Being a Death Priestess

I am a Death Priestess. 

Here to bear witness to the end of the world.

The collapse of an empire.

The implosion of patriarchy.

To weather the upheaval and chaos of a world in its undoing

while providing comfort to a terrified and grieving humanity.

The American experiment has failed.

Or rather, it has arrived at its foregone conclusion.

The natural outcome of a nation built on sand.

The weaknesses of the empire being revealed

and in those gaps evil has made a home.

Through the unfolding of events

we are being made to see it all –

the loathsome and the hideous.

But beneath all of this,

another world is being made.

Seeds already planted –

taking root and growing

out of the ash of the old.

A true resurrection.

Something new is happening here.

Do you see it?

For a Death Priestess is about

so much more than death.

We are also midwives –

ushering in the emergence of something new.

This one born of Love

rooted deeply in Truth

and formed in the Wholeness of Union.

So shall it be.

And so it is.

The Crystalline Palace – a meditation

Since the first of the year, I have been “given” (as answers while in meditation to my own distress) specific practices that have proved to be helpful in:

  • Keeping me grounded and at peace.
  • Able to navigate the torrential onslaught of the dying world.
  • Sane and feeling safe.
  • Allowing me to continue to be a source of support for others.

As I have mastered these practices within myself, I feel compelled to make them available here for those who may find them equally helpful. Some of these practices have been “emergency aid” (something to use when feeling in crisis).  Others have proved to be a source of deepening into ourselves while anchoring the new world that is coming into being. What I am sharing with you today is for the latter.

I’m calling this meditation: The Green Crystalline Palace.  It is a continuation and deepening of the process that began with the jar of containment, become the fortress, and most recently anchoring the new earth. As crystals are a substance of nature that grows from a molecule-size seed into formations that can become feet and stories high, it seems appropriate that the green tourmaline crystal within the stone fortress would eventually come to encompass and enfold the entire fortress we originally imagined. This, in fact, is the meditation.

You are invited to return to the image of the fortress with the single green tourmaline crystal pillar planted in its center. Holding that image in your mind, imagine the green tourmaline crystal reaching deeper and deeper into the earth creating roots of crystal that are moving beneath the soil and coming up to the original stone walls of your fortress.  Then imagine these roots reaching upward through the stone walls. As the crystalline roots are moving up through the stones, imagine the stones themselves slowly changing from grey stone to vibrant green tourmaline crystals. Imagine this process unfolding to the point where the entire fortress has become a many-spired green tourmaline crystal palace. Watch the green crystals as they continue to grow, creating a protected, while brilliantly beautiful space around you, knowing that as you are surrounded by the crystal, your heart is being healed, peace is returning to your soul, and you are being cleared of any final attachments to the dying world so that you may step forward out of that world into the new world that is seeking to be born. Know also that as you allow the formation of the crystalline palace, your place in the new world is being anchored while facilitating the growth of that world in which you are choosing to live.

Return to this meditation again and again as you find yourself drawn in by the anxiety of the dying world and remember: we have the power to choose which world we are living in:  the world that is swiftly dying, or the one of our choosing that if we so choose is made up of compassion, love, peace, collaboration, and harmony. I’m choosing the latter.

Anchoring Your Own New Earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

Isaiah 65: 17

There can be no doubt, a new world is coming into being. We may hope, and wish, and dream, that the new world is the material world in which we are living – that human beings will finally get their shit straight, coming together and bringing forth a new age of peace, love, and harmony. I’m not, however, laying any bets on this one. I’m still hoping, but I’ve also come to understand that the “new earth” that has been prophesied may have much less to do with what is outside of us, and everything to do with what is within. Over the former we have no control, but we do have the power to choose the world we know and live from within ourselves.

Isaiah’s prophecy was made close to three-thousand years ago! The author of the Book of Revelations borrowed these words to reiterate the same. Not much about humanity or the way humans live their lives has changed in all these many years, and I haven’t yet seen Christ descend from the heavens on a cloud to usher in the new age (for the record, I don’t believe the “second coming of Christ” has anything to do with men descending on clouds). Instead, both Isaiah’s words and the words of the Revelator may more appropriately be interpreted as relating to our own inner personal journeys. (See my Victory of the Holy Bride – the Book of Revelation class for more on this.)

The inner journey and cultivating an inner world of peace, contentment, compassion, and joy, has been the focus of my personal journey for the past thirty years. This work is anchored in my daily spiritual practice which has ultimately become an all-day, everyday practice. Life itself has become my practice.  As this practice has grown and deepened, additional tools have been added to help me further anchor my own new world. These are the tools I share with those who are open and willing to learn. For none of these tools can I take credit as I either learned them somewhere else (Ignatian Exercises, Tonglen, Ho’oponopono for example), or they were “given” to me while in meditation by a Source deep within (what some might perceive as outside) myself.

This Sunday, I was given a new tool to add to my arsenal of spiritual resources. While deep in meditation, I saw a large piece of green tourmaline being placed in my hand. I was told to use this stone to help anchor my new world.

In crystal lore, green tourmaline:

provides one with a heightened sense of awareness and is here to help you grow into an image of your higher self. Its vibrations push one’s mind to follow their heart and desires. One’s focus becomes laser sharp and actively pushes you to move towards the direction you need to go in. There may be many distractions in your life each day, but Green Tourmaline will provide you with the tunnel vision needed to continue pushing forward. (www.thecrystalcouncil.com)

Green tourmaline is closely connected with the heart chakra and is both a cleansing and an activating stone – helping us to release anything that blocks our ability to know and live as love. Equally, it opens the channels to knowing and being love. I can think of no better stone for helping us anchor our own new world.

Because I’m a rock collector, I was first tempted to go out and find myself a green tourmaline specimen. When my search because daunting, I was reminded, I don’t need the physical stone to activate its intention. So instead of laying down cold hard cash on a new stone to add to my collection, I simply sat in meditation with the stone. As I did, so, an even deeper meditation presented itself. While meditating on the stone, I saw myself within the courtyard of the spiritual fortress that recently presented itself (see more about that here) and in the center of that courtyard was an enormous pillar of green tourmaline that reached from deep into the earth into to beyond the walls of the stone fortress. This image became my meditation and what I share with you today.

Go back to the inner fortress you constructed and imagine, in the center courtyard of your fortress, a giant pillar made of green tourmaline rising from deep within the earth into the heavens. Allow this image to be the focus of your meditation. Imagine the fortress as your place of safety, protection, and groundedness, and the tourmaline as activating your own new earth – the one that right now is taking root within your being. Allow this image to be the touchstone that you can return to again and again and again as you find yourself anxious, afraid, distracted, restless, angry, impatient, and frustrated as the material world around us struggles through its death throes. While that world is busy with its dying, you can be about the business of creating your own new world.

And who knows, maybe if enough of us find this world of Love within ourselves, the world outside of us may in fact begin to change.

Just Trying to Survive the Apocalypse

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.

Tearing Down the Walls of Blame and Shame

Prayers for a Humanity That Cannot See

I pray for a humanity that cannot see.

Lifetimes pursuing a pointless dream.

If I shout it from the rooftops or scream into the void

they’ll finally seek no more to destroy.

Lay down their arms, their fingers of blame,

tear down the walls of ignorance and shame.

Cross the divide and take down the towers

of those to whom they’ve given their power.

But alas I find they don’t want to fix.

Choosing life over death – the puppetmaster’s trick.

Heartbreaking and tragic the decision they’ve made

I watch as together they dig their own grave.

Like the death-watch beetle I speak forth their doom –

No longer later, it’s coming quite soon.

Shifting my gaze from repair to surrender

visions of new I now can remember.

The seeds have been planted, builders coming through

it’s the new world that beckons to those who see true.


Poetry Collections by Lauri Ann Lumby

The Death Throes of the Empire

First a few definitions:

Patriarchy: a system of society or government where control and power held by men is of a disproportionately large share.

Hierarchy: the classification and privileging of a group of people according to economic, social, or professional standing.

Death Throes: the violent movements and noises that are sometimes made by a person who is about to die.

Thank you Merriam-Webster!

Witnessing the Collapse of an Empire

The patriarchal, hierarchical system, which for 5000+ years has ruled through fear-based manipulation to gain control, is dying. This death is perhaps most keenly felt and most clearly observed as in the United States which has acted as if it were the ruling world empire since the day of its inception. The symptoms of this dying are almost too numerous to mention.  For those with eyes to see, the signs of impending death are obvious. Those who are clinging to the dying system and the perceived power they have obtained through that system, however, are clearly blind, deaf, and dumb to the obvious truth around them.

Instead of acknowledging that the system upon which they have built their (perceived) power is imploding upon them, they are desperately grasping after legislation and other means to maintain their perceived control.

Legislating Drag

Certain legislatures in certain states have recently passed laws that make dressing in drag illegal. The pressure to legislate a certain kind of costumed theatrical performance was pushed for by a very vocal minority. If this isn’t grasping at straws, I don’t know what is! I can 100% guarantee that the vast majority of people don’t have an opinion about drag, let alone consider it to be of any moral consequence. Who cares!? Other than the vocal minority desperately trying to find something to control, no one.  No one cares!  Legislating drag is a symptom of a system in its death throes.

Banning Books

Haven’t we gone through this shenanigan already in the history of Western culture?  Has banning books ever been successful in accomplishing the goal of those who want to ban them?  As one who writes banned books, I say to those banning books, “Good luck with that.”  Those with half a brain will go right out and purchase these books and read them to find out what the fuss is all about.  I remember when a local Catholic school tried to ban The Golden Compass, I went right out and bought it.  I immediately saw what disturbed the magisterium of the Catholic Church as the villain of The Golden Compass was called the magisterium!  Intentional? Coincidence?  You be the judge. My point is that banning books is simply another example of the dying patriarchal system in its death throes. 

Transgender Phobia

All I can do is roll my eyes here. The psychologist in me sees right through the uproar over gender correction. The only people who would be threatened by a child or young adult identifying with a gender other than the one assigned at birth are those who are insecure in their own sexuality, or who falsely judge transgender to mean homosexual, thereby revealing their own homophobia. It is ludicrous to me that anyone would be threatened by gender correction and it boggles my mind that some are attempting to legislate gender correction treatment, surgery, and even bathrooms.  These legislative attempts are at once a symptom of the death throes of the patriarchy, and proof of the deep homophobia and transphobia that still exists in our nation – phobias based on sexual repression and a serious lack of understanding.

The War on Women

In one fell swoop, the overruling of Roe vs. Wade put the United States right back into the dark ages.  Now women no longer have access to important, and sometimes life-saving medical care and treatment. With the overturning of RvW, one state after another has rushed in to further deprive women of healthcare options related to reproduction. How did we get here? 1) A very loud vocal minority of individuals attempting to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the nation through legislation. 2) The patriarchy unconsciously realizing that they are swiftly losing power and projecting the blame upon women instead of taking responsibility for their own failings.

The Tic Tok Drama

I don’t use Tic Tok, but my kids do. Tic Tok is owned by a Chinese company. Said company gathers data from Tic Tok subscribers. SO FUCKING WHAT?  I don’t see how Tic Tok could possibly be a threat to anyone regardless of how much and what kind of data is being collected. As I have often said:

the only people afraid of surveillance are those with something to hide!

Is there something to fear or is this just another symptom of an empire in its collapse grasping at straws?  Mostly, as it relates to Tic Tok, I’m concerned for the business owners who have found in Tic Tok a way to make a living. Shutting down Tic Tok will deprive likely thousands of their livelihood.  Who does that serve?????

Banking Collapse

OMG!  We’ve already been down this road!  Did the US learn NOTHING from 2008?  Apparently not. When the greedy get greedy and find the ear of those in perceived power, protections put in place after the 2008 collapse are rolled back. Then the greedy get even greedier and ignore sound banking practices, leaving themselves vulnerable to collapse. Like a game of dominoes, one falls, then another, then another.  Serves them right for being irresponsible (though my heart goes out to honest people who could not access their deposits while the collapse was taking place). But then someone steps in and bails out all the banks!  And again, nothing was learned. Another symptom of an empire and the system it is built on in collapse.

What Do We Do About It?

There are again, too many symptoms to count. The bottom line is that the empire is in full fledged collapse. The question that arises for us, is:

What do we do about it?

The short answer is NOTHING – at least as it relates to the dying empire. The empire is beyond repair. It was faulty to begin with and now it’s time for it to pass away. Our job is to get out of the way and let it die. Our time of being hospice to the dying world is over. There’s nothing that can be done to stop the death. Instead, it is now our job to get to work creating the new world that is going to take its place.

What part are you playing in creating the new world?


Creating a New World

begins with our own inner healing and transformation:

  • Unraveling from fear-based conditioning.
  • Learning to identify unhealed wounds.
  • Discovering effective practices for inner healing and transformation.
  • Exploring physical, emotional, and mental symptoms related to deep spiritual wounds.
  • Growing in inner freedom.

Devils and Doorways


This morning in my meditation, I pulled the “Devil” card.  While some might cringe at the sight of the “devil,” this is actually one of my favorite cards (second only to Death), as it represents EMERGENCE. Specifically, emergence out of and from a time of difficulty, struggle, challenge, and yes, temptation. The Devil card represents the successful completion of a particular stage of initiation.  The Devil literally depicts the exiting through the narrow gate – as St. Margaret here is doing after vanquishing her own inner fears, obstacles, and hindrances to her Soul’s emergence. From this perspective, the Devil is not the enemy, but is instead the friend that provides the resistance we need to grow and to reach our Soul’s maturity. Hurray!  (thank you sir, may I have another?!)

The Devil’s emergence is not only for me, it is for all here who have been doing this deep work – tending to the voice of the Soul, moving through inner and outer obstacles to the Soul’s fulfillment, and doing it in the face of certain resistance from the material world, the expectations of others, and our own “status quo.”  Reports from this community are providing direct examples of our efforts making a difference, not only for ourselves, but for the world at large.  Examples from the world at large are perhaps the easiest to see as they are sooooooooo loud in their resistance! 

The empire (the world based in fear, power, oppression, and control) is collapsing and those who have benefitted from the (now) dying world, are crying out in terror.  The way I’m most frequently hearing it described is this:

People are losing their shit!

Those who are deeply mired in the status quo, who have benefitted from a system that privileges them and remain imprisoned by the toxic conditioning that has separated them from their own truth are losing their shit. These are the ones that have no idea what to do with the anxiety that arises in the face of a system that is destroying itself, so instead of acknowledging the anxiety and doing something about it, the anxiety comes out in disproportionate actions and behaviors – fear coming out sideways. Grasping for control. Making ridiculous requests. Having tempter tantrums. Acting like children. 

A New World is Being Born and Those Clinging to the Old are Freaking Out! 

It’s a normal reaction to change, albeit an unhealthy one. I take these increasing, and growing louder examples as signs of positive change and a growing collective that is by our actions, and intentions, hastening the death of the old while giving birth to the new. The empire is facing its own “Devil’s journey” and we get to be on the other side watching it and cheering them on. Hopefully with love!  


Need Help With Your “Devils?”

Lauri Ann Lumby, MATP, Has over twenty-five years of experience as a soul-tender, educator and guide. She has supported hundreds through her one-on-one guidance, books, workshops, retreats, over thirty online courses, and online community.

Email lauri@lauriannlumby.com to schedule a one-on-one session today!



Vision of a New World

This morning while in meditation I was given a vision of the entrance into a new world. The entrance was made of two arched doorways atop of which was a stone crossbeam with the following words etched upon it:

…of the people, by the people, for all people.

Reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln’s prophetic hope for the rebirth of a nation, these words spoke to a new world that committed to undoing all the wrongs that prevented Lincoln’s vision for ever taking hold. When I read these words, I wept for a nation and a world that had failed itself. I then felt within me a renewed spark of hope – knowing that deep within the potential of humanity is the possibility of rebuilding our world anew.

This new world was built by those who had survived the time of destruction and seen the devastation that had been brought about by humanity’s greed. Instead of creating more of what had been, humanity had come together to create something new. Understanding that humanity’s survival was dependent on the wellbeing of the planet, care for the earth was now of primary concern. Gone were the days of poisoning our waters, our air, and our soil. Banished were the chemicals and processes that sought to manipulate or control nature. These were replaced by ancient practices of sustainability directed first at caring for the land and second for harnessing the inherent cooperation of nature.  Technology now worked on behalf of the earth and all who lived upon her and new technologies were developed that gave more to the earth than what it took.

Weary of the division that had imprisoned them in conflict, humanity came together in support of the common good.  Shifting their gaze from fierce individualism, decisions were now made in consideration of both the collective good and on how decisions might impact the most vulnerable among us. Recognizing how the lack of self-awareness, personal and collective accountability had been the cause of the old world’s destruction, the new world placed psychological development of utmost importance – with all education geared toward supporting the inherent giftedness of each individual while providing the necessary resources and training through which one might best fulfill their potential.  Success was now measured more by an inner sense of fulfillment than by one’s position in society.

More than anything, what defined this new world was a deep spirit of cooperation. Each individual was valued for their unique contribution to the whole. Every resource was counted as gift. Diversity was celebrated as contributing to the betterment of the whole. Harmony was valued above conflict and collaboration above competition.  In this new world, peace and compassion reigned, the magnificent beauty of nature was restored, and humanity lived in cooperation with each other, the planet, and all of creation. And life was good.

Humanity’s Turning Point

From the moment that Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, I have been both deep in prayer and physically writhing from the effects of being an empath. I cannot help but feel the world in rapt and anxious attention to the conflict along with the grief, fear, and enormous courage of the Ukrainian citizens. Still in the throes of the excruciating pain of an empathic full-body migraine, I feel at the center of it all –

ENORMOUS HOPE.

As a species, we find ourselves at a potential turning point – one, through which, we might finally break free from the clutches of tyranny. An innocent nation is being attacked and the court of popular opinion leans on the side of Ukraine. Russians themselves decry the actions of their president and those who support him and are rising in protest. Members of the Russian military are beginning to question the orders they’ve been given along with the reasons why. In a recent phone call with a family member in Ukraine, a friend learned that many Russian soldiers are discussing the possibility of simply laying down their arms.

Russian soldiers laying down their arms? Imagine that!

Imagine that! Imagine the precedent this would set for the people of our world!  In a world where recent wars have been created by men in power for the sake of other men in power. In world where economies and the bank accounts of the wealthiest in our world have become dependent on war. In a world where the innocent have no voice and the soldiers are simply doing what they are told. What would happen if those sent to fight another’s war simply lay down their arms and joined hands with those they’ve been told are their enemy?  What would happen? 

We would suddenly find ourselves living in a whole new world.


Mystic:

Lauri Ann Lumby was born with a deeply introverted (yet social) and contemplative spirit. She is gifted with seeing the truth beyond the illusion and because of this gift, has been called a mystic, a visionary, and a prophet. Lauri is also a catalyst, meaning that those things that are stuck or which need to come to an end begin to move, simply because of her presence. This reality has earned her the designation of “Priestess of Death” – a title she willingly embraces knowing that in every ending is the promise of new life.

We are the Storm

The storm isn’t coming.  The storm is already here and

WE ARE THAT STORM!

Humanity is crying out for a new way of being. One that is no longer based in the model of imprisonment that has been imposed on us – the model rooted in manipulation through fear, power, oppression, and control.

  • We have grown weary of being the backs upon which white men have become grotesquely wealthy while we struggle and fight to survive. 
  • We have grown weary of a world defined by war.
  • We have become sickened by those who grow increasingly rich by a world always at war.
  • We cry out in agony over the destruction wrought on our beautiful planet by the mechanisms of corporate gluttony and greed.
  • Our hearts cry out on behalf of all those who suffer under the current system – especially the poor, homeless, elderly, sick, and mentally ill.
  • We ache over the injustices in our world and have cried out:

ENOUGH!

We are crying out with our feet by refusing to continue in this charade:

  • We have staged a worker’s revolution – refusing to participate in a system that is against us rather than for us.
  • Many have created their own work built on their passions which give life meaning or choosing work that provides better balance.
  • Increasing numbers of people are standing up against racism and brutality.
  • We have lost faith in a governance that works on behalf of their financial sponsors instead of the constituents they were elected to serve.
  • Many are untying themselves from a financial system based in debt and are finding financial autonomy and empowerment outside of that system.
  • Increasing numbers are connecting and gathering in support of a simpler, gentler life that takes less of a toll on our fragile environment.
  • People are standing up in defense of our planet!
  • People are coming together in search of common ground and are turning away from the created division upon which the current system thrives.
  • We have stopped believing in a media that has lost its sense of true journalism in favor of hype.
  • We have turned away from an outside perceived authority and have harnessed the inner authority and sovereignty that has been within us all along.

We are the storm that the system never expected.

Lost in the arrogance and pride of their superiority over the masses, the system expected we would continue being obedient, compliant, subservient, and weak.  The system expected that we would continue believing in their capitalistic lies (ie: everyone has the same opportunity to become wealthy). The system expected that they could continue to manipulate and control us through fear and false promises.

But the system has failed.

A system built on fear, power, oppression, and control cannot stand.  A system that thrives on division is unsustainable and will eventually collapse under its own weight.

We have arrived at that place of collapse.

We are the storm that hastens the collapse by refusing to believe the lies while untying ourselves from fear-based conditioning. We are the storm by coming together instead of participating in division. We are the storm by finding our own inner authority, standing in our truth, and using our voice to speak out against the lies and for the truth. We are the storm when we use our feet to forge a different path, and our hands to create a whole new world.

We are the storm the system never expected, and we are legion!


What are your gifts and how are you called to use them for the sake of your own fulfillment and in service to the betterment of the world?

What is Your Magic?, online course created by Lauri Ann Lumby, OM, OPM, OSF, MATS  was created to help you discover the answer!

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