Keep in mind the exchange rate is quite favorable to USAmericans.
Category Archives: General Announcements
Rasjad Lints Celebration of Life
Time: Saturday February 6, 2016
Rasjad Lints
3:30 – 5:00 PM
Location: Luepke Senior Center
community room at Marshall Center
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98663
Phone: (360) 487-7050
http://www.cityofvancouver.us/
Donations in Memory of Rasjad Lints can be made to the Oregon chapter of the ALS society;
they helped us in countless ways.
http://www.alsa-or.org/
they helped us in countless ways.
http://www.alsa-or.org/
The room holds 300. All are welcome.
Light refreshments afterward.
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What type of future do we want for Subud Greater Seattle?
Ramon asked me to lead a 20-30 minutes session after latihan on Friday to gather your thoughts on the future of Subud Greater Seattle.
What types of activities are you longing for?
What’s been missing that you’d like to see get started?
Please come and give us your thoughts about the future of Subud Greater Seattle in the next 1-3-5 years.
Friday’s latihan schedule is as follows:
7:45 quiet. 8 pm start.
Address:
752 108th Avenue NE
Bellevue, Washington
98004-5108
Refreshments will be provided. Looking forward to seeing you. Oswald Norton
R.I.P Rasjad Lints
Hi everyone,
It is with sadness I am telling you that Rasjad passed away on Saturday January 9 around noon. Susannah and Lionel and close friends were at his side. It was extremely peaceful. The last couple of weeks, his breathing was getting much weaker. Rasjad managed to write a couple of blog posts though about his departure. https://alifebeyondmeasure. |
Rasjad’s Last Post
Do not think that it is a tragedy that I died or that there is something terribly wrong about my situation. I don’t. There is a time and place for each of us and this was mine. I lived my life well and have no regrets. I made a difference in the world – isn’t that what most of us want?
I was extremely fortunate to have met my life partner in high school and enjoy 40 years marriage to my best friend. We were blessed with our extraordinary son. What more could I want?
I believe strongly in Almighty God and am now in a wonderful place that I’m sure defies description. Don’t worry about me, I’m just fine.
Skagit Birdwatch Feb 20
WHEN & WHERE: Meet at the Bellingham/Skagit Hall at 10:00 am. 1521 North La Venture in Mount Vernon, I-5 College Way exit #227. We will carpool to several locations across the valley.
DETAILS: Tour led by our “super birder” Paul Woodcock. Everyone’s invited! The tour lasts approximately 5 hours and covers 30 miles (we will need volunteers to drive) with stops for birding and refreshments, minimal walking. Snacks and dinner will be provided.
COST: We are limited to 15 participants; $45 each including a $20 non-refundable deposit to reserve a space.
DRESS: Dress for the weather! We suggest layers of warm clothing and appropriate footwear. Rain and muddy conditions are possible, but it’s worth the effort. You will not be disappointed!
CONTACTS: Register with Roosmiwati Reynolds at 360 734-8517 or roosmiwati@gmail.com. Let her know if you need a place to stay.
The Skagit River Delta is a winter birding paradise with an international reputation. We will see thousands of Snow Geese, hundreds of Trumpeter Swans, waterfowl and shorebirds. Raptors winter in large numbers, particularly Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and a few Merlin and Peregrine Falcons. Ravens and herons are numerous, plus other songbirds with possibly a surprise or two.
Paul Woodcock (Birdman)
Paul Woodcock has over 50 years birding experience and has led trips for the North Cascades Audubon Society for many years.
This event is Subud Bellingham/Skagit’s annual house-maintenance fundraiser.
[Editor’s note: Remember, Birders are patriotic bad-asses who provide their own snacks.]
Reaching for Our Higher Selves
Forwarded by Halimah Bellows:
Message from Rabbi Zari about anti-Moslem and anti-Immigrant rhetoric
December 13, 2015
Dear Friends,
This past Friday, I joined a group of interfaith clergy and other members of our various faith communities at a rally at the Idris Mosque in Northgate, to stand in solidarity with our Moslem brothers and sisters in light of the hateful and xenophobic rhetoric that we have been hearing from some who have the national spotlight. We also stood with them as some Moslems here and around the country have been targets of hate crimes.
Five clergy spoke, and I was honored to be one of them. My remarks follow. You can find the statement that we read, as well as the other statements at the following site: http://fanwa.org/fans-interfaith-leaders-council-statement
There are also photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithactionnetwork.
In the meantime, please know that I am working with Moslem and other faith and civic leaders to see how we can continue to be of support as we face these difficult times. I will be sharing more information about things that we can do in the coming days and weeks.
Tonight, as we light our last candle, I hope and pray that we will all remember the true meaning of Chanukah: The right for all people to live and celebrate their religious practices in freedom and respect.
L’zedek V’shalom (toward justice and peace),
Rabbi Zari
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Reaching for our Higher Selves
Rabbi Zari M. Weiss
Kol HaNeshamah
December 11, 2015
Today, as many of you know, is the fifth day of Hanukkah, a holiday which-more than any other on the Jewish calendar-celebrates religious freedom. Just over two thousand years ago, a man named Antiochus Epiphanes decreed that Jews were prohibited from celebrating and observing their sacred practices. He was not the first tyrant nor the last to argue that religious difference could not be tolerated. We see examples of this kind of tyranny today-not only in countries with repressive regimes elsewhere in the world, but to our shock and dismay, here in this country as well.
We are living through a critical time in history. In many ways, it seems that the world has been knocked off of its axis; every day, we find ourselves reeling from the violence and extremism that is spreading everywhere. At a time such as this, we need good and wise leaders who can guide us as we navigate our way forward.
This week, a verse from a well-known collection of ethical teachings from Jewish Tradition kept going through my mind. In Pirke Avot, Ethics of our Ancestors, it says, “U’vamakom she’ein anashim, hishtadel l’hiot ish.” “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” In the male-dominated world in which Rabbi Hillel lived, he spoke of men, but he wasn’t speaking about gender. He was talking about the importance of being a mensch, an honorable human being. Especially when living in a time or place where people forget or lose their humanity, Hillel seemed to be saying, it is important to remember the values that are most important.
We need leaders who will call us to our higher selves as human beings, not drag us down to the lowest common denominator among us. We need leaders who will stand for the importance of respecting the human dignity of every person – no matter their religious or cultural background. We need leaders who will not sow suspicion or mistrust of those who are fleeing their own homelands in search of greater safety and security for themselves and their families, just like many of our own ancestors did, enabling us to live in freedom in this country.
But we don’t need these things just from our leaders; we need them from ourselves, as well. It is also our responsibility to strive to be honorable human beings-in our treatment of others, particularly the most vulnerable in this world. It is our responsibility to respect the dignity of every person, and here, in our own country, to celebrate, not denigrate the diversity of religious and cultural backgrounds of all who make up the multi-ethnic fabric of the United States. It is our responsibility to act not out of fear and suspicion, but rather, compassion and good-will toward those who, through no doing of their own, were born in places where they had little chance to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. “Al Tadin et chavercha ad sheh’ta’gia l’mokomo,” said Rabbi Hillel: “Judge not another person until you have come into his place.” Indeed, having compassion for others rather than hard-heartedness is a manifestation of our higher selves.
Rabbi Hillel offered many wise teachings that still provide guidance for us today, thousands of years after he lived. “Im ein ani li. U’chshani la’atzmi, mah ani. V’im lo achshav, Eymatai.” “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, then when?” Yes, the times that we live in necessitate that we care for our own safety and security. But living with that kind of self-centered focus is not enough; we are responsible to and for the well-being of others, as well. And at this historic moment, when we are witnessing a modern Exodus toward greater freedom of millions of people throughout the world, the time to act with compassion and good-will is now. In a world in which some have forgotten what it means to be human, let us remember our humanity.
Kol HaNeshamah
Interview with Salamah Lorraine Arden
Salamah Lorraine Arden on Sept 6, 2015 at the Subud National Gathering in Redwood City, CA
On September 6, 2015, at the National Gathering in Redwood City, California, your humble narrator caught up with longtime Subud member Salamah Lorraine Arden to discuss her incredible life, her art and her life in Subud.
The first segment started with Salamah discussing an experience from 4th grade, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, that helped instill in her the notion that she had “unusual artistic talent.” The project was a recreation of a magazine cover, Field and Stream, of a hunting dog moving through tall grass. She also discussed other early art education experiences in Whitefish Bay and Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Iowa after moving back there.
In part two she discussed her first sculpture class in which the instructor said: “You have the most three-dimensional mind of anyone who has been a student of mine.” She talked about hanging out with Black people in college and being asked what Black sorority to which she belonged and how she would do modern dance to poetry. She also discussed the negative review she got in the New York Times where her work was described as “too emotional” but the reviewer also assumed she was a man.
In the third segment she discussed meeting her long-time husband, Harvey, the instant recognition of him AS her future husband, moving from Chicago to New York, so Harvey could become a “famous writer.” She talked about being mentored by William and Marguerite Zorach and being nominated for the Rosenthal Award.
In the fourth segment, she discussed finding out about Subud and being opened in New York. She had heard about Subud through Bob (Hamilton) Camp and through their connections with the NYC Gurdjieff and Ouspensky group. She talked about the application process and how she and Harvey were opened at the Briarcliff event which Bapak attended. (The 4th North American Congress, July 9-25, 1963.) She talked about her receivings after being opened, that she needed to give up drugs, that she had to quit painting for a period of time to focus on “becoming a human being” and after ten years receiving that she could “go back to being an artist again.” The caveat was that she should stop painting and become a sculptor. She talked about how she was looking for something like Subud before she knew it existed and that her Grandfather and three of her uncles were Methodist ministers, so she was looking for a “direct relationship with God.”
In the fifth segment she discussed her painting hiatus and her receiving that she needed to have two more children. She received she needed to take lessons for bronze casting and stone carving, among other things. One receiving was, in her words, a “fast-forward movie how the rest of my life should ideally be.” She experienced it with long-time friend Lusana Blond. She discussed Julia Schusterman’s “sewing circle” and called it “the greatest thing to have for new members.” Part Five – 7:20
In the sixth part she continued the discussion of her receiving (the fast-forward movie), including parts that did not manifest, like teaching at a Subud school in Tucson and some that did, including a series of sculptures of holy women and men. Women like Fatima and Mother Mary, Ibu Samari and Ibu Rahayu among others. Part Six – 7:50
In Part Seven she discussed recent exhibitions of her work as well as prophecies she received about upcoming periods in the world, including a Rainfall period, in which there would be purification of the world, a Fire period (in which we are, currently), Hands and Roses falling from heaven and a Golden Dust period. Part Seven – 6:27
In the eighth segment she talked about the series of sculptures of Holy Men, of which she has done one, Bapak. She discussed a Bapak talk on Holy Men in which his appearance changed each time he spoke of a different holy man. She responded to a question about the impeccable nature of her receiving ability, even before Subud, by suggesting Subud Sisters like Lusijah Marx have a similar receiving capability. She then talked about her Latihan in South Carolina, in which she crawled on the floor and received the percentage of surrender by each participant and about books different people should write. She also discussed a Bapak talk in which he discussed how certain Subud members who have ancestors who “earned their descendants a place in Subud.” She discussed a collection of letters from her Swedish ancestors. Part Eight – 12:44
SGS Financial Report/Rehab Needs
The latest Dewan Meeting Minutes are posted here: https://www.subudgreaterseattle.com/dewan-meeting-minutes-dec-5-2015/
From Sherwin O’Bar:
November 2015 SGS Financial Report
November 2015 year to date financial report: Revenue (member donations +rentals) is $73,834. Expenses are $67,692, resulting in a net income of $6,142. AirB&B rentals are going down for the winter season. Member donations through November are $14,081 and it is very unlikely we will reach the 2015 member donation budget of $20,000.
As in 2014, the committee approved a one-time year-end 2015 donation to SPNW of $1,200.
Also, see Marston Gregory’s report of house maintenance needs here.
Menucha Report
We’re getting past the half-way mark at Menucha and I took extensive notes for a while and wanted to share some things that people have said this year, as well as a few photos so as to serve as a partial documentation of this legendary event.
Friday Workshop List
There have been name changes of Subud people in the last year, births and deaths and many reported being “in transition.” Perhaps because the National Gathering was in Redwood City, California, or because “Mr. Menucha” (Benedict Herrman) has been touting the beauty of the event, there are more Californians here than in years past it seems.
Attendees have come from Vancouver, San Diego, Victoria, Mendocino, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Port Townsend, Portland and Seattle as you can imagine, Bothell, Boise, Philadelphia, Spokane, Santa Cruz, Abbotsford, Anacortes, Los Angeles, Boulder, Bandoun, OR, Issaquah, Flagstaff, Olympia, Victoria and elsewhere. One man from Montreal originally and now in Vancouver said that he has come back to Subud after 30 years and there will be at least one opening here this year.
The opening circle each morning tended to go on A LONG TIME and a few got more than their share of time, but some very fascinating things were said, including:
“Menucha is the highlight of my spiritual year.” (Halimah Bellows.)
“Are we at a million (members) yet?” (Attributed to Bapak.)
“Menucha feels like coming home.”
“Subud is kindergarten for adults.”
“I want to die in a Subud Healing Center.”
“You get to a place of gratitude through suffering.”
There was a film by Lusijah Marx about the work Subud needs to do to feel like a safe place for LGBTQ people and a spirited discussion afterward. Our own Annie Padilla today facilitated a “Blessing of the Hands” workshop that felt very ceremonial, had participants sending forgiveness to each other and featured a poem commissioned for the occasion:
The entertainment Friday night featured the world class cello of new SICA US Chair Hamilton Cheifetz, who was playing an instrument that was over 300 years old. Howard Richman did a sound portrait, totally improvised, of Rosanna Schutte, your humble narrator read poems from his new book American Sentences, Rosanna Schutte performed a half-sung half-read poem/song with the accompaniment of Halimah Brugger and MoMac, Morris McLellan ended the evening in his inimitable singer/songwriter style.
As you can imagine, Menucha continues to be a world class Subud event on the beautiful Columbia River Gorge and not to be missed.
Kathleen Gillette
Subud Puebla 50 Year Celebration
Subject: Fwd: FW: Invitación 50 Aniversario Casa Subud Puebla
Dear all:
I hope everyone is wonderful, with peace and joy in your hearts.
I want share with all of you, that on November 28 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Puebla Subud House, and if you can’t be with us in person we want you to be there in spirit.
During this celebration we remeber the history of the house, the visits of Bapak, we will unveil the plate of the 50th anniversary, record the audio and take photographs.
Hopefully the remodel of the house will be concluded. We are grateful for the support of Muhammad Subuh Foundation. I send all my love to you on behalf of Subud México.
Mas’ud
* * *
Queridos todos:
Espero que se encuentren con mucha alegría y con mucha paz en sus corazones.
Quiero decirles que el próximo 28 de noviembre celebraremos el 50 aniversario de la Casa Subud Puebla, y así como nos gustaría que estuvieran aquí, también nos encantaría saber que están en espíritu en el caso de que no puedan acompañarnos.
Durante esta celebración recordaremos la historia de la casa, las visitas que hizo Bapak, colocaremos las placas conmemorativas de la celebración de los 50 años, habrán memorias de los miembros fundadores y realizaremos registros de lo ocurrido en audio y fotografía.
Para entonces habremos concluido con la remodelación de la casa que logramos con el apoyo de la Fundación Muhammad Subuh con quienes estamos infinitamente agradecidos.
Yo les envío a todos un enorme abrazo y todo mi cariño a nombre de Subud México.
Mas’ud