Beloved Partnership

Featured Course: Mary Magdalene and the Path of Beloved Partnership

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Thirteen Sessions

online and at your own pace

Beloved Partnership is a term that has been alternatively associated with concepts such as soulmate or twin flame. Beloved Partnership is neither of these. Beloved Partnership has nothing to do with the human pursuit of external love.

Instead, the longing for Beloved Partnership and its resulting pursuit can only be satisfied from within.

The journey of Beloved Partnership has been portrayed throughout history in legend, myth, and fairytale. The story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is one such tale – one that institutional religion would like to ignore, and which popular culture has turned into a romance. Whether Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth enjoyed a romantic partnership is immaterial to the Beloved Partnership that they both embodied within themselves.

This course explores Beloved Partnership as the process of human self-realization reflected in the embodiment of the Beloved within as it was achieved through both Mary, called Magdalene, and Jesus, called Christ.

Beloved Partnership is nothing short of the embodiment of that which some might call God.

Week One: Lovers Meet

Week Two: Courtship/Infatuation

Week Three: Consummation

Week Four: Marriage

Week Five: Dark Night of the Soul

Week Six: Abandonment

Week Seven: Solitude

Week Eight: The Void

Week Nine: The Final Trial

Week Ten: Breakthrough

Week Eleven: Living as the Beloved

Week Twelve: Alchemical Fulfillment

Week Thirteen: Holy Matrimony

Each session will include:

  • An opening meditation, song or prayer.
  • A scripture reading reflective of the week’s theme.
  • A live lesson given by Lauri Ann Lumby spiritual director of the Order of the Magdalene.
  • A spiritual practice that will be completed inside or outside of class.
  • Moderated discussion and sharing
Learn More and Enroll HERE

The Search for Beloved Partnership

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

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 this search.  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 to who I thought would be “the man of my dreams.” As my marriage was falling apart, dreams of this elusive love became 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” to take my now former husband’s place. 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 58, 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. 

Happily Ever After – the Transformational Journey from “You Complete Me” to Beloved Partnership presents a new model for intimate partnership along with the process for getting there. Happily Ever After recognizes that as long as we are looking outside of ourselves for completion, our relationships are doomed to fail.  Through personal narrative, informative dialogue, poetry, mindfulness practices, and creativity exercises; you will be invited to deconstruct existing and former patterns of co-dependency while building the foundation upon which you can find happiness and fulfillment within while preparing for the possibility of a mutually loving and supportive relationship with another. Interdependence, rather than co-dependency is the goal of this book and the outcome of this process.

BUY IT HERE

The Man I Love

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

a poem of manifestation written in present tense because all we dream of happens in the now.

The man I love

            enfolds me in his cloak of protection.

He loves, cherishes, and celebrates me

            as I love, cherish, and celebrate him.

He is my best friend, lover, devoted companion,

            and champion.

He anticipates my needs and supports me

            in getting them met, as I do for him.

In his presence, and in knowing

he has my back, I feel safe.

He is kind

            and powerful.

He moves the earth

            for those under his care.

He is like a mighty stag

            guarding over and protecting his herd.

He is like a father wolf,

            cuddling his loves and joining them in play.

He is the embodiment of his own potential

            as am I.

Together we show the world how to love.

Copyright Lauri Ann Lumby  http://www.lauriannlumby.com

Freedom from Longing

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

It could be said that longing is the bane of human existence, but it would be more accurate to say:

Misdirected Longing is the Bane of Human Existence

Longing is the natural consequence of choosing the human condition.  Longing arises out of our false perception of separation from Source.  Longing is the calling of the Soul to return to Union, drawing us home to ourselves. The destination of longing rightly directed is an embodied experience of peace, contentment, and joy.  Here we feel safe and secure in all that we are and with all we are experiencing because through deep inner work, we have freed ourselves from longing by coming home to ourselves.

Misdirected longing, in contrast, provides no fulfillment because instead of turning our longing inward we have projected it outward. Misdirected longing is rooted in the belief that our longing will be satisfied by something outside of us.  We believe, and have been led to believe, that the fulfillment of our longing will come when we make enough money, find the right job, achieve the next promotion, find the next true love, move to a new location, find a new home, buy that new car, etc. etc. etc.  We are also told that longing will be fulfilled when we lose weight, achieve a certain dress size, find a remedy to the signs of our aging bodies, buy a new wardrobe, etc. etc. etc.

Longing projected outward will always leave us dissatisfied, unfulfilled, anxious, and insecure.

We are freed of longing when we turn that longing inward – directing it toward all the parts of ourselves that feel unloved, unacceptable, imperfect, and flawed. In freeing ourselves of longing we are also invited to direct that longing inward toward every experience of our lives that we have judged as wrong, shameful, mistaken, or misguided.  Longing arises when we have forgotten that we are LOVE and that everything happening in our lives has come about for the purpose of that LOVE. Longing finds its fulfillment when we remember that LOVE – this alone is the purpose of the human experience.

Become FREE of Longing:

Mary Magdalene and the Path of Beloved Partnership Live/online course

Starting January 17, 2022

Beloved Partnership is a term that has been alternatively associated with concepts such as soulmate or twin flame.  Beloved Partnership is neither of these.  Beloved Partnership has nothing to do with the human pursuit of external love. 

Instead, the longing for Beloved Partnership and its resulting pursuit can only be satisfied from within.

Learn more and register HERE

Beloved Partnership LIVE Course

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Live/online course

created and facilitated by

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS

Twelve Live Sessions 

Mondays via ZOOM

January 17, 2022 – April 4, 2022

6:30 – 8:30 pm central time 

(Content portion will be recorded for later viewing  by those who are unable to attend live gathering.) 

Learn more and register HERE.

Beloved Partnership is a term that has been alternatively associated with concepts such as soulmate or twin flame.  Beloved Partnership is neither of these.  Beloved Partnership has nothing to do with the human pursuit of external love. 

Instead, the longing for Beloved Partnership and its resulting pursuit can only be satisfied from within.

The journey of Beloved Partnership has been portrayed throughout history in legend, myth, and fairytale.  The story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is one such tale – one that institutional religion would like to ignore, and which popular culture has turned into a romance. Whether Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth enjoyed a romantic partnership is immaterial to the Beloved Partnership that they both embodied within themselves. 

This course explores Beloved Partnership as the process of human self-realization reflected in the embodiment of the Beloved within as it was achieved through both Mary, called Magdalene, and Jesus, called Christ.   

Beloved Partnership is nothing short of the embodiment of that which some might call God.

Learn more and register HERE.

Week One:              Lovers Meet                      

Week Two:             Courtship/Infatuation

Week Three:          Consummation

Week Four:            Marriage

Week Five:             Dark Night of the Soul

Week Six:               Abandonment

Week Seven:          Solitude

Week Eight:           Incomplete Union

Week Nine:            Self-Loathing

Week Ten:              Breakthrough

Week Eleven:        Living as the Beloved

Week Twelve:        Alchemical Fulfillment

Week Thirteen:    Holy Matrimony

Each session will include:

  • An opening meditation, song or prayer.
  • A scripture reading reflective of the week’s theme.
  • A live lesson given by Lauri Ann Lumby spiritual director of the Order of the Magdalene.
  • A spiritual practice that will be completed inside or outside of class.
  • Moderated discussion and sharing                                  
Learn more and register HERE.

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS

is a Priestess of the Magdalene and the founder of both the Order of the Magdalene and the Temple of the Magdalene.  Lauri has been a dedicated student of the Magdalene since first experiencing her portrayal in the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar in 1978.  Lauri has since studied every scholarly work that has been made available on the Magdalene, and many works of fiction.  Lauri has come to believe that Mary Magdalene was indeed Jesus’ closest disciple, possibly his wife, and that it was Mary who was ordained to continue Jesus’ mission of transforming the world from fear into love.  Rejected by the patriarchy, the Magdalene influence has flourished in the mystical traditions of Christianity, though few would acknowledge this. The Magdalene has been a profound influence in Lauri’s own mission and has been the inspiration for Lauri’s writings, books, teachings and online courses all available through Authentic Freedom Academy.

Lauri Ann Lumby has her BBA in Marketing, a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology and has certificates in Pastoral Ministry and Spiritual Direction.  She is a Reiki Master in both the Usui and Karuna traditions and is an ordained interfaith minister.

Learn more at www.lauriannlumby.com.  

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

Mary Magdalene and the Path of Beloved Partnership

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Live/online course

created and facilitated by

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS

Twelve Live Sessions 

Mondays via ZOOM

January 17, 2022 – April 4, 2022

6:30 – 8:30 pm central time 

(Content portion will be recorded for later viewing  by those who are unable to attend live gathering.) 

Learn more and register HERE.

Beloved Partnership is a term that has been alternatively associated with concepts such as soulmate or twin flame.  Beloved Partnership is neither of these.  Beloved Partnership has nothing to do with the human pursuit of external love. 

Instead, the longing for Beloved Partnership and its resulting pursuit can only be satisfied from within.

The journey of Beloved Partnership has been portrayed throughout history in legend, myth, and fairytale.  The story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is one such tale – one that institutional religion would like to ignore, and which popular culture has turned into a romance. Whether Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth enjoyed a romantic partnership is immaterial to the Beloved Partnership that they both embodied within themselves. 

This course explores Beloved Partnership as the process of human self-realization reflected in the embodiment of the Beloved within as it was achieved through both Mary, called Magdalene, and Jesus, called Christ.   

Beloved Partnership is nothing short of the embodiment of that which some might call God.

Learn more and register HERE.

Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, MATS

is a Priestess of the Magdalene and the founder of both the Order of the Magdalene and the Temple of the Magdalene.  Lauri has been a dedicated student of the Magdalene since first experiencing her portrayal in the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar in 1978.  Lauri has since studied every scholarly work that has been made available on the Magdalene, and many works of fiction.  Lauri has come to believe that Mary Magdalene was indeed Jesus’ closest disciple, possibly his wife, and that it was Mary who was ordained to continue Jesus’ mission of transforming the world from fear into love.  Rejected by the patriarchy, the Magdalene influence has flourished in the mystical traditions of Christianity, though few would acknowledge this. The Magdalene has been a profound influence in Lauri’s own mission and has been the inspiration for Lauri’s writings, books, teachings and online courses all available through Authentic Freedom Academy.

Lauri Ann Lumby has her BBA in Marketing, a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology and has certificates in Pastoral Ministry and Spiritual Direction.  She is a Reiki Master in both the Usui and Karuna traditions and is an ordained interfaith minister.

Learn more at www.lauriannlumby.com.