philosophy

Be Still

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know I.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Psalm 46:10

During times of great upheaval, chaos, and turmoil, the most loving thing we can do for ourselves and the world is to be still. Being still draws us inward toward our original nature which is peace. In stillness we are able to locate the deep well of contentment that is present within us always – when we remember to take the time to return there. Returning there is the remedy to the anxiety, fear, and hyper-fixation that is triggered when everything around us feels to be outside of our control. In that deep well of inner peace, we find comfort, inspiration, guidance, and even a sense of safety when everything around us seems to be on the verge of collapse.

Collapsing it is. Collapsing is what it needs to do. We cannot prevent the collapse, nor should we try.

Instead, we are invited to be. To be witness. To wait and watch. To observe where and how we are being triggered by the collapse, and care for ourselves by turning within.

It is in being still that we shall be unharmed. Stillness provides us with safety and protection. Simply being allows us to find center while everything around us is turning to shit.

Eventually, the collapse will come to its natural end. What will remain will be those who were able to be still. Those who knew how to simply be will be the ones gathering the seeds left behind by the winnowing and who will know how to plant them so that a new world might begin.

If you want to be part of the new world that is coming into being:

Be still.

For over 25 years, Lauri Ann Lumby, MA, has provided one-on-one support for those seeking peace and/or direction in their lives. As a trained spiritual director with a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology, Lauri has the perfect education, background, and experience to support you in hearing your own truth, healing past wounds, overcoming trauma, and finding the tools to help you move through the inner obstacles that might be keeping you from the inner contentment you most desire.

Learn more here.

No Longer Human Functioning

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

I came to the full realization this weekend that I can no longer function as a human being. I’m not sure if this is a function of age and wisdom – coming to know myself more fully and wanting to honor what resonates with and reflects who I am, or if I am finally willing to accept the fact that I am not, in fact, human. Likely it’s a both/and.

With what I know about myself and what I see in the actions of most humans, I don’t know how I could possibly be one of them. Instead, I feel more like an alien species that was dropped on this planet and forced to live among strangers. Never, in my entire life have I wanted what human beings seem to want, and if I did, I wasn’t being honest with myself, or I didn’t know myself well enough to understand that what many humans want would kill me.

And yet, I have spent most of my “human” incarnation, agreeing to the rules human beings seem to have set out for themselves and instead of receiving what has been promised for living by these rules, I have only ever gotten sick – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Humanity’s rules, it seems, are toxic to me, and I’ve had several recent reminders of how sick I become when trying to live by what is expected of other human beings. So, instead of continuing to force myself to comply with humanity’s rules and standards, I’m accepting the fact that what would be called “normal human functioning” is no longer available to me – if it ever was.

For the sake of my own wellbeing, and in acknowledgement of my true alien nature, I no longer consent to the rules of humanity that are toxic to me and will only live my life in the way that feels natural to me.

What comes naturally to me is a quiet, gentle life where I am free to do what feels life-giving to me. What feels life giving to me is meditation and prayer, supporting others with my gifts in a way that empowers and for which my gifts are received and for which I am appropriately compensated, time for learning and study, peaceful enjoyment, one-on-one time with close friends, and rest. In other words – a simple life. If this desire for a simple life makes me an alien, then I guess that’s what I am.

A Seer’s Angst

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

As I woke up to the news of an apparent assassination attempt on former president, Donald Trump, I found myself overcome with deep, inner frustration. The frustration felt like a tightly coiled spring inside of me that desperately wanted to explode into a deafening and earth-shattering scream ala Tommy Shelby:

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO MAKE PEOPLE F’ING LISTEN TO ME??????

It’s not that I had foreseen the attempt on the former president and tried to warn someone about it. It was more about what I COULD see in the video footage of the apparent attempt and what I could FEEL in the collective energy around it. Let’s just say I have questions.

Conspiracy theories aside, for my entire life I have seen and known things and have tried with all my might to express what I’m seeing/feeling while at the same time providing guidance and insights on how to avoid disaster or at the very least lessen the damage. Also for my whole entire life

NOBODY EVER LISTENS TO ME!

And yet, every single thing I see/saw/foresaw/predicted has proved itself true.  I could go down the list from the houseguest I knew to be faking her cancer diagnosis (I was seven at the time), to a one-time friend’s failed marriage to the Oshkosh Arena disaster. I saw it all and where I was able, tried to warn people – anyone.  Nobody listened.

While today the seeing continues, still nobody is listening. I have done everything within my own power and means to share what I see and sense with the world, but instead of being heard, I see my words going out into the ethers and then disappearing into the void – unheard and unseen. The ongoing frustration I feel over this leaves me feeling like screaming into the void:

Which brings me to the existential question: What good is the gift of seeing and knowing if nobody is willing to receive the sharing of that gift? Why would “God” give me these gifts that seemingly have no use to anyone – perhaps even myself? What good is knowing that a venture is doomed when no one else seems to care – or worse, that you will be punished in some way for sharing what you know (oh yes…I’ve experienced this!). It’s insane. 

Or rather, the feeling of knowing and seeing and having nowhere to go with what I know makes me feel insane – like I’m being gaslit and ghosted by the entire human race. I know I’m not alone in this. I have spoken at-length with fellow seers (not the ones who just call themselves that – the ones who actually ARE) and the feeling is mutual. We get bombarded with what we see/feel/know and it creates an overwhelming sense of urgency in us to share what we know, but when we do, all we’re left with is the feeling of our words falling on deaf ears, leaving us with an all-consuming feeling of existential and insatiable frustration. As you might imagine, it’s super annoying to be forced to live a life of existential angst simply because human beings absolutely refuse to hear or see what they don’t want to know.