OCTOBER feel like, well, I am experiencing ('real') awareness beyond my own ego. An awareness of humanity. A shift from I to WE...

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1 Personal copy; not for onward transmission for News in Brief, subscriptions to Subud Voice and links to many other Subud sites: OCTOBER 2005 FROM THE CHAIRLADY Wearing their new hats. Olivia Moyano, new SICA Chair, and Valentin Willecke, new Zone Rep for Zone 4. See story below. Osanna Vaughn, new WSA Chairlady writes Greetings from the northern reaches of Europe where autumn already seems on its way! Three weeks have passed since we said farewell in Innsbruck - some are still travelling while others are back home, going about their daily lives. Wherever you are - and whether you were at World Congress or not - I trust you are well and in good spirit. First of all, I want to say a big thank you for all the messages of goodwill and support that I have received from far and wide since taking on the role of WSA chairlady. The feeling of love is amazing and brings a smile to my face! Secondly, I would like to share a few lines I received from a young Subud member: I feel that something has changed in my life. There has been a significant shift. It happened just like that. A word, or several words, have completely transformed in meaning, to me. Two of those words are humanity and harmony. Let me tell you I haven't been able to sleep because I am sooo excited. By the potential of our local Subud community, which by now has, in my mind, led me to envision possibilities far beyond the realms of Subud itself. The promise of a better world, a better local world, no longer seems just a theory. For long I haven't known exactly what I am meant to trust in in life, and for once I feel like, well, I am experiencing ('real') awareness beyond my own ego. An awareness of humanity. A shift from I to WE... These words seem to reflect what a lot of us are feeling. One of the strong messages I understood from World Congress refers to that shift from I to WE. How do we solve the problem of lonely chairs? How do we really find the way to work together in teams? How do we find the way to move forward together while respecting our beautiful individuality? For myself, I can say that I do not want to work alone. I trust in a council that will feel as one and really connected to all the aspects of life in our association. I trust in the news that we are already receiving from members all over the world, giving us a sense of the pulse of the age. I trust in the shift in perception that allows us to become aware of the reality beyond our own little space, while still acknowledging the wonder of our own being. So, as you can see, I am very optimistic. Please share your stories and your realities through the various means we have: through correspondence (I always love to get news!); through our publications and web-sites; through travel and joining other groups and members for latihan; through attending congresses and events. Finally, I encourage you all to read Ibu Rahayu's congress talks. As always they fit the moment so perfectly, and I know they hold true wisdom for the months and years ahead. Thank you Almighty God, thank you Ibu, thank you all. NEW HATS AT WSC Olivia Moyano, the new chair of SICA comes from Argentina and is a professional journalist, writing for a well known newspaper as well as running her own. She is also a painter. Olivia's is: luzmoyano@latendencia.com, and the of SICA vice-chair Arnold Landen is: landen@woldsburg.de Also wearing a new hat is Valentin Willecke. He is one of the new Zonal representatives chosen at World Congress. In all they are: Zone 1/2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5/6 Zone 7 Zone 8 Zone 9 Renata Peak Reinbrand Visman Valentin Willecke Lateef Dada Bashua Mariamah Flores Torres Machrus Garces Elisa Sanchez Caballero Also chosen at Congress were the new trustees of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF). They are Leonard van Willensward, Simone Waddell, Rusdi Bustillo and Olivia Reksodipoetro. They join the current trustees Rohanna Mitchell, Ismana Haryono, and Wayne Lerrigo. For congress minutes and official reports go to the web site: 1

2 FROM THE EDITOR This issue of Subud Voice, like the last one, is largely devoted to the 12 th World Congress just held in Innsbruck. This was of course such a significant event that Subud collectively and many of us individually will take some time to process and assimilate it all. In the last issue of Subud Voice we tried to give an overview of the whole Congress. We hope that we have gained some new readers by making this issue freely available to all. We also hope of course that some of you new readers will also convert to subscribers. Really the online version in particular is so cheap at AUD$35 and comes out so promptly on the 1 st of each month, that can anyone afford to be without it? For many years Subud Voice was really the only international news source. Now of course there is completely different environment with competition from many online news services. However, we feel that at Subud Voice we still have something unique to offer and that is putting the flood of information that comes out on the internet into a context. Giving the background to the news so that the underlying patterns of our Subud life can be perceived. We can also bring stories of individual experience which give the flavour of our Subud life, always an intensely individual thing. So, having established the general context of Congress in the last issue, we move in this one to concentrate on some particular stories that give glimpses of the individual experience of Congress. So there is Roland Evans very honest and moving account of a difficult but ultimately illuminating Crisis@Congress; Moving Towards Perfection?, Salamah Pope s forthright assessment of various aspects; An Incredible Inner Journey, by Rohana Fraval about the dramatic circumstances in which a new member came into Subud at Congress. And there is also Scherto Gill s account of the education conference sponsored by the Guerrand- Hermés Foundation. We also have two talks by Ibu Rahayu. A short one which she gave when resigning from the board of the Muhammad Subud Foundation and then her very interesting talk to youth. At Subud Voice we have become increasingly aware of the need to communicate with the younger generation of Subud members whose energy was so evident at Innsbruck. A young woman from the UK, Maya King, has written her account of her Congress, Something had to Change, and we hope that she and other younger people will become regular contributors. We hope that Ibu s talk and Maya s article are the start of a more youthful flavour in Subud Voice. Finally, let me mention that Ilaina Lennard is in the process of moving house so once again Inner Voice has made way for more emphasis on Congress. We wish her well in the remove and look forward to having Inner Voice back once she is settled again. We hope we have made up for her absence with some Congress stories which have inner content. With love to all our Subud Voice family Harris Smart, Editor, on Behalf of the Subud Voice Team CONGRESS MINUTES & REPORTS In the last issue of Subud Voice, we reported on the work of most of the Fora (previously called Working Parties) at World Congress. Now the draft minutes of the meeting and reports from the Fora have been posted for all to read at the web site: Included amongst information to be found there is the ISC team: Maya Bernardes, ISC vice-chairperson (maya.bernardes@wanadoo.fr); Julia Hurd, the ISC secretary (julia@qsoup.net); Samuel Simonsson, ISC treasurer (simonsson@gmx.tm), Garrett Thomson, ISC chairperson (gthomson@wooster.edu). In the last issue of Subud Voice we did not have much information about the Strengthening Our Organisation Forum. This is what the minutes have to say This forum was facilitated by Raina McKechnie. It was clarified that the reference to a permanent ISC office does not mean that ISC should be permanently located in one place but rather the accounting and perhaps some record keeping functions could be more permanently located for the sake of continuity. Congress recommended that WSC and ISC use Parts 1 and 2 of the forum s report as a guideline and as a reminder to involve the WSA member countries in the work. Congress resolved that the following countries be admitted as members of the WSA: Hungary, Lithuania, Israel, Moldova, Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Cuba, Ecuador, and Pakistan. These countries have not yet been formally added to WSA and they do have National Committees. Following a request from Subud Surinam, Congress resolves that Surinam be moved from Zone 8 to Zone 7. The following countries, which are willing to host the next Subud World Congress, made a brief presentation: Chile, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Subud France proposed to arrange the Congress in Morocco. It was agreed that at its next meeting, the WSC should select the country to host the 2009 World Congress. A proposal from the international assistance working group, A Framework for Care Support, was presented to the Congress forum Strengthening our Organization. Following an assurance regarding the holding and accounting of funds, the forum agreed to recommend to Congress the proposal from the working group. The WSA accepts the proposal A Framework for Care Support as a way to implement the responsibility of the Association in caring for members in real need. Congress recommends that all Subud bodies distribute s using the BC address line instead of the TO and CC address lines. This will protect the recipients from hackers. 2

3 WELCOME SIHA! The recent World Congress at Innsbruck was an historic milestone for the Subud International Health Association (SIHA) with the signing of the agreement between the World Subud Association (WSA) and SIHA. SIHA was established eight years ago, by health professionals, at the Spokane World Congress, and has grown in many different directions: it has become a means of networking among health practitioners from all professional backgrounds - working in conventional, complementary and psychological health. It is a great resource for all Subud people and includes an extensive number of SIHA associate members; it holds events to focus on health issues, to share skills and experience, which are open to all; members offer presentations, workshops, health care and private treatments at Congresses. We believe all this activity provides the groundwork for future health projects staffed by Subud health professionals. During the past 8 years while SIHA members have been giving the Association its shape - establishing a database of members, developing a website, forming national groups and publishing Resonance - the steering committee have also been working with WSC to establish some kind of working arrangement, so that SIHA is included as a part of the Subud structure. This has been a challenging experience for all. But now the agreement, which was signed at Innsbruck, provides for WSA to encourage that SIHA be invited to attend national, zonal and international meetings and the appointment of national representatives. The WSA will include SIHA in information flowing from and to the World Subud Council (WSC), ISC and the affiliates (like SES, SD and so on) and, through ISC, will help to disseminate information for SIHA. SIHA is also permitted to fundraise among Subud members. I should like to take this opportunity to thank Latidjah Miller for working so hard and over so many years to get SIHA to the position we are now at. Latidjah established the listserver that has been such a useful communication tool and also (with help from family) set up the SIHA Website ( You can join the listserver by going to the SIHA website. There have certainly been highs and lows and I remember with particular gratitude Latidjah's willingness to travel to the WSC meeting in South America only to find that there was a lack of willingness in the WSC to finalize the agreement with SIHA. It must've been a long road home. Fortunately, there were many moments of incremental success as Latidjah steadily improved SIHA's profile to the point where we finalized the agreement with WSC at the Innsbruck Congress. Hermione worked very hard to produce SIHA s publication called Resonance which has been greatly enjoyed by Subud members and, in several cases, triggered interest amongst non-subud members. At Congress I was tested in as the new coordinator and happily Latidjah remains on the steering committee. Hermione Elliott and Rohanna Salom have also agreed to continue on the steering committee. The Steering Committee has been expanded and new members include Paolo Egedy (Brazil), Miranda Morland (UK), Gwynneth Tregwin (UK) and Salim Ismael (Australia). Laura Ramsey's notes of SIHA's visioning workshop have already been posted to the listserver. Lutfiya Murray made a huge contribution to SIHA at and before congress. She liaised very intensively with the congress committee and then had a very exacting few days as the logistics and timetabling issues were worked through in the first five days of congress. Thank you very much Lutfiya. May the coming four years see the continued growth of SIHA, finding ways to fulfill our mission which is: To promote the attainment of true human health by providing opportunities to share our experience and together receive a way for the content of healthcare to be touched, guided, and enlightened by the Power of Almighty God through the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. New members are very welcome, please go to to download a membership form. Maxwell Fraval, Co-ordinator SIHA, mmfraval@oz .com.au KATRINA RESPONSE In the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, Subud members have been active in relief work. The following reports have been distributed by Subud USA TEEN MOMS & MORE is a Susila Dharma USA project, that started out serving Teen Moms and their babies, and has now expanded to include helping the homeless, seniors, families and DISAS- TER RELIEF VICTIMS. Right now we're focused on the victims of the hurricanes. There's a Subud member, Barbara, in the small town of Pineville, 2 ½ hours north of New Orleans. There are 6000 regular residents in the town - and 7000 refugees. Barbara is working with 3 shelters. One in particular is for 600 people, mostly families, who have been moved into a summer camp. This may be their long term dwelling. They have a great many needs, and Barbara is giving us a wish list. Barbara has taken her therapy dog, Prophet, to the camp, and the kids were so delighted. One boy cried and cried, because his dog couldn't come from New Orleans with him, so now, of course, Barbara, is trying to find his dog in New Orleans. In Monroe, Louisiana Over 400 refugee children to arrived at the local schools. The schools do not have enough supplies reports Sandy Harrington, our sister in Monroe. Our first order of school supplies is being shipped today. More are being shipped later in the week. In San Antonio, reports Sasha Menard the high school where she teaches chemistry is expecting to get refugee kids, but they don't yet know when they'll start arriving. The school where Sasha teaches has a low income population, and the teachers are struggling to get enough school supplies for the regular kids-and their population is about to leap upward! A note from a Dallas member: I really don't think there will be any place in Texas and all the other southern states which are not going to be helping for a long, long time to come. The news affects us and gets us off our duffs to be charitable...but we need to remember, three months from now, there will still be need. Perhaps, this could be a long-term Nationwide or Worldwide Subud Project. For latest information and opportunities to donate go to See the page Subud Style Disaster Relief. 3

4 IBU RESIGNS FROM MSF Brothers and sisters, I apologise that I am not able to give my speech in English, so I have asked Raymond Lee to translate for me. the growth of Subud, and we can become one large family, and we can look after our needs out of our own resources and strength. HEALTHY BUSINESS 4U Brothers and sisters, my fellow trustees of the Muhammad Subud Foundation have asked me to say a few words to you at this meeting. But, before I tell you what I have to say, I want to remember our late brother Varindra Vittachi, who took the initiative to set up a Foundation in Subud which we have today - the Muhammad Subud Foundation. After Bapak s death, Bapak s idea, or hope, or proposal became a reality for Varindra, because Bapak had told Varindra to set up this Foundation long before Bapak died. This was not easy to do, because Subud is an international organisation whose members are spread over many countries. When it was set up, Varindra and I became lifetime trustees of the Foundation. But not long after that Varindra died, and I was left as the sole lifetime trustee. In my experience as a trustee, and knowing all the things that this Foundation has done, I realise we need a Foundation like this in Subud an international Foundation that promotes the vision and mission of Subud. From my experience, I realise that it is essential we have a Foundation like this as a vehicle to hold Subud assets and which helps fund Subud projects and the needs of Subud over the long-term. And in this respect, because Subud is still developing and because it needs all kinds of things to support its growth and development, we have to work fairly, with complete surrender, and we have to ensure that we work without any self-interest, and that we don t represent any particular group or country. This is how we have worked as trustees. And each trustee has a limited term of service during which they serve the activities of this Foundation. What the trustees have achieved so far is something we can be really proud of, even though the results aren't fully satisfactory and have not met the needs of the members in every country. Why can t this Foundation do all that we want it to? It is because the Foundation is not strong yet, it does not have the capacity to meet all your hopes and aspirations. We invite all of you to help this Foundation develop, because the strength and success of this Foundation depends on your involvement to help protect and support it, so that the Foundation will serve and assist And the last thing I want to say is that, at my own request, I feel I have served long enough in working for the vision and mission of this Foundation, and so I submit my resignation as a lifetime trustee. Why? Well, I feel that I'm getting older, and there is not much I can do to help with the Foundation s activities, so I don't think I need to wait until I die to resign. But, as a Subud member I will be ready and willing to assist the Foundation whenever I am needed, as long as I have the capacity to do so. Thank you for your attention in listening to these words. Ibu Rahayu s Resignation Speech at the MSF Report Meeting, 12th World Congress, Innsbruck, 29th July, Recording 05 INN 3. Final Translation by Raymond Lee SES NETWORK Sachlan Fraval from Melbourne, Australia, is the new chair of SES chosen at the Innsbruck Congress. He writes I would like to establish an SES network which in some ways parallels the helper network. Bapak always stressed that we have two responsibilities. One is to God, and the other is to our life in this world. That is, the helpers are there to support members in their inner development and I would like to have a network to help and encourage members in their outer development, their enterprise life (which includes all endeavours, talents and wing projects). The people in this SES network will not necessarily have to be people with a lot of experience in business. What is more important is that they have the ability to recognise and nurture people s gifts and talents. Over time I would like to develop an international network with a complete structure from group level to national, to zonal. Anyone who feels drawn to this work can contact me at sf@geoglobal.net. Paulo Egedy writes from Brazil with a business opportunity. He is looking for distributors or importers for the health products manufactured by his company. We own a Homeopathic Laboratory here in Brazil. We are the biggest producer of raw material in the Brazilian market. We produce more than 2000 different plant tinctures that are the raw material for homeopathic remedies, including many from the rainforest. We have the highest technology of production and we have been a reference for homeopathic remedies in the Brazilian market. We have products ready to sell in drugstores, shops and supermarkets, all registered under the Brazilian government law. We also have Food Nutritional Supplements in pills, all packed in plastic tubes. Many pills use typical Brazilian plants like guarana and maracuja, 20 different kinds in all. We have 11 different creams for face and body made of plants and packaged in plastic tubes. We have soaps made of 6 different kinds of plants plus 6 different shampoos and hair conditioners made from Brazilian plants. We have bee products such as royal jelly in pills and green propolis in liquid and pills. We have many kinds of flower and plant medicines (like the Bach Remedies) but made from Brazilian plants. In all we have more then 3000 different products ready to be exported. I would like to find partners to import, to distribute, and to share our success in business. Please write to us to obtain our excellent coloured brochures showing all our products. This is a real opportunity for people all around the world. Visit our web page or contact me Paulo Egedy pegedy@uol.com.br Phone: , or at night

5 SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE I felt completely weird and out of place. Everyone seemed so...young. Very, very young. I thought I was probably ten years too old to be there and nearly walked out again. For quite some time I have been thinking about how Subud Voice can reach the younger generation of Subud members. One of the very good things about the Innsbruck Congress was the large number of young people who attended, bringing their energy and new vision. Moreover, it seemed that a barrier between the generations that has been evident sometimes in the past now seemed to be dissolving and young and old were working cheerfully together to achieve good results. My Quest@Congress came to be trying to find some younger person who would help us at Subud Voice by writing about things from a younger perspective and over time helping us to create a publication which is of more interest to the coming generation. I was fortunate indeed at an introductory session of Quest@Congress to find Maya King from the UK who agreed to help us out in this way. So, welcome Maya, and here is her first dispatch, about her experience of Congress. (Harris Smart, Editor) I went to Congress, leaving England with just 23 hours notice. It took me longer than that to get there. I had woken up at 7:15 am, with no prior intention of going, but through a string of completely random coincidences that we re all so used to in Subud, by 12:45 pm I had managed to get ten days off work and booked a cheap coach journey to Austria. I didn t even have enough money for the return journey back home. There was one overwhelming feeling that ran through me as I took the early coach to London Victoria at 5 am that Thursday morning - which was that I was going to Congress to find something. Inner peace. Change. That sort of thing. I felt that there was no way I could return from Austria unchanged. When I finally arrived, the only place (and thankfully the cheapest) in Innsbruck with any spare rooms was the youth hostel, and I somehow ended up staying in a room with a girl who went to the same group as me, though we had only met once before. Spirit of youth at Congress. Sofiah Thom dances... I felt disorientated at first. Despite having grown up in Subud, I still didn t really feel that I knew anyone. Laura - my room-mate from Bristol - had been there a day or so more than me (it was already Friday evening by the time I finally got to Congress), and she recommended Quest@Congress as a way to meet people our age. When I walked into the Stadtsale (the room where the Quest was held) for the first time, I felt completely weird and out of place. Everyone seemed so...young. Very, very young. I thought I was probably ten years too old to be there and nearly walked out again. Eventually a few people in their late teens came in, and I felt less out of place. I eventually relaxed and decided to continue with the other Quest sessions. Everyone Came out Changed From what I ve seen, everyone who went to the My Life Quest came out changed. It s strange, but I had developed such high expectations of what I wanted to get out of Congress: make new friends, learn new skills, find meaning, experience a strong sense of spiritual connection, escape from toxic relationships with so-called friends back home, get rid of all of my problems and find a topic for my final-year dissertation at university. What can I say? Since then, I have achieved every single one of those goals. Quest drew a line right through both my cynicism and my fear. Somehow, I ended up in groups of people who seemed to be exactly like me. It became much easier to be honest about myself. I didn t experience any of the negativity I d expected. For those of you who didn t attend the My Life Quest session and testing at Congress, let me explain briefly. We drew ourselves - where we are in our lives now. Then we drew where we wanted to be in two years time. At the same time, we all did some freezeframe movement thing as to how we d get there in graceful, flowing movements. Since returning, I ve changed all the negative things I wanted so desperately to get rid of. Okay, so it hasn t exactly been in graceful, flowing movements, but at least it s changed. The other major event for me was testing with Ibu Rahayu for those who had been opened less than ten years. The last time I had done any testing with her - at BIG 2002 at Spinkhill, UK - pretty much my entire life had been smashed to pieces and utterly irreversibly changed in the space of an hour. The testing at Innsbruck was no less dramatic, and afterwards Laura and I ended up sitting on the leather sofas in Igles room - me writing poetry and Laura writing music, which then somehow led to the creation of a few random projects which materialised over the next few days, involving borrowed camcorders and the creation of a makeshift recording studio in the toilets behind the studio of CongressTV. I had found a sense of wonder, and regained a sense of control. Starting a World Youth Latihan Unfortunately, though, once I had regained this control, it was time to go back home, Continued on page 7. 5

6 IBU RAHAYU S TALK TO SUBUD YOUTH 12th Subud World Congress, Innsbruck, 28th July February 2005, Recording 05 INN 2 Final Translation by Raymond Lee Brothers and sisters, by that I mean the older people here, the children, and of course, the little ones or grandchildren [laughter]. I hear that among you are children of Subud members who have not been opened yet - some of you are not 17 yet and you don't know what the latihan is, or what Subud is. So, if you have not been opened, just listen to what I will tell you so that you will have an understanding of what Subud is and then you won't be suspicious about what your parents do when they go to latihan, because your parents often leave you to do latihan. I say this because a child wrote to me to say she was unhappy with her mother, or her parents who often left her alone in the house to go to latihan, and as a result she didn't like Subud. Subud is not a Religion I will begin by telling you that Subud is not a religion. When I say that, I don't mean that religion is not approved of in Subud. On the contrary, people of any religion can become Subud members and join Subud. Why is that? Why isn't Subud a religion? The answer is that in Subud you don't need to follow any kind of teaching, you don't need to follow any form of religious practice. That's because Subud is an action or a movement that is willed by God. This is why it is hard to understand what Subud is, because you cannot understand it if you have not done latihan yet. Is it a good idea for children who haven't experienced the latihan yet to pray according to their religion? Of course, it is an excellent idea, because if they do so, when they are opened, that child will have developed a faith in God. All religions have the same aim; that is to serve the power of God that encompasses everything. I say this because - well, although some of you are married, most of you are not married yet - so, I am saying this to you because your teenage years, the years when you are called a teenager or youth, is a phase of your life and you will be only a teenager for a short time. In a few years time, at the next Congress, you will have changed, and the teenagers here won't be teenagers anymore. So, I hope that what I will tell you today, later on you will tell to your own children once you start a family of your own. Susila, Budhi and Dharma Now, as this is a meeting of Subud Youth, I need to explain to you what Subud is. Subud is an abbreviation of three words - Susila, Budhi and Dharma. I am sure you have often heard, or read, these words - Susila, Budhi and Dharma. Susila means behaviour of the most noble kind, behaviour that is good, that is willed by God. Behaviour that is willed by God means behaviour that does not harm you, that does not harm anyone else, it is behaviour that is in keeping with your status as a human being. But, the effect of taking drugs is to stop the development of your living cells, and that means you will not be able to become the human being that you are supposed to become, you will become a different human being. As for Budhi, inside each of you is a power. This is called the essence of God. Why do I call this power the essence of God? Before you became a human being, God gave you life. You would not be alive today if this essence of life was not present in you. Only God possesses this essence of life; God who is all powerful, encompasses the whole of creation. That is where Budhi comes from. This power is inside you. So, people are mistaken if they claim that their achievements come from their own intelligence; that it comes from them. That is a mistake. The thing that gives you knowledge and enables you to understand things is this power of Budhi inside you. Thirdly, there is Dharma. What is Dharma? Out of your awareness that you are a creature of God who has been graced by God to become a human being, it becomes an obligation for you to share whatever God has given to you with others. If you have knowledge, you must share your knowledge with other people. If you are rich, you must share part of your wealth with other people. So, then what you do in your daily life will count as good deeds. This is why all religions have social or charitable activities, the purpose of which is to give something from your own self to other people who are not as fortunate as you are. This is the meaning of Susila Budhi and Dharma. So, Subud is not the name of an organisation, it applies to you. If you become a Subud member it means that you should have a nature that is susila, budhi and dharma. Well, even if you have not achieved all these qualities yet, it is the direction that you are moving towards. But, we cannot discuss Susila, Budhi and Dharma in theoretical terms, we cannot just talk about it, these are qualities that have to grow in you. So how can you ensure that what grows inside you will have these three qualities of Susila, Budhi, and Dharma? The only way to make sure is to do latihan. The Training of the Soul Why do we call this latihan, training of the soul? The reason for this is that the part of you that is alive is your soul - your soul that was touched by the great power when you were opened. From that point on, each of you should experience a growth inside you. So, nobody needs to teach you, nobody needs to lead you, because your latihan will develop by itself in line with your capacity. This is how you will become a Subud person, and this is the reason why you need to do the latihan. When we are in the latihan, there is no difference between an old person and a young person - that is why young people can do latihan with old people. So, why was it necessary to form an association for the youth in Subud? The reason is - maybe it is God's will - but it turned out that it wasn't only old people who wanted to find out about Subud, to learn more about Subud and follow the latihan, many young people also wanted to find out who they are and what direction they should take. It was also because of the passage of time. One day the old people will have gone, so it's very important that a new generation takes their place in Subud, and so on from generation to generation. Why is that needed? The reason is that when Bapak received God's grace, Bapak was told that Subud was not just for people who are in Subud now, it is for all humankind, for anyone who wants to worship God and to return to God by following the latihan. 6

7 What's more, the activities of young people are different from older people. This is why the Subud Youth Association was formed, because in Subud, our spiritual growth will fill our daily activities, everything we do in our daily lives. So, of course, young people have different activities than old people; young people have to do the things that God has decreed they should do. For example, they need to study, they need to work, they need to marry and start families. Those are activities you do when you are young. It is different when you get older. An older person doesn't behave like a young person. So, there is only a difference in their outer activities, but this is not a spiritual difference. Many of You Feel Lost Life is full of challenges for a young person. You are growing and developing in ways that will determine what you will do later on in your life. So, it is fortunate for you if you can already feel what is right and what is wrong for you. But I know from the letters you write to me, that many of you feel lost and you do not know what to do in your life. You don't know which direction to take, or what work to do. So, many of you ask me, What is my true talent? It may seem to you that it is easy for me to answer, Oh, Ibu will know! So everybody wants to ask me that question. When I was younger, when I was not as old as I am now, it was easy for me to receive and help you find your true talent. But now I am much older, it is as though my ability to help other people is less now. This is why I answer these letters now by saying that I am not able to answer your questions anymore. The fact is that this is your responsibility. If you want to find out, What is best for me? you have to look into your own self. And you should do that by looking at your latihan, and at your experiences of what you liked to do at home or at school. That way you will feel for yourself what you are good at, what you enjoy, as you try to find your livelihood in this world. By doing that, you will find your own way. And, if it turns out that you made the wrong decision, it doesn't matter. Life is about trying, and you have to find out everything from within your self. You Have to Make an Effort This is what I want to say to you about your talent. Well, of course, all of you would like to find a shortcut, or get something easily. But your life and your latihan have to be your responsibility. Your progress, or lack of it, in the latihan is also your responsibility. Don't get the idea that once you start to do latihan, everything will go well by itself. You have to make an effort at every stage. But if you make an effort and you make an intention, God will show you the way and will accompany you on your journey. The fact is that many members, who do latihan, chose to do something when they were young that turned out to be not right for them. But, after doing latihan a long time, as they grew older, they received indications from within and they found something new that was right for them to do in their life. So, Subud is not a way to predict the future, and neither can Subud promise you anything. You have to achieve everything by yourself. You Shouldn t Take Drugs This is why doing latihan causes your soul to grow and fill every part of you. It will penetrate every part of your body, your feelings and your mind. And as your soul starts to penetrate every part of you, you will go through a process of purification to clean out the effects of things that you did which were harmful to your body. In this context, I want to tell you that as young people you should live cleanly - you shouldn't, for example, take drugs. I know that some of you disagree with me, Why does Ibu always tell us not to take drugs? The reason why, is that this is not only a problem here, but everywhere. Children everywhere are being harmed by drugs. You know that drugs will only help you for a short time. Compared to your life span in this world and the next world, the help from taking drugs lasts for only a few seconds of your life. But, the effect of taking drugs is to stop the development of your living cells, and that means you will not be able to become the human being that you are supposed to become, you will become a different human being. You may feel strong and free of all your problems, but you have no idea where those feelings of strength and freedom that seem to help you come from. So once again, I am not going to tell you what to do, but if you really want to have a life that I just described - a life with the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma, then stay away from the things I speak of. Then your life will be helped by your resolve. The truth is, if you want to, you can avoid all those things. If God wills, you will have a long life ahead of you, you will become an old person and you will be responsible for your own children that will continue on after you, so avoid anything that will ruin your life. Of course, I hope you will avoid all these things, and you will live your life in the right way, so that you will truly fulfill the hope for the next generation of Subud. You will be better than your parents, you will be better than those who have gone before you. This is the hope that we all have, so that you will help your self, you will help your friends, and you will help the world that is now so burdened with troubles and problems that have been created by human beings themselves. I will finish my talk now. I hope that you can absorb what I have told you, and that you will accept it and put it into practice with a feeling of surrender to God, so that you can receive God's blessing and guidance as to what you should do. SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE Continued from page 5. which meant I had to miss out on the first ever Subud Youth latihan. However, I hear it was a fantastic success. One of the strongest feelings that Iexperienced after that dramatic testing session was the need for a World Youth Latihan, run in exactly the same way as the World Latihan. The need for this feels even stronger for me since returning home. I propose to run this on the 28th of each month, starting at 8 pm GMT on the 28th of October (I know we ve skipped a few months since July, but it s been tougher to organize than I planned). To clarify, the idea is to create a latihan mainly for young people, or anyone who has been opened less than ten years or so. Really it s just for anyone who is still going through a lot of purification and experiences noisy, active latihans. I think it would be extremely beneficial to create a time and space just for the youth all over the world to spiritually unite and work through our purifications together. However, it will require a bit of planning (advertising, helpers, and someone to work out the time zones), but I think that although it may well be small for a few months, it s definitely worth setting up. Anyone agree? Let me know at frozenjupiter@hotmail.com 7

8 THE PEACE PROCESS Many people at Congress participated in testing about peace. Here are the Steps towards a Subud Peace Process for others who may wish to use it. It focuses on the question: What is my Responsibility for Peace in the World? The World Subud Association aims to encourage peace, harmony, and understanding between people regardless of their ethnic origin or religion. The following five steps are for Subud members who want to develop a greater awareness of peace in their own life and acquire more skills to apply around them. They can be used for all three stages of conflict: reconstruction after conflict, resolution during conflict, and prevention before conflict. What is normal is the ebb and flow of tensions that form part of a healthy interaction among the life forces. Conflict need not be normal, but exceptional. When tensions rise high, conflicts can erupt leading to the blaming of others for our grievances instead of taking responsibility for the part which we may have played in fuelling the tensions. These five steps can be experienced individually by any Subud member and collectively within any Subud group, with ample time to explore and share with each other. The practice of open communication, which includes compassionate listening among individuals and active facilitation of group dynamics, is also useful. This peace process is rooted in the principle of forgiveness by the Grace of God. STEP ONE: Taking Responsibility The first step towards a peace process is to take responsibility for one s own part in any conflict, imbalance, tension, grievance or problem with courage, honesty, and humility, even if one does not feel personally involved in conflict. STEP TWO: Testing The second step is to test a number of questions, examples of which follow. STEP THREE: Forgiving The third step is to understand the power of forgiveness. By allowing for forgiveness of oneself and others, including our ancestors, by the Grace of God, we can let go of guilt and fear. We then no longer need to uphold the same grievances from one generation to another. As we forgive others, we forgive ourselves and vice versa. (Some people resist forgiveness because of the feeling, conscious or unconscious, that in so doing they are letting a significant other off the hook and/or betraying their obligations to their ancestors to continue to hold grievances. This resistance blocks them from fully using their gifts.) Asking for forgiveness can be done at any time in this peace process. STEP FOUR: Releasing The fourth step is to do a latihan to release us - by the Grace of God - from all obstacles that prevent each one of us from promoting peace in us and around us at this time. Asking for release can be done at any time in this peace process. STEP FIVE: Sharing The fifth step is to share and experience this Subud peace process with others. By the Grace of God, practising this process transforms us and our environments towards peace. EXAMPLES OF TESTING QUES- TIONS By the Grace of God, at this time 1. What is peace for me? 2. Am I preventing peace in me and around me? 3. In what way am I preventing peace in and around me? 4. What is the special gift I am not yet fully using to bring peace in me and around me? 5. In what way am I preventing peace in my body? 6. What is the gift that I am not yet using to bring peace to my body? 7. In what way am I preventing peace with [X, name of the person/s with whom I have the greatest conflict]? 8. What is the gift that I am not yet using to be at peace with [X]? Questions 5 and 6 can be repeated replacing the word body with other key words, such as: self, family, work, Subud group, nation, world. Forgiveness Testing: A) By the Grace of God, at this time What stops me from forgiving myself? How do I forgive myself? How would God have me forgive myself? What is forgiveness when it comes from the Grace of God? What is my gift for peace when I have fully forgiven myself or allowed myself to be forgiven by the Grace of God? B) By the Grace of God, at this time Who is the victim in me? Who is the persecutor/victimizer in me? (the racist, the enemy, the terrorist, the other, etc.) Who is the saviour in me? How would God have me forgive these aspects in myself? How would God have me forgive these aspects in others? C) By the Grace of God, at this time How may I include the other to bring peace to myself? What is the potential for world peace when I include the other? How is it when all parts of me are fully in harmony? Ancestor Testing: The following questions related to family and ancestral patterns are essential to understand the deeper roots of conflict: By the Grace of God, at this time, What do I model or inherit from my father s line which is no longer appropriate? What do I model or inherit from my father which is no longer appropriate? What do I model or inherit from my mother s line which is no longer appropriate? What do I model or inherit from my mother which is no longer appropriate? Ask, by the Grace of God, for a latihan of forgiveness for ourselves, our parents, and our ancestors. What is the gift from my father which I am not yet fully using in my life at this time? What is the gift from my father s line which I am not yet fully using in my life at this time? What is the gift from my mother which I am not yet fully using in my life at this time? What is the gift from my mother s line which I am not yet fully using in my life at this time? Ask, by the Grace of God, for a latihan of gratitude for ourselves, our parents, and our ancestors. The Peace Process has been developed by Alexandra Asseily, Amalia Dickie, Patrice Brodeur and others. Alexandra initiated the Garden of Forgiveness which is being created in Beirut. 8

9 Worst of all, I could not understand what was happening to me. Why, after over 30 years of relatively easy progress in my inner and outer life had the latihan let me down? Roland Evans, a psychologist originally from the UK but now living in the USA writes about a Congress experience that was far from easy but ultimately illuminating... Sometimes, moving through life in a familiar way, thinking everything is going well, we are stopped in our spiritual tracks, sideswiped. An experience comes out of nowhere and plays havoc with our normal way of thinking and being. Through an uninvited bout of purification, we are invited, cajoled and sometimes forced to see ourselves and our life in a different light. This can be dreadfully painful. I came to Innsbruck with a positive frame of mind. Congress would be one of those wonderful interludes in a busy life, a time of latihan, old friends and enlightening workshops. Prepared as I was for the best, it was much harder when it turned to the worst. Even as we drove into the picturesque city nestled between towering peaks things began to go awry. We could not find the Congress center in the unfamiliar one-way system. Somehow, directions had not been included in our reservation package. After a long irritating struggle we finally arrived. Registration was confusing, loud, and chaotic. Still, we got out in one piece and went off in search of our apartment in a nearby village, Vill. Abandoned, Angry and Lost Not only was the one-way system against us, the city were doing major construction on that road. Now there seemed to be no way to find our right direction. This became a symbol of what I was to experience for the rest of the time: no way to get to where I wanted. The downward spiral was triggered by a bizarre and bitter fight with my wife, Orianne as we tried to find our way to Vill. Usually our arguments come and go but this time it lingered and deepened. The nafsu got a good grip on us both. I was plunged into an unfamiliar place of despair. God s presence receded from my inner feeling leaving me abandoned, angry and lost. Not much looked different on the outside except that I could not make anything work. During the first day I missed the main latihan. It was only with the utmost difficulty that I managed to get an old friend to do latihan with me. Over the next 10 days the story kept repeating: if I did find the venue for a workshop or meeting I wished to attend, it was cancelled or moved elsewhere; if I tried to lead a workshop myself, it just would not happen. The general latihans were like trudging through a dark gluey substance that cut off the light. I would feel a little relief at the end of 45 minutes but that would dissipate over the course of the day. Worst of all, I could not understand what was happening to me. Why, after over 30 years of relatively easy progress in my inner and outer life had the latihan let me down? If I joined the general testing after latihan or with Ibu Rahayu, my receiving was still strong and clear. But I could get no inner indications to guide me about that state I experienced. All I knew was that it did not feel right to do personal testing with other helpers. I was on my own and had to find my own way through. A Glimpse of What was Going on It was only toward the end of the two weeks that I began to get a glimpse into what was going on. Something was not right about the way I approached my inner and outer life. The quality of my desires and drive was wrong. Everything I wanted, expected and assumed about myself and my intentions needed to be dismantled. Nothing was allowed to continue, not even my wish to be of service to others. It all came from an incorrect place in me, from my own imperfect will and wishes; it had to be shut down. Surrender meant facing Roland Evans and his daughter, Marisha, working on the head of a giant puppet at World Congress. the fear of my own incompetence, the distress of my ego in not getting what it wants and expects. During my last latihan, my heart broke. Weeping deeply, I could feel how short life is, how little time there is to make a difference, to fulfill the purposes God has given. I prayed that I should not die without fulfilling those purposes. To do so would be such a great waste, a sin against the precious gift of life. At the same time, I realized that I cannot fulfill those purposes unless my will and intentions are filled with the Will of God. Being home is strange. I still cannot do much; I have been quite ill. When someone asks, How was the trip? I can only say it was horrible but probably beneficial. I hope I have learned; my soul will not allow me to live life simply from my desires and wishes. God asks for total surrender, to place our trust fully in the latihan to guide each moment of every day. Only then can we fulfill our purpose of becoming true human beings who help the world evolve into a place fit for human beings. 9

10 MOVING TOWARDS PERFECTION? Bapak s ideas could also provide the world with a Grand Unified Theory of Everything. In other words, a cosmology fit for Gaia, the new and holistic paradigm that is being sought. Salamah Pope from Perth, Australia, reflects on some of the things that most affected her at Congress... The ultimate aim of Subud (though, alas, it doesn t say so in the official Constitution) is the perfection of humankind, united in the worship of God. So, moving towards perfection is important. Moving towards being good - and better - people. Ibu Rahayu said in one of her talks, We must ask God to help us. Not just go into latihan and do our usual thing, but ask. If we have a bad temper, we must ASK God to help us with this. And we must work at it, too. Towards perfection It s probably a bit late for oldies like me to change much more - although I still have hope! But as a teacher I am still concerned with the young. And the young were catered for magnificently at Congress - with loads of programmes for all ages. Much in view was the YES Quest, and the (much less obvious) news of - I think - a quite new phenomenon popping up in Subud: a so far unrelated bunch of small conference centres and facilities, in California (Seven Circles Retreat), the French Pyrenees (La Source), Western Australia (Hilltop Farm), the Pelham project in Lewes, UK, Le Beusset in the south of France, Rungan Sari in Kalimantan, perhaps Bucelas in Portugal, and some four or five other venues scattered all over the world, already owned and run by Subud people. And this doesn t include some hundred or so schools in Austria alone, modelled on the Wild s version of the Pestalozzi schools! Perhaps one day the YES Quest people will franchise their expertise with others working with young people, so during their gap year (between finishing High School and starting university) the young can travel the world safely, visiting and working in these different Subud venues. A hope, for the future, please God. Connections, Connections Above all, perhaps, were the almost miraculous meetings that just seemed to happen. For example, I heard from Judy Armes about the Mithra Foundation s school in Bangalore, and how they needed volunteers to go and teach English to low-caste Indian girls so they could get better jobs - as domestics for instance. I asked, how on earth do they expect young, untrained people to teach English? Ah, she said, the retired headmaster of an English school has come up with a simple method of teaching (and at the same time, on the part of the volunteers, learning how to teach it). I d like to meet this man, I commented, Because this could be useful in Kalimantan. Then, round the corner who should come but Maurice Palfreyman, the guy who d devised the method! Synchronicities like this abound at Congresses in a way it s proof that things work out well, if you keep in touch with yourself and your latihan. Philanthropy On the whole, as a body, we seem to be rather good at helping the poor. The Susila Dharma ( SD ) programme of workshops was impressive and well-attended. Olvia Reksodiputra, now back living in Jakarta, showed the work of IRDN (the Indonesian Research and Development Network), and Rukman Hundeide, the Norwegian founder of ICDP (the International Children s Development Program) and Lailah Armstrong showed their progress in various parts of the developing world. Be impressed these three Subud institutions are flourishing and deserve our admiration and support. The mandate Bapak gave to Susila Dharma was To repair the mistakes of the past, and this along with IRDN and ICDP it is doing, very well. On the other hand, the mandate he gave to SICA, the Subud International Cultural Association, was To help improve the future of humankind. In Innsbruck the SICA workshops were confined to arts and entertainment, though, and in any case seemed hard to find. Or perhaps there weren t any. Not being into any of the arts, or interested in entertainment, I could find nothing of interest in the cultural field at all, except scattered and unco-ordinated workshops on education. Culture If we Subud siblings are to have more effect in the world, and help improve the future of humankind I think, first, we are going to have to enlarge our ideas of what culture is and, second, become more aware of the need for SICA to include such things as education, research, sustainability, the sciences, and my own particular interest philosophy. Bapak left us not only the latihan but an amazingly coherent set of ideas. If these ideas, which have a natural appeal to anyone interested in the sciences, were taken more notice of, promoted, and used by educators in Subud, I think they could provide youngsters with a picture of the world that makes sense. After all, the chance and necessity of evolution that they are taught today is now old hat. Bapak s ideas could also provide the world with a Grand Unified Theory of Everything. In other words, a cosmology fit for Gaia, the new and holistic paradigm that is being sought. Bapak also left us a method of working out and describing the energies which make up a human being, and - just as importantly - a natural hierarchy of human values. These things are also desperately needed by the modern world there are people searching for them. Sustainability and the Future Another aspect of authentic human culture - and the future - is sustainability. After all, although there seems to be a conspiracy of silence by the media, the world is actually in a Big Mess. Yet if the human race doesn t Do Something about sustainability, we may not have much of a future. So the Subud Network for Sustainable Development (SNSD) held two workshops, too. The first one was small, and attended mostly by some of the people who ve been communicating on an internet list server for the past eight years, to get to meet one another face-to-face. The second one, a much larger and more formal occasion, was open to all, and we barely had time to share some of the very wide range of sustainable activities that are being done by Subud members all over the world. This was innovating - and exciting - stuff for world watchers. 10

11 But, for the next four years, I trust Olivia and Arnold, the new SICA chair people, will take the topic of Sustainability into account, and into SICA - along with the whole vast range of other activities in the field of authentic human culture - and not restrict it merely to the arts. Frustrations? Several of our psychologically sophisticated brothers and sisters mentioned that they thought or felt? there was a fair amount of aggression in some of the official meetings. In the Forums for example. For myself, I think it wasn t so much aggression as a sense of frustration. Here are we, having been blessed with the amazing gift of the latihan - and yet somehow we haven t managed to share it with all of humankind as Bapak wanted, far less change the world. Materialism still dominates societies, spirituality has become fashionable (without being at all serious), and yet and yet Subud, which seems eminently suitable to take an honourable place in the secular world today, still seems stuck in its own misty miasma. Daniel Cheifetz, our last international chairman, made a suggestion not long before Congress that the Subud organization should, somehow, be changed, because it wasn t working: and that Subud being democratic we should all of us at Innsbruck give some input into how it should be changed. This was talked about a lot in large Forums. A few young radicals were even suggesting the entire organization should be abandoned. But my own two cents worth is that the Subud organization is fine or would be fine if there were another few hundred thousand members in it. Or a million, or ten million. Why not? Isn t Subud for all humankind? I agree with Daniel that the organisational structure we have is presently too cumbersome for such a small membership but perhaps the solution is not to change the organization, but to open it up and increase our membership, yes, to ALL of humankind who are looking for God, or for some other Spiritual Something. Subud Culture In the old days, Subud was weird. We went into private rooms or halls, and made these weird noises, or we cried, or we danced. And perhaps all of these, even! It was, like, weird, man. But today, with plenty of New Age groups around, many of which indulge in primal screams and/or abreactions for personal cleansing, we really aren t weird any more. Yet most of us have got used to hiding the fact that we are in Subud. I think this is out-of-date, old-fashioned, and decidedly anti-social. God sent the latihan to save the world, right? So Subud needs to spread. Yet our Subud culture (and believe me, there is one) is preventing it. And why are we stopping others from having the extraordinary blessings that we have access to? Two second-generation Subudians told me that they were virtually but politely attacked by an older European woman who had only recently found Subud. You have known about Subud all your lives she said, almost angrily, to them. I was looking for it some twenty, even thirty years ago. And because you and your generation said nothing to other people, Subud could not spread, and I only found it recently. But I needed it then, too. I blame you for keeping it all to yourselves. Outreach. Subud California has an actual outreach group, which is a sub-committee of its own, and they do PR for their Seven Circles retreat centre. But it is the work of two or three dedicated Subud members, Mahalia LoMele and Emmanuel Williams, who have really changed the local people s attitude to Subud - from one of acute distrust to one of admiration. They did this by holding fun, yet educational, seminars for young people from under-privileged families. The Wings were supposed to be the outreach vehicles for people s work and activities the place where we would show off what Subud people were doing in the world, the organs of Subud which would enable it to fly to reach other people, in other words, and spread the Subud latihan. Susila Dharma with its huge budget is doing this, as are IRDN and ICDP - but SICA, our vehicle for cultural change, lags far behind. And even when people do make a splash in the world, they often forget(?) to mention that their inspiration came from some inner Source, beyond them. Yet it wouldn t take much effort to insert In association with the Subud International Cultural Association in programmes, in brochures, in catalogues, and in books, would it? There is also an outreach group of professional and wealthy people professors and such like who are trying to get Subud affiliated to the United Nations. I had heard of this before, but I heard more at Congress. And, believe it or not, in one plenary session there, there were objections and somewhat aggressive objections at that to Subud becoming associated with the UN! Luckily Hamza (Don) de Silva, an articulate cohort of Varindra s, sprang up, and very adeptly changed the tenor of this session. But surely the real outreach will happen when we start allowing Subud to spread among ordinary people. To all of humankind even.isn t this what we re supposed to be doing? Yes, I guess I m feeling frustrated, too. I tell all my Aussie friends about Subud but they, like me, are old. And old people, even if they do come into Subud, don t feel anything much, and drift away again. So I think it is the young who must spread Subud. I hope it is, because my generation, many of whom have now moved on into the last Great Adventure, brought our friends and colleagues into Subud, when we were young. But now we are old we cannot do this any more. The spread of Subud is, therefore (I think) in the hands of the young. And also in the creative works that we put out there, in the world showing the world our Subud-based human values and our hopefully! - genuinely human culture. Communications Subud Writers International (SWI) workshops went on all during Congress. One session, on Communications in Subud came up with some excellent ideas. First, that ALL Chairs, on whatever scale - whether local, national, international or whatever - should learn to run meetings properly. Secondly, they agreed, listening skills are an essential part of communications. Active listening it s called: and it is the sine qua non of democracy. Third, recommended this group, let us, in Subud, make full and good use of the internet. Perhaps Ibu Rahayu would prefer to give talks in her own home, instead of travelling? Why not have her do this, while we in distant places, all over the world are listening and watching? And filmed and/or televised conference calls would allow the international helpers, other office-holders of the WSC, and MSF trustees, to confabulate without all the enormous expenses entailed. Until such time, that is, that Subud has a large enough membership comfortably to support financially the travel of all these dutiful, unpaid office holders who labour on your and my behalf. 11

12 SHARING, REFLECTING AND LEARNING The first priority in education if by education we mean learning to be human is learning to live in personal relation to other people. Let us call it learning to live in community. An important event in Innsbruck preceding the World Congress was the International Conference on Human Centred Education sponsored by the Guerrand- Hermès Foundation for Peace. Scherto Gill writes about the process and outcomes of the conference which aimed to work towards an understanding of human-centred education... The International Conference on Human- Centred Education took place on July 18-20, 2005 in Innsbruck, Austria. This very successful event was attended by 60 educators from 33 projects in 20 countries. The first International Conference for Educators took place in 1999 in Tlaxala, Mexico, sponsored by the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace. It became a catalyst for a number of exciting educational projects with similar values and ideals about education that aims to develop the full potential of individuals as human beings; i.e. human-centred education (HCE). The Foundation came to realise that because these projects are working from diverse principles and using very different approaches to education, most are seen as alternatives to mainstream education and are isolated and lack support in the context within which they work. There has therefore been a strong need for these educators to share their experiences and learn from each other. In response, the GHFP organised and sponsored the second International Conference for Educators on Human-Centred Education, the purpose being to: bring Subud and non-subud educational projects together to share diverse approaches to human-centred education; provide opportunities for educators to articulate and reflect on their practice; deepen understanding of essential qualities of human-centred education; enable both Subud and non- Subud educators to connect and support each other. Conference Structure and Process Each morning, panel speakers presented and discussed their project or research, followed by small group discussions; the afternoons saw experiential workshops and continuation of group discussions; the evenings were kept as an open space for participant-initiated discussions, forums and workshops. Silence and circles were features well received by all participants at the conference. These were moments where we each recognised others as individual human beings with inter-connectedness and interdependence. The conference started with a number of semi-circles and peer bonding using appreciative enquiry approach, and ended with one big circle symbolising our unity and integrity as human beings and as a group. Part of the last day was devoted to reflecting on learning from the conference. Attendees were encouraged to consider How has this conference changed the way we conceptualise ourselves and our work? How can we apply what we have learnt to our professional situation? What practical steps can we take when we get back? Conference Content and Outcome The keynote speaker of the conference was Dr Michael Fielding, Director of the Centre of Educational Innovation, University of Sussex. Michael s speech set the tone of the conference discussion and interaction as open, human-centred and critical. His argument, based on the work of the Scottish philosopher John Macmurray, is that central to human-centred education is the communal nature of human being and becoming. Michael quoted Macmurray s essay on Learning to be Human : The first priority in education if by education we mean learning to be human is learning to live in personal relation to other people. Let us call it learning to live in community. Michael maintains that a notion of community must embrace human beings in all their many sidedness, is emancipatory and inclusive, and is most appropriately understood as a process. Michael s insights and analysis provided theoretical and philosophical underpinning for participants to rearticulate their own understanding of human-centred education. Six presenters shared their individual perspectives on HCE: Dr Peter Laurence (Founder/Director, Education As Transformation, USA) introduced Quaker educational principles, which emphasises inner light and spirituality; Leonardo Wild (member, Fondacion Educativa Pestalozzi) described educational principles and approaches developed in the Pestalozzi School, Ecuador, which encourages young people to initiate spontaneous activities within a learning environment geared towards their individual needs and developmental stages; Dr John Pryor (Senior lecturer, Centre for International Education, University of Sussex, UK) discussed formative assessment as a human process, which involves dialogue and collaboration between learners and teachers; Kumari Beck (Lecturer, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada) presented her research on cultivating care in the classroom, arguing that ethics of care form a vital core of a teacher s practice; Fiona Carnie (Consultant, Human Scale Education, UK) summarised some of the main characteristics of human-centred education, highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to developing the whole person and fostering positive relationships. Prof Ian Cunningham (Founder/Director, South Downs Learning Centre) presented his work at the Centre, which focuses on personalised learning experience for young people who create and follow their own learning programme with support from a learning group and adult facilitators. Workshops In addition to these presentations, educators from eight different projects gave experiential workshops on their own educational approaches: Bella and Joe Rosario (Founders/Directors, Mithra Foundation, India) gave a detailed view on how they strive to provide educational experience for children, focusing on their human rights; Sebastian De Rios (Founder/Director, Fondacion Amor, Colombia) presented how love and compassion are instrumental to learning and development within children; 12

13 Learning to write at the Lewes New School. This school was one of the participants at the Conference on Human Centered Education. Sarojini Vittachi (Founder/Director, Girls Education Plus, India) made us more aware of the importance of educating girls; Stephanie Davies-Arai (TET Instructor/parent, Lewes New School, UK) allowed participants to experience the nonviolent communication model developed by her, the teachers and children at the Lewes New School; Illène Pevec (Founder/Director, Children s Peace Garden Project, Canada/Brazil) shared how creating a natural environment in school grounds positively effects learning; Lailah Armstrong (Director/Trainer, International Children Development Programme, worldwide) gave an experiential workshop that helped deepen participants understanding of the six principles of the ICDP and the importance of empathic communication in developing the relationship between a child and their carer; Kathy Eldon (Founder/Director, Global- Tribe Network, worldwide) ran a workshop on using media to promote educational projects worldwide, and empowered participants to have their voices heard through modern media; Francisca Pedroso (Director, Roda Viva, Portugal) showed how human-centred educational approaches empower young people to effect positive changes in themselves. Participants commented that these presentations and workshops made them aware of the huge diversity in approaches to human-centred education. Each was understood as being appropriate to its own socio-cultural and economical context. It was recognised that this sharing of individual life stories and the narrative of lived experience of working with young people encouraged participants to reflect deeply on their own educational practices. Conference Conclusion Drawing on the myriad strands conjured from conference activities and interaction, the essential qualities of human-centred education identified by the participants included Taking human flourishing at its core aim; developing each individual s full human potential and enabling the expression of their true talent; the centrality of positive relationships; love, care and respect; mutuality of learning Awareness of each other and of our environment; community; holistic approach to learning and assessment: developing all aspects of a person; the priority of experience: the importance of encounter; dialogue and democracy; education as process of human becoming and personal transformation In her concluding speech, Sarojini Vittachi reminded the conference of the fundamental right of children and young adults to have access to education. She used Varindra Tarzie Vittachi s writing on children s rights to summarise this: A child has the need and therefore the right, to be a child. This is an important fundamental right of a child: the right to a childhood. Sarojini stressed that human-centred education should not be for the privileged few. She challenged us to explore how to encourage mainstream education to become interested and adopt human-centred educational principles. She also asked us to consider ways to take this initiative forward, scaling up and making our efforts selfsustainable, through critical reflection and ongoing assessment. Learning from the Conference Sharif Horthy, speaking for the GHFP, said that the conference had provided a Continued on page

14 AN INCREDIBLE INNER JOURNEY Rohana Fraval, Australia, describes the dramatic events surrounding the opening of a new member, and then her own brush with death... It all started a week before Bapak's birthday. Murray Clapham sent me an giving me the telephone number of an acquaintance by the name of Sharon, who was interested in knowing more about Subud. After the initial contact, Sharon agreed to a meeting with the helpers. What came across was that she was truly dedicated and was searching for the spiritual link that would somehow complete her. I was told there is a party on the 22nd - can I come? she asked. We thought it would be a splendid idea for her to meet the group and to understand Subud at a social level. At Bapak's birthday selamatan, various members read the Lord's prayer, the Al Fatihah, and a Jewish blessing before we broke bread. We did our quiet before inviting everyone to the table. During the quiet, Sharon was trembling. She was standing between Sachlan and me and was gently rubbing her chest and stomach and in tears. She said she had a very powerful experience. She had never before witnessed this sort of profound blessing of the food. Jewish and Islamic together? All evening she talked about the new life she was embarking on she was planning to remarry - and how she had been looking for that deeper essence that would give meaning to her life. Her parents were born again Christians. She was still searching for the elusive something. What is the next stage in joining Subud? she queried. She came the following Thursday and signed up as an applicant. Her fiancé was up north. She has a sixteen year old daughter who is mature beyond her years and very spiritual. As she was divorced, Sharon did not want to make another mistake by forming an alliance with the wrong man. So she truly offered it up to Almighty God to guide her. I am placing my life at the feet of Almighty God. If it is right for me, I will be shown. She explained that she was going to Sydney to see if the decision she had made was according to the Will of Almighty God. A Tragic Death When Sharon returned to Melbourne, she met up with all the helpers and told them that the indication was right that she moved to Sydney. The man she was proposing to marry was the right one and this time she was not making a mistake. That momentous Friday we heard on the news that there was a fatal accident. Sharon s fiancé was presumed dead. As this was not confirmed, the weekend went by very slowly. Sharon was dying a million deaths. Please come and pray with me, she would text me. She was with a couple of dear friends who protected her. The husband of this couple was opened in Subud and it was through these devoted friends that she had come to know about Subud. On Monday, she received the news that she was dreading to hear. Her fiancé had perished. Sharon was now inconsolable. She really wanted the latihan, or that powerful sensation that she experienced at Bapak's selamatan. As she had only just become an applicant, I suggested she came to Innsbruck for the congress and ask to be opened there. Can I really come? she asked with excitement. She knew that Sachlan and I would be gone in a week. She booked her flight and her accommodation in Innsbruck. This is the only little bit of joy I have to look forward to in all this heartbreak, she kept saying even though the room offered to her had three other people sharing it. Sharon s Opening When Sachlan and I got to Innsbruck I asked Ibu if Sharon could be opened. Ismana said that congresses were special, and anybody could be opened. We are not the only ones with the latihan Rohana. Open her, she said. I ed Sharon in Melbourne as she could participate only in the second week of Congress. The funeral was during the first week and Sharon needed closure. How traumatic that must have been. She is a strong, brave and very spiritual person and carried herself with dignity. It was as if all of us were with her praying for strength and courage. It was now the second week of world congress. Sachlan and I met Sharon at Inns- bruck airport. We took her to her hotel which was near the congress venue and then to the congress so she could register. Her opening was planned for 1.00 p.m. It was an amazing opening. Nothing like any I had witnessed before. She said she was speaking in different tongues. When we went down, Ibu was standing there by the latihan hall. I introduced Sharon. Ibu Rahayu was so gracious and gentle. She congratulated her on being opened and gave her blessings. Every morning, Sharon found a seat behind Ibu in the latihan hall and did her quiet. She diligently did her latihan as if she had been doing it for years. The Testing Then came the testing sessions with Ibu. Sharon had been opened just a few days, of course, and had never tested before. People kept telling me that she could not take part in it. So I asked Ibu Rahayu. She said I had her permission to come in with Sharon for the latihan for members 10 years or less. She said I could stand behind Sharon quietly to see that she did not hurt herself. When we went into the hall and Ibu started the testing, I saw Sutina, the international helper from Indonesia, and told her what Ibu had said. So she kindly assisted me. Sharon was receiving very strongly and I need not have worried. We had our own testing soon after. I was really quite tired doing two sessions, but also fighting a virus. For days I felt I had a circular saw in my throat and was running a slight temperature and tummy flu. I had Susila Dharma International sessions every day but now had to take some time off. Then I lost my voice completely for two days. By now Sharon was venturing out on her own. The cafe outside the information centre was a meeting point for many. Sharon met with several Sydney members as she was planning on relocating there. Her experiences every day convinced her that Sydney was where she felt at home, as she had lived and worked there before. Soon congress came to an end. We managed to secure two seats on an earlier flight to Melbourne. When we arrived in Melbourne, Sharon was still mid-air. Her 14 SUBUD VOICE - May 2004

15 EDUCATION Continued from page 13. richer and more precise vocabulary for articulating our educational experiences and ideals, and confirming the importance of meetings like this one where Subud members can connect with others who have been involved in similar endeavours and share their ideals. Participants commented that the conference helped confirm and expand their own understanding of the essence of humancentred education. The following comments highlight participants reflections: next text to me said, I am missing the latihan. When is the next session? So on the first Thursday back, she arrived at the Melbourne Subud house like she was a veteran. She had a strong latihan, met the Thursday morning ladies and participated in the birthday celebrations of one of the members. Her life is in such turmoil but she finds peace and tranquility in the latihan. Suffering a Stroke Simone Melder, Sharon and Sachlan and Rohana Fraval in Innsbruck. Yesterday I had promised Sharon I would send out all the flyers for the Sri Lankan grand tsunami fund raiser to be held at one of the large hotels in Melbourne. She is the Events Manager, and organizes fund raising events for charities. She does an amazing philanthropic job by being on the committee of the Royal Children s Hospital. I was planning on visiting my Subud Sri Lankan friends Alfathah and Ed Kerner. As I was pulling out of the drive, I felt pins and needles in my arm and my leg. As I drove out on the road, my leg was going numb. Realising that I was suffering a stroke, I managed to bring the car back into the drive and put my head down on the adjacent seat. I could move my right arm and got my mobile telephone out and called for an ambulance. As Sachlan's mobile was switched off, I called his secretary and told her what was happening and to contact Sachlan. As I lay there waiting for the ambulance, I did my quiet. By now my leg felt wooden and dead. I was quite accepting of whatever befell me. I must have been crying. I heard a car pull up behind mine and it was Sachlan. He picked me up in his arms and started doing a latihan. He started rubbing my arm and leg. All I remember saying to him through my tears was, I am so sorry, please don t be so loud! His latihan was reverberating through the trees! The ambulance which arrived a few minutes later, took me to the hospital where I had extensive tests. They found no damage or clots. I truly felt this was still an extension of the world congress. Physical illness as purification? I know that I have to be more aware of what is happening. I am back home now and feel this is a new beginning. A new beginning for many of us whose lives are intertwined with one another as we are part of a large family. I give grateful thanks to the power above for keeping me safe and protected. What a gift we have in the latihan. I truly felt like the next heartfelt text Sharon sent me, I have just found you, can t lose you now. The conference opened my eyes. it made me realise that there are diverse approaches to human-centred education. (Ina, Germany) I find that many of the values and truths that I held fast to were confirmed by the people in the conference who believe in the same things. (Salamah, Indonesia) Working on an alternative educational project is hard, especially when you are isolated. Getting in touch with other people, sharing experience with other projects, encourages us to continue our work and gives us tools to continue. (Pedro, Ecuador) The conference made me recognise that we are on the right track with our own work. (Faustina, Austria) I feel more integrated rather than isolated. (Charlotte, Congo) Recommendations for Future Events Attendees were invited to make recommendations for future events. Their suggestions made it clear that the structure needs to allow more time: to learn more about each other s work; for more dialogue; and for personal interaction. Also suggested were continued networking, and a teacher-training programme on humancentred education. For more information about the conference, and about participating in ongoing discussions, education forum, and to sign up for our monthly newsletters, please visit the project s website: or contact the project co-ordinator: Dr Scherto Gill Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace 43 St Anne s Crescent. Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1SD, UK scherto@ghfp.org Tel: Fax:

16 EVENTS OCTOBER Sept 30-3: 25th National Congress of Subud South Africa in Cape Town. For details contact Boris Guderjahn at 2: WORLD LATIHAN 5:00 (CET) - 3:00 (GMT) 2: National Congress Subud Hungary in Budapest. Contact Elina at elina67@fre .hu 5-Nov 4: Halim and Maya invite you to spend part or all of Ramadan at La Source in the French Pyrenees, an ideal place for quiet and contemplation. Contact: halimkorzybski@wanadoo.fr 5: First day of the fast of Ramadan. Ref Nov 4: Ramadan Retreat at Seven Circles in California, USA. Contact Lusiyah Rott at lrott@stanford.edu or go to : National Congress Subud Ukraine at a boarding school in Puscha-Vodytziya, a picturesque suburb of Kiev. All welcome! For details please contact Andrey Gerzhyna at arpa@ukr.net 28-31: Subud Ireland National Congress at Seville Lodge in Kilkenny. Contact Halimah Heaslip at hheaslip@yahoo.co.uk 29-31:National Congress of Subud Chile in Temuco. Contact Mauricio Castillo at mrcastillo@123.cl NOVEMBER 3-4: Idul Fitri. Ref: 4-6: Kejiwaan Gathering at the Oslo Subud House, Norway. For details, please contact Hustein Lorentzen at hustein.lorentzen@tele2.no. BAPAK S TALKS VOLUME AVAILABLE NOW PRICE (Incl p&p) UK 13 Europe 14 Other 16 ORDER NOW Pay by UK Bank cheque or Credit Card: Subud Publications International Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, Rickmansworth, Herts, WD3 4HG, UK Tel: 44 (0) Fax: 44 (0) spi@subudbooks.co.uk 6: WORLD LATIHAN 11:00 (CET) - 10:00 (GMT) DECEMBER 3: WORLD LATIHAN 21:00 (CET) - 20:00 (GMT) 7-11: National Congress Subud Spain at the Hotel Salobrena not far from the Alpujarras/Orgiva group. Contact Anabella at altar1@mac.com 26-Jan 2: The Swiss Snow Camp returns to Churfirstenblick. For details please contact Lilian and Davina Haitzman at thesnowcamp@yahoo.com TWO GREAT CDs The Innsbruck symphony concert, and hot new Cuban dancemusic from Impacto To purchase these CDs go to Books and Music. ON THE SUBUD WAY On the Subud Way, the new book for all Subud members, is now available. It can be ordered from: SPI (Subud Publications International) for approximately UK pounds from spi@subudbooks.co.uk for members in the United Kingdom and Europe Subud USA National Office subudusa@subudusa.org for members in USA Subud Sydney, c/o Mursalin Simpson emareles@hotmail.com. AUD$ postage for members in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asian countries. Toxic or Non-toxic! Why harbour poisons in your home? Phosphates, ammonia, lye, chlorine, bleach? Why suffer unnecessary illnesses, allergies? Get natural, organic, But scientifically-proven products. Better, safer and competitive. Regular customers get 30%-40% discounts Plus 10% advantage s, $s for free products Refer your friends and SHOP FOR FREE! Even build a residual income If you like. OK, UK, USA, AUS, NZ, JAPAN, HK Anthony Bright-Paul anthony.bright@ntlworld.com MUSIC BY SUBUD ARTISTS Yamba Yamba Orchestra - Rainstorm Robert Millard Piano Recital 2 (Chopin) Adrienne Thomas Speaking In Tongues Harlan Cockburn Ship Without Rudder Leonard Paice The Ashgrove Prices include postage anywhere. (Credit Card option on website) DJC Records 104 Constitution Hill, Norwich, NR34 BB UK. clague@paston.co.uk WORLD LATIHANS OCT 2: 5:00 (CET) - 3:00 (GMT) NOV 6: 11:00 (CET) - 10:00 (GMT) DEC 3: 21:00 (CET) - 20:00 (GMT) To find the corresponding time in your part of the world go to: REFLECTIONS Reflections is a new online column of news, comment and folksy philosophising by Harris Smart at SUBUD VOICE is published monthly. DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: 15 October 2005 ARTICLES & PHOTOS: Send to Harris Smart, Editor Subud Voice, preferably by to editor@subudvoice.net or by post to: 22 Holland Ave, Dingley, VIC, 3172, Australia. Tel: SUBSCRIPTIONS: Bradford Temple, PO Box 311, Dapto, NSW, 2530, Australia admin@subudvoice.net Fax: RATES WORLDWIDE per 12 : AUD$50.00 groups, AUD$60.00 mailed individually. (10% discount for pensioners over 60 years), AUD$35 OnLine. PAYMENTS: (Australian Dollars only) preferably by Credit Card - please provide your name, address, card number, card expiry date and your signature as on card and fax to the subscription fax above. International Bank Drafts and Money Orders should be made payable to SUBUD VOICE and sent to the subscription address above. ADVERTISEMENTS: 50 cents a word. Minimum charge AUD$ (Third World countries - no charge). SUBMISSIONS MAY BE EDITED: Submissions to Subud Voice may be edited for a variety of reasons including the need to shorten them or improve expression. If you do not want your submission to be edited in any way, please mark it clearly NOT TO BE EDITED. 16