faith

What if Jesus had Lived to 60?

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

At sixty-one years old, I find myself contemplating the spirituality of aging and how, perhaps, our calling and mission might change as we move beyond the enthusiasm and excitement of our twenties and thirties and into an entirely different experience that we are just beginning to realize. Contemplating the changing nature of my own call, it hit me, Jesus died at thirty-three!  What would his life have looked like if he had lived past that excitable age? For those of us who have lived through those fruitful years, we remember the passion and excitement that fueled our discovery, our hunger for learning, and the feeling of being compelled to share what we knew, along with the transformative power of what we had only begun to explore.

To put it bluntly, in our thirties, we believed we knew everything that it was our job to inform everyone else. Ah….the innocence of youth.

At sixty-one, we know better (at least I hope we do). The truth we begin to realize as life whittles away at our “confidence” (ie: pride) is that we truly know nothing. Whereas formerly we were certain we knew the nature of God, we understood God’s Truth, we believed in “His” loving care and protection. As life has its way with us, we come to realize we know nothing about God, his plan (if there is one), or his truth. We also learn first-hand that maybe God doesn’t really have our back, and we cannot trust in his protection.

Have I grown cynical in my old age? Perhaps, but let’s look at Jesus for a minute. If we have called Jesus our teacher, read the story of his life, and attempted to understand and apply his teachings, we see that in the life of “God’s own son” there was no protection. God couldn’t even get his own son off the cross, so what possibly could “He” do to save us from the struggles of our own lives? Instead, God’s most beloved (as we were taught) was ridiculed, condemned, and murdered. Jesus failed in his mission and God did nothing to save him or ensure his success. (The “salvation” brought about by the resurrection notwithstanding.)

Jesus was plucked from his life right in the middle of the age of enthusiasm. Of course he was eager and excited to share what he had come to know (thought he had come to know) about God. He then went forth with the sense of mission and purpose consistent with his chronological age.

What would have happened if instead of being killed in the crucifixion, Jesus had somehow lived? Would he be doing in his sixties what he had been doing at thirty-three? I kinda doubt it. The enthusiasm and passion of youth are simply not sustainable into old age. Would Jesus (as God’s son) been granted some sort of dispensation from the natural quieting of age? Perhaps – but just for a minute, let’s pretend that Jesus was 100% human (along with being 100% Divine). Human nature is human nature and if Jesus was meant to live humanness in its entirety, and lived into old age, I truly believe his mission would have changed. It had to have.

For the sake of pondering, let’s just pretend Jesus survived being betrayed by his closest friends and companions and then condemned by his community as a heretic. Would he have stuck around, continuing his efforts of “sharing the good news” publicly? I think perhaps not. There would have been a natural attrition due to the scandal that accompanied him. The hundreds that once followed him would have returned to their regular lives and their devout membership that guaranteed their acceptance in the institution. The disciples, after betraying and abandoning Jesus would have retreated into their shame and returned to their former lives. Those who remained would have been the ones who truly believed and who had remained with Jesus up until the “end.” Even if after being banished by the Church Jesus continued to preach, and teach, and heal, it would have likely been on a much smaller scale.  “Not shouting or crying out or raising his voice in the street. (Isaiah 42).”  Eventually, he would have realized that his awakening (the discovery of that which brought him into the experience of Union with God in peace) was for him alone and that each and every human would eventually discover this on their own and in their own way. Further, he may have come to see that no one needed saving and that God was and would always be in charge. As an aged man, Jesus may have set aside the effort of attempting to save people that don’t need saving and the natural exhaustion that comes from that effort, and retreated into a quiet contemplative life where he could simply be – while perhaps taking up, again, the practice of carpentry that first showed him the peace present in mindful activities.

Of course we will never know what would have happened if Jesus had lived into old age, but this is one of the ideas I ponder as facing the reality of my own so-called calling.  I’ve lived the enthusiastic part. I’ve spent time teaching, guiding, and supporting people’s healing. I’ve been awakened out of my own innocence to the realities of life and its suffering and have learned first-hand that God’s provision and protection are not what I once thought or had been taught.

This doesn’t mean I don’t still look to “God” for help (Psalm 54). Instead of looking outside of myself, I look within. As life and its hardships are swirling around me, God is there in the silence.  God is there in the peace that arises when we move past the chaos, tragedies, and distractions of life. God is where God has always been – in stillness. “Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46).”

And today, I am the words of Rhea Rainwater that sustain me:

“A tired heart leaning into silence.”

Starting a Spiritual Practice – Getting Started

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Part II of a series

Defining a Spiritual Practice

A spiritual practice is ultimately anything that helps you to connect with your higher self, God/dess, highest truth; and that which leads us to an experience of peace, contentment, focused attention, fulfillment, completion and love.  You are probably already engaging in some sort of activity in your daily life that brings you to these kinds of experiences—cooking, gardening, exercising, painting, drawing, house cleaning, parenting, making love, etc. etc. etc.  When you realize what it is you are already doing that brings you to these experiences and then bring the intention of it as being your spiritual practice, you deepen the experience. 

The content that will follow is intended to introduce a variety of traditional spiritual practices so that in addition to what you are already doing, you might carve out 15-30 minutes a day specifically devoted to your spiritual practice.  Diligent attention to our spiritual practice provides a myriad of benefits including decreased stress,  increased peace and relaxation, increased productivity and creativity.  It just makes us happier and scientific research is beginning to prove that a regular mindfulness practice helps to support our physical health and wellbeing. 

Getting Started

As mentioned on the previous newsletter there is no right or wrong way to meditate or to enter into spiritual practice. I have learned, however, that there are certain things we can do to be successful in our goal. SHOWING UP for our spiritual practice. Remember…the only goal is to SHOW UP. The following steps may help you to do this.

  • Set aside a regular time each day for your spiritual practice where you can be
    uninterrupted for 15-30 minutes. For many people, this is first thing in the morning,
    but choose a time that works for your own personal bio-rhythms.
  • Choose a special place in your home or office that is designated as your place for your
    spiritual practice. It might be a certain chair in your living room, your drawing easel,
    maybe you have the luxury of setting up a meditation corner or room.
  • Have the tools that you need for your practice near your chosen place – your journal, a
    bible, writing utensils, maybe a candle or incense burner, a blanket.
  • Turn off any potential distractions – phones, computers, pagers, etc.
  • Create a ritual that helps you to enter into your practice. Light a candle. Burn
    incense. Say a prayer. Bow to your sacred space.

The 21-day Miracle

It is said that it takes 21 days to start a new habit. A daily spiritual practice of meditation, contemplation, mindfulness or prayer is simply a habit that you are entering into on purpose. It has been my experience, and one that I share with my students and clients, that if you dedicate the next 21 days to your spiritual practice, SOMETHING will happen within those 21 days that will make you NEVER want to miss your practice. This something will be so amazing that you will want to make your practice a priority and do it every day. I know it happened for me and I am now on over 30 years of a daily practice!

Let me know the miracle that you experience within those 21 days!

Juggling Timelines

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Just when I think I know and understand where things are going and what path I am following in my life, the Universe tosses in a banana peel. I see the peel as it tumbles to the ground before me, step aside to avoid it, just as the Universe reveals an unexpected turn in the path, a change in direction, or even, a complete and total dead end. 

The same can be said of meaning. For years, I was driven to find meaning in anything and everything – dreams, animal appearances, the shape of clouds, a pain in my knee, a tarot card. I have since learned that we are the meaning makers – meaning we determine what meaning to give to what we see and experience.  Sometimes the meaning we assign proves correct (or is it only correct because we have programmed ourselves to interpret the outcome based on the meaning we gave it), but more often than not, life has a good laugh at us as the meaning changes over time or ends up being altogether wrong.

Whereas we may be tempted to assign meaning and define our paths, life doesn’t really work that way. Instead, we are invited to acknowledge that life simply is, and to be present to what is allowing it to unfold in the way it needs to without our intrusion or interference.

One way to think of this is that the Universe has an intention and a destination, we are a part of that unfolding, and what is unfolding is in our highest good – even/especially when it doesn’t look or feel like it is. Assigning meaning or thinking we understand the path, provides us with a moment of satisfaction, but ultimately does us harm.  The better, more beneficial response is to do nothing – cease from assigning meaning, stop getting attached to hoped-for outcomes, and just ride the wave of the unfolding.

Recently, the invitation to ride the wave of unfolding came up and hit me right between the eyes. As I said to a friend just the other day:

It’s super weird working two jobs while
simultaneously holding space for 87 potential timelines.

As I’m navigating two part-time jobs, I am watching timelines rise and fall, meaning show itself then disappear, outcomes emerge and just as quickly collapse. All of this is happening at the very same time humanity is navigating a similar journey- a possibility shows itself then disintegrates, hope emerges and is just as quickly dashed, at the moment we think we know what is happening, the Universe pulls away another veil and we are left confounded, confused, and disoriented once again. It feels like the Universe is trying to figure out its own shit while leaving us to be the victims of its indecision.

Or maybe the Universe knows exactly what its doing and all of this is for our highest good – whether we want to believe that or not. Regardless, the lesson is the same:

Be present to what is.

Allow things to unfold on their own.

Refrain from assigning meaning or defining outcomes.

Trust that all of this is in our highest good – whether we believe that or not.

What Life Wants

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

As I am preparing to embark upon a new professional path – an opportunity that came out of nowhere and which I never would have imagined or planned for myself – I am reminded that Life tells us what it wants for and from us – not the other way around. Our choice in the matter is not about what or how we choose but is instead about how we accept what is presented or how stubbornly we resist it.

No matter how the new age and prosperity gospel folks argue otherwise, we are NOT the masters of our destiny. Our thoughts do not dictate our reality. While the Universe gives us what we need (what is in our highest good), it rarely gives us what we think we want or desire.

“Want” and “Desire” both arise out of fear and are manifestations of resistance.

Case in point, since 1994, I have placed my professional attention and energy into a very specific mission. For the learning and all the experiences I gained, I am forever grateful. During these thirty-two years, I have experienced moments of pure grace, fulfillment, and joy. I have also experienced great struggle. During this time I have known abundance, I have also known lack. I do not, however, regret a single minute of any of it because:

It was right for me at the time. Through these experiences I have learned and grown.
I also believe many have benefitted from the gifts and resources I have shared.

The time for all of this, however, seems to have come to an end. All the attempts to revive this mission and keep it alive have failed. It is time to accept that the horse is dead and soon needs to be buried (more on that later). As St. Paul once said, “I have fought the good fight…I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)” 

Life, it seems, has other plans for me. It is no longer my job to save the world (hah!). Neither, it seems, am I called to be a visible voice for the Magdalene. Instead, and ironically, I’ll be serving in a capacity reflective of the degree I earned in my undergraduate studies, while using the gifts I originally set out to share when I first embarked on my professional career in 1987.  I know this path will encompass more than just this, but it sure feels like a kind of full-circle moment to me.

Only now, I’m older and wiser. I’ve had nearly forty years to hone the skills I will be using. Technologies have changed and become more collaborative. I’m a different person than I was in 1987. And I have abilities outside of the ones I will be using that will undoubtedly be called upon.

This is a new path. A new adventure. I’m excited. And terrified. But when the Universe randomly and out of nowhere puts an opportunity in your path, and you say “no” to it three times, but it still comes back, it is likely best to accept what Life is giving you and be ready for the possibility that it might be “something amazing….I guess.”

Mary Magdalene: Scholarship vs. Fantasy

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

We are living through an exciting (and sometimes terrifying) time of revelation. Truths that have long been hidden are now coming to light – the consequences of which are nothing short of earth-shattering. From the Epstein files to staged assassinations, to alien disclosure – every day we are faced with some new veil being torn away along with the shock that arises for some and the “I told you so” that arises from others as together we process new levels of apocalyptic knowledge. To say we are moving through unprecedented times would be an understatement.


Preceding these recent revelations were the discovery of thousands of years old sacred texts which described stories about Jesus and his followers that shed a whole new light on the development of the Jesus movement and the beliefs of first through third century Christians. Among these lost (hidden) documents are several providing unknown details about the person, Mary, called Magdalene – her relationship with Jesus and her role in the unfolding of the early Church. Central among these documents is a gospel written in her name – The Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).


As these previously unknown texts made it into the hands of scholars, who then translated, and later published these texts, they found their way into the hands of the general public, resulting in an explosion of renewed interest in Mary, called Magdalene. This eventually brought forth a cacophony of theories about Mary – some based in scholarship, some based in legend, and others based solely on imagination. Whereas all interpretations of Mary Magdalene may provide insights that inspire and nourish us in our spiritual journeys, in our search for the authentic Magdalene, it is important to separate fiction from fact.

In our search for the authentic Magdalene,
it is important to separate fiction from fact.

As it relates to happenings of the first century of this common era, especially as it relates to the Jesus story, there is nothing that we can truly call fact. Yes, we have the scriptures. Additionally, we have a few reports from historians of the time that suggest there was a man named Jesus (Yeshua) who was crucified by the Romans in the early part of the first century. Archaeological evidence has surfaced that may or may not be related to Jesus and his kin. As much as it all may have happened, it is just as likely that none of it happened. As such, when I speak of “fact” here, I’m referring strictly to what has been presented in source materials (ancient texts), what can be surmised through historical documents, and what has persisted in cultural legend and oral traditions – knowing full-well that all of these can be, and have been disputed. There are enough consistencies among these sources, however, to credit them more than what I will otherwise refer to as fantasy.

Fantasy is something humans have simply made up. Whether it be attributed to channeling, creative imagination, or wishful thinking, fantasy has no basis in scholarship. There exist no historical documentation or archaeological findings to support it. That is not to say, however, that the insights provided through fantasy do not speak a kind of truth to us. These may ignite motivation, self-awareness, or even awakening in us. That doesn’t however mean they are true in a verifiable sense.

As it relates to the Magdalene, for example, there is absolutely nothing of scholarship to support the idea that she was a temple prostitute, a sacred sex worker, or involved in rites of Hiero-Gamos. While these ideas may speak to women and men working to transform sexual shame into sexual liberation, I find these ideas antithetical to the efforts being made to correct 1400 years of Mary Magdalene being incorrectly associated with sexual “sin.” Additionally disturbing are the attempts made to create Mary and Jesus into some kind of royal couple with a sacred lineage that later defined European aristocracy. Whereas the writer of the gospel attributed to Matthew, speaking to a strictly Jewish audience, had a specific agenda of proving that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah of the House of David, nowhere else is this prevalent. Instead, the overwhelming message and actions of Jesus were to overturn hierarchy and privilege in favor of an egalitarian world in which all are in service to each other – the exact opposite of proclaiming or lauding his so-called “royal privilege.” By association, I believe we can say the same of the Magdalene.

In my own work with and study of the Magdalene, I find myself increasingly frustrated by the fantastical ideas put forth regarding her. Well-intentioned, or not, I find these fantasies diminish the true power of the Magdalene – a power that must be reclaimed if humanity ever hopes to survive in this tragically failing world. Mary, called Magdalene, was not Jesus’ side-piece. Neither was she the sinful woman. She would not have claimed any royal status – even if she had some. If she bore a child with Jesus, which could have happened, this child would not be any more special than any other child born out of love.

Instead, supported by scholarship, we can say the following about Mary:

• Mary was a disciple of Jesus and more than most, understood the true depths of his teaching.
• Mary received teachings from Jesus that he did not share with others.
• Magdalene is not a surname. Neither was it a place name. Instead, it seems to have been a title imparted upon her in recognition of her learning and commission.
• Mary was “cured of seven demons,” which was more likely a process of initiation/liberation that she completed under Jesus’ tutelage, than an accusation of her “sinful nature.”
• Mary was with Jesus at the foot of the cross.
• Mary assisted with his entombment.
• Mary was the first witness to the resurrection and was sent by the resurrected Christ to tell the disciples he had been raised from the dead.
• Mary delivered the news to the disciples and was immediately rejected.
• Mary experienced post-resurrection encounters of and teachings from Christ.
• Mary was later invited to share with the disciples what Jesus had taught her in secret – some accepted her teachings and some did not.
• By the Eastern and Western Churches alike, Mary was given the title “Apostle to the Apostles” in recognition of the unique commission given to her by Christ.
• At some point, Mary separated from the Jerusalem community and took her understanding of Jesus’s teachings elsewhere where she likely shared them with others. Some legends suggest Alexandria, Egypt and others Provence, France. The Greek Orthodox Church reports her as teaching in Rome, and eventually Ephesus. The Catholic Church loosely supports the legend of Mary in Provence.
• There exists a long-standing tradition that Mary was highly regarded as a teacher and a healer, in her own right, imparting deeply transformational knowledge to those who would hear her.

As it relates to all other things suggested of the Magdalene, (including my own personal theories and fantasies) I treat them with proper discernment – immediately discarding the ridiculous, while holding the possibility that within the theory might reside some seed of truth. For as anthropologist, Ron Wetherington once said,

“All stories are true. Some of them actually happened.”

Lauri Ann Lumby is the creator, facilitator, and spiritual director of the first, and only, Mary Magdalene training that is rooted in true scholarship, academic research, canonical and non-canonical scripture, and the deeply held traditions of Judeo/Christian contemplative practice. The goal and measurable outcome of this in-depth training is the embodiment of Universal Love and the knowledge of self such that one is led to a rich and meaningful life of service to the betterment of the world through their own unique gifts.

Learn more here

Universal (Personal) Jesus

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 4 Comments

As we are approaching Easter, thoughts of Jesus are running through my head. Who was Jesus? Who IS Jesus? Was Jesus real? Was he made up? Is he “Savior?” and if so, for whom? These are the questions that get batted around in theological circles. People have gone to war over these questions. People have been killed for answering these questions “incorrectly.” And yet, after 2000+ years, there is no conclusive answer to these questions – except those which men have created into dogma. But who’s to say any of that is even true?

To me, none of this matters. Whether Jesus was or wasn’t, lived or died, was crucified died and rose again, or is planning to return has zero impact on my faith. Why? Because faith transcends belief while defying logic.

As I am equally romantic and pragmatic, I can allow all answers to be true. I can also allow for them to be false. Because, at the end of the day, we have very little verifiable, scientific evidence to prove any of it. Instead, all we really have is faith. Not what others have told us to believe. Instead, what do we personally believe about Jesus? What have/has been our own personal experiences of Jesus (if any)?

For me, the answer to this question begins with scripture – both canonical and non-canonical. Whereas scripture has been traditionally contained within the doctrinal jurisdiction of religion, my experience is that scripture transcends religion. As an historical work, containing the pseudo-history of a people, scripture provides a narrative within a specific context. Scripture is worthy of study simply for this purpose. Understanding who wrote the different books of the bible, when they were written, their audience, the genre utilized, and the purpose of the author’s writings gives us insight into the tribal, theological, and religious/liturgical evolution of a people. Approached through a pseudo-scientific lens, scripture provides much insight into the Hebrew people who later named themselves Israelites, and into the experiences of the people within that tribe who later called Jesus their teacher and how his presence altered the trajectory of their lives. All of this is worthy of studying.

If we want to know who Jesus is for us personally, however, we have to move beyond the simple reading of scripture. Neither, can we know Jesus simply by what someone else has told us, regardless of who that someone might be. For me, this personal Jesus came through dedicated attention to the methods of prayer, contemplation, and discernment favored by St. Ignatius of Loyola. These approaches to prayer allow for direct communication between Source (God) and ourselves. Through this prayer, what I have uncovered (as have many others before me) is the possibility of a Universal Jesus – one who speaks Truth to all people regardless of their religion, or personal beliefs.

One does not have to proclaim Jesus Christ their personal Lord and Savior
to receive the benefits of his teachings.

To say otherwise, is proclaiming oneself as higher than God. Who are we to declare that God has ONE chosen people or to suggest there is but one path to being saved? Salvation, I have learned, is simply a matter of perspective – have we found a way to equanimity in the midst of the human condition or have we damned ourselves to suffering?

Beyond anything else, Jesus teaches us how to find peace, contentment, and even joy in the midst of the challenges and difficulties of being human. Whether heaven is here on earth, or on some other plane, is up to us to decide. Jesus shows us how to choose the former. Even if we hope for paradise on the other side of this life, Jesus’ deepest message is how to find paradise here. You will not find these teachings in any church’s doctrine. They can only be found within.

To me, the Universal Jesus is one that came to understand the message of LOVE at the heart of the Judaism in which he was raised. He came to understand the highest Truth taught – that all of creation is an expression of this Love/God and that we are all ONE with this Love. Jesus learned how to remember and embody this Love. He then sought to teach others how to do the same:

The Love (kingdom) of God is within you.

His message is truly this simple. YOU ARE LOVE. Remembering this Truth helps us to find peace.  Right here.  Right now.  (And maybe even more completely when we fully return to Source after we have finished this life).

Is Your God too Small?

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 3 Comments

This past weekend an article came out in which Kim Kardashian, after failing the bar exam, was complaining about all the money she spent on psychics who all told her she would pass, and how duped she felt by them. My response was “duh.” Relying on psychics to determine your success seems naïve ( at best). Especially when (in my personal experience), many (if not most) psychics are happy to take your money and then tell you exactly what you want to hear.

This article isn’t about psychics. Neither is it about Kim Kardashian. What inspired me to pen this musing was the comment thread relating to Kim’s rant. In the comments an individual wrote, “You block God’s blessings when you mess with that stuff.”  I suggested to the commenter that her God might be too small. She said, “I’m Catholic do with that what you will.”  I chuckled because I’m Catholic too (kind of) and the “God” I have come to know is way too big to be limited by the likes of a few psychics, or by those who would turn to psychics for “guidance.” I am of the firm belief that there is NOTHING that can limit or block God – the Presence, Power, Providence or Grace of God.

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God” Romans 8: 38-39

Turning to a psychic doesn’t “block God’s blessings.” All that happens is that we are giving away our own power to reason, discern, and exercise our own truth by putting someone outside of us in the position of power. The same is true when we give anyone the power to determine the path of our lives – parents, teachers, religious leaders, government officials, partners, etc. etc. etc. The only true and reliable authority dwells within us in our connection and union with that which I call “God.”

If you grew up in any kind of Christian denomination, the “God” you were taught was most likely the old man in the sky God – the one Jesus called Abwoon – which has most often been translated as “father.” This “father” God was then painted into the image of either a vengeful, wrathful, punitive father, or one of great compassion like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son – in other words, a God made in our image.  

Even the Catholic Church eschews these images of God in humankind’s image:

God is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 370)

Jesus taught of a God who is Spirit who is all-loving and who is present within us, among us, and all around us. John, in his letters, called God Love (1 John 4). And yet, even the Catholic Church who teaches these scriptures and authored the Catechism, often preaches of a God who is too small. (Hence the woman who believes a psychic has the power to block God).

I, however, refuse to allow God to be limited by the threats of the inquisition, the local Church, by Bishops, priests, or congregants who seem to have missed the whole entire point of Jesus’ teachings. There is nothing greater than the Love that made us, surrounds us, and dwells within us. Even our own forgetting of or disbelief in God is not enough to separate us from that Love. It is our origin, our true nature, and our ultimate destination, for at the end of the day, Love is all there is and there is nothing that can block that.

Like Unto God

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I’ve been at a place of frequently asking myself/the universe why?

  • Why do I seemingly have all these gifts in which very few are interested?
  • Why give me the gifts of vision, insight, knowing, and no audience with whom to share them?
  • Why give me the gift of prophecy – the ability to see the sign of the times and where things may be headed – when no one hears me?
  • Why give me the gift of seeing disorder (when things are out of order for an individual or a group’s higher good), along with the awareness of the remedy to that disorder when my insights are almost always ignored or rejected?
  • Why give me a platform on which I can share some of these insights while keeping my platform invisible?
  • Why give me wise counsel and the gift of teaching for the very few who are willing to hear and apply it?
  • Why show me the red flags while those who need them ignore my pleas?

When I find myself in these times of questioning, I often feel like a whiney baby asking my parent, “Why can’t I have what I want when I want it and I want it now?”

But I have also found that when I turn these kinds of quandaries inward, the answer usually appears – or at least what I need to hear in the moment to find comfort along with encouragement for continuing forward.

This morning as I wrote out these questions and hurled them out into the Universe, the answer came quickly and clearly:

One Who is Like Unto God.

“Hearing” these words, a deep peace came over me, along with an unfolding vision of what these words might mean to me in this moment. I share this in the event that you might find these words comforting as well.

“One who is like unto God,” brought me immediately to the story from Luke’s gospel (Lk 15: 11-32) of the “Prodigal Son.” Specifically, I was reminded of the father and his actions in the story. In summation:  

  • He saw and understood that his son needed this time of departure for his own growth.
  • He likely understood that his son’s efforts would fail and bring him disappointment.
  • He hoped that one day his son might return to the home where he was loved.
  • He waited and watched. Every day, standing at the gate, looking to see if his son was coming home.
  • When his son came home, the father didn’t punish or reprimand him. Neither did he say, “I told you so.”  Instead, he welcomed him home with open arms and held a celebration for his return.

In the story, the father represents God.  The son represents humanity. For us, the story of the Prodigal Son is an invitation to acknowledge the human need to seek out and explore who we are and our place in the world. It is also the reminder that the ultimate destination of that journey is (re)Union with God/Self. We are both the son and the father at different times in our journey. Sometimes we are the son boldly going out into the world despite the warnings of our family, friends, etc. Sometimes we succeed. Often, we fail. At other times, we are in the position of the father – watching and observing our loved ones (and the world) fumbling about in their journey of being human and we want like mad to share our wisdom, warn them of pitfalls, rescue them and save them from themselves. Our well-meaning attempts to intervene often blow up in our face, or our guidance is simply rejected.

For most of my life, I’ve been the son – going out into the world in defiance of the warnings and cautions delivered by well-meaning elders. Sometimes their warnings proved true. Other times I experienced freedom and liberation from these choices – albeit often with a fair amount of suffering. The human journey, no matter how perfectly we follow another’s, or our own guidance is not without suffering.

Now, when I hear the words “Like Unto God,” I am aware it’s time to be more like God. What I mean in being more like God, I mean this:

  • Watching and observing human beings being human beings.
  • Avoiding the temptation to judge the actions and decisions of others.
  • Allowing humanity to go along on its journey unhindered, even if it means toward their own destruction.
  • Staying out of the way – not interfering and not attempting to intervene.
  • Avoiding the temptation to fix, save, or rescue.
  • Remembering that humanity sometimes learns best through failure.
  • While staying out of the way, holding them all in loving compassion.
  • Being available as support and counsel when called upon without attachment to the outcome.

Ugh!  All these things are so difficult, especially when the individual(s) in question are those I love and care about. But the truth is, I’m not sure there’s any other choice. It is only our ego/false-self that believes we know what is best for another. (For God’s sake, we don’t even know what’s best for ourselves!)  While we may be able to predict the downfall of another’s decision, and the downfall does indeed happen, that doesn’t mean the failure wasn’t exactly what the individual needed for their own personal growth. While we might see and know, we will never be omniscient. While we may accept the invitation to “be like unto God,” we will never actually be God. It is this truth that keeps us humble in our humanly journey of being human and our spiritual journey of hoping to be more like God. In neither will we ever be perfect – which is the whole entire point.

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The Choosing

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

“Decide today who you will serve.”

The words above are from the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew scriptures and perfectly describe where we find ourselves at this point in our human evolution as we are being given an opportunity to choose:

  • Who or what do you serve?
  • Who or what do you follow?
  • Who or what do you worship?
  • Who or what do you seek to obtain or acquire?
  • Who or what do you believe in?
  • Where do you put your time, energy or attention?
  • What or who do you give your energy to?
  • How are you using this one precious life you’ve been given?

To me, there is only one appropriate response to these questions, the answer being Love (that which some might call God). When we choose to serve the cause of Love, when we follow Love to its source, when we hold Love above all else, when we seek to know Love more fully, when we believe in the power of Love, when we focus our time, energy, and attention on knowing and being Love, when we give ourselves over to being Love, and if Love is the goal and intention of our lives, then we find ourselves authentically free – meaning peaceful, joyful, and content.

When we choose anything other than Love, we are doomed to be imprisoned by our fears, our conditioning, and our limiting beliefs. Then, we become vulnerable to the manipulations of those who seek to benefit from our fears.

The world in which we are currently living is ruled by those who seek to benefit from our fears: Corporations. Politicians. Governments. Religious authorities. The Media. Conspiracy Theorists. Propaganda creators. – just to name a few. The world is rife with those who understand that fear is an easier choice than Love and who use those fears to control us by getting us to do what they want us to do for their benefit and our detriment. The wholesale destruction of Gaza, for example, is the result of a nation capitalizing on the fear they have created and the individuals around the world who financially benefit from a nation always at war. An example closer to home are the snake-oil salespeople who are happy to take advantage of those suffering with a tragic, difficult, or terminal diagnosis by making false promises of a cure.

What the world doesn’t know is that choosing fear is easier only because it’s all we’ve been conditioned to do. From the time we are conceived, fear is the primary message and tool of control. It doesn’t, however, have to be this way. Neither are we doomed to remain in fear. Breaking away from fear begins with a choice – a choice that we are invited to make every single moment of every single day. This choice begins with a simple question:

In this experience, am I choosing fear or Love?

Let me provide some simple examples:

When you are watching TV and an ad comes on for the latest “weight loss cure,” will you allow the ad to trigger your body judgement and be tempted, or even decide to purchase that product or will you see the ad for what it is – a corporation trying to make you feel bad about yourself so you will buy their product – so you can then decide to choose self-Love over fear?

When crazy sh*t is happening at the White House, do you get sucked into anxiety, fear, and the temptation to enter the spiral of doom, or do you take a breath, see it for what it is (something purposefully trying to trigger your fear), and then let it go with Love?

When a political party (or individual) uses the media to try to set apart a specific ethnic group as “the enemy,” do you buy into the fear or do you understand that in Love, there are no enemies – only those seeking to benefit from a world divided.

Choosing Love requires intention, dedication, discipline, and persistence. Choosing Love takes practice – and is a practice. Choosing Love is at once a choice and an unchoosing as we retrain ourselves from the fear we’ve been conditioned to choose to the Love that is our truest and most original nature. Only in choosing Love will we ever know peace and it is only in more choosing Love over fear that the world will ever know peace.

What are you choosing?

Choosing Love is a practice. All of the resources I provide support you in learning how to choose Love and how to unchoose fear.

Learn more here.

Exorcisms at Midnight

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 3 Comments

This is for my fellow lightworkers, healers, shadow workers, love warriors, etc. – all those who are here to be and support the world through love.

Have you ever had a dream so intense that you feel as if it were real and that you were really and truly at the scene of the dream participating in it as you are seeing it? You know, those dreams that are difficult to wake up from, that give you a kind of sleep-paralysis, and leave your heart pounding and your lungs out of breath?  Yeah – that.  I had one of those last night.

The dream was long, drawn out and detailed, but at the center of it, I found myself performing an exorcism – removing an evil spirit or spirits from a 40ish year-old man while his family stood watch and my “team” bore witness and provided protection. In the past, I would have spent hours, days, weeks even, pondering the meaning of the dream. Today – it’s just another night in the life of Lauri Ann Lumby, doing healing and transformation on planes and within dimensions invisible to our own. I can’t explain it, but I can sure feel it. It took every semi-conscious effort to awake from the “dream,” returning to this dimension out of breath and heart pounding as if I had just run a marathon.

Last night’s dream, is just another in a long line of reminders that as much as I want myself and my work to be visible in this world, the truth is that it is in and on other planes that my work is most commonly utilized and perhaps needed. Is it having an impact on this plane? I believe so. But it’s often difficult, given our conditioning, to credit work done in invisible realms when the needs seem so great here.

I was speaking with a friend and soul-sister about this very phenomenon yesterday. We are conditioned to look for material and tangible ways that our gifts are having an impact on the world. We are taught to look for material rewards for the tangible work we are doing. And yet, as is so often the case, the work we are doing seems to be much more about what we are doing internally to support our own transformation, and on other planes to support (in theory) the transformation of our world, among others.

This attention to the invisible, subtle, and intangible seems strange, and yet, isn’t this exactly where the full impact of all the great spiritual teachers has actually been felt? In his lived experience, Jesus was left with only a handful of disciples. Today, millions claim him as their teacher (however right or wrong their interpretation of his teachings might be). The same is true of the Buddha, Mohammad, and Moses. And let’s not forget about the women!  How many people did Mother Mary reach in her lifetime? How many millions today claim devotion to her? The same is true of Mary Magdalene, Joan of Arc, Teresa of Avila, and all the great spiritual teachers who in their material experience had but a handful of students, whereas today, millions seek after and follow their teachings.  More importantly, how many more are living the path of Love as modeled by these great teachers?

Life is not always what it seems and that is especially true for those of us called to spiritual and healing work. As Jesus was quoted as saying, “I am not of this world.” Neither are we. The work we are called to is the work we are called to no matter how it might appear to the naked eye and the impact is far greater than we could ever image despite our capitalistic conditioning that might tempt us to believe otherwise.

So if you find yourself in the middle of a dream performing exorcisms, know it to be true.

Thank you for all you are doing on behalf of Love and for the sake of the transformation of this world and those beyond!

With love,

Lauri