Jim’s notes from the meeting:

Jim O’Halloran

It was hot!  95 degrees.

Evan Padilla is the next  Susila Dharma International chair.  He plans to enact the receiving from testing about over the next 4-5 years.  Evan has proposed an SD dinner in Seattle sometime this fall, and Debbie has agreed to cater.

The next international congress will be in Kalimantan.

Other comments and reflections:

Ibu Rahayu  felt content was lacking in the congress.  The international helpers did hardly any content testing before Ibu spoke.  Afterwards they did a little more.

One member felt it was their least favorite international congress, but wonderful Latihans. Inconvenient, possibly due to being older.  The site was nowhere near anything.

Overall for most the food was not a big hit.  Good one day, but same menu for the entire congress.  Coffee was good.  Lousy service at hotel.

Another member had a very nice place to stay, cool, pleasant, inexpensive-Air BnB-easy to get to the congress, although a few stops away on mass transit.

Met people from Russia, Columbia, Spain, good groups, can tell they will stay in Subud for a long time.  Great stories about openings, including someone who pointed to a picture of Bapak after their opening and said that guy was walking around the room during their opening (!).

The Latihan was so powerful.  It was just incredible!

A regional member missed the bus and had to take a cab to Zurich airport. Another bus with the same destination would not accept his ticket, even though there was plenty of room on the bus.  The cab was very expensive!

Many expressed it was great to reconnect with friends from all over the world and to make new friends from all over!

Another member did 2-3 Latihans a day, testing in between and is still floating! One series of tests was how is it to walk under the influence of various forces.

We have new international helpers and chair.  Benedict Herman is a new international helper.  Benjamin Boyce is a new national helper.

A former  international helper mentioned their experience of receiving during testing for such situations was VERY clear and cut through questions from people who were not involved in the testing.

The congress had lots of entire families present, and they were very integrated into Congress- That was GREAT!

There are lots of young people in groups Europe, S. America, and L.A.; very vibrant strong groups.

The layout of the “Subud Village”  was a hit for many people, and led to flexible spontaneous interactions.  Young people designed the Subud village.  They started at the Freiburg meeting 2 years ago.

Photo by Daphne C Alexopoulou‎

It was intentionally set up so it felt personal.   Marston has pictures.

Another member’s high point was seeing Eva Maria, former SGS member, now in Hawaii.  Husband Greg Doland was opened at the Congress.  His opening was very powerful- “hot stuff”  Balls of light, angelic beings.

David Lynch has a video of kid’s light show performance from dusk till night.  It included a big light lantern puppet!

Rachman’s photos and video regarding Greg Doland’s opening are in links on the SGS website.

Aida and Rachman Cantrell

Hi Everyone in the Western Region.

As I thought, some Subud members appreciate reminders, because 10 registrations came in after the last one! But, this is your final chance, as the registration deadline for this year’s Bethlehem Retreat is September 10 – just one week away.

• Some have asked:“Who is already registered?”
• Here they are:
• Regional/Isolated members:

Maemunah Doran (Regional Helper)

Marston Kubicek (National Helper)

Rohana Laing (National Helper)

Margaret Pattinson

Rohanna Rae

Camille Roberts

Subud Vancouver:

Ayira Heart

Neil Huestis

Lambert Bazinet

Emma Bazinet

Karen Tennock

Ivar Wik (applicant)

Sandra Olsen

Hanafi von Hahn

Rohana von Hahn

Lucas Hille

Estella Kuchta

Nur Ali Storto

Lilliea Ferreira

Subud Fraser Valley:

Mahalia Eliah

Mahmud Nestman (Regional Helper)

Ervin Atchison

Subud Victoria:

Patricia O’Byrne, Dave Hitchcock, Helena Hitchcock, Elfrida Schragen, Thalia Corchia, Deanna Bird, Rechelle Morgan.  That’s a total of 29, so far, and we still have room for more!!  If you thought you had registered, but don’t see your name on the list, please let me know!

Financial assistanceis available. Just let me know on your registration, how much you can afford.  If you plan on traveling by ferry as a foot passenger and need a pick-up, just include the terminal and arrival time on your registration form.

Attached is the registration package for this year’s gathering. As we are getting close to the registration deadline (June 10), please either send your registration by email or let me know that your “registration is in the mail”.

Others have asked:“What happens at a Bethlehem Retreat?”

This largely depends on what is decided at the Opening Circle on Friday evening, but to give you some idea, attached is the schedule from last year’s (2017) retreat.

Here are more comments from some Subud brothers and sisters who have been to Bethlehem in the past:

“As an ‘isolated’ member it is very meaningful for me to attend Bethlehem Retreat Centre as well as one or two other gatherings a year if I can afford them.  I need as much group latihans as I can get!  Bethlehem was affordable; the meals were excellent for the cost, the common rooms very comfortable for meetings, opening and closing circle etc.  I love the round chapel for latihan and testing and the regional and national helpers gave us lots of care and attention, with many members finding opportunities for personal testing and support for life challenging issues. The setting on the lake is world class, with beautiful lawns and garden areas, and even a labyrinth for those who enjoy contemplation while walking.  I am very grateful to everyone who made this retreat possible and I recommend it highly to all Subud members!”

“While I was at one of the airports waiting for a flight I remembered something Sudarto had said years ago. It seems that a Subud member had asked him if it was really necessary for Subud members to Latihan together or be in groups or attend gatherings. From what I remember, Sudarto told this member that Subud members were like lumps of coal. You gather all these lumps together and put them in a bag, then the drawstring is tightened and you begin shaking the bag. After maybe a few years you open up this bag and look in.  You still see lumps of coal but at least now they have become smooth and shiny. While you close up the bag again and continue shaking for more time. Then one day you open up this bag and instead of finding a bag full of lumps of coal you have a bag full of diamonds. That for me sort of summed up the Bethlehem gathering we just had. For an isolated member, which I now am, this past weekend was like heaven on earth and I got to share and or experience it with some of the most beautiful diamonds I have ever met.”

Please don’t delay, register today!

Dave Hitchcock

Bethlehem Retreat Organizer

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=27108a60d9&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1610650091122999149&th=165a2db96ad63f6d&view=att&disp=safe

 Please join Subud members in Seattle after Latihan this Sunday the 26th as they share their experiences at the Subud world Congress in Freiberg which just concluded.

 If you feel to do so, bring some food to share.

This is an interview with Greg Doland who was opened at the Subud World congress in Germany.  Greg is the husband of Eva Maria who was a member in the Seattle group for about three years before marrying Greg and moving to Hawaii.  I thought Greg’s Subud story was of interest and he agreed to share it in an interview at our house last Monday.  Greg’s opening was somewhat unusual for a first time experience!  Click the link below to watch the video.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LFZ5QrUaBbQYEYwp8

Rachman’s photos from the Subud World congress in Freiburg, Germany from July 26 through August 8th, 2018.  There are a lot of photos so take your time in viewing them!  There are two links, one for July 26 through August 5 and the other one for August 5 through August 8.  Please add comments or identify people you know!

Links are here:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Those of us that usually open your eastside latihan facilities will all be at the World Subud Congress during the latihan dates of July 27th, August 3rd and 10th.  We know of no other person willing to take the key and open/close the facilities for those 3 dates.

As a result there will be no facilities available for latihan on the eastside until August 17th.

Latihans will continue in Seattle on their normal schedule.

Thanks, Oswald Norton
Subud Eastside Helper

We have just learned that Ibu Rahayu will attend the upcoming World Congress in Freiburg. This will be a wonderful opportunity to be with Ibu Rahayu in person.

Please spread the word to others.

For information and updates regarding World Congress, please visit: www.subudworldcongress.org

Just a few days to the start of the 2018 Subud World Congress!
The 2018 Subud World Congress in Freiburg, Germany, begins July 28 and runs until August 8. If you plan to attend Congress but have not registered and paid, please hurry up and do so, and make your travel plans. It’s not too late!

When my wife and I lived in San Francisco, Husein Rofé would come to visit the group and we’d go out and have dinner together.  He was such a gentle and interesting man and we made a connection. Because of that, every time he was coming into town we’d get together and he’d share stories of his life.

Sharif and Astuti Horthy have just published his autobiography, “Veil of Light”, through their Purple Pagoda Press.  They describe the book this way.

“In 1951 he arrives in Central Java, in newly independent Indonesia. Here he discovers an unknown spiritual practice called Subud, a transformative experience that is passed from person to person without any teaching involved. He becomes convinced of its universal significance and feels called to make it better known. Through a series of adventures and uncanny coincidences, he succeeds in bringing it to the attention of seekers in the West.”

To learn more about Husein and the story of the early days of Subud, please visit their site  where you can purchase a copy.

Also available there is the memoir of Sharif’s mother, Countess Ilona Edelsheim Gyulai, titled “Honour and Duty”.

Friday night after the Eastside latihan Oswald, Marston and Hadidjah brought goodies to share!  We sat in a circle and shared our various memories and experiences of Bapak.  It was a very nice evening and it was good to be reminded of what Bapak has brought us and how important is the gift of the latihan!  Danella mentioned she had shared some of her experiences in ‘Subud Reminders’, a web site with many Subud members shared experiences.

Bapak

See it here: http://remindersofreality.weebly.com/index.html

Photo of Bapak by Sim’on Cherpitel