Category Archives: General Announcements

Group News!

Please keep those donations coming+!

We have accepted an estimate for replacement and repair of the South wall of the Subud house.  It will be a big project, and the rental business will be down while it is in progress.
Currently we have been able to meet our commitments to the region, keep the house in order, and pay all our bills.  The income is split roughly 50/50 between donations and the house rental business.
Thank all of you for donations.  Any amount helps.  If you have not donated before. please consider stepping up and beginning now.
We have begun discussions regarding having the house available to Subud members one Sunday monthly.  If we do that, it will certainly put a dent in that portion of our income, and we’ll need to make it up by increasing donations; so, if you believe this is a worthy endeavor, now is the time to act on your feelings.
Thank you, the SGS committee
Jim O’Halloran
206-817-2066
Sebastian Tedrow and Chuck Cary

Archives Interview Weekend

On March 4, 5 & 6, the Subud USA Archives interview project came to Seattle. Two experienced interviewers, Benjamin Boyce and your humble narrator, working closely under the auspices of the SUSA Archives project, interviewed several long-time Subud members about their experience in Subud, how they found out about the organization and what practicing Latihan has meant for their lives. The schedule was packed:

FRIDAY, MARCH 4:

5:00 – Paul Nelson with Benjamin Boyce

SATURDAY, MARCH 5:

10am – Jim and Lucinda O’Halloran with Paul Nelson
11am – Elisha Gullixson with Paul Nelson
12N – Sebastian and Lorraine Tedrow with Paul Nelson
1pm – LUNCH BREAK
2pm – Evan and Annie Padilla with Benjamin Boyce
3pm – Halstein Stralberg with with Benjamin Boyce
4pm – Daniel Stralberg with Benjamin Boyce
5pm – Halimah Bellows with Benjamin Boyce

SUNDAY, MARCH 6:

12N – Danela Mauguin with Paul Nelson
1pm – Sebastian Tedrow and Chuck Cary with Paul Nelson on the founding of Subud Greater Seattle and the acquisition of the Subud House
2pm – Hanafi Libman with Benjamin Boyce

Benjamin and I were at the house at 3pm Friday and got things set up. Benjamin’s equipment is perfect for a job like this, it seems to me, though my expertise is audio. We did an interview with me to use as a test run and it came out good. the interviews are rich and touching and it was a lively weekend which aided our community’s harmony. This is incredibly important as we come out of the pandemic. There were people in attendance who had not been to the Subud House in years. I had a moment of very deep gratitude before the interview with Chuck Cary and Sebastian Tedrow. Chuck talked about the metaphysical community in Seattle and how that community was the seed of how Subud Seattle got started. Back then Vancouver, BC, was part of our region and the first Seattle folks got opened by Ronimund Von Bissing. The Quest Bookstore, a Theosophical bookstore that is still open on Capitol Hill, was part of that 1959 milieu. Sebastian is the man most responsible for acquiring the Subud House in 1974 when he was 25 years old!

I loved most of all my time with Danela Mauguin. Her recall of specific things is remarkable and she was magnificent. On Monday she celebrated 57 years in Subud! Some members needed gentle redirection. The Tedrows required only one question during their interview!

I think having two interviewers is an excellent way to go about these things, so one can get a break. It is an intense experience and requires very high concentration. To aid recall, I have added a question that I did not ask this weekend, about the Subud friends people had/have. This could lead to stories. Since these interviews will not be made available to the general public like some other interviews being done at this time, encouraging interviewees to say anything they want, to be as “woo-woo” as they want, would be something I would encourage.

Spreading out the interviews to allow for some down time is critical. I believe we should tape in the Men’s Latihan hall next time, because the bathroom and a kitchen are connected and the background is unimportant. I think interviews with all members should be encouraged as it could be a time capsule in a way and be a record of where members are, what they are about, at this time.

I want to say that we have been discussing this project for a long time and now that it is here, I am filled with gratitude for this community and awe at how much work the SUSA Archives committee has done to make this happen. I pray that we can continue this in an harmonious way, keeping our eyes on the end game which is creating open spaces where Subud people of all ages can talk about their experiences with this remarkable practice and community. Benjamin got some wonderful photos.

Danela Mauguin

Hanafi Libman

Sebastian Tedrow and Chuck Cary

Lorraine and Sebastian Tedrows

 

Ramadan is coming!

Month of ancestors begins March 3, and Ramadan will begin April 2.  Many test to determine how they should observe these events.

Ramadan 2022

Ramadan 2016Ramadan this year will begin April 2. While Subud members are not required to observe Ramadan, there can be many benefits for those who do and many Subud members do observe it as a way of reevaluating their lives and connection to the divine.

There was a great post on the Subud California site last year with many tips, including those for the “inner fast” which is a good idea for anyone, not just people observing the month-long ritual. They are:

Fasting includes the following restraints or abstentions:

  • Do not use your ears to listen to gossip, quarrels or bad words.
  • Do not use your mouth to say anything wrong or unkind.
  • Do not use your emotions to reach the emotions (passions) of others.
  • Do not use your eyes in a way that is not good or nice.
  • Do not use the heart or mind to imagine or think about unhappy things, fantasies or unrealities.
  • Do not eat or drink or smoke between dawn and sunset each day.

Ideally, couples refrain from having sexual relations during the whole month, or, if they cannot do that, at least during the hours of the fast.

 

SUSA Archive Interviews

Subud USA is helping the SUSA Archives project conduct interviews with long-time Subud members in Seattle, March 4-6, 2022. These interviews are to focus on one’s life in Subud and Subud experiences. Benjamin Boyce and Paul Nelson will be conducting interviews and the schedule is below. All interviews will be conducted in the women’s Latihan hall at the Seattle Subud House.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4:

5:00 – Paul Nelson with Benjamin Boyce

SATURDAY, MARCH 5:

10am – Jim and Lucinda O’Halloran with Paul Nelson
11am – Elisha Gullixson with Paul Nelson
12N – Sebastian and Lorraine Tedrow with Paul Nelson
1pm – LUNCH BREAK
2pm – Evan and Annie Padilla with Benjamin Boyce
3pm – Halstein Stralberg with with Benjamin Boyce
4pm – Daniel Stralberg with Benjamin Boyce
5pm – Halimah Bellows with Benjamin Boyce

SUNDAY, MARCH 6:

12N – Danela Mauguin with Paul Nelson
1pm – Sebastian Tedrow and Chuck Cary with Paul Nelson
2pm – Hanafi Libman with Benjamin Boyce

The archives project is prioritizing older members. We expect there will be future weekends when interviews are conducted for those who were missed the first time. All interviews have been confirmed by the interviewers and the SUSA Archives project, led by Lucas Boladian and Matthew Clark, with the assistance of Laura Paterson.

Ibu Rahayu has asked that these interviews not be made available to the general public, which of course includes posting on Facebook and other social media sites. The SUSA Archives committee is doing everything possible to ensure these interviews are conducted and presented in the best way. Individual members are asked to refrain from conducting interviews without working in concert with the SUSA Archives effort, which has been going on for almost two years and has taken care to address legal, ethical and other issues in the best way possible.

Eastside Latihan temporarily canceled!

Eastside latihans will be canceled until April first, when two of our key Eastside members will be returning from California.
==We have a Treasurer!==
Dalton Allen has graciously and generously accepted the position.  In addition, we will be interviewing bookkeeping services to lighten the load.
Expect a general meeting and a garden party in April, times and date to be determined.

Video Interviews with Subud Members!

A while back I had a dream in which I was setting up to do video interviews with Subud members.  When I woke up I had a strong feeling to investigate the idea as a project.  Soon the national committee had heard about this idea and were behind it 100% and Paul Nelson has agreed to help make it happen!  I would like to start with those of us in the Seattle group so if you are willing to be interviewed please let me or Paul know.  The idea would be to do it after latihan on a Sunday or other latihan days.   Many of us are growing old and may not be around too much longer.  We need to get this done!

My thoughts on the interview project.

Goals of the interviews:

  1.  Preserve as best we can, through stories and experiences, the essence and meaning of the Subud Latihan.
  2.  Keep for future generations memories of Bapak and early Subud history.
  3. Record, if possible, the essence of spiritual experiences within the videos themselves.
  4. Make available to the general public segments of videos that would help the growth of Subud in the future.

How it would work:

  1. First option would be direct one on one in-person interviews which would require someone to go to the interviewee’s home or have them come to another location.
  2. Option two would be to do videos via Zoom or another similar source.  This would work well in long distance interviews which would be difficult to do in person.
  3. Another possibility is to do the interviews at a Subud event, national or regional congress, local group, etc.

My idea for option one is to ask for volunteers in different groups who would be willing to do the interviews locally and to provide them with interview questions, equipment or help as needed.

Option two could be done online via Zoom with members who may be hard to reach in person.

Paul Nelson, Matthew Cooke and Halimah Collingwood, along with several others, are professional interviewers and may be willing to help in this project.

Option three is probably the first to get started.

I don’t believe it is necessary to invest a lot of money in equipment for doing the interviews.  A cell phone with a good quality camera would work well provided it was close to the interviewee and in a quiet location with no interference.

Sample Interview questions:

Name, date and place of interview, age, contact info.

How long have you been in Subud?

How did you find and come into Subud?

What helper or committee jobs have you had in Subud?

Have you had any outer or inner experiences or memories related to Bapak?

Have you had any other spiritual experiences due to being in Subud?

Have you noticed any outer benefits from doing the latihan over the years?

What effect has Subud had on your outer and inner life?

Have you seen or experienced many changes in your latihan or outer life while being in Subud?

How would you value your overall Subud experience?

Would you agree to have parts of this interview available to other Subud or prospective Subud members?

Rachman Cantrell

425-822-5579

Message From Jim

First, a very belated thank-you to Alexa for making and providing surprise gifts for everyone who came to the holiday party!

Second—you guessed it—we are STILL looking for a treasurer.  We will be interviewing bookkeeping services next week, so that should make the job far easier than it has been in the past.

Third, ways to donate:
Donation boxes, one in the Men’s Hall and one in the Women’s quiet room
Send a check made out to ‘Subud Pacific Northwest at Seattle’ to 1105 15th, Seattle, WA 98122
Set up a recurring payment to Subud PNW-Seattle Center and have it sent to Subud PNW-Seattle center 1101 15th Seattle WA 98122
Thank you!

Donation Boxes in each Hall

Be sure to make out checks to Subud Pacific Northwest at Seattle. You can also mail to Subud Greater Seattle at 110115th, Seattle, WA 98122.

Oh, and yes, we are still in desperate need of a Treasurer!

One donation box in men’s hall.

One donation box in women’s quiet room.

We Still Need A Treasurer!

Subud Seattle needs a treasurer!

The really good news is we now have a chair (Jim O’Halloran), a vice chair; and a secretary (Alexa Wichert).
Even more good news-we are intending to hire a bookkeeper to do the books for Subud Pacific Northwest, Subud Portland, and Subud Seattle so the local treasurers’  burdens for the region, Seattle, and Portland will be much lighter.
Oswald left the books in great shape with excellent documentation and will be happy to help train a new treasurer if that person would like any guidance.  Also, Happy 50th wedding anniversary to Sebastian and Lorraine!  Be sure to ask about their totally epic wedding travels in a huge blizzard!

Subud Seattle needs a treasurer!

Subud Seattle needs a treasurer!

The really good news is we now have a chair (Jim O’Halloran), a vice chair (Ramon) and a secretary (Alexa Wichert).
Even more good news, we are intending to hire a bookkeeper to do the books for Subud Pacific Northwest, Subud Portland, and Subud Seattle so the local treasurer’s  burdens for the region, Seattle and Portland, will be much lighter.
Oswald left the books in great shape with excellent documentation and will be happy to help train a new treasurer if that person would like any guidance.
The time commitment will be much decreased from the current situation.  Oswald would be happy to speak to his time investment so you know it will be less than that!
Please step up!  The group and committee need you!
Jim O’Halloran
206-817-2066
*{Note from Rachman}  My very first job in Subud was shortly after I was opened. I was given the job ‘assistant treasurer’ in the San Francisco group, even though I knew nothing about how to do it!  Years later I was also treasurer of Subud USA for a while back in the day, also without knowing anything about bookkeeping, etc.  The benefits of both jobs were way more than the work I put in and working and becoming friends with the rest of the committee were very valuable lifelong blessings!
I recommend the job!