patriarchy

Being a Death Priestess

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

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.

Just Say No!

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Revealing the patriarchal wound in American institutions

Regardless of our thoughts on the Trump administration, we cannot deny the way this presidency is revealing the woundedness and corruption of long-cherished American institutions. This woundedness can be summed up in one simple way:

The Trump presidency is showing us how firmly entrenched American institutions are in patriarchy.

While this may be obvious considering that the vast majority of American institutions are founded on a patriarchal/hierarchical model. Patriarchal institutions favor the powerful few while imposing subservience on everyone else.

What has not been so obvious until now is the way in which these patriarchal institutions, and those within these institutions, have allowed themselves to become subservient to the system in which they exist. Patriarchy begets patriarchy with subtle layers of privilege imprisoning those within the very system. Let me point out a few examples:

  1. When the Trump administration ordered the elimination of DEI programs and initiatives, and then Universities and other institutions complied.
  2. When the Trump administration ordered the arrest and deportation of student protestors, and universities (and the Supreme Court) allowed this to happen.
  3. When the Trump administration threatened to deny universities of federal student loan and grant funding, and universities said and did nothing.

These are just three simple examples, all involving universities and colleges. These educational institutions DID NOTHING to stand up for equity and diversity programming, to protect the first amendment, to keep their foreign students safe, or argue against the deprivation of funding upon which they (and their students) rely. They did nothing. Instead, institutions who claim certain values appeared willing to forsake these values simply because someone who appears to be higher than they are on the totem pole of power told them to.

The burning question here is why didn’t they JUST SAY NO!?

The easy answer might be because of money. Each of these orders were accompanied by a threat of financial deprivation. The more subtle answer, and one even more significant than money, is the reality that every single institution who has complied with the president’s orders are patriarchal in nature and structure. The fact that they so readily bowed to threats proves that they are so entrenched in the system that they are willing to forsake the stated values of the institution and the rights of their students in favor of their own place within the system. “Yes sir, Mr. President, go ahead and deport our students, threaten their first-amendment rights, create an environment that deprives people of color, who struggle with disabilities, who don’t fit into “traditional” definitions of gender and sexuality, etc. with opportunities, etc.  Go ahead and do all this and we will stand by and watch and do nothing.”  By kowtowing to the demands of a bully, they secure their place within the system.

By remaining in a system that rules by threats and intimidation, they have made themselves the cause of their own demise.  What is true of every oppressive system is true here. By letting the bully win, you have already lost.

The correct response to oppression, is and has always been to

JUST SAY NO!

On both an individual and macrocosmic level, the path to escaping oppression begins with one single word, and that word is NO. Just say no! To the universities and other institutions receiving orders from the current administration that are accompanied by threats, just say no! Say no to ICE raids. Say no to the elimination of your DEI programs (or maintain the programming and call it something else!  DUH!). Say no to threats against the right to free speech, including the right to protest and peaceful assembly. When threatened with the withholding of federal student loan and grant funding, come together with other educational institutions and file a class-action lawsuit against the president. JUST SAY NO!

The same goes for each and every one of us. We live in a nation in which we have been given certain rights and in which these rights are said to be guaranteed. Stand up for those rights. Say no to threats and intimidation. Say no to those things that threaten the rights of others.

Escaping an oppressive system begins with one simple word, and that word is NO. Just say it!

Under patriarchy we lose:

  •   Access to our own inner authority.
  •   Freedom to discern our own truth and choose our own path.
  •  Belief in ourselves as loveable for exactly who we are without having to seek after acceptance or approval.
  • The power of our own executive functioning as seen in our relentless search for a savior.

In this six-week course, we will explore the ways in which we have been imprisoned by the patriarchy and the subtle ways in which this imprisonment is experienced.

Learn more and enroll HERE

Freeing Yourself from the Patriarchy

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

On-Demand Available Now!

For over five-thousand years, humanity has been imprisoned by patriarchal rule. Under the rule of patriarchy, human beings have been conditioned by fear to be subservient to an outside perceived authority. Under the threat of punishment, and wrapped in a cloak of false promises, humanity has given over its power to a seemingly powerful few.

Under patriarchy, toxic masculinity is the ruling force and privilege is afforded primarily to white men of wealth. All other human beings are then divided into a hierarchy of servitude to the powerful few.

The patriarchy requires:

  • ·         Blind obedience to a self-appointed outside perceived authority.
  • ·         Subservience to this authority.
  • ·         Expectations of duty.
  • ·         Dependency based on false promises of provision and protection.

Under patriarchy we lose:

  • ·         Access to our own inner authority.
  • ·         Freedom to discern our own truth and choose our own path.
  • ·         Belief in ourselves as loveable for exactly who we are without having to seek after acceptance or approval.
  • ·         The power of our own executive functioning as seen in our relentless search for a savior.

In this six-week course, we will explore the ways in which we have been imprisoned by the patriarchy and the subtle ways in which this imprisonment is experienced:

  • ·         In our own lives
  • ·         In our relationships
  • ·         In society
  • ·         In the workplace
  • ·         In our underlying sense of shame or guilt
  • ·         In our conditioned sense of duty
  • ·         In our search to be saved

We will then explore ways in which we can free ourselves from this conditioning.

Six-week online course

This course consists of:

  • ·         Inspirational readings
  • ·         Lessons
  • ·         Contemplation and Reflection
  • ·         Discussion
Learn more and enroll here

Falsehoods Being Revealed

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

As for … all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,

which is the second death.”

Rev 21:8

As we continue to move through the end of the world as we have known it, the burning of the empire, and the death of the patriarchy, I can’t help but be reminded of the Apocalypse of John (aka The Book of Revelation). While this book is indeed timeless and relevant to human beings at any and all times of our existence on this planet, the symbols, metaphors, and imagery used are appropriate for our times. Humanity is being asked to awaken out of the coma of patriarchal conditioning and into a consciousness that transcends separation – realizing and embodying the truth that we are one species on one world and in order for us to survive, we need to come together as one.

A significant part of that awakening (the meaning of apocalypse) is realizing the lies we’ve been sold and seeing the truth beyond the falsehoods.

To me, the truths are evident. Equally are the falsehoods behind which these truths have been hidden. For years I’ve used my voice to point out these falsehoods, “Look, the Emperor has no clothes,” but few have been willing to listen. Eventually I quit pointing out the lies, allowing the liars and deceivers to dig their own graves – because, in the end, they always do.

Truth stands on its own and will eventually reveal itself. Another way of saying this is that liars will always end up showing themselves for who they truly are. Further, those who seek to deceive will eventually find their way to the lake of fire – suffering the consequences of their lies – often by finding themselves deceived.

Deceivers will be deceived. Cheaters will be cheated. Manipulators will be manipulated. Thieves will become the victim of thievery.

I call this Karma. The human part of me relishes in the thought of watching karma mete out its own form of justice while cheering when seeing it done. I don’t feel sorry for the person suffering the consequences of their own actions, BUT I do have compassion for whatever wound in them caused them to be a deceiver in the first place, and my wish for them is healing.

We are at a place in the evolution of humanity where truths are being seen and falsehoods are being called to task. This revelation of truths and falsehoods has been increasing in frequency and subtlety for the past several years. Most recently, the revelations have become a constant bombardment that has left many of us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and a fair bit overstimulated. As soon as we seem to recover from one truth-telling, another bomb is dropped on our heads. Right now, the battle between truth and falsehoods has produced a chaos that many are finding difficult to navigate, let alone manage.

The only way I can see for us to make it through the current deluge of lies is to get out of the way. Universal law tells us that the lies will be revealed, and truth will eventually emerge. Until that time, all we can do is bear witness to the battle, trusting that truth will win out and karma will find its way. The phrase I keep hearing is: 

WAIT FOR IT!  The truth is already here, the liars just need to dig a deep enough hole for themselves and the entire world will see them for who they truly are.

Indeed, the emperor has no clothes.

Support Through the Death Throes (of the Patriarchy)

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Chaos. Confusion. Anxiety. Fear. Erratic behaviors. Non-sensical speech. Delusions. Rage. Restlessness. Grandiose projections of blame. Impatience. Bullying.

All of these are among the typical symptoms observed when an individual is moving toward death. No matter how much the spirit is willing, or the individual is mentally at peace with leaving behind the mortal coil, the body fights – often tooth and nail – to remain.

I have witnessed this myself as I have accompanied individuals through the final days of life. Medication provides support and eases some of the symptoms of the death throes, but the body still fights the release of its spirit.

The same is happening in the world today. The patriarchy is dying and it is working extra hard to cling to the perceived power, wealth, and control they have wielded these past 5000-10,000 years.

Every day we are witnessing symptoms of this dying. Those who have benefitted from the way things have been, and those who believe (falsely) that the dying patriarchy will save them are collectively raging, whining, and clinging. If it is difficult to notice these behaviors in the collective, we need only look at the loudest of our world “leaders” for examples of the patriarchy trying desperately to stay alive and in the position of perceived power:

  • Fingers of blame pointed outside of themselves.
  • Men unwilling to claim responsibility for their own actions.
  • Grandiose behaviors and gestures of attempted power.
  • Non-sensical speech.
  • Delusions of grandeur and illusions about how much power they actually have.
  • Attempts to dismantle systems and services that they perceive as being of no use to them.
  • Impatient and rash decision-making.
  • Bullying and name-calling.
  • Chaos and confusion.

The symptoms of the death throes then cast observers into panic-mode. What can we do to help ease the effects of their actions? What can we do to stop them? How can we help them see that their actions are unreasonable and rooted in fear? How can we help ease their fear?

We can’t. Neither should we try. In physical death, sedatives help to ease the restlessness of death throes. When the death is of a system, the only thing we can do is stand back and watch, letting nature take its course.

And soothe ourselves. Whether we are experiencing grief, anxiety, worry, or fear in the face of the patriarchy’s dying, we are invited to turn to the tools we have for navigating these feelings while restoring ourselves to peace. Only in finding our way to peace can we endure the upheaval of systemic death while keeping our eyes open for signs of the new life that is already here and which is taking deeper and deeper root as the patriarchy heaves its final sigh.

One way in which we can help ourselves in moving through the death of the patriarchy, is to learn all the ways in which we have been conditioned by to patriarchy, and deprogram ourselves from these beliefs, behaviors, and habits.

Join me for this 6-week Live (via ZOOM) course starting Wednesday, March 5th.

Learn more here and enroll

New Live Course: UNCHAINED

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Six-week Live (via ZOOM) Course

(recorded for later viewing for those unable to attend live)

Wednesdays 6:30 – 8:30 pm Central Time

March 5 – April 9, 2025

Registration limited to 25 participants

(for people of all genders for we are all negatively affected by patriarchal conditioning)

Learn more and enroll

Unchained – Freeing Yourself from Patriarchal Conditioning

For over five-thousand years, humanity has been imprisoned by patriarchal rule. Under the rule of patriarchy, human beings have been conditioned by fear to be subservient to an outside perceived authority. Under the threat of punishment, and wrapped in a cloak of false promises, humanity has given over its power to a seemingly powerful few.

Under patriarchy, toxic masculinity is the ruling force and privilege is afforded primarily to white men of wealth. All other human beings are then divided into a hierarchy of servitude to the powerful few.

The patriarchy requires:

  • ·         Blind obedience to a self-appointed outside perceived authority.
  • ·         Subservience to this authority.
  • ·         Expectations of duty.
  • ·         Dependency based on false promises of provision and protection.

Under patriarchy we lose:

  • ·         Access to our own inner authority.
  • ·         Freedom to discern our own truth and choose our own path.
  • ·         Belief in ourselves as loveable for exactly who we are without having to seek after acceptance or approval.
  • ·         The power of our own executive functioning as seen in our relentless search for a savior.

In this six-week course, we will explore the ways in which we have been imprisoned by the patriarchy and the subtle ways in which this imprisonment is experienced:

  • ·         In our own lives
  • ·         In our relationships
  • ·         In society
  • ·         In the workplace
  • ·         In our underlying sense of shame or guilt
  • ·         In our conditioned sense of duty
  • ·         In our search to be saved

We will then explore ways in which we can free ourselves from this conditioning.

This course will consist of:

  • ·         Inspirational readings
  • ·         Lessons
  • ·         Contemplation and Reflection
  • ·         Discussion

*Content portion of sessions will be recorded and available for viewing within 24 hours of the live gathering for those who are unable to attend live. 

Learn more and enroll

Contained Radiance: How Best to Serve Humanity in the Face of Collapse

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 4 Comments

On Monday, January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in for the second time as President of the United States. Whether you are hopeful or terrified in the face of another four years of Trump, the result will be the same.  The empire will continue to burn itself to the ground. President Trump may hinder or hasten that collapse – only time will tell.

In the meantime, we do the only thing we can do:

  • We hold space for that which is meant to occur.
  • We bear witness to the collapse.
  • We care for ourselves and our loved ones.
  • We observe our reactions and acknowledge the fears being triggered.
  • We do the work of healing and transforming our unhealed wounds,
  • Most importantly, we guard our energy and the precious spiritual gifts we’ve been given to help usher humanity through this collapse.

The collapse is happening with or without us. We cannot prevent it.  Neither can we stop it. Nor should we. The power of the patriarchy has run its course along with the hierarchical systems that have been established on fear, power, and control. We must allow the collapse so that something new may takes its place.

Yes, collapse is uncomfortable. Yes, it can be terrifying. Indeed, many will lose property, wealth, and even their lives as the world seeks to right itself. Yes, there will be sorrow and we will grieve these losses.

And there is nothing we can do about it. Instead, we are called to do something for ourselves.

The something we are called to do at this time, is to confront the holes in our soul that have been caused by all the ways and times that we have given our energy away in an effort to help, heal, or save, and that energy was either rejected or taken advantage of. The time of limitless giving in a culture that limitlessly takes, has come to an end. Instead, we are called to seal up the holes left behind from all the ways in which our energies and our sacred gifts have been misused.

This week, in working with my online community, I saw our souls as being held within a jar. For many, if not most, our jars are full of holes where our magic is being stolen from us or from where we are giving it away. It is time for us to seal those holes so that our magic might be safely contained. For every hole we seal, the light of the Divine within us gains power and grows in radiance. The goal is to seal every hole so that the light of the Divine within us might be safely contained so that it might better serve ourselves and our world – not as a commodity to be given or taken away, but as the radiant light of Love that just is – the light that not only transforms ourselves, but transforms our world.

It is through this contained radiance that we can best serve our world at this time. Guard and protect your energy. Draw it inward. Seal up the holes. And let your radiance shine.

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

Reclaiming The Mother

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

To say this week has been intense would be a profound understatement. This morning is the first in many days that I feel somewhat human. Based on reports from the field, I’m not the only one.

Collectively, we have been cast into the depths of the patriarchal wound. Patriarchal wounding began the day humanity set aside THE MOTHER in favor of the punitive father where both the Holy Feminine and Holy Masculine were deprived of their power in favor of the toxic human.

The toxic human seeks after power – no matter the cost. People of all genders are guilty of this toxicity and it is this toxicity that has caused the destruction of our planet and all the ‘isms known to humankind. Toxic humanity gains its power through fear, manipulation, guilt and shame. Toxic humanity will be the death of our species if we don’t do the work of transforming it.

Transformation of toxic humanity is exactly what many of us were cast into this past week. For many, this work of transformation began through our own triggering event – experiences that caused us to feel powerless, disappointed, despairing, devastated, or angry due to actions brought forth through another acting out the patriarchal paradigm. We can be assured that when our triggering results in an inner devastation (for example) that feels disproportionate to the event, that we are being invited to not only transmute this wound for ourselves, but for the collective.

In my own deep dive I found myself alternating between writhing in agony and raging at the injustice. Fortunately the Universe knew I would be called to this and sent me several significant supports. Most noteworthy was a deep encounter with THE MOTHER.

THE MOTHER is the source of all that is. She is the primordial Creatrix and how Source was recognized and honored before the patriarchy captured humanity’s devotion. The Mother is black, representing the VOID/DARKNESS out of which all creation emerges – The Mother’s womb, and black to represent the geographic seat of humanity’s origin. In the spiritual tradition of my primary teachers, The Mother is known as The Shekinah.

Reclaiming THE MOTHER is one of the ways in which we can restore humanity to its original nature as loving, caring, and peaceful creatures living in harmony with the earth and one another. Archaeology supports the idea of a time when humanity lived as one, and the common spirituality of the tribes who lived in this way, was recognition and honor of The Mother. The Mother predates humanity’s creation of hierarchical gods and goddesses along with all the religions that divide. SHE simply is.

I can’t describe exactly how this happened, but accepting and embracing The Mother has completely transformed my experience of The Divine. No longer is the patriarchal father whispering shame, guilt, or threats of punishment in my ears. Instead, I find myself resting in the comfortable abundance and safety of The Mother’s womb. Here I’m reminded that all our needs are being abundantly provided by The Mother, and there’s nothing we need to do to get those needs met. In the same way that it is true for a babe in its mother’s womb, the nourishment, support, love, protection, and peace we all need is simply given to us by virtue of our connection with Source and this nourishment and support comes unbidden and in exactly the way that we need it for our soul’s wellbeing.

Embracing The Mother supports the transformation of the patriarchal wound within us while creating a ripple effect that begins to transform the patriarchal wound within humanity. It’s not something we can make happen, however. The Mother will come to us in our own unique way and as we are ready to receive her. We can, however, prepare for her arrival by identifying the patriarchal wounds within us and begin the work of transmuting them so we can create room for The Mother’s appearance.

Courses in Support of The Mother

Beware the Toxic Feminine

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I might suggest that women have more to fear from other women then they do from men. Specifically, the threat about which I am referring is that which arises out of the toxic and/or patriarchally complicit woman.

The toxic patriarchal man is indeed a threat, but we know what we’re getting. The toxic masculine is easy to spot. They wear their violence like a badge of honor. Flexing their muscles. Waving their automatic weapons around. Proud of their objectification of women. Maintaining the adage, “spare the rod and spoil the child,” they treat everyone as inferior to them and worthy of their abuse.

The toxic feminine, in contrast, is sneaky and insidious. Talking sweet to your face. Hiding their true intentions. Making promises they never plan to keep. Fawning over and manipulating those who serve their cause. Feigning friendship and pretending trust when all they really want is to get you into their trap. Pretending confidence and strength when in truth they are jealous and insecure. These are the women who can’t stand to see other women succeed and who see all other women as competition.  These women pretend to be a source of support while undermining other women behind their back.

The toxic feminine is that which benefits from toxic masculinity and patriarchal culture. They thrive on what they “get” from being a woman of privilege and are happy to sell their souls for patriarchal attention. If another woman gets in their way, they will do everything in their power to destroy them. Politically, the toxic feminine are those who enthusiastically endorse the patriarchal, hierarchical, predominantly white status quo and who will viscously attack anything that challenges their position of perceived power. These are the women who willfully voted against the Equal Rights Amendment and who vote “Pro-Life” while eager to deny food, clothing, medical care, and shelter to those forced to give birth.

While the latter presents the extreme version of the toxic feminine, they are all a danger to the evolution of our society, and to women specifically. Beware of the Toxic Feminine

Healing the Patriarchal Wound

begins by reclaiming the Holy Feminine within us. Click on the images below to learn more and enroll in these Divine Feminine online master classes: