21 December, the shortest day

St. Thomas day, St. Thomas gray,
The longest night and shortest day.

December 21 is usually the shortest day of the year, yet this day usually commenced the Christmas preparation of cleaning and baking. Although we no longer honor St. Thomas on this day, we can still use this day as a reminder to put in exerted efforts and start finishing our external preparations for Christmas. All the rest of the week should be more of spiritual preparation.

Father Francis X. Weiser tells of some other old customs of this day:

In some parts of central Europe ancient customs of “driving demons away are practiced on the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle (December 21) and during the following nights (Rough Nights), with much noise, cracking of whips, ringing of hand bells, and parades of figures in horrible masks.
In a Christianized version of this custom farmers will walk through the buildings and around the farmyard, accompanied by a son or one of the farm hands. They carry incense and holy water, which they sprinkle around as they walk. Meanwhile, the rest of the family and servants are gathered in the living room reciting the rosary. This rite is to sanctify and bless the whole farm in preparation for Christmas, to keep all evil spirits away on the festive days, and to obtain God’s special protection for the coming year.

SOURCE

When the darkness is the thickest, the fear is the strongest. People with less awareness and understanding thought that they could keep the ‘devil’ (our fears) at bay by making noise and scaring it away.

Funnily enough, the opposite is true. Fear can only be eased away in the silence. The more we experience the fear, the more we need to sit down and connect with the Divine Presence.

The devil lives in our minds, in our thoughts and it shows up as anxiety, worry, concern, distress, upset, unease, disturbance, etc. We may not even notice it in activity filled life.

Today, on the 21st of December, we are asked to face our fears.

This morning I watched this video below.

Just like with Matthew, it hit me with a lightning bolt. I must start saying no, I must prove myself that I am not desperate any more. Desperation is a form of fear, fear of not having, anxiety about the future, financial insecurity.

What to do?

Today is the day of facing our deepest fears (if we chose it to be). We are asked to sit in the silence for a while look the fear in the face and say: NO MORE! Then we must thank the fear for protecting us by saying: Thank you for having protected me from destitution up until now. Thank you for being on my guard. Then we let go: I now let you go, you can go to sleep now, you can rest. I will take care of myself from now on. Then we look up (inwardly), connect with the Divine Presence and release it all up, back to the Ultimate energy of Love, that is God. I see the fear dissipate into stardust. … It is done. Amen.

Fear and control vs true happiness

This podcast above starts with describing Pastor Kudlik’s personal journey of chasing happiness around the globe, travelling from one place to another, in vain.

Then it delves into discussing insecurity, anxiety and fear and how it led into an obsession with control.

Fear, though we do not notice it most of the time because we often see control as an empowered state of being, takes over our life and eventually, we find that it has taken over every aspect of our life. It is exhausting.

Unity suggests that surrendering is empowering, it is not giving-up, it is not an external submission to something.

God is an energy, a higher state of being. Meditation helps connecting with inner peace and the experience of loving of God, though it is not the only way to experience the Loving.

The podcast also talks about what Unity is; the founders and fundamental teaching; and the main teaching which is a deep acceptance of our unique individuality.

An in-depth Podcast

A great discussion on Unity and its teaching offered by Rev Kudlik.

In this podcast you will hear about what Unity is and isn’t, What is true sense of happiness, the importance of forgiveness and meditation in practical terms, and about the 5-step process from Bitterness to Wholeness. (the discussion was generated by AI in an amazingly professional manner, except that it assumed that I was a male person 🙂

Rev Kudlik’s Work

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

This is a HEALING program

VIDEO

0-1:30 What I have been busy with recently
1:30-2:50 Brave new world of specialisation
2:50-4:40 The process from a Unity stand point
4:40-5:15 What is the Cycle from Bitterness to Wholeness
5:15-5:30 1st step
5:30-6:45 2nd step
6:45- 8:20 3rd step
8:20-9:30 4th and 5th steps
9:30-10:10 in closing

On a personal note for the video
It feels that I have arrived to the top of the mountain. Naturally it doesn’t mean that my journey has stopped. I continue on into the greater depth of Oneness. I suspect as we reach a certain station on our personal and spiritual journey, we stop and marvel. I have done the same. As I was taking in the view, I received an idea of a system that comprises my journey in stations. This is what this video is about. I detailed it below.

FROM BITTERNESS TO WHOLENESS

Healing is recovery from a set of mis-beliefs and (dis)illusion(ment). We are in constant search of happiness, contentment, and success. What we do not realise is that our disposition (the way we generally think and feel) determines whether we are happy or not.

As we walk the journey of healing or recovery we realise that we are the source of our own happiness and contentment. It is a commitment to self. Instead of being in constant search of an outer source of ‘fulfillment’, we realise that we are our own saviour.

At a certain stage of the journey we also realise that true happiness and fulfillment is drawn from the relationship that we create with our ‘greater-self’ and the Divine Presence that we all part of.

To know more …

Our spiritual evolution is a cyclical process on an upward spiral. But for now it feels that I really understand the cycle of the journey I call from Bitterness to Wholeness. I look at it as a cycle because it is constantly swirling presence of energy. I walk this journey with consciousness awareness on a daily basis in a very practical way. In order to get here, however, I needed to discover the major elements that I call stations on this journey.

The stations are:
1. Self awareness
2. Forgiveness and letting go
3. Awareness of the greater picture (Acceptance)
4. Gratitude and Compassion
5. Wholeness and Oneness (Surrender)

Each element or station, as I discovered them in their depth, builds on each other that’s why I call this a cyclic process.

The Process

Probably self-awareness is or has been the major part of my journey because it comprises of a lot of different things. On one hand it is a discovery of our denials, bitterness, anger or our victimhood. It is also about breaking down the false self-image that we built to protect ourselves. It is also about our wishes and dreams. At the same time, it helps us discover our powers, strengths, and uniqueness. And finally, it is about looking at our journey so far – becoming aware of the glorious as well as the painful events in our lives; how we have integrated all that into our understanding of ourselves; and what conclusions we have drawn about ourselves as a result of these events. Though self-awareness is a great part of the journey, it’s only the beginning or the foundation of the greater journey.

The second station is forgiveness and letting go. This is probably the most challenging part of the cycle. We need to understand, however, that forgiveness and letting go opens the door to greater, deeper and more beautiful experiences . Through forgiveness and letting go, we, literally, embrace our Life with all its twists and turns in its entirety. Letting go often refers to letting go of false ideas, self images, and misunderstandings as well as false expectations. (NOTE: I have created a video on forgiveness, pls find the link further below.)

The next step of the cycle is actually the result of the previous two, which is awareness of the greater picture or of the greater journey, and an awareness of our greater-self. Meditation, contemplation, and connecting to the Divine Presence is a big part of this stage. This is the station where we start becoming aware of our spirit, our spiritual journey, our relationship with the Divine Presence or God. As we do that, we can start moving into the Loving with IT ALL, including ourselves. Loving is a sense of alignment and an awareness that we are part of ‘everything’ and ‘everything’ is the part of us. This alignment helps us accept all there is just as they are, knowing that all that is going on right now is part of a greater movement, and all is well. It is total surrender to Life as is gratitude. As a result of seeing the greater picture and becoming aware of our own indwelling Loving Spirit that is constantly connected to God’s Loving Presence, and being able to experience this loving presence more consciously we become grateful. Gratitude is a conscious action. We choose to see the good. We develop faith in the good in self, in others, and in the Universe. In our gratitude, we start seeing the puzzle pieces of our lives in greater depth and as part of a bigger picture with all its challenges and beauties. We willingly see how our life is built with precision, care and Loving. We also start to see how difficulties, challenges, drama, even devastation, overcoming, and triumphs, all add to the greater movement of Life itself for us all. In gratitude, we stop judging, blaming, shaming, and expecting: We arrive to a sense of peace. I see compassion as an accompaniment to Gratitude. As we are compassionate, we accept all there is, as it is. Compassion helps us be grateful.

As we practice all the above steps, we find ourselves surrendered to the Flow of Life. At this stage, we consciously align ourselves with the Loving Presence of God. As a result, we simply find ourselves in wholeness with ourselves, our lives and our (imperfect) world; and in Oneness with the Loving that is of God.

What is on offer?

In Unity we talk about ‘raising our level of consciousness from the material world to the immaterial in a way that it effects our physical journey in a positive and practical way’. Under the brand of Spirit’nArt, I offer classes, workshops, individual discussions (mentoring sessions) that will support you the walk the cycles of the upward journey at your own pace in your own time with your own level of awareness using art as a tool.

You will always be safe with me. I will push you but I will also hold you.

All the classes, workshops and discussions I offer are practical with a lot of takeaways that you can integrate into your daily life. To make the journey more joyous, I use fun artsy tools!

My greatest wish for you is that you can walk your journey called Life with greater awareness of your own unique beauty, and a deeper sense of knowing of the Divine Presence that watches over you at every step of your journey, so you can experience more loving, happiness, contentedness, joy, and much more smiles.

Video on Forgiveness

the original post on rev kudlik’s personal website

Find additional videos on the process of ‘From Bitterness to Wholeness’ on TIK-TOK here (click)

TIK-TOK videos

CONTACT FORM

Courageous vs daring

This morning I found myself contemplating fear.

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!’

The Forgiveness Process

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

Yom HaShoah, Remembrance Day

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.”

source

Budapest: Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial

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.

source

Easter Message, a video

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

²⁶As 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. ²⁷A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰Then

“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’^[b]

³¹For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³²Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³When 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. ³⁴Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[c] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵The 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.”

³⁶The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴²Then 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.

Tag: #forgiveness