RH News. Chairperson s Update Dear brothers and sisters, Treasurer s Update. East Coast Gathering. (Midwest are all invited)

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1 RH News The MW Regional Helpers hope to travel to various locations between now and the end of the year. Testing showed that smaller, informal visits would work very well in the our region. To that end, the Regional Helpers are seeking invitations from groups. Please talk it over and decide if your group, regardless of size, would like to have a visit. Treasurer s Update Thanks to the many of you who have increased your monthly donation. Starting last month we began sending $200 to the national office to support Subud USA activities. Bryan Stevenson 2900 Northwind Dr #306 East Lansing MI Subject: Thank you Midwest I just saw that you folks have increased your pledge to the National Office by $50. Thank you so very much and please convey my personal thanks to your committee. It s the money, but it s also the feeling that you are supporting us when we need you to. Reynold, SUSA Chairperson East Coast Gathering (Midwest are all invited) The Registrar Says You Won t Want to Miss This The Three Rivers Fall Gathering will be held the weekend of October 2-4, and will be held at the Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Boulevard, Allison Park, PA which is on the north side of Pittsburgh. We have named it The Three Rivers Fall Gathering, as several streams come together for this gathering, Subud East Coast and Subud Midwest, and we are thankful to Jerry Huhn for suggesting a good name for this gathering. The Three Rivers Fall Gathering at Kearns Spirituality Center promises to be a good time for all. There will be August 2009 Subud Midwest Newsletter Lucian Parshall, Editor Chairperson s Update Dear brothers and sisters, The national gathering, as you may have heard, had a youthful, energetic, loving feeling with lots of laughter and entertainment along with the fantastic food and latihans. Lucian has printed a few pictures. Also there was the yearly required Subud board of directors Olaf Bowman - Chair meeting which I attended and was able to meet all of the other members of the board. We only, as I recall, voted on one item - Spirit Day! After some discussion it was decided to have a yearly Spirit Day on the second Sunday in October of each year. This year it will be on October 11th. What is Spirit Day? It is a day for USA Subud members to celebrate and give thanks thanks for what? for the gift of the latihan? for the many blessings we have received? Ideas are needed, so talk, at your center, or with other members about what form our celebration should take. A day would be all of our waking hours, starting with prayer alone, then with family or immediate friends and culminating with as many as we can gather for food, latihan and fun. What are your thoughts? The other main item we tackled at the board meeting was the by-laws. If anyone is interested, a copy with one set of proposed changes could be sent to you. However, that is just a starting point for the board to refine before presenting to the membership at the congress in I hope everyone is enjoying the summer, vacation time, but I also hope you are making lots of money! We need money to start enterprises. Enterprises require working together. Working together means learning to manage our lower forces which means learning to occupy our rightful place which means obeying all of Gods commands which means being obedient to our creator which means we might have the possibility of crossing the Jordan and going to heaven. Anybody want to go to heaven? If so, lets get to work and start some enterprises! Till next time, peace, faith, hope, love and joy Olaf Continued on page 8

2 So what can we organize? With the USA National Gathering just behind us and the World Congress in New Zealand approaching the Editor thought that it might be worth while to review the outer structure of our Subud Association starting with some excerpts from Bapak.... The first aspect of organization is to take care of the orderliness and smooth running of our brotherhood and our relationships, one to another. The second aspect of organization is to make sure that we are well provided with funds for the execution of our ideals and aims which Bapak has often described; for example, to provide education for normal children, for children who are abandoned by their parents or who have no other support for their education, and for children with special needs in various ways; or, by setting up homes for old people who have been abandoned or who are without families; or, by setting up hospitals for care of the sick; or, by educating or training our own Subud members who cannot or do not know how to work, or are insufficiently trained, so that ultimately all our members are really good at what they are doing in their lives and are really able to do jobs which give them satisfaction. All of Mankind, p49... although there is an organization and a committee function in Subud, what the organization and the committee are dealing with is the latihan, which is the worship of God. Therefore both their actions and their way of working are different from those of a normal organization or committee. In Subud, the organization and the committee are only the administration of the Subud spiritual association. In no way is the spiritual aspect of Subud included within the organization with everything being decided by the board of the organization. This is because in our worship of God - that is, in the Subud latihan that you have received - you are led and taught by God; it is only God who wields authority in the realm of the soul. It follows that we cannot organise what goes on between us and God. So what can we organize? We can organise ourselves. Because, even though we worship God, even though what we are doing is concerned with the process of our soul, we are ordinary human beings whose life is in this world and depends on our eating, drinking and other things. In short, we live as human beings. And human beings, as you all know, are always surrounded by things that cause suffering, or that cause happiness - that cause this and cause that. The reality is that the organization in Subud is not like other organizations; it is no more than the administrative machinery needed in each country. As you are certainly aware, buildings are needed for us to worship in together, as well as other things. Corresponding and keeping in touch with other places also costs money. Money is needed for all this. It is the committee that must find the money for the needs of the group in their area. We should not rely solely upon contributions from members to meet all these needs. We have to remember that some who come in all sincerity to worship God are unable - having no money, and being out of work - to contribute anything. So the committee must make an effort to lighten some of the burden on the members, so no one is prevented from worshiping God simple because of money. That will avoid the impression that Subud is only open to the prosperous, while those who truly wish to worship God but are poor are not welcome. Bapak s Talks, Vol 4, p263 It is for this reason that, in our association, we need to make arrangements that enable us to plan and discover our way forward: so if we walk, we walk together; if we go somewhere, we go together; if we do something we work on it together. These are the things that we organise in the normal way that people do. Bapak Talks, Vol 12, p313 However, since we are human beings living in this world, who need food and clothing and who need to look after ourselves so that we are at peace and secure in society, as well as worshipping God we need to create an organization, so that we can organise ourselves in the way people normally do in this world. Of course the way we organise ourselves needs to be adjusted to the conditions of our local society, and also to the laws and regulations of the country we are in. Therefore we need to formulate statutes that do not go against the laws and regulations of our country, nor the principles and aims of Subud. Bapak s Talks, Vol 2, p305 Brothers and sisters, Bapak has made it clear that the Subud organization is the administration of the Subud Association. The core of Subud is not the organization but the latihan. However, since we are human beings living in human society - that is, in the world - which must be entirely ordered by human beings themselves, it is necessary that we should organise ourselves to a certain extent. We need to do this so that we can live and work together, and support each other in such a way that this Subud community of ours becomes a disciplined and orderly group of people. Bapak s Talks, Vol 10, p41 In the spiritual world, in order to receive awareness of our spiritual nature, we are not required to make use of our thinking, heart, and desires. However, the heart, mind and desires are necessary for our life in this world. They are not to be thrown away. We shouldn t fall into the error of neglecting to use them, because these three instruments are the means by which humans can live here on earth in an orderly manner, in the right way, and organise the world as well as possible. Bapak s Talks, Vol 3, p65

3 World Subud Association Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 7 Zone 8 Zone 9 Zone 5&6 Zone 2 Zone 1 Level Committee Helpers World Subud Association (divided into 3 Areas - USA is in Area III) Zone (USA is in Zone 7) WSA Officers, WSA Executive Committee (ISC), and Zone Reps Zonal Committee, Committee Counselor (1 rep for each country) and National Chairperson of each country Country National Committee National Helpers International Helpers (3 men and 3 woman for each area) Kedjiwaan Counselors (1 male and female National Helper for each country in the zone) Regions (USA has 7 Regions) Regional Committees Regional Helpers Centers Center Committees Local Helpers Our SUSA reps to the World Congress in New Zealand include the Subud USA Chairperson (Reynold Bean - left), the Committee Councelor (Rosetta Narvaez - right) and two Kedjiwaan Counselors (Muchtar Salzmann and Myriam Ramsey - far right)

4 Photo s from our USA Greeley, Color Olaf, our hard working Midwest Chairperson, is busy during the Board of Directors meeting reading over proposals. Mary and Reynold enjoying evening entertainment. Myra (Gathering program chair) going over morning announcements. Reynold Feldman, a longtime midwest brother who lived in Chicago and Minneapolis and now lives in Hawaii - says Hello to everyone. The third day selamatan for Hamilton Manley was held on Saturday evening

5 National Gathering in ado - July 4th One location you could always find anyone was at meal time. Myra Margolin would check in with mom and dad, Aida and Levi enjoying breakfast, David and Rohanah drove to Greeley with Olaf and our RHs found time to get caught up.

6 Talking to People Interested in Finding Out about Subud Perhaps what I am about to write is self-evident and simplistic. Yet, when at the national gathering, at a workshop I gave on active listening, what most of the participants talked about were the bad experiences they witnessed with helpers not tuning in to those who came to find out about Subud. They described how helpers just talked on and on and didn t connect with questions or topics emanating from the enquirer. In other words, there was no active listening. Perhaps some helpers will say, well I don t need to find out what the enquirer wants to know. I am receiving this. Or, my job is just to explain in the way Bapak did. Perhaps this is true. But all too often, said the workshop participants, the enquirer winds up being turned off and tuned out. As I see it, there is no contradiction between inquiring of the enquirer and also receiving what to say. In other words, asking questions and also receiving guidance can go hand in hand. So, to make sure we are being tuned in, we can check. Is this clear? Do you have any more questions about this? Is there something else you d like to ask? Several suggestions emerged from workshop participants to facilitate the exchange. First, when an interested person initially comes, one can first ask how the person learned about Subud. Then, it is often helpful to discover what he or she already knows from having looked at a website, read a book, or talked to a friend. I have found that this inquiry not only tells me what the person knows, but also what he or she does not. The person may or may not have questions, but by having told what he or she knows, you can begin to fill in some of the blanks. Another issue that was raised in the workshop dealt with the interested person not having any questions at all, ever. What do we do then to avoid just going on and on at random? One suggestion was to pose alternatives. For example, We can talk about A, B or C. Is there one you would prefer? Then at least you are connecting in some way with the person to whom you are speaking. Many of us sit quietly for a short stretch during these meetings with persons interested in Subud. This gives the enquirer a chance to allow a question or comment to well up from within. And, of course, it gives us a chance to reconnect with our own inner guidance as we attempt to explain such topics as the inner reality and benefits of this spiritual path as we have come to know them, the outer form of the latihan itself, the need to be consistent in our practice to get the most benefit, something about the organization and its wings, testing, etc. etc. If you were helping me write this, I am sure much could be added. The international helpers have proposed a delegate working party day at the world congress devoted to Looking After Applicants and Newly Opened Members. Some of the questions we have posed are, What are some of the concerns people have about how helpers conduct the enquirer meetings? How can the quality of enquirer meetings be improved? Instead of accepting polarized views of how long the enquirer period should be, do we need to be more prescriptive (1) about getting an understanding (through testing) and (2) reading Bapak s and Ibu s advice about why Bapak suggested a waiting period? Perhaps there will be more to write about this topic in the future. Shoshanah Margolin Ladies Latihan Ladies in the region are doing a simultaneous latihan on Mondays at 12:30p EST. Others are welcome to join us. Vanessa, and Sofiah and I are the standard participants. Anna Schroeder Persnickety Toasters Have you ever experienced the temperamental toaster? Mine went far beyond temperamental and actually went into the marriage counseling business. One night after more than a year of excellent service, my bread wouldn t stay down in the toaster. Fifty to a hundred times I tried on various settings, and not once would it stay down. Finally after reading the manual, making sure the elements were heating up. etc., I gave up and went to bed. The next morning eager for my toast, I tried several more times without a hint of success. My wife joined me, and as she reached for the bread, I informed her toaster was broken and couldn t be fixed. Without a smidgen of hesitation she replied, No its not, you just don t know how to push it down. No, no it s definitely broken, I protested. I tried for more than an hour last night and again this morning. I ll show you, she said. With a carefree air she put in the bread and pushed down the lever her way, which amused me, because it was the same as my way. My eyes then beheld what my 55 years of life had taught me should not be happening, yet I watched it come to pass. She was not in the least surprised by her successful results, nor my expression! And yes, the toaster has worked perfectly for us ever since. I am still in a state of amazement as I write this. Each time I gently press down the toaster lever I am rewarded with perfect toast and I am reminded that no human can ever know anything with absolute certainty. A persnickety toaster can teach. Now I try not to discount an opinion that is alien to me and far from my experience. After nearly a lifetime of surprising and educational experiences, I feel grateful to the one who watches over marriages. David McCormack

7 To a member in Australia. On surrender, suffering and fasting. The true meaning of surrender is not to think, not to have ideas, not to ponder or imagine anything at all, but only to feel your own self and to feel complete faith in the Greatness and Power of Almighty God. To make this clear, surrender to Almighty God is not done with the lips alone; it means being truly empty of thoughts, ideas and imaginings, wanting nothing whatsoever except to surrender to the Will of God. That is the explanation, if you wish to know how a person surrenders to Almighty God with trust and sincerity. Now, about the state of somebody s self - it cannot be determined whether it is good or healthy. Really, if this could be understood, everything is caused by one s own wrong behavior. Since that is so, all misfortunes - that is to say, all kinds of suffering one experiences - must be accepted as a kind of test of life. If you are able to feel and accept in this way, then automatically the unpleasant and difficult suffering you always experience can soon be lessened. There is an outer means, and though not within the framework of worshipping God in the kejiwaan, it nevertheless seems very necessary in order to lessen physical suffering in life - that is, to fast every Monday and Thursday. And the way to do this is not to eat, drink or smoke anything from five o clock in the morning until six o clock in the evening each Monday and Thursday; you may eat, drink and smoke after six p.m. You have no need to ask how long you should continue this fast, because it is a test of how far you are really determined to try the sincerity of your wish for an improvement in your fate that is now lacking in goodness and happiness. That is all, and Bapak prays you may be able to carry it out well. Fasting and nafsu What Bapak has told you may sound very pleasing. In truth, however, fasting is very hard, brothers and sisters,.if it is really to qualify you for the great possibility of receiving the Qadar. Fasting itself is not so difficult, but as to the way of feeling, that is difficult, for while fasting you should not only abstain every day from taking material sustenance through eating, drinking and smoking; no. You should also abstain from the nafsu that arise in you. This is difficult. If while fasting, then, you think of something that arouses nafsu, it nullifies the fast. And if when fasting you speak badly of others, this too cancels the fast. Generally, however, people can stand the fast better if they talk during iteven nonsense. If they are just quiet, the stomach feels very hungry. So the chance of being able to receive the Qadar lies in fasting in the right way. If while fasting you imagine how nice it would be to eat something, that annuls the fast. In short, it is not a fast just for the stomach - the heart and mind also have to fast. This is why the Qadar is still remote from you. If, while fasting, you sometimes look at a bottled drink and fancy buying it for later when you break the fast, or if you fancy other things like that, it would be altogether better not to fast. It is difficult to fast, that is to say, to hold out when you feel hungry, yet not to have any fancies about food. How is it with you? To prove this point, let Bapak ask you what you received after fasting for twenty days. You say I felt nothing. I just Slept. Did you experience anything at all? Yes, I had a dream. That s it, you only had a dream. Thus, brothers and sisters, as you cannot prevent all this, it is best to face it. So when you fast, get used to being near food and drink, but don t pay much attention to them. That s fasting, that s what it means. If there is a syrup drink, you don t fancy drinking it. If there are cigarettes, you don t fancy smoking them. That is genuine fasting. There are some people who can t bear not to drink, so they just smell the drink. That nullifies the fast. However, it is all right if you just do it as training. Sometimes a person who is not strong enough to bear his thirst refreshes himself by cooling himself outwardly with ice. All kinds of things are being done. But they are permissible just as training yes, permissible on a small scale. Since indeed we cannot prevent these obstacles occurring, either in ordinary months or in the month of fasting, it is best for us to be near material things without falling under their influence. This also accords with what you have received in the latihan, and how you receive it. In your latihan you move about as in your ordinary earthly life. Clearly then the latihan kedjiwaan is a latihan of human life, and it trains you in the ordinary ways of living on earth, but in such a manner that you do not fall under their influence. You perform these movements and actions while aware of what you have received in the latihan. That is to say, you begin to feel the difference between I walk and I am being made to walk, and also between I hold and I am being made to hold. I am being made to hold means that we are willed to do this, not from our outer-what Bapak called the skin or the covering-but from our inner content. Getting accustomed to this will help us to get used to receiving what is willed from within and following it in our ordinary activities. (71.8.1) From Bapak For those observing Ramadan #1430 the Nights of Power are: 21st - Sept 10th 23rd - Sept 12th 25th - Sept 14th 27th - Sept 16th 29th - Sept 18th Eid - Sept 20th

8 Gathering continued plenty of room for all of our activities. For latihan we will have access to a large conference room which has a movable built-in divider, so we can have simultaneous latihans for men and women. The bedrooms are very comfortable, with two twin beds in each, a recliner, a desk and small dresser, plus a nice sink for your convenience. There are three shared bathrooms, spotlessly clean, one on the second floor and two on the first floor, with spacious shower stalls. One of the bathrooms even includes a washer and dryer. There are also several other bathrooms available which don t include showers. The dining area near the kitchen is a pleasant spot with plenty of round tables for you to spend time relaxing over a good meal. Although serving times are specified, 8AM for Breakfast, Noon for lunch, and 5PM for dinner, guests can spend plenty of time enjoying their meal. Beverages are continuous during the meal and include coffee, tea, and juice. We have ordered snack trays for both Friday and Saturday evening, which include cheese, crackers, and fresh fruit. If you wish to eat any of your meals away from the retreat center, just down the way is a wonderful Italian restaurant called Luciano s, or you can find many familiar names in the area: Bob Evans, Panera, Chili s, Pizza Hut, and Mc- Donald s to name a few. There is also a Giant Eagle grocery store in a nearby shopping center. Members may bring their own food into the retreat center and store it in one of two refrigerators available to guests. We will have several tables for a silent auction, so please consider bringing something for this sale, and also we hope to have Subud books for sale. The Kearns Spirituality Center is located in rolling hills north of Pittsburgh, close to both historical attractions and modern amenities. There is a center courtyard, and also a nature walk on the grounds. When you register we will send you travel information that applies to you. The registration form is on the web version of this newsletter and can be found at: subudusa.org/regnewsletter.php#midwest Prisca To member in England As for your statement that [you feel] there is always a connection with Bapak, that is certainly correct, because Bapak is always in touch with all the members who are in Subud. So this should not trouble you. Bapak Again - for these of us that have been on this planet for a while, the last message for this issue is an extract from Abdullah Pope An extract from Abdullah Pope s book Reminiscences of Bapak and of My Life. This book can be bought from Abdullah by writing to him at 3 Outtrim Road, Glen Forrest, WA 6071, Australia. One extraordinary night, and it was often very late at night that Bapak talked in the sixties, he told us what happened to us to our consciousness or soul after we had died. After your body dies, Bapak said, your jiwa (or soul) may feel rather lost. For a start, you may not realize you have died. But then you begin to meet people you know, your parents and old friends, people you were close to who have already left this world. You wait, with them, doing pretty much all the things you used to do together. And he went on quietly, This is rather like being in an enormous waiting space where nothing much is happening but which is rather crowded and full of people, also waiting. And one by one some of these people begin to disappear. They have gone or gone back to their appointed places. As you wait, and wait, you won t hear anything much, it all feels rather vague, but you haven t got a mind or heart so you just hang around, waiting. Then you hear your name called in a loud clear Voice and you leave them. But when other people disappear you did not hear their names called, and the others still in this huge waiting hall don t hear yours called when it is although you hear it very clearly and loudly. This call is only for you. Then, and only then, do you go to the place in the Afterlife that you have earned in this life. Last minute item: Anna Schroeder, had an opening at the POP Revolution Gallery in Mason, Ohio on August 8 th. She showed a dozen or more pieces ranging from watercolors to acrylics to oils. The pieces were based on views of her family farm, for the most part. The exception was one large piece, a landscape of Mt. St. Helens, cut into tall strips and then re-hung in sequence with space between each strip. It was quite striking. The small town of Mason, Ohio is home to a number of quality galleries. Raymond Devine The color edition of this newsletter is online at: subudusa.org/regnewsletter.php#midwest

9 Registration Form 2009 SUBUD East Coast Three Rivers Fall Gathering October 2-4, 2009 at Kearns Spirituality Center: 9000 Babcock Boulevard, Allison Park, PA Registration Deadline: September 10, 2009 Arrival time: Friday after 5PM Departure time: Sunday before 2PM. Please TYPE or PRINT clearly. Please use one form for each adult. Name: Circle One: Male Female Street Address/ P.O. Box: City: State: zipcode: Phone: Cell phone: How will you arrive? Auto Air Train Bus Will you need a ride to/from the airport, train station, or bus station? Yes No Not sure HOUSING There are two twin sized beds in each room, plus a recliner, desk, and small dresser. Each room also has a sink. Bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths, and linens are provided by Kearns. There is a wall air conditioner in each room. There is a clock, but no television or internet connection in each room, however there is WIFI access in the Conference room. Please indicate your roommate preference: I will be a commuter. ($9 for Friday, $12 for Saturday, and $9 for Sunday) I wish to have a room by myself. ($40 per night) I need a roommate. Please assign one to me. ($35 per night) I have a roommate. ($35 per night) Name of roommate: GATHERING FEES Please place in each box the cost for the item you are selecting. Subud East Coast Gathering Registration Fee ($30) $ 30 For children: Commuter Costs Housing Costs Meals Friday October 2 nd ($9) $ $ Saturday October 3 rd ($12) $ $ Sunday October 4 th ($9) $ $ Friday Night (either $35, or $40 ) $ $ Saturday Night (either $35, or $40 ) $ $ Breakfast on Saturday October 3rd at 8 am ($9) $ $ Lunch on Saturday October 3rd at 12 Noon ($11) $ $ Dinner on Saturday October 3rd at 5 pm ($12) $ $ Breakfast on Sunday October 4th at 8 am ($9) $ $ Sub-totals $ $ GRAND TOTAL $

10 LIABILITY The Sisters of Divine Providence and Kearns Spirituality Center do not assume any liability for any incident including injury, but not limited to injury that may occur during your stay at the Kearns Spirituality Center. I have read and accept this policy. Your name (please print): date: Your signature: CHILDREN There is no registration fee for children 17 and under. However, commuter costs, lodging costs, and meal costs do apply to children, and there are no discounts. Kearns Spirituality Center requests that the number of overnight guests not exceed the number of beds. Waiver for Minors-Please complete this portion only if bringing children, 17 and under. I am bringing the following children: Names Ages I affirm that I am the responsible party and these children are under my care. I also understand that some areas within the grounds of Kearns Spirituality Center could be an attraction for children and that an adult over 17 must accompany children when walking or hiking on the Kearns Spirituality Center property. Your name (please print): date: Your signature: PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Subud East Coast Mail this form along with your payment to: Prisca Maier Three Rivers Fall Gathering Registrar 323 North 7 th Street, Indiana, PA If you have questions, please contact Prisca Maier, Three Rivers Fall Gathering registrar, at or priscamaier@yahoo.com Or Amelia Casilli, Chair Subud East Coast, at (412) or ameliacasilli@verizon.net