visionary

I See with My Little Eye

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

There is a strange kind of paradox that happens when we are seeing all that we foresaw coming to pass. Partly, I feel vindicated and tempted to wave the banner of “I told you so!” On the other hand, I find myself deeply saddened by a) the refusal of humanity to see the signs that have been there all along, b) their refusal to hear and take heed of the millions of warnings hurled their way (by myself and thousands of others), and c) the very real consequences of an empire in its collapse – one that promises not only to destroy itself, but which is threatening to take the whole world with it.

As we learned from the Three Little Pigs, a house of straw is bound to collapse, if not first going up in flame.

Up in flame is where we find ourselves today. An unhinged emperor who, to those with eyes to see, is wearing no clothes, and an entire House of fools who are either participating in the madness, or complicit in their silence. From those who were charged with the responsibility of holding the emperor in check – crickets.

Hello….hello….is anyone out there?????

Nope. Nary a one. As such, we sit in shock over the wholesale corruption that is revealed in the collective silence. A deafening silence that had been experienced in words, words, words, nothing but words, and not one iota of action.

With the exception of Minnesota!  The entire state is, not up in arms, but up in LOVE – standing up for what is right and just. Upholding the law while holding the federal government accountable to it. Minnesota is putting our President, Congress and Supreme Court to shame – as they should.

But I digress. We’ve seen this coming. We knew the consequences that would unfold with the election of a reality TV star as our president. And if we knew enough to ask, we have known the evil and corruption that would be laid bare under this emperor’s reign. We elected one who represents the very worst of us and all that is wrong with the American system and given him permission to bring all the evil out to play.

It’s horrifying. And yet, it needs to be seen. As is true of all that hides in the shadow, the collective evil of this nation needs to be seen. Only in being seen can it ever hope to be healed.

So, this is where we find ourselves – the little boy standing along the route of the emperor’s parade who is shouting, “The emperor has no clothes!” We are aghast and horrified with seemingly nothing we can do about it. If our elected officials won’t do anything, then how can we?

But herein lies the lesson at the heart of the collapse – what got us here, ultimately, is our attachment to and belief in someone outside of us who is a) going to take care of us, b) provide for and support our needs, c) and keep us safe. Addicted to this attachment, we have given our power away to men (mostly) and women who say they have our highest good in mind, and who will fight for our rights – but do they? Are they? No matter what side of the aisle we stand on, I think we can agree that No, they have not.  No, they are not. Instead, it seems there is some invisible force that is their true employer – a master who is pulling their strings.

The lesson for us, is the same as it has been for 10,000 years since egalitarian cultures gave way to hierarchy:

The only true authority is that which dwells within us. We are the only true source of power and agency. Once we remember this truth, we start (like Minnesota), taking back the power we gave away, and begin building the new world we have been dreaming about. One founded on Universal Love, celebrating diversity, and built through understanding, collaboration, and the cooperation of community.

Besides the death of the empire, I’ve seen this too. “I see with my little eye the possibility of a whole new world waiting to be born.”

*original art by Catherine E. Case, used with permission.

Ugh!

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 2 Comments

For the thirty-or-so of you who continue to read my articles, thank you for your patience these past few weeks. In short – this care-giver is all cared out! I know in this I’m not alone.

The past several weeks have been heavy with intensity, anxiety, and dare I say, INSANITY. When I think things just can’t get worse in our world another shoe drops.  Just when I pray, “surely this is the tipping point that will bring the whole house of cards down upon itself,” it is not. It seems instead of wholesale collapse, the empire is dying one mortar chip at a time.

And we are all exhausted from the waiting and weighting. It is heavy work to be a visionary, prophet, lightworker, healer, starborne, starseed, and carer when the only paradigm we have ever known is coming to it’s self-created violent ending. Moreso even than the system itself, we have been bearing, upholding, and supporting those who are finding themselves anxious, frantic, nervous, and worried in the face of a collapse about which they may not even be aware. We have been a source of support for others while desperately trying to be support for ourselves.

For the past several weeks, I have found myself in complete survival mode. Between a world in collapse and some new (not really) health issues that have surfaced, it’s all I can do to get out of bed in the morning – not because I’m depressed – because I am bone weary and soul tired. On my good days, I’m honored when people seek me out for support. On my bad days, I’m sick to death of other people’s shit. (Not everyone’s shit….just those unwilling to tend to their own work.)

Does this make me a bad person? No, it just means I’m tired and as usual, excruciatingly human.

Humans exhaust me. When I’m tired, unwell, impatient, frustrated, and fumbling, I exhaust myself. Again, I know I’m not alone in this. I likely exhaust others. (ha ha).  But seriously, so many who reach out to me speak of their own disgust with themselves.

When the world is turning itself inside out, we can no longer survive as the person we once thought of ourselves as being. As the masks behind which the human-made world are falling away and the evil behind it all is being revealed, our masks also must fall. The masks I have worn are those of perfectionist, good-girl, straight A student, achiever, hard worker, honest, strong, brave, courageous, fiercely independent, and generously loving. Behind these masks, I am these things, but not always. I too am vulnerable, anxious, terrified, jealous, petty, unforgiving, harsh, and the deceit I indulge is that of people pleaser.  “I’m fine,” is a bold-faced lie and while I have love of all humanity, I sometimes wish a violent death upon those I call my enemies – or at the very least – a heaping portion of karmic retribution.

As the world has been collapsing and masks have been torn away, so too have we been forced to admit the full truth of who we are. We can no longer hide behind the expectations of a capitalistic patriarchal society.  Neither can we live under the burden of the driving, striving, and blind ambition favored by our world.

We must live our truth – or die. “Just hanging on” is no longer enough. Instead, we are invited to LET IT ALL GO. Quit trying to fit in. Quit lying to ourselves. Quit trying to be strong. Quit trying to help or care for those unwilling to help themselves. Quit forcing ourselves to take action where no action is needed and where our gifts have been denied. Quit denying the reality of aging and the physical consequences of illness.  Instead, we’re invited to embrace them. (Hollywood, Instagram, etc. beauty standards are simply another part of a world that is dying. Have you seen what is happening to Hollywood actresses? So many of them now look like corpses.  Gross!) Quit pretending we are well when we are not. Quit “faking it to make it.”

And more than anything else:  DARE to love yourself enough to choose what is life-giving for you, even/especially when what is best is to sleep.

And finally, DO NOT forget that if you are one who sees and believes in the hope of a new world, this new world is being born through you. As such, your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies are hard at work growing and getting ready to birth that new world. Be gentle and loving toward yourself as you would be with a brand new babe. In this birthing, we are fragile and vulnerable. Treat yourself as such!

With love,

Lauri