those within our community, understanding that we are all on our own path – just trying to find our way home (to ourselves and our “God”).

I have been and continue to work on this for myself.  I can attest that it is a continued unfolding and a continued deepening.  Every day, it seems, I am called more and more fully into living out the contemplative life I have envisioned.  This alone is a practice.  In addition to my daily meditation and prayer, is the constant evaluation of the rhythm of my life and to what I am giving my energy.  Each day I am observing, witnessing, tweeking – what is life giving and what is not? What is an energy drain and what gives me life?  What makes me feel safe (peaceful, calm, content) and what is overstimulating, taxing, anxiety-producing?  It is an ongoing practice and my hope is that in doing this for myself, I can in turn, support you in doing the same – in the way that works for you!  (Not everyone is called to transmute the darkness of the world – you lucky souls! )

Join us for weekly reflections on monastic living.
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Suggested Spiritual Practice:

In the Christian tradition, Jesus provides the perfect example of the contemplative life. 

  • A life rooted in contemplation and prayer.
  • Ongoing spiritual formation.
  • Engagement with a like-minded community.
  • Meaningful work in service to the betterment of the world.

When his disciples asked Jesus how he did this, he answered was simple, PRAYER. He instructed them as such:

Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Divine Parent who is in secret; and your Divine Parent who sees in secret will reward you. MT 6:6

Jesus prayed (meditated) a lot!  He invited his disciples to do the same.  He did this because he knew:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God (within) and everything will be given unto you. MT 6:33

It is within this intimate connection with God that we find ourselves and in finding ourselves, we discover who we are, who we are called to be and how we are called to live our lives.  We also find this in the quiet discernment of our heart where we know what is “of God” and what is not. 

My invitation to all of this this week, is to enter into our quiet place and ask how we are individually and personally called to live out the contemplative life in our modern world?  As the pieces come through for you, please feel free to share them with our community, either in the discussion section below or if you are part of the social network, please share it there.

With love,

Lauri

The Purpose of Evil

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Before diving into the purpose of evil, I must first share a story. This is a conversation I had with my daughter when she was somewhere around the ripe old age of 14:

Me: “I wish all the evil and bad in the world would just go away.”

Daughter: “But mom, if that happened, there would be no anime.”

Me: …….

Me: …….

Daughter:  “You know, no heroes’ journey! What fun would that be?”

Me: …..

Me: “Sigh. You’re completely right! Out of the mouths of babes!”

This was not the first time I was bested by my wise daughter!  At the young age of 14, my anime-loving daughter was able to clearly see what I could not:

We need evil in our lives! Evil has a reason and a purpose.

The purpose of evil is ultimately for our benefit.

As my daughter so cleverly pointed out, if there wasn’t evil in the world, how would we ever be challenged to grow? In referring to the classic archetype of the heroes’ journey, my wise daughter said it all:

Evil provides the resistance we need to grow.

Human beings are not unlike plants in this regard. As a germinating plant needs the resistance provided by the seed to grow and is then further strengthened by the resistance provided by the rock and soil through which it must climb to reach the sun, so do we need resistance to grow. Being confronted by evil and the other difficulties and struggles of the human condition, we are being provided with an opportunity for this growth.

Unlike a plant which has no choice but to push through (or die), facing evil also gives us the opportunity to cultivate our will and our power to choose. Struggling with the evils of the human condition supports us in honing our conscience and our consciousness. Who do we want to be and how to we want to live and act? Continually, we are given an opportunity to succumb to evil, be led by evil, or alternatively to make the choice for love. When we choose evil, we suffer the consequences of that choice and are given one opportunity after another to choose otherwise. When we choose love, our path takes on a greater sense of ease as we flow gently toward the next opportunity for our growth. Then we have another opportunity to choose.

Evil is always working for our highest good – continually providing us with opportunities to choose and to grow. Our invitation is not to run from evil, but to face it head on, welcoming its lesson, and accepting the opportunity for growth.  In welcoming evil as a teacher, we are fully participating in our own heroes’ journey, and in doing so, writing our own anime adventure!

What kind of hero are you choosing to be?

Courses in support of your own heroes’ journey. Click on the images below to learn more!

Uchiha Image credit: https://wallpaperaccess.com/sasuke-and-itachi-uchiha#google_vignette

Full Moon Report

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

The energies leading up to this full moon have been intense to say the least. Reports from the field include: headaches, vertigo, INTENSE fatigue, nausea in some, physical pain, an inability to focus or maintain attention to ANYTHING. For me this has included “death chills” (I’m not sick!).

On an individual level, for many, this is the final death moon – putting closure on our karmic missions and sealing them up for the crypt. We are done. We’ve done our inner healing and clearing. We’ve done our karmic service to the world. It is now time to put that to bed, shake the dust from our feet, and walk away. The walking away is from all that is no longer life giving. As we allow ourselves to LET GO, we are creating space for the new to come into being. It is time to be open to the new – a new that is life-giving, joyful, fulfilling, and (gasp) FUN! This is the final dying. Now it’s time to live!

Nationally we are seeing another kind of karmic death. Karma is finally being meted out, wrongs righted, and we are witnessing a return to reason. For many, this feels like a victory, a breath of fresh air, and the restoration of hope. For others, I’m feeling a strange kind of grief/shame – specifically from those who did not see and who now have no choice but to see. Along with this is an undercurrent of confusion. The big question here is “Who do we follow/listen to if those we took to be our leader turn out to be liars?” Some will seek another outside perceived authority. Others will simply repress the anxiety/confusion/shame which will then likely come out sideways. Those who are ready, will begin the difficult task of unraveling from outside perceived authority to discover and cultivate the authority within.

On a global level, we stand at a place of decision. Some literally holding the destruction of the world in their hands while others look on holding their breaths. Will someone step in to intervene? Will reason prevail? This presents a bigger question – who is “someone?” I have to wonder if the world is waiting for this someone to come forth or if humanity will realize that WE ARE THE SOMEONE WE ARE WAITING FOR!

As many have reiterated – today is not a day for doing. It is a day for being. Be quiet. Be still. Go inward. Be with the moon and whatever it is inviting you to!

Love,
Lauri Ann Lumby
www.lauriannlumby.com

Predicting a Red Wave?

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The US mid-term elections are this coming Tuesday, November 8th. Many have been predicting a “Red Wave” with Republicans securing majority in both the Congress and Senate, and taking many state Governor positions. If “Red” isn’t your political stance, how might you prepare in the event of a Red Wave?

Soul School Reading List

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People often ask me, “How do you know this stuff?” The short answer is – a lifetime of study. The longer answer is what I have come to call “embodied learning.” Yes, I have read literally hundreds of books on the topics I teach and in the areas that I counsel. But more than just reading, I have done my best to embody the best of what scholars before me have articulated through their words, and have applied the practices of the mystics and contemplators and experienced the benefit of these practices in my own life.

Below is just a glimpse into the many books I have studied in forming the foundation of the offerings of Soul School. The benefit to my client and students is that they don’t have to read all these books. They can just show up for the classes and enjoy the distillation of all I have accumulated and gathered in a lifetime of study, integration, and practice.

Lauri Ann Lumby Reading List 2022

Books Related to Mary Magdalene:

Scholarly Works:

Begg, Ean, The Cult of the Black Virgin, Chiron Publications, 2006.

Bourgeault, Cynthia, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene – Discovering the Woman at the Heart of

Christianity, Shambhala Publications, 2010.

Haskins, Susan, Mary Magdalene – Myth and Metaphor, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993.

King, Karen, L., The Gospel of Mary of Magdala – Jesus and the First Woman Apostle,

Polebridge Press, 2003.

Leloup, Jean-Yves, Judas and Jesus – Two Faces of a Single Revelation, Inner Traditions, 2006.

Leloup, Jean-Yves, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Inner Traditions, 2002.

Leloup, Jean-Yves, The Gospel of Philip, Inner Traditions, 2003.

Leloup, Jean-Yves, The Gospel of Thomas, Inner Traditions, 2005.

Leloup, Jean-Yves, The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary – The Sexual Mystery at the Heart of

the Christian Tradition, Inner Traditions, 2005.

MacDermot, Violet, The Fall of Sophia – A Gnostic Text on the Redemption of Universal

Consciousness, Lindisfarne Books, 2001.

Starbird, Margaret, The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Bear & Company, 1993.

Starbird, Margaret, The Goddess in the Gospels – Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine, Bear &

Company, 1998.

Starbird, Margaret, Mary Magdalene – Bride in Exile, Bear & Company, 2005.

Fiction or Channeled Works:

Heartsong, Claire, Anna – Grandmother of Jesus. S.E.E. Publishing, 2002.

Heartsong, Claire, Anna – the Voice of the Magdalenes, S.E.E Publishing, 2010.

Kenyon, Thomas & Sion, Judi, The Magdalen Manuscript, Tom Kenyon Orb, 2006.

McGowan, Kathleen, The Expected One, Touchstone, 2007.

McGowan, Kathleen, The Book of Love, Touchstone, 2010.

Pevehouse, Dolores, I, The Christ, Hampton Roads, 2000.

Wilson, Stuart, Essenes – Children of the Light, Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2005.

Wilson, Stuart & Prentis, Joanna, Power of the Magdalene, Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2008.

Unitive Gnosticism/Gnostic Christianity:

Douglas-Klotz, Neil, The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus,

Quest Books, 1999.

Douglas-Klotz, Neil, Prayers of the Cosmos, Harper One 1993.

Eisler, Riane, The Chalice and the Blade, Harper Collins, 1987.

Eisler, Riane, Sacred Pleasure, Harper Collins, 1995.

Ericco, Rocco A. Setting a Trap for God: The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus, Unity Books, 1997.

Harvey, Andrew, Son of Man – The Mystical Path to Christ, Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1998.

Hoeller, Stephan, Gnosticism – New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing, Quest

Books, 2002.

Malachi, Tau, The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas – Meditations on the Mystical Teachings,

Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004.

Malachi, Tau, Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ – a Gnostic Christian Kabbalah, Llewellyn

Worldwide, 2005.

Malachi, Tau, Living Gnosis – A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity, Llewellyn Worldwide,

2005.

Malachi, Tau, St. Mary Magdalene – The Gnostic Tradition of the Holy Bride, Llewellyn

Worldwide, 2006.

Marion, Jim, Putting on the Mind of Christ – The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality, Hampton

Roads, 2000.

Pagels, Elaine, Beyond Belief – The Secret Gospel of Thomas, Random House, 2003.

Silva, Freddy, the Lost Art of Resurrection, Inner Traditions, 2014.

Human Development:

Aurobindo, Sri (2001). A Greater Psychology – an Introduction to the Psychological Thought of

Sri Aurobindo. New York, NY. Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Bridges, William (2004). Transitions – making sense of life’s changes. Cambridge,

MA. Perseus Books.

Kiersey, David & Bates, Marilyn (1984). Please Understand Me – character and temperament

types.  Del Mar, CA. Prometheus Nemesis Book Company.

Maslow, Abraham (1970). Motivation and Personality. New York, NY. Harper and Row.

Maslow, Abraham (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York, NY. Van Nostrand

Reinhold Company.

Maitri, Sandra (2000). The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram. New York, NY.

Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Maitri, Sandra (2005). The Enneagram of Passions and Virtues. New York, NY.

            Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Newberg, Andrew (2010). How God Changes the Brain – Breakthrough Findings from a

Leading Neuroscientist. Ballantine Books.

Palmer, Parker (2004). A Hidden Wholeness – the journey toward an undivided

life. San Francisco, CA.  Jossey-Bass.

Palmer, Parker (2000). Let Your Life Speak – listening for the voice of vocation.

San Francisco, CA. Jossey – Bass

Plotkin, Bill (2003). Soulcraft – crossing into the mysteries of nature and psyche.

Novato, CA.  New World Library.

Plotkin, Bill (2008). Nature and the Human Soul – cultivating wholeness and

community in a fragmented world. Novato, CA. New World Library.

Plotkin, Bill (2013). Wild Mind – a Field Guide to the Human Psyche. Novato, CA. New World        

Library.

Riso, Don Richard & Hudson, Russ (1999). The Wisdom of the Enneagram. New York, NY.

Bantam Books.

Riso, Don Richard & Hudson, Russ (2003). Discovering Your Personality Type. New York, NY.

Houghton Mifflin Company.

Tallard Johnson, Julie (2010). Wheel of Initiation – practices for releasing your

inner light. Rochester, VT. Inner Traditions.

The Kabbalah and Tarot

Case, Paul Foster, The Tarot – A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, Jeremy Tarcher, 1947.

Epstein, Perle, Kabbalah – the Way of the Jewish Mystic, Shambhala, 1988.

Fortune, Dion The Mystical Qabalah, Weiser Books. 1935

Hauck, Dennis William, The Emerald Tablet – Alchemy for Personal Transformation, Penguin

Compass, 1999.

Kaplan, Aryeh, The Bahir Illumination- Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Samuel

Weiser, Inc,, 1979.

Kaplan, Aryeh, Meditation and Kabbalah, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1982.

Kaplan, Aryeh, Sepher Yetzirah – the Book of Creation in Theory and Practice, Weiser Books,

1997.

Krafchow, Dovid, Kabbalistic Tarot – Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana, Inner

Traditions, 2002.

Kushner, Lawrence, The Book of Letters, Jewish Lights Publishing, 1975.

Kushner, Lawrence, Honey from the Rock – an Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, Jewish Lights

Publishing, 2000.

Kushner, Lawrence, Kabbalah – a Love Story, Broadway Press, 2006.

Malachi, Tau, Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ – a Gnostic Christian Kabbalah, Llewellyn

Worldwide, 2005.

Matt, Daniel C., The Essential Kabbalah, Harper Collins, 1995.

Munk, Michael L., The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, Mesorah Publications, 1983.

Unknown Author, Meditations on the Tarot – a Journey into Christian Hermeticism, Jeremy P.

Tarcher/Putnam Press, 1985.

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Videos for This Week

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Strange Symptoms, Empathy and the Call of the Mystic

The call of the mystic is often accompanied by the gift of empathy – the ability to feel what other people are feeling, and to feel things that are happening in the world. This gift of empathy is often identified by strange, otherwise unexplainable physical and emotional symptoms: physical pain, vertigo, ringing in the ears, dizziness, nausea, migraines, visual disturbances, unexplained sorrow, anxiety, grief, fear, etc. While it’s important to consult a medical doctor in the event these symptoms have a medical and treatable cause. If not, it might just be that you’re an empath.

Soul Lessons – Tonglen

In this video, you will learn about and be guided in a Tonglen practice. Tonglen is a powerful and effective practice for transforming our inner wounds, compulsions, past trauma, and societal conditioning. It’s a great remedy for guilt, shame, loneliness, anxiety, and so much more.

The Way of Love – The “G” Word

This week’s Way of Love Video Podcast explores the “G-word.” Humanity’s evolution as it relates to our concepts of that from whence we came. Is it the old man in the sky? A many-armed God? Or will our human conceptualizations of the Source always fall short of what “G” really is?

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Is the Bible Even Relevant?

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

My short answer to this inquiry is no, and yes. The no is quite simple. The yes a little more complicated.

First the Nos

  • Scripture is no longer relevant (if it ever was) as a tool of manipulation or to exert power or control over another. In fact, in either form, scripture is not only dangerous, but can become a weapon (as we have witnessed throughout history – even recent history) when in the hands of the wrong person(s).
  • Scripture is not a book of science. Neither is it a book of history as we understand that today.
  • The Bible is not a book of civil law.  Neither is it a guide for upholding nor enforcing law.
  • The Bible is not a manual for gender or relationship ideals or norms.  Only the ill-informed would approach it in that way.

There are likely more no’s but we’ll let these suffice for now.

Now For the Yeses

  • Yes, scripture is relevant as a collection of literature gathered over a period of time related to a specific tribe of people with their own beliefs, cultural practices, and history.
  • Yes, scripture is relevant as a collection of literary genres, gathered over centuries from the oral traditions of a specific tribe of people living in a specific geographic location within history.  None of these writings were meant to be taken as literal and include – myth, poetry, songs, reflective pseudo-history (some things actually happened), tribal laws, erotica, liturgy, letters, and apocalyptic writings and gospels (genres unto themselves).
  • Yes, scripture is relevant as a field of scholarship, especially when said-scholarship contains and includes both canonical (those writings that reflected the dogma of an already established institution), and non-canonical (those that did not).
  • Yes, scripture is relevant as a field of study when one considers historical and cultural context, the literary genre in use, the author, and their audience.
  • Yes, scripture is relevant when examining the theological evolution of a specific tribe of people.
  • Yes, scripture is relevant in studying the reflections of a specific group within that tribe who believed they had found their messiah and the way in which this belief informed their relationship with their tribe and how they attempted to make their way beyond their tribe.

Finally, and this yes is my favorite and THE reason why I consult scripture everyday as part of my daily practice, and why I have included scripture as part of many of my training programs:

Once we pierce through the doctrine and the patriarchy’s fear-based presentation of scripture, it becomes a profoundly relevant tool through which we can access our own inner truth, tune into the voice of our own inner authority, find guidance, healing, knowledge, understanding, wisdom and comfort for our daily lives – all of which help us to remember that we are Love.

Overcoming Obstacles with Authentic Freedom transcends centuries of dogma to reveal the powerful and life-changing message at the heart of Jesus’ teachings and the universal truths at the core of every religion. Built upon the compelling integration of Eastern Energy Medicine and the 2000-year-old tradition of Christian, contemplative spiritual practices, this course revels a dynamic and unifying path of spiritual transformation that speaks to people of all traditions and beliefs.

Learn more HERE

Now Offering TAROT

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I am honored and excited to now be offering Gnostic Tarot as one of my client services. I have been a student of TAROT (meaning wheel or law of life) for over thirty years.  From its roots in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), the Emerald Tablet, and Egyptian Gnosticism, to its evolution in medieval mystical societies to its modern-day use in Jungian Psychology as a useful archetype for the hero’s journey, I have found a universal application for TAROT wisdom as a personal guide, and as a tool for others in their Soul’s transformational journey. For me, TAROT has become part of my daily practice, and now I want to share it with you.

Gnostic TAROT guidance helps you in finding insights and support for where you are in the current stage of your Soul’s evolution, along with keys to answering the deepest questions of your heart. Employing my deep intuitive gifts and my knowledge and experience with the journey of human development, Gnostic TAROT guidance with me is more than just a reading. Through this work you will find inspiration, guidance, comfort, support, and even healing.  Additionally, you will be given effective tools for deepening the insights gained from each session.

30 and 60 minute sessions

BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW!

Healing the Father Wound

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

No matter how perfect and loving our parents might have been, no matter how well they provided for our well-being and supported us in our dreams, each one of us will experience woundedness from our parents. This woundedness may be no direct fault of their own, but simply comes forth because of what they were shown by their parents, the culture in which they were conditioned, what remains unhealed within them, and/or simply because they are human.

As we are human, so too are our parents. There is no shame in that. And yet, for many, the parental wounds become a significant obstacle to both their inner and outer freedom, as well as their ability to enter into healthy relationships and enact their own parenting. Unhealed parental wounds become stumbling blocks to our ability to become happy, healthy, and content in our lives and to find that which will provide meaning and purpose in our lives.

While reflecting specifically on the Father wound, I was provided with the following image of what the Father wound looks like (to me anyway):

Photo by Anni Roenkae on Pexels.com

As you gaze upon this image, what comes forward as your image of the Father wound? 

For each individual, the Father wound will have its own color, size, shape, etc.  It will also have its own unique make up.  Of what is your Father wound made?

  • Fear?
  • Rejection?
  • Condemnation?
  • Criticism?
  • Expectations?
  • Avoidance?
  • Abandonment?
  • Cruelty?
  • Rage?
  • Co-Dependency (the need to seek his approval)?
  • Impatience?
  • Frustration?
  • Inaccessibility?
  • Disappointment?
  • Threats of violence?
  • Violence?
  • Abuse?
  • Jealousy?
  • Molestation?
  • Inappropriate or lack of boundaries?
  • Feeling unsafe?

Every individual carries their own unique experience of the Father wound which might be related to one, several, or all of the above. The first step in healing the Father wound is identifying of what that wound is made.

The second step is to enter into a transformational practice for healing and releasing that wound. Two practices I have found to be especially helpful in transforming parental wounds are Tonglen and the Ho’oponopono prayer.

Tonglen

is a Tibetan Buddhist mindfulness practice founded on the understanding that in order to heal our wounds, we need to move toward them.  Instead of resisting, ignoring, or running away from our wounds, we allow ourselves to feel them.  In allowing the feeling, we can transform the wound and release it from our bodies and our consciousness. 

To heal the Father wound using Tonglen:

  1. Identify the wound along with its feeling (what does rejection feel like?).
  2. Allow yourself to feel the wound.
  3. Identify where in your body you are feeling it. 
  4. While feeling the wound, breathe into the place in your body where you are feeling it.
  5. Breathe out love.  Give a visual image to that love if you find that helpful (bubbles, flowers, hearts).
  6. Breathe into the wound while feeling it.
  7. Breathe out love.
  8. Continue with the breathing into the wound and breathing out love until you feel a shift.  Perhaps you are feeling more peaceful, or the practice brings forth tears.
  9. After the shift, you have completed the practice.
  10. Return to the practice when you feel that wound triggered again, or set aside a daily practice to continue healing that experience of the Father wound.

Ho’oponopono

Ho’oponopono is a traditional Hawaiian prayer/ritual which is used to heal wounds within us that we may have experienced at another’s hand. The practice is simple and yet profoundly powerful. I have witnessed true miracles in the use of this practice.

  1. Identify the wound.
  2. Give it an image,
  3. Become aware of where this wound is held in your body (where do you feel abandonment?)
  4. Repeat the Ho’oponopono formula over and over and over to the place in your body where you feel that wound. 
  5. This is the formula:

I’m sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

The key to Ho’oponopono is that you are saying the formula TO YOURSELF not to the one who caused the wound.  You say it to yourself, and to the part of you that experienced the wound.

Both Tonglen and Ho’oponopono are powerful tools for healing our parental wounds. Admittedly, these practices may not be enough for many to fully heal from these wounds.  It is for this reason that I also encourage additional support through a trained spiritual director (which I am) and/or a professional therapist, or better yet, a combination of the two.  If you are finding yourself hindered by a parental wound, and are seeking for additional support, please see my information below.

Lauri provides sessions locally in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and remotely via ZOOM.

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, OSF, MATS

is a trained Spiritual Director with a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology. She integrates sound psychological knowledge with proven spiritual and transformational practices to support you in being free of that which might otherwise hinder your longing for peace, contentment, meaning and fulfillment in your life.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, email lauri@lauriannlumby.com.