dying world

Here: With and For You

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I spent yesterday with two of my besties. Over coffee, lunch, and a long walk, we chatted about each other’s lives, as friends will do. The greater part of the conversation, however, was around the events that are currently playing out in our world. Most pointedly, the transfer of power in American governance. The unanimous feelings were anxiety mixed with dread – not, as one might expect because of the individual coming into power – but because one can never know exactly what this individual might actually do. Words might say one thing. Actions might prove otherwise.

We are worried and anxious. Not just because of the transfer of power, but because of all that is unfolding at the hands of the human species. We are standing at a crossroads as a species and if you’re not anxious then you are either part of the problem, or not paying attention.

Never, it seems, have we been bombarded by so much chaos, uncertainty, anxiety, and dread. Nothing is as it once was.  Once-treasured institutions are collapsing. The world is either at-war or burning. We’ve been made to see the true corruption and evils hiding behind the masks of those individuals and institutions we once held as sacred.

For many, this constant bombardment has left us feeling emotionally and mentally as if we have suffered through a war. For those who are currently suffering through war, the impact is far greater.

The world as we have known it IS COLLAPSING, and we are being forced to bear witness to the collapse. We are made to experience the chaos and fear of collapse. The collapsing is ongoing and relentless, and we are left wondering, “what if any of this will remain?”

Perhaps nothing. Maybe not even ourselves. The reality of this brings us face to face with our own mortality and the possibility of death.

We are all suffering through the dying of what we have known. BUT, you need not do this journey alone. I am here – with you and for you. For sixty years I have been cultivating the resources and tools to restore myself to peace and resolve when the anxieties of the world become too great. If I can do this for myself, I can do this for you. Whether you are in need of a listening ear, or tools that you can use yourself to make it through this dying, I am here for you.

All you need to do is reach out. If you have my cell number, text me.  Otherwise, my email is lauri@lauriannlumby.com.  I am here as a source of support. We can meet one-on-one in my home, over the phone or via ZOOM. Wherever and however you are, DO NOT weather this journey alone. You have support. I am here with and for you.

With love,

Lauri

Standing Still in a Chaotic World

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Standing Still

Standing still

at the epicenter of

humanity’s quickening.

The cloak of my power wrapped around me:

Metallic gold for power.

Silver for gentleness.

Red for sovereignty.

Midnight for magic.

Black for protection.

White for wisdom.

Green for sanctity and purity of intention.

Magenta for love.

Purple – the color of transformation.

Still as a deeply rooted oak.

Flexible as a willow.

Interconnected as the birch and aspen.

Afire like maple in the fall.

Standing strength as the world

whips up the storms of its dying.

The ever-present death rattle

heaving complaints and false allegations.

Desperately believing it can hide from its doomed fate.

A fate long cast when

privilege forsook unity

and fear sacrificed love.

Has it been since the beginning that the world was doomed?

Humanity, its own worst enemy –

The only species intent on its own destruction.

But in standing still, I and mine are fine.

copyright Lauri Ann Lumby

When There’s Nothing Left To Do

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

But wait, watch, and pray.

We stand at a precipice. The predictions have been made. The foretelling offered. We prophets have shared what we see and spoken what we’ve heard.

The world as we have known it is coming to an end.

We’ve known this. We’ve warned of it. We’ve offered ways in which we might avoid the violent destruction and collapse of all that we have known. Yet the world has turned a deaf ear and a blind eye.

The world as we have known it is coming to an end.

The hierarchical, patriarchal systems that have defined our way of life for the past many thousands of years are imploding upon themselves. Established on the foundation of fear, power, oppression, manipulation and control, they have proven themselves to be unsustainable. In their attempts to maintain their power, they are taking the world with them. Innocent lives are being lost. Civilizations destroyed. Environments decimated – all for the sake of the selfish and greedy few.

Those who claim the loudest to be the strongest are the greatest offenders. Their fall will be the most painful….but not until “they” have claimed millions of innocent lives.

The world as we have known it is coming to and end.

And there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. We’ve given our warnings. We’ve offered solutions and ways to repair our dying world. And no one has listened.

Instead, the proof of our words are coming to roost. Patriarchal institutions collapsing around us: government, education, healthcare, corporations, banking, stock markets, housing, – everything built on fear, power, oppression, and control – falling down around us.

To the prophets and healers among us:  We’ve done our jobs. We’ve spoken what we’ve heard and shared what we have seen – and for the most part we’ve been ignored. Invisible. Now, there is nothing more for us to do. We cannot stop the runaway train of collapse. Now, there is nothing left to do but wait, watch, and pray (however you understand that term).  

AND take care of ourselves by getting out of the way. The world as we have known it is coming to an end, but we are not called to go down with it. Instead, we will watch, observe, and SURVIVE so that we might be a part of building that something new that has been waiting in the wings for the dying world to be done with its dying.

We are also called to REMEMBER. To remember what got humanity here in the first place so this never, ever, has to happen again.

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

Just Trying to Survive the Apocalypse

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 1 Comment

There’s a meme that’s been making its way around social media that speaks volumes to where many of us are finding ourselves at this point in our apocalyptic journey.  The meme goes like this:

For real though!  This is exactly what it’s come down to. As the world around us is imploding upon itself, we have two choices – get destroyed by the implosion or find a way to survive. Not really by my own choice, it seems I’m trying to survive! I know many of you might say the same. It’s not that we want to die, it’s that we don’t want to live in the world as it is and where it seems to be going. Not ones to go down with a sinking ship, we’re either swimming as fast as we can, or more likely, just treading water as we’ve used up every last resource trying to change an unchangeable tide. Or even more likely, no longer treading water even, just hanging out in survival float (dead man’s float) while we watch the whole world around us losing its damn mind.

The world in which is are living is insane. I don’t need to list all the symptoms of this insanity. All we have to do is turn to the news headlines and listen for the truth beyond the words. The house of cards that became the so-called “United States of America” (ie, new Roman Empire) is in full-fledged collapse, as is every other institution built on fear, power, oppression, and control. When the highest court in the land is shown to be corrupt at its core and its judgements bought and paid for, we know we are nearing the end.

Whether we are clinging to what we have known and continuing to believe the lies we’ve been told or praying for a hasty death so we can get on with building something new, we are experiencing the pain of an empire in its collapse. For me, two symptoms of that pain have been the wholesale collapse of a 30-year mission, and a cost of living increase from an over-inflated rental housing market (in a town with a median annual income of $30,000, apartments should not be $1500 – $3500 per month!). Even with the “family discount,” my rental costs are more than 50% of my income (on a good day!).

I’m not alone in this. Everyone but the 1% are suffering. (Even the 1% would admit they’re suffering if they were paying attention for what is coming for them!  Soon it will be more than just orcas. Mother Nature is clear – She’s had enough!).

In the face of impending collapse, there is really nothing we can do but wait and watch. It will do us no good to try to reform the existing systems or hope they will finally see the light of day and reform themselves. The system itself was built on shaky ground with questionable motives. In this I’m reminded of a line from a song: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Perhaps this is the final lesson of the American experiment – only after losing everything will we finally come to know freedom.

Leaving the Dying World Behind

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I’m writing this at 7:46 on a Monday morning and I’ve already received three text messages from friends who are dreading returning to their dying world jobs. It is taking everything in them to put on their shoes and drag their bodies to a job that is not life-giving and that seems to be sucking the soul right out of them.

They aren’t alone! They are also not wrong in feeling these feelings.

The world as we have known it is dying. System after system is in its own form of collapse. Whether it be healthcare, education, governance, or the old boy corporate world, they have outlived their usefulness and are no longer effectively meeting the needs of the people they claim to serve.

Workers are feeling it. They are feeling the death of the hierarchical/patriarchal model, along with their Soul’s calling to be part of bringing forth something new. The status quo no longer works – and it hasn’t for a very long time.  We know this and if we’re dreading going to work, it likely means we are meant to be part of the change.

Being part of the change is easier said than done (says the woman who was forced out of the Church because she dared to take Jesus’ commandments to heal and serve seriously). Also, being part of the change does not happen overnight. Further, some are called to be that change from within the institutions they serve, but for many this is becoming increasingly difficult.

Building the new begins with self-knowledge. Who am I – really?  What are my gifts and passions?  What fulfills me and gives my life a sense of meaning and purpose? These are the questions we must ask ourselves (and discover their answers) before we can a) leave the dying behind and b) set out for something new. Yes, we can leave that sucky job, but until we know the answer to these questions, we’ll likely step from one frying pan into the fire.

As we are coming to know ourselves, we can begin to look out for and make choices on behalf of our Soul.  We might undertake training or education in the work that is more in alignment with our true gifts and passions.  We might take up a hobby related to our interests. We might volunteer.  As we move more and more in the direction of our Soul, the Universe conspires on our behalf, sending people, opportunities, and resources to help us deepen our knowledge and develop our skills, readying us for the big decision: should I stay or should I go?

Leaving the dying world behind is never easy. For many, the biggest obstacle is the perceived security of dying world jobs, and the salary and benefits that some provide. For others, it is the comfort of the status quo – “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” It is rarely an easy decision to leave what we know behind for something that might be life-giving, but may or may not provide for our needs.  It is a risk that few are willing to take – and truly – many are unable – and that is ok. However, if you find your dying world job becoming increasingly dreadful, it may just be that you are being called to leave behind the dying world and be part of building something new. 

What part of the new world would you like to help build?

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Feeling Numb? You’re Not Alone!

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Numb. Slow. Unmotivated. Paralyzed. Uninspired. Despairing. Blank. Grey. Depressed. Sad.  These are the words people have been using to describe how they are currently feeling. It seems we are experiencing a collective numbness, the likes of which no one (in my generation at least) has ever experienced.

We are suffering from what I’m going to call PPTSD:  Post Pandemic Traumatic Stress Disorder.  We might also call it:  Post Political Traumatic Stress Disorder because it seems that literally everything has become a political issue over which people are  choosing to argue, fight, and divide.

For the past three years (I might argue since 2016), we have been bombarded with one violent event after another: contentious elections, school shootings, insurrections, a pandemic that some decided to make political, the rising cost of housing, inflation, “supply chain issues,” “food shortages,” global warming/climate change, the whole world on fire, war in Ukraine, the threat of violence from China, etc. etc. etc. The bombardment has been CONSTANT.  Every minute of every day we are getting pummeled by one threat after another. It’s exhausting.

No human was meant to experience this kind of constant external assault.  We were not wired for this. If you happen to be sensitive, an empath and/or healer, the effect has been even more profound. And there is no sign of things lightening up. Until the current system is done with its dying (for what we are really witnessing is the death of an empire and any system built on a similar foundation of fear, power, oppression, and control), the writhing and screaming will continue.

We have a right to feel numb, unmotivated, paralyzed, uninspired, etc.  We were not made for this kind of constant, collective trauma – especially one of this nature over which it seems we have no control. 

The old world is dying and dying it must. We cannot save it.  Neither should we try. That does not mean, however, that there isn’t SOMETHING WE CAN DO! As the current world, rooted in fear, power, oppression, and control is dying, a new world IS being born to take its place:

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Isaiah 43: 19a

A new world is being born among us, and we are the ones who have been quietly and stealthily building it. It is being born out of our unwillingness to submit to the status quo. It is being born out of our inherent sense of value and refusing to work in conditions or for pay that doesn’t reflect that value. It’s being born out of our love for the planet and our decisions to treat her more lovingly through our buying and growing decisions. It’s being born out of our care and concern for our children, and out of our hope for their future. It’s being born out of the generation of young people paving a new path to self-sufficiency through the creation of innovative business ventures. It’s being born out of those who have untied themselves from societal/religious/institutional conditioning, discovering their own truth, and living from that truth freely.

While we cannot escape the trauma of the dying world in its death throes, perhaps we can find hope in the new world that is being born, and inspiration for how we might begin or deepen our participation in its creation.  

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