Meaning: of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.
So practical is REAL.
I often feel that when it comes to spirituality most people believe that spiritual ideas are wacky and out of this sphere. Most people follow some preset rules or dogmas believing that they will bring salvation from doom or mortality to their souls that they do not know what that is really.
Some people believe that spirits of entities or antient creatures help their life journey to unfold for the better.
None of it is wrong. As long as it helps one to uplift and develop. The truth is that we all need to find our very own unique path, journey, tools that work for us. And if what works is holding seances with spirits then it is what it is.
My path is the path of the practical. With every spiritual teaching or idea, I ask the same questions: So how can I use this in my everyday life?How is ‘this’ going to help me cope better in my daily struggles? How is this going to support me in dealing with my relationships with more ease, etc.
HOW TO? is my way. And as an UNCOMMON PASTOR this is what I offer. Any spiritual idea, teaching, practise, ritual that does not have practical applications in my daily life, does not support me. Get in touch if you are interested in taking part in small group discussions or individual mentoring sessions with me.
It’s very interesting. I think you are right that young people are not good in really knowing themselves. They focus on outer world without looking inward. When you mention God I think on the extreme materialism as one of the causes. The focus is on the body, on the money, on the stuff you can buy with your money etc.. BUT: Do you see any connection of the visible trend (South-Nord) and the religions in these countries? It seems to me that young people in the most religious catholic countries stay at home the longest.
And here is my answer to the question.
Thank you for your thoughts!!! 🙂 Well, I think that being religious and having a relationship with God (spritual) are not the same things. In my experience the more religious (particularly Christian) someone is, the least they are in touch with themselves or God. Sadly, religion often serves as a cop-out. Following religious doctrines and rituals often prevent people from looking within, facing the inner demons, and creating a loving relationship with self and God. In my experience, most religious people fear God because religious doctrines suggest an innate impurity and sinfulness which is false. As we walk the inner journey, we discover the false ideas about ourselves and discover that God is an innate Loving being within. I often observe that rituals distract people from the inner journey that can be challenging at times. With regards to young people, my hope is that they will start questioning old fashioned ideas and start looking for their own personal relationship with God via walking the inner journey. <3
“…And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil …” (Lord’s Prayer)
In my understanding the evil is not a person, neither it is outside of us. It is part of our consciousness; it seeks out and supplies proof for our beliefs that generate fear.
We tend to try to run away from the evil – the fear based consciousness – by different methods such as distracting ourselves by being very busy, controlling situations or others, not participating in life, etc. But we do not notice that it is all happening within ourselves. There is nowhere to run!
As we connect within we face the evil, as we do that, we can release it. As a result, it stops controlling and running us.
God delivers us from evil by US creating and maintaining a connection with the Divine Presence daily through prayer and meditation. Unity’s Five Principles remind us:
As we connect within and up, the grip of the fear, that we try to manage on our own, starts easing away.
So, by praying to be ‘delivered from evil’, we state that we are willing to build a relationship with the Divine Presence within. In deliverance, we can build a more peaceful and contented life together.
Example: I know someone with the fear of not having enough and of running out of resources e.g. money. This fear runs his life in a way that though he is well off, he fears using his resources in fear of running out of them. Often people with this particular fear greatly limit their life experiences by not ‘using the resources available to them’, they often strain their personal relationships, and hold back from life in fear of being ‘robbed’ or ‘manipulated’. It also prevents him from giving freely and abundantly from his resources in fear of not having enough left for him. He is petty much like Mr Scrooge! 🙂
Evil can show up in many different ways in our consciousness, but as we develop Faith in the invisible Divine Presence through connecting to It daily, we will find ourselves being delivered from Evil: it slowly dissipates into the nothingness.
The world is full of wars and conflicts. Most of them are wars of ideas that never change but punish the innocent. Wars and conflicts are not started by simple housewives because of having run out of butter. Conflicts are generated by a small groups of people who appear to represent the majority.
In truth our issues are never outside of us. All the issues we face regardless how they appear are generated within ourselves. It is quite likely that we can find people with similar issues but it still does not mean that the issue is outside. We, ourselves, place the issue out into the world then look for a suitable scapegoat to relieve our inner discord.
I have seen it too many times to know that when we look within and face our ‘inner enemy’ the outer disappears.
It is admittedly easier to fight an outer demon and appear heroic than following e.g. Jesus’ or Moses’ examples. They both showed great courage when they went into the wilderness to overcome their own demons and connect deeper with the Divine Presence. They did not go to war with another tribe or the phereses to relieve their frustrations. They took responsibility for themselves and set with their inner challenges until they dissipated.
Spiritual Life is made up of a series of actions. It is not a mental concept or a phantasy of glory and chimes. Some the actions are hard to do but God is there with us all the time as long as we are willing to take on the challenge.
Why bother?Well, for a start as we resolve our inner conflicts there will be less in the world. Additionally, we will experience a kind of Love that is indescribable. Love that feels like safety and warms just as much as exuberance and freedom. The rewards are much more valuable than the invested efforts.
If you are interested in having and ACTIVE SPRITUAL LIFE, get in touch!
One of the ‘main’ teachings of any spiritual circle is the idea of LETTING GO. In a way it is the opposite of HOLDING ON or CONTROLING. It makes sense. It is impossible to make any changes in one’s life without letting go. A simple example is when you want to wear a set of new clothes, first you need to throw out (let go of) your old clothes so they would fit your wardrobe. It is the same with ideas of beliefs.
Well, is it really that easy? Does it really work the same way with beliefs as it is with clothes? The answer is NO. Letting go of beliefs is part (the last part) of a longer process.
Just because you do not like something or something makes you feel uncomfortable it does not automatically mean that you can let it go.
Fear is often a life-long companion for most of us in some form or another. Most people are not even aware of the ‘things’ that make them feel afraid. Most of our fears and anxiety stem in a belief that we picked up in our childhood. Simply claiming or affirming a life without fear will not do the job, either.
Our life is a journey of learning and unlearning until we arrive into Wholeness with the Loving that we often call God.
Recently, I became aware of a belief or pattern of behaviour that I had lived with most of my life. As I child I learnt that the way I can assure safety and care is to take on others’ responsibilities. As an adult, I often found myself outraged and angry with people who seemingly had dropped their responsibilities onto my shoulders. Later, I understood that beliefs generate experiences. Because I learnt that ‘responsibility’ is my ‘curtain call’, I attract people who prefer not to take it.
Though I have tried many times, I simply cannot release the belief or override the actions. I pray daily that I move into more freedom with my limitations and I do have affirmations that aim at releasing my sense of responsibility, but until I ACT DIFFERENTLY nothing changes.
God, in Its infinite Loving and Grace, provides us with opportunities. If we don’t take them, It eventually guides us into situations where we have no other choices but to ‘let go’.
Presently, I am in one of those ‘unavoidable’ situations. It is hard to walk it day by day. It is hard to be faced with the fear that is generated by my not taking responsibility for others. I am crazy worried that ‘they’ will screw it up and I will have to fix it so to survive. I remind myself that it is only a belief, it is not reality any more.
I know better. I know that God’s Grace walks with us all whether we are aware of it or not. There was a time when I did not feel God’s Grace. Now, I know it because I know how to tune into it.
At the same time, I know that God wants me to be free from this limitation. It wants me to be a calmer and less anxious person by allowing others to do their lives as they see fit without me interfering and fixing it for them. This is the learning or unlearning process. Until I can move my entire being into a new way of responding to familiar situations, I am actively walking the ‘letting go’ process in my own way.
Nevertheless, I do not ignore people. It is true that I do not try to save them. Just because I assume that they cannot take responsibility for their lives does not mean that I turn away from them. I keep on checking with myself if I am in ‘saving’ mode or ‘supporting’ mode. 🙂 When I feel that I am trying to save them, I consciously move into ‘letting go’ which in my case means asking God to walk with me, guide me, forgive me for not doing what I assume I should do, I cry, I meditate, I talk to a friend … and I keep on doing this until the belief dissolves into the Oneness.
In conclusion, ‘letting go’ is not words but acts. How we walk the process of release is unique to us all. We are the ones who are aware of the beliefs, the patterns, the errors and eventually the way out of it.
God walks the journey with us as long as we ask It to do so.
Let me know if you are interested in PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY, a journey of awakening to self and God.
We perceive the would as we see it. Everything we see around ourselves is the result of our collective consciousness that I call the Maze. It is full of unpredictable turns and unexpected dead ends. There is no place for argument of any kind because our fears and needs drive our perspective. The only way out of the Maze is by looking up and lifting one’s consciousness above the Maze.
The Maze is made up of rights and wrongs and good and bads, at the same time there isn’t a true right or a true wrong because it is all personal. As equals, we can only meet on a higher ground where we don’t look for justification of our beliefs.
Trust me, I have my own share of fears and needs and so have I my beliefs about the state of the world. But I know them to be untrue. In my case, they are mostly driven by a great need for security. I am sure, others can relate. I often see a broken world and I try to fix it. Then I remember that it is just a perception, I do not see the whole picture, not in its totality. So, I let go.
Yesterday I found myself talking about a film called Das Leben der Anderen – see the film here CLICK – and the time of my life during the socialistic regime in Hungary. I heard myself ‘blame’ the Russians for overtaking our land and our lives. I found myself enraged again about the atrocities we had to endure.
Then it suddenly occurred to me that it is not only a far, far away past that upsets me but none of it actually exists any more.
Why am I so upset then?
I grew up at a time of terror. We were threatened for our lives at every turn. You had to watch out not to become suspect of any wrong-doing, or you may have been reported to the ‘Stasi’. Every perceived wrong-doing could be punished by imprisonment or death.
I learnt to live with dread. I became neurotic but daring. My response to fear was to challenge those threatening and punishing me. Until one day, I decided that I had had enough and fled.
Except that I took the now innate dread with me. Unknowing, I now held the threatening shadows inside myself. They never ceased to scare me, day and night. So, I continued running trying to flee the shadows.
I daringly conquered all the obstacles and challenges of my life. But I failed to notice that I lacked courage; the courage to face the one ‘enemy’ that generates all the anxiety that has been lurking in my veins.
I have tried it all. I tried to fix it and forgive it. Neither could I let go of the memory of the terror I once lived. It has become part of the vivid tapestry of who I am.
What I must do, however, is face it with courage that stems from my loving embrace. I want to find the compassion within myself that holds me while I look into the eyes of the terror and say ‘I love you, regardless!’
So, I am reading a novel. It is for fun. Because of my ministerial studies over the past 6 years, I have mostly read serious and study related books. So, now that I am approaching the end of my studies, I have given myself permission to read just for fun. I like crime stories particularly those that is mixed with a bit of romance. It is important for me that it is light hearted and fun. It is also important that it is engaging and the characters are interesting and relatable. I have chosen Amanda Quick’s (pseudo name) novels.
I like her books. They are witty and engaging; they are not too violent and they have wonderfully complex characters. I must admit that the rather explicit sex scenes got me by surprised but I realized that there are hardly any TV shows or major films without at least one explicit sex scene. So, I concluded that this is the fashion these day. Most of her books take place in the regency era in England.
The book I am reading right now, Mischief, – a rather interesting title for a book that has not much mischief in it, in my opinion – has two main characters: an earl and a lady of little means. They are a married couple who need to untangle some mystery and series of crimes. The story is interesting but I am more fascinated with the two main characters who display wonderfully human characteristics.
“If you put Buddha, Jesus Christ, Socrates, Shakespeare, Arjuna, Krishna at a dinner table together, I can’t see them having an argument.”
“In meditation, I can let go of everything. I’m not Hugh Jackman. I’m not a dad. I’m not a husband. I’m just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything. I take a little bath in it. It’s not just finding quiet; it’s finding bliss. And that is natural, that is for everybody. You see it in babies, you don’t have to teach it to them. We somehow forget. And what meditation has done for me, and for Deb, and the kids, is to get us back to that thing we’ve forgotten. Which is, it is our birthright to be happy, to be alert, to actually connect with people in a real way.
I meditated before I hosted the Oscars, I meditate before I go on stage, I meditate in the morning and lunch time. When I’m on a film set, the energy is finer, and the decisions you make are more authentic, and you’re more able to listen to other people. It has helped me in every way. Immeasurably. Meditation is all about the pursuit of nothingness. It’s like the ultimate rest. It’s better than the best sleep you’ve ever had. It’s a quieting of the mind. It sharpens everything, especially your appreciation of your surroundings. It keeps life fresh.”
~ Hugh Jackman
When we don’t forgive and let go of the past, we keep on re-living it.
It means that each time we are in a ‘similar’ situation to the event that once caused us distress, we keep on re-living it by being reminded of that event in the present. Until we forgive and let go of what happened in the past, our responses are tinted with the emotions generated in the past.
For example, if you had a challenging relationship with your father, it is likely that you will bring many emotions and beliefs you created as a result of that relationship about men into every relationship you have with men. You cannot see them for who they are because you place some of the beliefs and emotions created in the past on your eyes like a pair of tinted glasses.
Forgiveness is something I call Grace-Tool for Self. Forgiveness is not about judging others’ actions and graciously ‘forgiving’ their wrong-doing. In the process of forgiveness we move through different stages until we arrive to a new level of freedom.
First, we need to accept what happened just as it was. We need clarity on it. We connect with God or the Divine Presence and embrace the experience just as we had it, as we remember it. We simply accept that this event occurred and that we were part of that experience. No blaming, no shaming.
I am aware that it is easier said than done, but without this first part of the process, forgiveness cannot happen. What you want is to remove the emotional charge from the event.
This is what I do: I say to myself: I can see clearly what happened. This… and this… and this … happened. I stop blaming myself and others in this situation. I am ready to let it all go so I can become freer in myself and happier in my life experiences.
When you feel, that you are aware of and in total acceptance – not making it right or justifying! – of that particular event that you wish to forgive and release, you can move into forgiving.
Forgiving has two parts:
We must forgive our participation and contribution to the event that occurred, first. I look at where I judge myself for creating the experiences for myself. I also look at the feelings and emotions I generated during the event and forgive them. I use this sentence and fill in the end until I feel complete. “I forgive myself for judging myself for …” I look at different aspects of my ‘contribution’ to this event and my experiences of this event. I keep on doing this until I feel that the emotional charge start to dissipate.
The second part is the letting go part. I consciously move into detaching myself – mostly emotionally – from the event. I look at others’ participation, and what I blame them for. Then I consciously release the way I see their actions and participation to my destress. With that I leave the past event behind me. I say to myself: (in case someone else is involved in this event) I do not know why you did (…) and why you said (…). It is yours to handle. I acted to the best of my abilities at the time. I detach myself from this event on all levels: mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. I accept what happened. I stop feeling a victim. There is nothing to fix or change with this event any more. I release trying to justify or making it right for myself or others. I stop blaming myself (and you). I love myself and accept myself (and you). I release all this into the Light of Spirit and ask for total Healing.
By Grace-tool, I mean, that when forgiveness actually happens is not up to us. It is not a decision we can make. We need to keep on doing the forgiveness process until we feel the weight shifted. It is a bit like peeling an onion. When it does, we will experience a change in our responses, feelings, and actions. It is the result of forgiveness-being-done.
Until then, until the forgiveness takes place, we need to keep on going back to the past event and all the emotions, thoughts, feelings and action related to that event and keep on consciously embracing, forgiving and releasing them.
If you need support with the Forgiveness Process, please get in touch. In Loving, Rev Kudlik
Anything can be interpreted metaphysically, and by doing so, we can become aware of what stands between us and God or the Divine Presence. Every time we release or heal a blockage we become freer, happier, and lighter.
When our life is ‘challenging’ or we are facing problems, we can sit in the silence and look at what’s happening. Then, we can start ‘interpreting’ the information in terms of messages or learnings. The Spirit of God constantly communicates with us through different means such as life events.
We are always asked not to place any ’emotions’ or ‘attitude’ on the event, instead, look at it as ‘message’. When we react, we do not see clearly.
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthian 13:12 NLT
It is important to understand that we are not to manipulate or ‘get rid of’ the experience by gaining clarity of the messages. The message is there for us to learn, grow and move into greater freedom in ourselves and a deeper connection with the Divine Presence.
When we use metaphysical interpretation for any life events, we can get in touch with the key to moving though it and releasing it. Then we will surely find ourselves at a better place in our life.
Let me give you an example. I have a client who is often constipated. He has an obsession with regular bowel movement and often has trouble with his digestive system, stool and bowels to the point that he distorts facts and requests to have an enema to relieve his self-imposed constipation.
Louis L Hay suggests to ask oneself the question “What is it that I cannot digest?’ when it comes to digestive issues. In my observation, food and the digestive system are also related to nurturing or the lack of. Bowel movement and shifting stool is about releasing unwanted and poisonous elements from our system. Having issues in that area may suggest difficulty in letting go of fossilized, unsupportive thinking patters and belief system. Additionally, requesting that someone else ‘fixes’ the problem suggests an inability or unwillingness to deal with issues at hand.
Constant problems in this area suggests to me that the problem started in childhood around nurturing which was not healed so it became somewhat ‘indigestible’ and became and acute problem. I often find that people with digestive and weight issues have a problem with self-nurturing through eating healthier and taking care of their bodies in a loving manner.
Acute digestive system related issues also suggest difficulty in letting go and releasing a particular past events. When that occurs, we drag the past into the present and we ‘react’ from the pain and fear of the past to an event in the present.
SUGGESTIONS
If it was me, I would start both an inner and outer healing process through meditation, prayer and developing new and healthier habits. I would have a conversation with a therapist, a coach, or a pastor so to gain deeper understanding of what I am dealing with from the past. Then, I would use my prayer time to consciously, forgive and let go of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions associated with that past event or series of events. I would find meditations that help me move through a forgiveness process that is often the key to issues around lack of nurturing. At the end of each meditation and prayer session, I would give it all up and release it all into God or the Divine Presence, asking for support with my process and being lifted higher into greater health and freedom.
At the same time, I would look into – with the support of a coach, therapist or pastor – developing loving ways to nurture myself both inside and out.
Pentecost Monday, also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit, and most commonly as Whit Monday, is a holiday that is celebrated the day after Pentecost, a moveable feast that is determined by the date of Easter. Whit Monday specifically represents the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, also marking the resumption of Ordinary Time after Easter.
The name “Whit Monday” actually comes from the English name for one of the three baptismal seasons in Pentecost, being “Whitsunday”. The origin of “Whitsunday” itself is generally believed to come from the white garments that used to be worn by those newly baptised on this feast.
In my understanding, the Holy Spirit is the ‘guide’, the ‘connecter’, the covenant between the individualized soul – which is a spark of God – and the Divine Presence . The energy that we call God or theDivine Presence is our source of being but we not able to connect with it because we have ‘turned away’ – often called sinned or errored – from our source.
Imagine that you always look downwards – which we actually do – instead of looking upwards that would enable us to connect with God.
The Holy Spirit is our covenant, it connects us seekers with the Divine Presence through various means such as ‘hunches’, inner experiences, unexpected events and more.
In a way, God, realized that the souls living in each human being had gone dormant because of their downward gazing state. So, God ‘sent’ a covenant, the Holy Spirit, to help the souls finding their connection back to God.
Enlightened masters, such as Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, etc. were ‘carriers’ of the Holy Spirit because of their deep connectedness with the Divine Presence. In their teachings they extended the gifts of the Holy Spirit onto those who were attracted to their teachings.
The Holy Spirit has different names in different traditions but the functions are the same.
Below is a quotation from Charles Fillmore, one of the founders of Unity. Please remember that this text was written in the later 1800’s by someone who was raised in the Christian faith but was later inspired to create a spiritual movement that embraces all religions, all faith, all races and other spiritual movements.
Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter and is when Christians remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – which is how Christians understand God, and is the means by which God is active on Earth.
“…behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city (Jerusalem) until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:29)
Metaphysically reading this quote, we are promised to be blessed with a deeper relationship with the Divine Presence as long as we stay in connection within through meditation and prayer. I often heard ‘Jerusalem’ described as an inner place, similar to an inner sanctuary, where we can always commune with God. So, we are asked to stay in meditation until we are ‘clothed from the high’, until we feel one with the Divine Presence.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-4
The promise of the Pentecost can be understood as a fulfillment of our hard work. We have spent the 40 days of Lent releasing our limitations, than we moved into different celebrations of Easter and Gudi Pavda, then we moved into contemplation over Passover, then the people of the Orthodox faith celebrated Easter, a lifting of the Spirit higher after having released some of its burdens or karma, and finally we have arrived to the week of the Pentecost starting today: the moment when we receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit which is freedom in being a unique expression of God as we are.
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though Yahveh God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
In Unity we look at events and spiritual texts through the lens of metaphysics. Metaphysical interpretation means that we look behind the words and look for the messages, the learning, and the teaching in it.
I always ask, what does this event or sentences mean to me? How can I use it for my upliftment and growth?
I never judge or diminish anything just because I am not familiar with it.
I love looking at the different spiritual and religious celebrations and texts and use them for my daily spiritual practices. I use them to inspire me.
Each celebration gives me an opportunity to learn more about the people and the beliefs. We are all part of the Divine Presence regardless of our beliefs. Understanding others better gives me an opportunity to become a more compassionate human being.
In this short podcast, I talk about what I love about Unity and how I see it embraces all people and offers a spiritual home for anyone regardless of faith, culture, race, etc.
In a way, Unity is regarded a ‘protestant movement’ because it finds its roots partly in Christianity. Unity’s forefathers, the Fillmores, created the Unity Movement combining the theology of different Christian, Jewish, Arabic and Eastern traditions.
So I started a series on introducing different faiths and traditions to show you how Unity embraces them all in a way that it can provide a home for anyone regardless of beliefs, culture, religion, race, etc.
INTRODUCTION These are many different approaches to the Oneness with God or the Divine Presence, don’t let words mislead you! Everyone is right! All faith and spiritual movements, religions included, were created by a group who were in search for God following the example of someone inspiring.
We must always remember that everyone is in search for God in their own way. It is because what we call God is an energy source that is pure Love and Compassion amongst many other wonderful qualities.
Everyone wants to be Loved unconditionally, however, that kind of Love only exists in the realm of the Spiritual. No human being can love another person unconditionally. It is because of our own personal limitations and karma (issues to learn or let go of). Our vision is blurred by these therefor we cannot see anyone in their purity of Spirit.
What we can do is to have compassion; compassion for self and others, knowing that regardless how it may look, we are all in search for our best selves and for God’s Living Loving Spark within.
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It is important to mention, that one of the most relevant element of Gnostic Christianity to Unity is that in philosophical thought, logos (“word”) was the principle of rationality that connected the highest god to the material world. In Unity, you will find that we place emphases on the words we use. We create positive affirmations and so-called denials to elevate our consciousness.
Personally, among all Christian traditions, I feel the closest to Gnostic Christianity. I highlighted parts of the text below that felt meaningful to me.
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Antient Christianity – The Gnostics
Gnostics: those who embody the highest ethical and spiritual values, such as temperance, diligence, humility, chastity, generosity, etc. and who can at will have personal experience with divinity.
Self-awareness is KEY to spiritual development and Self-Love
We all see the world through a filter that was mostly created in our childhood until about the age of 7. We created this filter as part of our self-protection. Most of us are not aware of this ‘mask’ or layer of personality because we often believe that this is who we are. Except that this is not true.
Who we are in our essence, this beautiful unique being, is often hidden behind the ‘mask’. Becoming aware of the different facets of the ‘mask’ or Ego can help us heal the wounds that created the ‘mask’ in the first place and recover our true identity.
In this podcast I talk about the different levels of self-awareness and how to go about gaining correct self-awareness. I also mention different ways to approach becoming aware of mask and limitations. I talk about the Enneagram system.
– sorry about the quality of the podcast, the filtering process diminished the quality 🙁 –
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
The dwelling place of God is ‘within’ man. As we walk the inner journey of meditation and contemplation, we start feeling the Loving Presence of the Divine dwelling with us and guiding us throughout our lives.
Revelation 3:21 ESV
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
As we remove the barriers and limitations from our consciousness, as we conquer our own fear based ego, we start becoming aware of the presence of God, and we will feel as if we were sitting in the presence of the Divine all the time.
A couple of years ago, I was interviewed by a lovely host on self-love. it is one of my favourite topics because I grew up with being taught how to hate myself. The society I grew up in was condemning and judgemental. People believed that by pointing out your faults would make you a strong and capable human being. Well, I don’t think it worked because at the age of 21 I had a nervous breakdown. This experience made me look for ‘other ways’ of becoming a strong and capable human being. I found that self-love does the trick! 🙂
Listen to our discussion and let me know what you think.
This morning I was thinking about confidence. We regard confidence as one of the most desired personality trait but we fail to notice how confidence was built in the first place. Does your sense of confidence come from a place of ‘fear’ and self-defence? Or does it come from a place of ‘knowing who you are’ and connectedness of Spirit?
Listen to my thoughts here and let me know what you think.
In a way, Unity is regarded a ‘protestant movement’ because it finds its roots partly in Christianity. Unity’s forefathers, the Fillmores, created the Unity Movement combining different the theology of different Christian and Eastern traditions.
So I started a series on introducing different faiths and traditions to show you how Unity embraces them all in a way that it can provide a home for anyone regardless of beliefs, culture, religion, race, etc.
I found this fascinating and rather thorough article on the Protestant Churches. I hope you find it revealing!
Christianity was born out of the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. More specifically, his disciples began to spread The Gospel, or ”good news,” of Jesus after Jesus was crucified and resurrected. After Christianity had spread for centuries, Christians began to disagree on certain minute theological beliefs. These disagreements spawned different denominations or branches of Christianity. Each denomination slightly differs from the next based on each one’s theological beliefs. Such disagreements include different beliefs on baptism, the means of salvation, and God’s sovereignty.
The Protestant Churches
Protestantism was born in response to what many saw as the rigid teachings and traditions of Roman Catholicism. The spark that began the Protestant flame was Martin Luther’s “95 Theses,” critiquing the legalism within the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther was a monk who had extensively studied the Bible and Christian tradition. In his view, Roman Catholicism was the antithesis of Christ’s teachings of salvation through grace alone because Roman Catholic church leaders were selling indulgences as absolution to sin. In addition, Luther believed that Roman Catholic leaders were abusing their power and that they had lost focus on the gospel of Christ. After Martin Luther tacked his “95 Theses” on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, Catholicism would be permanently divided.
I created this document as part of my Unity Ministerial training. I read Rev Roach’s book and made notes on my observations on how the 5 Principles of Unity is compared to the theology of the main stream Christian Churches.
Notes
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31
This chapter seeks to understand Christianity and Jesus through the lens of Unity’s five principles. Rev Roach looks at how each Unity’s principle understands or differs from the traditional Christian perspective.
As part of Christian history, it was interesting to learn that only 4 of the original 45 gospels made it to the final version of the New Testament and by 325 A.C. Jesus was clamed to be fully God and fully human by the Council of Nicaea. After the Great Schism in 1045 which was mostly about the disagreement on the Holy Trinity, the Christian churches shattered into numerous divisions in 1517 when Marin Luther placed the 95 Thesis on the church door of Wittenberg. Part of this thesis was about the nature of Jesus.
These are many different approaches to the Oneness with God or the Divine Presence, don’t let words mislead you! Everyone is right! All faith and spiritual movements, religions included, were created by a group who were in search for God following the example of someone inspiring.
We must always remember that everyone is in search for God in their own way. It is because what we call God is an energy source that is pure Love and Compassion amongst many other wonderful qualities.
Everyone wants to be Loved unconditionally, however, that kind of Love only exists in the realm of the Spiritual. No human being can love another person unconditionally. It is because of our own personal limitations and karma (issues to learn or let go of). Our vision is blurred by these therefor we cannot see anyone in their purity of Spirit.
What we can do is to have compassion; compassion for self and others, knowing that regardless how it may look, we are all in search for our best selves and for God’s Living Loving Spark within.
Because the Unity Movement finds its roots in Christianity I decided to start investigating different aspects of Christianity and see how relevant they are to Unity today.
We have just celebrated Orthodox Easter. I have been investigating the differences between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.I found this amazing article. I have copied out some of the article that I found interesting. You can read the entire article HERE (CLICK)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ORTHODOX AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES
These are many different approaches to the Oneness with God or the Divine Presence, don’t let words mislead you! Everyone is right! All faith and spiritual movements, religions included, were created by a group who were in search for God following the example of someone inspiring.
We must always remember that everyone is in search for God in their own way. It is because what we call God is an energy source that is pure Love and Compassion amongst many other wonderful qualities.
Everyone wants to be Loved unconditionally, however, that kind of Love only exists in the realm of the Spiritual. No human being can love another person unconditionally. It is because of our own personal limitations and karma (issues to learn or let go of). Our vision is blurred by these therefor we cannot see anyone in their purity of Spirit.
What we can do is to have compassion; compassion for self and others, knowing that regardless how it may look, we are all in search for our best selves and for God’s Living Loving Spark within.
Because the Unity Movement finds its roots in Christianity I decided to start investigating different aspects of Christianity and see how relevant they are to Unity today.
Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic
Modernly, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches remain separated with key doctrinal differences between them. The primary theological difference is that the Catholic Church believes the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father to Jesus Christ the Son, and the Orthodox Church believes the Holy Spirit proceeds only from God the Father. The second major theological difference is that the Catholic Church believes the Pope has supreme authority over the Christian faith, while the modern Orthodox Church has no doctrinal authority. Aside from these key theological differences, modern religious practices and beliefs vary between the two churches. For example, the Orthodox Church allows for divorce, while the Catholic Church does not.
The primary organizational difference between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches is the question of Papal Primacy. The Catholic Church believes that the Pope is the bishop of Rome and heads the Catholic Church. Papal Primacy is a doctrinal belief concerning the respect and authority that all Catholics and members of the Catholic Church must afford the Pope due to the belief that he has primacy jurisdiction over the governance of the church.
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (shared by multiple denominations) feasts of Christian churches.
Ascension Day is generally observed on a Thursday, the fortieth day after Easter.
Ascensiontide refers to the ten-day period between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost.[4] The Sunday within that period may be referred to as the Seventh Sunday of Easter or the Sunday in Ascensiontide.
The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Communion, “Holy Thursday” is listed as another name for Ascension Day. William Blake’s poem “Holy Thursday” refers to Ascension Day;
Forty days from the day he rose from the grave, Jesus ascended into heaven. Here is how Luke described the event:
Therefore, when they [the disciples and the risen Christ] had come together, they asked Him saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight…” (Acts 1: 4-9 New King James Version).
“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'”
For Christians it is a very important feast because their faith says that for just as Jesus went into heaven, so will all Christians. Those who are dead will rise first; those who are living will be caught up to meet him in the air, according to Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica. This is called the rapture. With this hope in mind, Christians sometimes conclude their meetings with the words, “Come Lord Jesus.”
I look at the Bible and all spiritual texts from a metaphysical point of view. In my understanding, Heaven is on Earth if we are able to ‘ascend’. As we lift ourselves higher by letting go of the burdens of misconceptions and error-thinking, we release what holds us back from experiencing God’s Love and Care for us, which is actually being in Heaven.
Yes, we can ascend just as Jesus did but not through him. If you can accept Jesus as your guide, someone you can relate to and feel connected to, you can use his teachings to lift yourself up and move into Oneness with the Divine or God.
Jesus’ ascension is the ‘example’; we can do what he did; he was Loving, Forgiving, Accepting; he held nothing against himself or others; he worked on his shortcomings, faced his fears; and he was a humble servant, a great teacher. By living life following his example, we can ascend to a higher level of consciousness and experience Heaven on Earth, before dying.
I am from Hungary. Today is a particularly painful day for me because of the people who were murdered as a result of antisemitism and hate-based violence during the Second World War in Hungary. Most of the murders were carried out by the fascist Arrow Cross Militia. When I think of that, I feel ashamed.
I also know that in order to heal, we must forgive and let go. We must find compassion in our hearts for ourselves and for others.
Tonight and tomorrow we Remember by lighting a candle and moving our focus from paint to peace and loving.We acknowledge the painful losses and we move our attention towards healing and Oneness. What we focus on is what we get.
It is time to heal. It is time to bring Peace and Loving to the places where it hurts. I would like to invite you to spend the day focusing into and contemplating on lifting our consciousness out of the sphere of separation that wants retribution and revenge into Oneness that carries Compassion for all.
It is time to heal, it is time to forgive, it is time to Love through Compassion for self and others.
Never again can only be reached through love and compassion, not by blame and hatred.
When is Yom HaShoah?
Yom HaShoah is observed on the 28th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, which usually falls in April or May in the Gregorian calendar. In 2024, Yom HaShoah is honored from sundown on May 5 through sundown on May 6.
Observing Yom HaShoah
Yom HaShoah gives the Jewish community and others space to reflect together on the immeasurable loss wrought by the Holocaust. Many communities observe Yom HaShoah with presentations from Holocaust survivors or their children, and—through their stories—living reminders of the exclamation, “Never again.”
The Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial in Budapest, for the thinking and tenderhearted person, is also one of those places that will stir the heart to the very soul. You see, this memorial was created to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II.
Jews were ordered to take off their shoes and to stand at the edge of the river. The evildoers then shot the Jews in the head and their bodies fell into the river where the current carried their bodies away.
Not unlike the German Nazis, the Arrow Cross Party was a highly nationalistic party whose objectives were to purge Hungary of those who were not descended from the region’s ancient Magyar tribes. Between the Arrow Cross Party, and later the invading Nazis, it is estimated that up to 600,000 Jews lost their lives through outright murder in Hungary, or later being shipped to German concentration camps.
Recently I was asked why I approach spirituality from a coaching point of view. The answer is simple: You cannot know God until you know yourself. Coaching and personal development workshops/seminars are great tools to become aware of ourselves: who we are and who we are not. They are extremely important to differentiate!
Below is a blogpost I posted on another site of mine back in February. It is about the importance of self-awareness or the knowing of self in God.
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Be a more effective leader by understanding the three horizons of self-awareness.
The stories we make up Stories are the foundation for how we make sense of the world. We could call these judgments or beliefs as well. Imagine that you get cut off by a car on the highway. In an instant, you might feel a flash of anger. Now imagine that you pull up next to the car and notice that the situation is different from what you expected. Maybe the driver is a teenager, obviously flustered and trying to concentrate. Maybe the driver is older but in the backseat is someone who, it appears, is injured. In either case, your stories about the situation would be updated in an instant.
For better and worse, our stories form the basis for how we make sense of the world. They are our thoughts, and they help us explain how the world is, how someone else is and how we ourselves are.
To get greater self-awareness around our stories, I find it’s best to simply start writing them down. Going back to a dedicated journal or notebook, start to articulate all the stories you’re making up, trying to get curious about how true they are. In the example, one story could have been, “This person is selfish,” and another could have been, “I feel angry because I’ve been disrespected.”
Source article:How to Develop Self-Awareness and Become a More Conscious and Effective LeaderSource (click)
The above, once again, reminded me of the importance of developing self-awareness. Self-awareness, however, is not only important for CEOs so they become more efficient, everyone can greatly benefit from understanding who they are and what they truly want in their lives.
Self-awareness is a skill to be learnt. As children we are discouraged to observe ourselves and know ourselves. Instead we learn to defend our wounded parts with a false-self called the Ego.
I have been walking the journey of self-awareness and God-awareness for quite some time now. Over 20 years. I started my enquiry when I went to university, asking myself the question: Who am I? At that time, I thought that psychology held the answers to all my questions. Later, I attended various personal development and self-help courses to move from learning to applying. These seminars – Insight Seminars – helped me move beyond a mental understanding of myself and start healing and experimenting with newly discovered parts of me. Finally, I found a spiritual path – actually it is a combination of many paths – that supports me to connect with my higher-aspects, the Divinity in me that allows me to move beyond the mind and the physical. It helps me express and live a part of me that is part of ALL, that allows me to be in contact with the Divine presence, an energy field that encompasses it all. It makes me feel powerful and limitless.
Coaching assisted me to bring all this together. I keep on ‘working with myself’ as I call it on all levels, so I can keep on clearing up the clutter that hinders me from experiencing and expressing my Divinity whose source is God.
“Examine yourself & understand who you are… Whoever does not know self, does not know anything. But, whoever knows self, has acquired the knowledge of the universe.” Jesus, Book of Thomas (Gnostic Gospels)
“Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom.” Lao-Tzu
There are many useful tools that can support us to regain connection with ourselves. My coaching sessions and courses that are infused with spirituality based on Unity ideas, will take you on an artistic, creative and fun adventure within. At the end, you will arrive to a place of clarity and self-acceptance.
Throughout history there have been mavericks. Both women and men who chose out of playing a pre-defined role for the macho-male and the ‘damsel in distress’ type of woman became outcasts in some way or another. They ended up being loners of a sort.
In this audio, I am talking about the MAVRICK kind of relationships and what it takes to be a partner in such a relationship.
In Unity we always look for a deeper or a metaphysical meaning of events, texts, and celebrations.
When we look at Easter we see the upliftment of our consciousness to a higher level as a result of fasting or withdrawing from the worldly to the spiritual.
On Easter Monday, we celebrate a kind of renewal and a clearer and deeper understanding of our spiritual journey through release and forgiveness. We are joyful and merry. We feel lighter because we released faulty ideas, misconceptions of who we truly are and who God is for us. (read about how I see God here CLICK)
During the days between today (Easter Monday) and Pentecost there will many spiritual observances from different traditions that we can use for our spiritual upliftment and growth. We can observe these 50 days by making the time to meditate or pray daily, focusing into the Divine Presence, reading uplifting spiritual material, and acting kindly towards ourselves and other.
Lets’ see if as a result of our efforts what happens on the day of Pentecost!
What is Pentecost and what does it have to do with Easter?
The name comes from the Greek word pentekoste which means fiftieth. Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a major festival in the Christian church, celebrated on the Sunday that falls on the 50th day of Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles – while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles – and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world.
The events of Acts Chapter 2 are set against the backdrop of the celebration of Pentecost in Jerusalem. There are several major features to the Pentecost narrative presented in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The author begins by noting that the disciples of Jesus “were all together in one place” on the “day of Pentecost” (ἡμέρα τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς).[27] The verb used in Acts 2:1 to indicate the arrival of the day of Pentecost carries a connotation of fulfillment.
There is a “mighty rushing wind” (wind is a common symbol for the Holy Spirit) and “tongues as of fire” appear. The gathered disciples were “filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”. Some scholars have interpreted the passage as a reference to the multitude of languages spoken by the gathered disciples, while others have taken the reference to “tongues” (γλῶσσαι) to signify ecstatic speech.
In Unity we do not suggest an understanding of God. We strive to support everyone to seek out their personal meaning of God and to create a personal relationship with the Divine that serve their upliftment and growth.
INTRODUCTION
They say that ‘all roads lead to Rome’. The same way, there are as many approaches to God as many people there are on the Earth. In my understanding, everyone is attempting to move back to Oneness with God or the Divine Presence that I call ’being in the Loving’ whether they know it or not.
In my observation, every person tries to create a relationship with whatever they believe God is depending on what they were taught and how they see themselves.
I learnt distinctively different ideas from different people. As a result, I first became an atheist and then as a result of that, I started to look for ‘my version of God’.
God is not a separate being, or an old guy looking down on us from Heaven judging our decisions in life. As a result of my journey ‘looking for God’, I realized that God is simply a loving being, an energy source that keeps on lifting us up and out of the drama and madness we, humanity, have been creating for ourselves through our collective thinking for ions of time.
In my experience, as we meditate or commune with this loving energy source we start peeking out of the fear-driven craze and start seeing the greatness and the goodness that is ‘beyond’.
DIFFERENT INFLUENCES
The Banned God
The utopistic socialist regime that I grew up in created a rather odd predicament with regards to God. Though religious acts were discouraged and if still practised punished with ostracism, churches were kept intact and Catholic religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas were held. We were nevertheless dissuaded to attend any of these events or suffer the consequences.
We, as children, were taught that there was no such God that the churches talked about – they were liars – and we should worship our political leaders – flesh and blood perfect specimen of a human being – especially the main leader of the socialistic party that we called ‘Big Brother’.
God as a Father Figure
My grandmother needed a father figure because she never had one. What I gathered from observing her, her relationship with God was ambivalent. After having lost her second husband, she lost her relationship with God with him.
I think the Bible made her assume that God was a male character, and that he was like a good Father to all his children. Through her words, God was a loving father whom children can run to for shelter when hurt. He was protective and fair.
Because what my Grandmother communicated to me about the God she knew, when I first went to the church I went there to beg God to protect me from the abuse, I was experiencing at the time. I was looking for a father figure.
It was disappointing to learn that God does not show up in your school to tell the abusive teacher off. I understood there and then that God is not a substitute for an absent father.
God as a Prosecutor
My great-aunt, my grandmother’s cousin, was a bigot Catholic and was on a mission for a while to turn me into a Roman Catholic, except my grandma would not have it. She was a Calvinist.
My great aunt’s God was a Prosecutor. We were to fear God who was always angry because we were misbehaving. God had a ‘whip’ called the Devil who, we were told, would come and take us to Hell if we were naughty.
My great aunt in her dread of her righteous God was a goodie-two-shoes who condemned everyone who did not believe or behaved as she thought was right. She wasn’t a nice person. Nevertheless, she believed that her God approved of her behaviour because she was doing the right thing.
In her relationship with God, she lived in fear of an entity that would punish her if she wasn’t a good girl. She was convinced that she was one of God’s messengers whose job was to ensure that others also follow God’s orders and were on the right path. As a psychologist it was her mission to bring all lost souls that landed on her ‘couch’ to the God of the Roman Catholic Church. She was in some ways a prosecutor herself because she believed that those who did not see things the same way she did were all sinners. She taught me that we should be grateful for our suffering because in our suffering we are closer to God.
My great aunt’s idea of God made me scared of God and wanted nothing to do with a vengeful God.
The Buddhist no-God
There was a moment when I thought that I had enough of the confusion around God and looked for a path with no God. Though Buddhists have many deities they do not actually have a God concept. Buddhists strive to attain Nirvana, which is a level of consciousness, total freedom of desire but it is not an alternative to God.
At first, I was relieved that I did not deal with others’ idea of God, anymore. I loved the meditation sessions on ‘nothing’, the focus on striving for ‘thoughtlessness’. I found a sense of freedom in that.
Soon, however, as I progressed in my meditation, I started to face a sense of ‘lack’. I felt a sense of being and connectedness in my meditation but I could not place the sensation anywhere.
In a way, the Buddhist no-God-ness helped me to look for and find ‘my God’ and create the kind of relationship I wanted with God.
The Sufi God of Fire
After my Buddhist adventure, a friend who in my experience had a deep and personal relationship with God, introduced me to Sufism. I started to read poems by Rumi, learnt about Shams de Tabrizi, Rumi’s teacher. Then I ran into a book called ‘Love is a Fire’. The writer of this book talked about a kind of meditation that I had never heard of before: looking for fire and passion in meditation. She talked about an intimate and personal relationships with God that was new to me. So far, I had only met people who had a concept of God rather than an experience. As I was reading the book and practising the Sufi type of meditation, I started to feel a movement of ‘unexplainable’ energy that was strong and lively, with a burning sensation as it showed up within my consciousness.
I loved it! The first time God was not someone else’s concept but my own experience.
MY KIND OF GOD
I prefer calling God ‘Divine Presence’ or ‘the Source’ because the word ‘God’ is corrupted by different religious ideas that I cannot relate to.
God as Loving
This experience I mentioned above and that I still have today, is passionate and fiery. I understood later that my ‘burning like’ sensation in meditation was not the result of reading the book but because of the essence of who I am. I am fiery and passionate.
My relationship with God
And so is my relationship with God. I talk to the Divine Presence, but I still do not see God as a person. For me God is an energy field of pure Loving that is alive and is in constant movement.
As I step into this field, into Oneness, and connect with this Divine Presence, my Essence gets energized which becomes the foundation for my connection with God.
God is a vibrant presence in my Life, not only in my meditations but in my day-to-day living. I sense God all the time.
Interestingly I do experience the Divine Presence as the ‘Father’ and also as the ‘Prosecutor’ but very differently from that of my family members. God as ‘a Father’ to me means that God cares about me, I am important, if I listen, I can hear ‘him’ guiding me through the wilderness of life. God is also ‘a prosecutor’ means that I am held responsible for my experiences through my free will. My thinking, my emotions and my actions create my reality. If I want to have different experiences in life, it is not the Divine who would bring it forth, I am to think, feel, and act differently. How to bring that change about is a whole other story. God in his Goodness, however, wants me to learn my lessons and free myself from my limitations. I call it ‘tough love’.
Most of all, however, my relationship with God is like the relationship between a sport team/person and its cheering squad. God is always on my side cheering me on! Similarly to Rumi, in my inner experiences, God sometimes shows up like a goof-ball dancing and singing to make sure I don’t lose faith when time gets rough. Our relationship is constantly evolving as I am evolving, opening, and becoming into my True Being.
In Unity we do not suggest an understanding of God. We strive to support everyone to seek out their personal meaning of God and to create a personal relationship with the Divine that serve their upliftment and growth.
This is the video recording of the Spiritual Communion Service we held at Unity Daily Word UK. Rev Kabelo Letebele from Unity Johannesburg, South Africa, started the service whereas Rev Kimerie Mapletoft, Director of Silent Unity, UK introduced the program. Main speaker: Rev Ildiko Kudlik, UNITY EUROPE
(Please note that some of the songs are not shown in the program because of YouTube Copyright laws. Pls find the entire program and the songs below. )
EASTER SERVICE
Candle Lighting
I would like to ask you to light a candle or switch on a Candle App on your phone. As we light this candle, we remember that we have a light just like this within us. It is the unique essence of who we are. As we light the candle, we connect with this deeper part of ourselves and connect with the Divine Presence.
This song is to remind us of our loving relationship with the Divine/God.
The Lenten Journey
The Lenten Season is a 40-day journey of release and purification. We are getting ready to embrace a higher level of consciousness.
I walk the Lenten journey yearly now.Every year I am offered a different ‘main theme’ to work on. This year, my main learning seems to be ‘going with the flow’. I am leaning to release struggle and embrace neutrality and total acceptance of what is.
It is especially challenging for me because I am a ‘controller’. I want things the way I want them. My ideas are often flawed and limited. My life is way greater than what I can comprehend and therefore I don’t really know what’s best for me. I know what I want, and I struggle to get it because I often move ‘against’ the flow of Life. All my struggles would cease if I could just let it all go and move into Divine Order. (which is not a pre-destined fate or apathy!)
Silence and Contemplation
I would like to invite you to listen to this short mediation and contemplate on your own personal Lenten Journey: What was it like? What have you discovered? What have you become aware of? What are the major ‘let go’s’ this year?
After listening to the meditation stay in the Silence for a while.
Forgiveness
Often as a result of looking at our shortcomings, we find ourselves wanting and so we judge ourselves. We think: “I shouldn’t have …”
I would like to invite you to remember or to read the part of the Bible that depicts the Crucifixion story in the the New Testament.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’[b]
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[c] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]” (NIV Luke 23:26-43)
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
This sentence to me is a sign of total acceptance of what is and forgiveness.
Silence and Forgiveness
Now, I would like to invite you to listen to this short meditation on Luke 23:43
After you listened to the meditation you may want to stay in the silence and remember the different things you judge yourself for, then just say:
I forgive myself for judging myself for …
Resurrection
What do you think the resurrection story about?
Can you imagine that Jesus’ resurrection story is something that happens inside of us? Jesus’s story can be understood as the story of our own consciousness. As a result of having walked the Lenten Journey, having forgiven our ‘sins’ (by sin we understand our shortcomings and error thinking) we find ourselves on a higher altitude, on a higher level of consciousness, and in greater Oneness with the Divine Presence as well as in greater Loving within ourselves.
Song and Silence
I would like to invite you to experience ‘this higher altitude’ by listening to this song.
As we listen to the next song, I would like to invite you to close your eyes and experience being lifted …
After the song, stay in the Silence for a while.
Thank you listening and spending this time with me. I hope you found the meditations and songs uplifting. I wish you a blessed Easter Holiday.
When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be. Rumi
I have been contemplating on this a lot: What is the greatest ‘let go”? What is the hardest to release for us all?
I came to the conclusion that it is our own self-image. We, all, are convinced that we are who we think we are. It is a mistake.
We build our image as a result of our upbringing, we build it in defence of what we perceived as threat. Our image is like a mask that covers up our true identity.
So, why is it so hard to let it go? It is because we are afraid that if we release the mask, we become vulnerable. Plus, most of us believe that the mask is our true self.
How to do it then? The only way to give up the mask is to receive something in return, something greater than what the mask could provide. The mask provides false security.
So what provides real security?
Nothing does.
However.
When we move into the silence and start aligning ourselves with the Divine Presence, we start releasing all that that stands between our individual Spark and God. The Mask is one of these hindrances. Like peeling an onion we release aspects of ourselves that do not serve us any more. In return we become aware of who we truly are in our Essence. And with that, we start feeling safe in ourselves and in the Arms of the Divine.
Everything I have written above comes from personal experience. I had to deal with a great amount of insecurity as a child. As a result, I created a mask, an alter-ego, who was always strong and capable, whom I could always rely on, who will keep me safe in a violent and cruel world, a fighter.
But the worrier does not give up its dominion very easily. It took me a considerable amount of time to release this false image and allow myself to live who I truly am: a goof-ball. 🙂
One of the main reason, I fell in love with Unity was that their main focus is on ‘organised’ spirituality’ without boundaries. Before arriving to Unity I experimented with different types of religious and spiritual movements but I found them either rigid and restrictive or disorganized and confusing to my taste.
I grew up without proper religious education because of the socialistic regime in Hungary at the time. Religious education was discouraged. The elders in my family who belong do different religious groups – Roman Catholic Faith and Lutheran Faith – though both Cristian, had very different messages to convey. My great-aunt was a bigot Catholic who told me about a righteous and vengeful God who does not like badly behaving children; a God to fear. My dear grandma told me about a God who deserted her in her our of need but she never ceased to beg for His forgiveness.
Everyone with strong religious beliefs told me about a God of Love and Compassion but both approaches to God seemed senseless to me. Why would an unconditionally loving God hate children who are naughty and why would a compassionate God punish someone in her our of need?
In Unity Europe we celebrate any and all ‘religious’ and spiritually inclined holidays/celebrations because we believe that all path to God//the Divine Presence is valid. Spiritual teachers who offered various tools and practices enabling the seekers to gain a deeper experience of the Divine is worth celebrating.
Therefore, I do my best, to remember and celebrate in small ways, of the different traditions and tools to God. If you join our Facebook Group or Instagram Page you will see how we honour all paths to Oneness with the Divine.
Spiritual teachers such as Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Rumi, Lao Tzu, Mohammad, etc., represent a level of consciousness that we can attain by following their teaching. However, the teachings are only words. So in order to generate real change in our consciousness we must embrace the teaching by demonstrating them in our physical reality.
I often notice how many more likes a post of a quote or a nice photo gets compared to a well written personal account of overcoming challenges, or sharing a personal experience of an event.
We seem to feel uncomfortable with becoming personal.
Wise words of a guru may inspire you but it will not change your life. What will though is that you consciously walk your own journey and share it with others. Not the fancy stuff, not the pretences or the photos of lovely places – they are nice to look at them surely – but the insight you have gained by walking this specific journey, having seen that scenery, reading that book, meeting that friend for a coffee.
What have you learnt about yourself and the world around you as a result of that particular experience?
What have you become aware of that could maybe be let go of?
What magnificent newness have you realized about yourself?
I love churches. They say that all of them was built on holy ground. There must be something about that because every time I am in a church, temple, synagogue, or any other building filled with Spirit, I feel touched and in a way blessed.
I do not believe that churches of any kind are ‘homes’ where God resides. The only temple where the Divine resides in the physical is ‘physical bodies’ of different living beings. The Spirit of God dwells in us all whether we are aware of it or not.
Nevertheless, spiritual centres regardless of the way they are called give us a place where we can turn within, meditate and turn our attention back to God.
on 17th March Sunday,2024 “A Spiritual Communion” From 3pm UK time
Led by Rev Ildiko Kudlik
In preparation for Easter, our licensed Unity minister, Rev Ildiko Kudlik, will share a spiritual communion, inviting us to go deeper into our relationship with the Divine within, so that the Easter experience of the risen “Christ” can be known as our awakening consciousness experience. It will be a time of prayer, reflection and meditation.
Rev McAfee says : “ Being who you want to be, feeling the resultant sense of peace and freedom within yourself, being the kind of person others want to be with, being a loyal and true friend, being grateful to be alive and happy to have a life at all – none of these depend upon the temporary physical conditions of your life. You are free to be all of that now. Wherever you are. Rich or poor, young or old, success or failure, whatever the limitations in which you find yourself. You are free to be that “you” right now.
What you value, what you stand for, who you stand with, what you love and treasure, what principles you build your life around – those are up to you. You may or may not be able to change your physical life. You may or may not ever have your ideal life. But you can be the “you” that you envision. IF that is what you really want, IF that is who your heart is calling you to be. And chances are, someone besides you is hoping you will do that, too. I know I do.”
This writing made me think. Who do I want to be come? Not only in my mind but in my actions, too. It is easy to think of myself as someone kind but when someone cuts me off in a traffic jam, I curse him in anger.
Who do I envision myself to become?
As I walk this path on enfoldment, it is less and less of a wish and more and more of a discovery. Earlier, I wanted to be someone like a sage, an all knowing guru who saves humanity from doom. Now, I just laugh at this notion. As I am discovering myself in Spirit, I am realising certain aspects of the Divine instilled in me that I would have never thought of! I am goofy, a bit of a jester! I am genuinely caring but not always kind. I am enthusiastic but not ambitious. I am creative, a good problem-solver but I do not stick around. After the job is done, I move on because I love new challenges.
Who do you envision yourself to become in the Divine?
I have observed it in myself and in others too that what we tried to hide the most about ourselves is where we are wounded. Except that we cannot heal until we ‘expose this wound to the Light’ . It means that we acknowledge the wound by becoming aware of the way we protect this wounded part of us. As we are unique individuals we adopt protective behaviours that suit our personality the best. We need to discover these as well as the underlying pains, shame, anxiety, anger, helplessness or else. As we do that, we become receptive to the Divine Light and Love that heals all wounds. It simply happens by our self-acceptance and bracing ourselves just as we are.
So, I have recently become a licensed Minister with Unity, a spiritual organisation offering practical, uplifting resources to people of all faith so they can apply positive spiritual principle to their lives. 🙂
With that, I am finally starting the project that I envisaged in 2004 when I was setting up Essence Seminars in Hungary. 20 years has passed since then. I hope that I have matured a great deal 🙂 during this time. It has become clear to me what kind of ‘alternative education’ I wish to provide youngsters and their families.
Unity Europe will combine personal growth ideas with spiritual ideas! We will offer different courses and workshops, book-clubs, a creative-lab, parenting classes, and more in our ONLINE SPIRITUAL CENTRE.
I am a failure in every sense of the world.
I have a brilliant mind. I am intelligent. I creative. I used to be beautiful. I am well travelled. I am self- and environment aware. It has always been like this.
I was an artistic, restless and hyperactive child and soon got the label ‘trouble’. I do not recall anyone encouraging me to become ‘someone’ apart from a strange aunt. She was a psychologist who used to have me for overnight stays during which time she took me to artsy events. She encouraged me to make art. My parents were too immature to care which direction I was going. Most of my teachers were viscous and were adamant that I was a useless looser.
Early on, I decided that I would prove my prosecutors wrong and spent most of my time to prove what a worthy and valuable human being I am. I went to uni, I trained to become a teacher, I traveled extensively, I did lots of volunteering, I fought for lost causes, I took care of other people, I studied more, I created different educational projects.
I have struggled with writing about ‘joy’. I have not experienced much of it lately, neither do I – I realized – understand the word itself. I understand what ‘hope’ and ‘peace’ means to me. I know how I feel when I am with them. Somehow, I am not sure what ‘joy’ is really like. According to the dictionary, Joy is “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness” or “rejoice”. I find it easy to laugh or to find something funny and smiley at it. But ‘I am not feeling great pleasure’ in the process.
I have set out to investigate the ‘land of Joy’ to see how I could have more of it.
First, I investigated the meaning of the world by looking up synonyms such as amusement, bliss, cheer, comfort, delight, glee, humour, festivity, alleviation, wonder, satisfaction, and even ecstasy and exultation. Wow! Joy seems to have a rather varied and wide scope of meaning!
God does not live in the Heavens. He does not guide us, neither does S/He give instructions on how to live our lives. That God only exists in our distorted imagination.
However, it is perfectly understandable that we spend precious time and effort in ‘creating’ a father/mother figure outside of us, sitting up in the Heavens lovingly guiding our life; to whom we can confide in and who in response forgives us and tells us what the correct way of living, thinking and breathing is. Most of us need this loving parent whom we desperately missed as children.
Throughout history, each religion created its own God. They all serve the same purpose: God fulfils our desire to be loved and cared for unconditionally. Except, each religion requests its members to believe in the particularly image of God.
In our bigotry we believe in One Particular Image of God and not noticing that each vision of God is just as false as the other, at the same time, they are entirely the same. They all serve one single purpose: a substitute parent figure. They all are just a fragment of our imagination. It is all just fantasy.
Until recently, I prayed to such a ‘fantasy’ God. I used my image of God to demand and receive guidance and support. My particular image was of a God who led me to find the right job, the right place to live, etc. At least this is what I thought. It all worked perfectly until one day something went really wrong and I felt being let down by my loving Father, by the Entity who was supposed to make sure that no harm befalls me.
In my rage, I demanded an answer. ‘How dare you let me know? How dare you betray me? How could you do this to me, your faithful prodigal son?’
There was no answer and there was nowhere else to turn, either. My imaginary father-figure disappeared. The image I created in my mind was gone. As I was screaming into the dark emptiness His Place left behind, I realized how I betrayed myself by having created this false parent-God.
I came to realize that I had desperately needed a loving parent, someone who guided me, who told me what to do when in doubt, someone who cared about me unconditionally. In my desperation, however, I did not notice how much I deceived myself with this false image of God.
This morning in my meditation, I saw a brilliant and witty but uncontrollable man and a woman suffering his tempers and tantrums. Then, I saw a young woman hiding in a dark room, peeking outside through a crack on the blinds covering the windows. If all these figures are different aspects of my-self what do they want to tell me? I realized how much I was afraid of my own uncontrollable self, how much I needed a loving and understanding parent because the parents I grew up with and internalized were weak and punishing.
I am supposed to be my own loving parent and council even though I do not know exactly what the hack I am supposed to do. Parenting and guiding is not God’s job.
I know and experience that the Truth of God resides within me. God’s Essence is who I am. I am a unique spark of God. I am God in my Essence. This is no Fantasy. Each time I close my eyes and look within I can see the Spark and the Essence of Who I am.
My journey Home is no longer about finding God residing in a High Place. My journey is no longer about finding an unconditionally loving parent.
My journey, from now on, is to connect with my God-Self and to Honour the opportunity that I can be of God consciously.
The first week of Advent starts today. HOPE is the theme. This morning in my meditation I was contemplating on what to ‘hope’ for this coming week?
Looking at the state of affairs the world is in and the way I have felt these past few days, I realized that the best I can hope for is compassion.
For me, compassion diminishes the dark-feel of disparity and the adjoining judgement and indifference.
Today, I had a discussion with a fellow traveller who is on a rather different point of view to mine when it comes to ‘paths to enlightenment’.
In my world, ‘all roads lead to Roma’; whatever path you chose to attain enlightenment, make sure you chose what works for you regardless of what ‘main stream’ ideologists, theologists, or mystics claims to be the one and only true way to God.
The world is full of misunderstandings; we do not seem to use the same words; we strongly believe that what we consider ‘right’ or ‘just’ is the only way to live-and-breath; we tend to be righteous. And it is understandable, I must add, because our sense of security is based on our personal understanding of how the world operates.
I remind myself that I only have to answer to God; the God who resides within me. S/He is my counsel and judge. S/He loves unconditionally. So, I remind myself to dare, to dare to do my own thing, to dare to find my own unique and personal way to God and enlightenment!
For that, however, I must develop compassion. It is fundamental that I have compassion. I must embrace myself in my own Loving so I can stop judging myself in light of the dissimilarities that I may display. It is also crucial that I have compassion for others so I can prevent myself from judging them in protection of my own ‘integrity’.
I HOPE for compassion because compassion allows us all to live, let-live and to be – just as we all are.
The boy killed himself in the church yard. The pastor talks about the society we, adults, have created for our children. A society that compares and judges. A society that must have ‘the best’ and everything else is mediocre or disappointing.
The 15-year-old boy killed himself in the centre church’s yard broad daylight. NOBODY NOTICED him, though, he had been missing for two days and showed up on various security cameras all over town.
But why the church yard? What was he communicating?
My first thought was: How could God let this happen?
The Church is a holy place of love, acceptance, and unconditional care. Why couldn’t the boy ask for help from an adult, a priest, maybe? He went to the church to end his sufferings but could not enter the church for support.
Isn’t there something wrong with the Church if a troubled soul cannot find solace in it?
I am a regular church-goer. I love attending masses because I sense that all present are there with one single reason, turning towards God and bathing is His Presence. The Church, as an institution, however, offers nothing but pointless rituals.
This morning I was reading an article on Ramadan. Ramadan started on 15 May 2018. Interestingly Christians observed Pentecost or Whit Sunday (Monday) on 20-21 May finishing the 50 day observation period since Easter, and Jews celebrated a week of Passover more or less at the same time.
Both events are about connecting to Spirit of God on a deeper level. Pentecost focuses on receiving the wisdom and enlightenment of the Spirit and the start of the ministry of the Apostles. Whereas during Passover or Pesach Jews celebrate a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses.
Reading the article below, I realized that we are all at a cross road this time of year. It is time to rejuvenate. Spring breeze brings new beginnings and asks us during these times of spiritual observation and reflection to choose a new way of being.
For the next two days we are asked to review the past 50 days and see how far we have come since Easter. At Easter, Jesus was revealed to be one of our guides on the way to Home. His teachings became a source for personal wisdom that must be exercised individually.
So, have you been preparing yourself during the past 50 days for receiving the Wisdom?
For the next two days Wisdom of the Holy Spirit awaits us. New roads can open up that swishes us closer to our freedom in Spirit allowing us to eventually see God’s true face – our guiding light.
This week the Christian Church observes the Via Dolorosa, Jesus’ last days and hours that are depicted in the 14 Stations. During this week, we walk the sorrowful way towards Resurrection in Easter.
The origin of the stations are a bit hazy, some claims it originates from Mary, Jesus’ mother, some say that the stations were created by the Catholic Church in the 15th century. It does not really matter. With the right focus any ritual can be used to support one on the Path Home to God. The simpler, the better.
So, I asked one of my teachers how I might be able to use the practices and rituals of the ‘main stream’ churches for my benefits, Via Dolorosa and Easter in particular. He gave me some hints on the meanings of the Stations that made me ponder over the possible meanings of the stations and how I could use them to support myself personally.
The Bible describes The Stations as Jesus’ last moments between his condemnation and placement into the tomb. These moments seem to me as different aspects of human life between birth and death. With this in mind, I chose to contemplate on Life itself, from my birth until my inevitable demise. As I was observing the stations I started to see my humanity with all its challenges and blessings reflected in them.
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa (Sorrowful Way), is a popular Lenten devotion. This time we are asked to call to mind the Passion of Christ, that is, the journey Jesus took from his condemnation to his death.
THE HISTORY OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS
The Way of the Cross has its origins with the Blessed Mother. It is said that she, who pondered all the mysteries of Christ in her heart, retraced the steps of her Son’s Passion and the significant events that happened along the way, keeping in her memory, and for the memory of the Church, the sacred path on which the Son of God trod to accomplish our redemption.
The priest was talking about the Stations of the Cross and asked us to be vigilant, during the Holy Week, of the manner we walk the stations with Jesus every step of the way.
The past month has been tumultuous for me, a roller-coaster ride with tears and anger. I felt physically sick as well. Church is the only place where I feel consoled.
As I was meditating in the church this morning and partially listening to the sermon, I remembered a short conversation I had had with one of my teachers. I told him how unwell and weak I had been feeling. In his short response he shared that the reason for my feeling under the weather was my expectations. It made no sense at the time. In the church, this morning, however, it downed on me how my expectations work. Sadly, I also realized that I simply cannot let them go.
Lent stared early this year. I just made my new year’s resolutions then, suddenly, it is the day of Epiphany asking me to meditate on what spiritual focus I want to hold for myself to this year. And here we are again, another season of contemplation: The Lenten Season. This time we are asked to release something that does not work for us anymore.
Since Ash Wednesday, I have contemplated on what to sacrifice on the altar of purification. Well, I can name quite a few things that do not work for me anymore. I wish to release, for example, my angry disposition, my vexing nature, my impatience, my defensiveness, my inability to forgive, my obligations and put it all behind me. However, I am also aware that my life does not revolve around this wish list; I am on God’s timing. Letting go is when He says “It is time!”
So, if there is nothing I can let go of, what is it that I could possible gain by observing the Lantern Season?
Ash Wednesday, which falls forty-six days before Easter, marks the beginning of the Lenten season. The churches of the Anglican Communion, as well as some other Protestant churches observe Ash Wednesday. Eastern Rite churches, however, do not observe Ash Wednesday, their Lent begins on the preceding Monday.
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Lenten Season is a period of self-observation and fasting on worldly ‘matters’. It is also a time to contemplate on our life in the physical. From Ashes to Ashes, from Dust to Dust.
As often, I did the intro to our morning meditation. In my prayer, I asked God to come and meet me in the garden where no right and wrong exists. I sound such a committed devotee, at the same time I feel such a fake. I struggle immensely to stay with ‘it’.
My life is so not what it is supposed to be like. Every bit of it seems so extremely challenging to me. I experience my life so out of order, so out of balance … I am angry, resistant and upset most of the time.
I am nothing like a ‘pastor’ is supposed to be like. Pastors are faithful creatures kneeling at the feet of the Lord, saying Grace for their very life. No, not me. Mostly, I find it impossible to see God’s grace in my life, the beauty of my existence behind the giant clouds of my expectations.
This morning, in my meditation I found myself upset with the world for not appreciating me. I remembered how I was told off as a child when I asked too many questions and the way my teachers reacted when I said something ‘stupid’. It took me a very long journey to realize that I am not actually ignorant but too intelligent. I am a creative and as such I constantly question the equilibrium. We are all good at something, we are just good at different things. The reason why the present education system does not work for the majority of students is the standardization. One fits all. So, I quickly learnt that I am not lovable the way I am because I do not fit the one-size.
Acts 10:39-43
We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (NIV)
Have you ever wondered …
Who is a witness, a chosen one?
What is the name that grants us forgiveness?
***
What is forgiveness by God?
Forgiveness has nothing to do any wrongdoing in the world. That is why God cares none if you are a murderer or you are a saint. He loves both equally. We may not like it because we see ourselves through a moral lens that says that there is a ‘right’ way and a ‘wrong’ way, and there a good kind of person and there is a bad kind of person.
The greatest sin is that we take on the image the world shows us of ourselves and lose touch with our true nature and the gifts we arrived here with.
This is how we are separated from God.
We allow the separation by willingly become the person we are asked to in order to feel safe and protected in a crazy and violent world. The price we pay is our identity in God.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Yesterday, I was observing the epiphanies in my life.
In the morning I had a lovely chat with my best friends discussing our New Year’s resolutions and how we envisage our life the next year. Life was good and I felt a sense of connection and being supported. I had many epiphanies during our discussions on how I sabotage myself in areas of my life where I feel stuck and ‘unlucky’.
After our talk, I went to have something to eat and I found my mum with a measuring tape and a list of furniture outlets. After my inquiry she told me that she and my brother had decided to move my bookshelf, put my books into some cabinet in my brother’s bedroom and stand a hanger in place of the bookshelf that so far had stood in my brother’s living room.
I went into an unexpected rage saying ‘You do not dare touch my things! If anything is on your way, I’ll take care of it.’ With that I steamed upstairs and moved the whole book case into ‘my’ bedroom. Upon my furious rearranging the living room my brother questioned my behavior. I told him that I was only moving my bookcase and books into my bedroom. I was simply told that it was not ‘my bedroom’ and I am only quest in his house. My mother seconded that by saying that I was behaving like an idiot.
As I am observing the days of this Christmas season am becoming more and more aware of the excruciating effects of my narcissistic expectations.
I expect the world to roll up its sleeves and fight for the good, the noble, the exceptional, the unique, the better, the more human, the perfect … In response, however, the world is upset with me. Each time I demand a change the world throws its fists at me. Justly, I must add. What I do not see is that each time I request a better version of what is the world feels judged, criticized, dismissed and condemned.
Though, I understand that my critical nature was formed under immense amount of scrutiny as a child and it eventually developed into a full-blown discerning meddles and fault-finder, I still believe that the problem is not with the ‘what’ but the ‘how’.
Today I was contemplating on the significance of the 12 days of Christmas. I have read various articles and watched videos on how different cultures celebrate Christmas, New Year and the time between the 25th of December and the 6th of January.
According to the Christian Church each day of the 12 days of Christmas is devoted to a saint or some religious act. In the calendar I found a day devoted to St Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury (29 December) or another to St Egwin of Worcester (30th Devember). I understood that Christians celebrate Mary, Jesus’s mother as well as St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint. The dates, events and celebrations all depend on the type of Church you follow.
My guest for the twelve days of Christmas is to see ‘how much devotion I can generate in my spiritual practice for the next year’. On the 6th of January, at Epiphany, I will commit myself for a year of delight. Until then, I am gathering focus and understanding on what I mean by ‘delight’and what the truly meaningful ‘things’ are to my soul’s journey in the physical.
When I wrote about the week of joy, I somehow secretly expected it to be fun. But the week, though it was easy going with some laughter it was not very enjoyable at all. I felt exhausted. Still, I kept on going, kept on smiling, kept on doing the work I had been assigned to. Then I snapped. I could no do it any longer. Like a stubborn horse, I budged, and I did not move. I said I was done and I was off. It did not go down very well but I was so firm in my decision that universe co-operated and I was released.
Last night, upon my arrival I had a huge glass of wine then I watched Heaven is for Real. I cried my eyes out. The equilibrium was restored. But joy still had not arrived. Then I set down to see if there was a movie I fancied on TV. I found a channel that ran a Jennifer Aniston marathon. I watched and laughed through two of her movies. I felt much lighter, I felt the healing effect of my light-heartedness, a sense of carelessness. I enjoyed that I was free to do as I pleased because the ‘house’ was mine fi\or the night. But my sense of Joy still had not come.
After having become aware of a layer of our personality that does not serve us any more and having made peace with it, we can rejoice.
Being joyous requires a little bit more than just having some fun time over the holidays. In our joy we are reconnected with your God Essence. It is, however, only possible if you have freed yourself from some of the blocks that held you hostage. The part of your shadow personality that you made peace with last week can be let go of now. In the releasing of the blockage you can suddenly see and experience more of who you are.
When we light the third candle, let us remember who we truly are: a sparkle of God’s Essence. With that let us embrace, this week, our ‘good and bad’ and have great fun with it all.
Have you ever noticed that when focusing on a type of car, they start appearing everywhere? Or when you focus on a certain colour it seems to be all around you?
No surprise! These experiences are due to your focus on a particular matter or idea. Moreover, all of your experiences are consequences of the focus of you attention. You may not be aware but if you observe your experiences they tell you where your focus is laid.
Luckily, you can consciously direct it in a way that your focal point creates miraculously divine experiences for you.
When you pray to God to deliver you a certain experience you actually sharpen your focus on the very thing you wish for. Why don’t you support God’s effort by straightening your own intentions? To maximize success you can chose a focus for a whole year. In God’s Grace, your divine intention will be delivered to you via miraculous serendipity.
Last week I was contemplating on HOPE and how hope can change my focus from the negative and depressive to the light-hearted and joyous.
The theme of the second week of Advent is PEACE. When we light the second candle on the Advent Wreath we shift our attention from HOPE to PEACE. This week, we are asked to make peace with something that has long been troubling us.
This week I needed some self support in overcoming my challenges. During the week of HOPE I decided to remind myself of the good things, particularly in areas where I feel the most challenged by negative thoughts. I created a few questions to help me remember.
1. Can I find anything positive about the way I was brought up? – I grew up with value system that taught me to appreciate knowledge and education. My parents loved travelling and I received many gifts on their returns. In my family giving gifts to each other was the major way of showing love and appreciation so I received a lot of things as a child.
According to the Christian Church Advent means “coming” and in this season we prepare for the coming of Christ. One of the ways we prepare for the coming is by making the Advent wreath and lighting its candles to remind us of the gifts Christ brings to the world. (source)
In my experience, however, Advent is about walking through the darkness like a tunnel and coming out at the other end at Christ-mass. This is when we celebrate our rebirth in Christ-consciousness; in the Loving through the eyes of God.
A beautiful celebration of remembering. The Day of the Dead reminds us to embrace the wonderful memories of our loved ones who are not with us any more but whom we can connect with in spirit, particularly, during this fun-filled and light-hearted event.
The celebration of Dia de los Muertos asks us to remember that in spirit we are all connected and that no soul is lost in God’s realm. The loss of a loved one pains us, nevertheless, we must remember that our journey does not stop at our departure from the physical world. Our spirit travels on and we can reconnect with and celebrate the freedom of the spirit who is not binded by the limitations of life in the physical any more.
The Heart’s Intuitive Intelligence: A path to personal, social and global coherence
The Spiritual Heart — is in a way a little like a smart phone, invisibly connecting us to a large network of information. It is through an unseen energy that the heart emits that humans are profoundly connected to all living things. The energy of the heart literally links us to each other. Every person’s heart contributes to a ‘collective field environment.’ This short video explains the importance of this connection and how we each add to this collective energy field. The energetic field of the heart even connects us with the earth itself.
The HeartMath Institute is helping provide a more comprehensive picture of this connection between all living things through a special science-based project called the Global Coherence Initiative. They hope to help explain the mysteries of this connection between people and the earth…and even the sun.
Scientists at the HeartMath Institute (HMI) have already conducted extensive research on the power of heart, the heart/brain connection, heart intelligence and practical intuition.
Whether personal relationships, social connections, or even the global community – we are all connected through a field of electromagnetic energy. Increasing individual awareness of what we bring to this field environment could be the key to creating a sustainable future, a future that we can be proud to have helped create.
After a life-changing head injury, Kimberly Yates realized that the path to forgiveness was not what it seemed to be. In describing what she learned after stepping outside of her comfort zone, Kimberly teaches us to take a long, hard look at how we forgive.
I don’t know if I’m getting old
I don’t know if I’m getting tired
I don’t know if I want to go to work today
‘Cause I spent last night with my old friend
He said its make or break time
So I asked the burning question
Why when I want to make a forward move do you knock me to the ground?
And he said…
He said I’m gonna break you down
And then I’m gonna build you up again
Stronger then ever before
I don’t know if I’m getting wasted
I don’t know if I’m disillusioned
I don’t know if I want to make the effort today
I had another bad night with my old friend
He said there’s no separation, there’s only integration,
He really isn’t anything physical
Just a voice inside my head, that keeps saying, keep saying, keep saying. ..
He said I’m gonna break you down boy
And then I’m gonna build you up again
Stronger then ever before
(he says I’m gonna break you down boy)
He said I’m gonna break you down
Then I’m gonna build you up again
He said I’m gonna take your mother away
So I can watch your boyhood burn
E’en though your father failed to show you the way
And now there’s no where left to turn
He said I’m gonna break you down boy
I’m gonna turn your rock to sand
He said I’m gonna crush your spirit boy
Then you’ll have to take a stand
He said I’m gonna hurt you so bad
You’ll have no where left to turn
(He said I’m gonna break you down boy)
He said I’m gonna break you down boy
Then you can finally be a man
Over the past few days, I have been wondering what to do to ‘overcome death’. Christians believe that “the meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. … His resurrection … gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all. … the meaning of Easter, for millions of Christians, is that of honouring and recognizing Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him. ”Source
In a broader sense, overcoming death means letting go of the world in order to reunite with God once and for all. In my understanding, Jesus’ life and teaching is rather a source of guidance than a solution. I cannot consider Jesus’ sacrifice as an act of good deed for humanity, so we would not need to do anything but believe in Him for our own resurrection. I strongly believe that Jesus came to show us an example ‘how to do it’, he did not simply sacrificed himself on the cross so we would not be required to do a thing, ever.
For me, Faith is active, a constant movement both within and out in the world, too. Exactly, like Jesus showed us, He preached and lived the teaching.
Lent in 2017 begins on Wednesday, March 1 and ends on Thursday, April 13
Today we are starting the season of Lent. Lent is a season for ‘giving up’ something. Have you ever considered what for? Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:1-4 Source
I was wondering what to give up and what to embrace during the season of Lent. During Lent, most people give up something they particularly like but consider it ‘bad’ with some reason. The time of Lent is not particularly about making us crave something that we deny ourselves to have. This is the time is to let go of something that does not serve us anymore and to embrace something that does.
As we read into the lines saying “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”, we can see that Jesus is letting go of the material food and embracing the spiritual one.
So, what is it going to be for you? Can you think of a habit of yours that does not seem to do much good to your life any more? Without judging it, just observe its workings and decide to release it with loving thoughts. What is it going to be? As we free up space in our life God immediately fills it up with something new. So, what would you like it to be? What would you like to embrace in place of the one you are letting go of?
I have contemplated a lot on this verse over the years. I still am. I have always loved it. I read it at my Grandmother’s funeral. I did not understand it then. I saw through a glass, darkly, then. Now that I know myself more, I am aware of the meaning of this verse more. And I am still learning. I still only know in parts, but one day I shall know as I am known. The more I am in touch with who I am, the more I understand and live the Loving that resides inside of me. God’s Gift is the Knowing that is only available to us through our Living the Loving, Living who we are in Him. Our entire life is the discovery of His Loving within us.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. KJV
Every single moment when life gets challenging or we are in reaction to a situation what is actually happening is Life asking us to let go of something that does not serve us anymore. How about that? IK