Tag Archives: Hadidjah Gregory

Subud Canada Western Regional Family Gathering

Now this is something to look forward to!
(Subud Canada Western Regional Family Gathering)
By: Hadidjah Gregory June 2, 2015

The Subud Canada Western Regional Family Gathering at Crescent Beach has become another chance for U.S. Subud members to cross over the Border into Canada and enjoy some of the best of times. It was held over the U.S. Memorial Day Weekend.

Crescent Beach, BC

I really want to say put THIS on your calendar as soon as dates are announced for next year and start looking forward to a real breath of fresh air. In a perfect place to relax and receive (your latihan of course) as well as the beautiful sweetness of place that the Alexandra Retreat and Events Center offers.

It felt like being part of a wonderful family; welcomed, included and appreciated just for coming.

Yes, we did latihan. Yes, we met in a few circles. Yes, we sang and danced and remembered what a happy child feels like, and we could take beautiful walks by the water, or into the very quaint town center.

We could take naps inside or outside, we could be earnest or silly and even feel alone in the midst of the crowd while wrapped in our own thoughts if we liked. The food was always there, and very good, the coffee was always fresh or almost ready; the laughter was light and frequent.

Of course, next year more people of all ages would be nice, more “talks”, more sharing, more music and dancing and more “anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” Yes, of course, there was a closing circle and the big take away for me was “This is great.” It works. My hope is Subud Canada keeps doing this there and really encourage people to save the time and the money to make it next year. They also started an assistance fund that will hopefully be large enough in a year’s time to assist.

Oh and by the way this is less than two hours from Seattle to Surrey (including customs). The Alexandra Center has a vision and a mission that we share.

Vision? “A vibrant inclusive and caring community.”

Mission? “To gather, grow and build a spirit of community.”

The Soul in Action

The Soul in Action
Sunday, July 28th
an invitation to a kedjiwaan gathering

Subud House

“The Soul In Action,” a kedjiwaan afternoon …Kedjiwaan…relating to the jiwa or spiritual side of Subud…an afternoon of expanding/enriching our spiritual selves through worship and testing, and spending an easy afternoon with our brothers and sisters. (Quiet time starts at 11a).

Question: What would it take for you to come, on Sunday…and to come to group latihan, in general? Many are not coming to latihan….why? Life too busy, not getting what you need/want from Subud, the latihan, our community? These are questions your local helpers want to know the anwers to, we want to provide what it is the members want/need and, we need you, the members to let us know what is missing, which maybe is something the helpers cannot do alone…maybe only as a community can we do that, but we need you to tell us that.

On Sunday, we will test a few simple questions immediately after latihan and then will open the floor to what the members present bring to discuss, and we will as a group decide about how we will spend the time we have together…but we need all of you to be present to do that…together let’s create the best possible kedjiwaan day experience that we can have.

We look forward to seeing you there.

– Hadijah Obar

Marston Gregory Interview

Marston Gregory

#2 in a series of interviews with Subud members on how they were opened, the early history of Subud Greater Seattle (if applicable) and their experience with the latihan, is with Marston Gregory. More than any other Subud Greater Seattle member, Marston keeps the house going. He cleans, repairs and even cleans up after neighborhood dogs.

In the opening segment Marston discussed his June 1973 opening in Subud, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, how he was introduced to Subud through the mime community (a common experience) through Richmond Shepard and how he ended up moving to Seattle after having a “blueberry aha moment.” Part 1 (6:00)

In segment two, Marston talked about his early days in Seattle with his wife Hadidjah, how the Branchflowers (Frederick and Melanie) welcomed them into the Subud community (& hosted them) and his experience with Hope Street Hall, the Subud House in L.A. that they used as a rental property. With Marty Arquette, he was manager of that facility and talked about one of the more difficult rentals at that center, as well as some of the positions he has held at different levels of the Subud organization, locally, regionally and nationally. Part 2 (6:46)

In the third segment, Marston discussed the renovations of the Subud House in Seattle, how local members prepared the house for Bapak’s December 1977 visit, and the work of Aliza Albernoz to clean and begin to renovate the house, as well as the renovation efforts organized by committees led by Lewis Olds and Sebastian Tedrow and Insiah Caspers. The old furnace, the leaky windows, the roof that was several layers of shingles without any plywood, the siding (cedar shake) and the community fundraising campaign to purchase chairs to make the house suitable for rentals. Part 3 (10:40)

Marston Leads the Mime Car at the 2010 National Congress

In segment four, Marston went into detail about how he learned that employment of French drains was the method which worked best at making damp places dry, like the basement where men in Seattle practice latihan. He discussed the roles of Insiah Capers and Lucinda O’Halloran is helping make the house more environmentally friendly, how his background as a Building Biologist helped focus his efforts and other “green” touches, including paint and new energy-efficient appliances. He discussed the volunteer-labor painting party and how a workshop also resulted in applying clay to the walls of the men’s latihan hall. Part 4 (9:40)

In the final segment, Marston discussed the wiring of the Subud House during renovations and some of the other current renovation needs remain at the Subud House in Seattle, including creating handicapped access. He discussed how the name Spring Street Center was chosen and why an additional name is required to create a separate identity for a rental property. He also discussed the very first rental as Spring Street Center, a Catholic Preist from the Philippines giving a mass in the chapel. He also discussed his thoughts about the future of Subud. Part 5 (11:15)