Document 6507540

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T H E
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S U B U D
B R I T A I N
How to promote Subud without propaganda
August 2012
www.subud.org.uk
This year at Congress, we have decided to offer two not need to use propaganda”.
public talks, when we will be inviting the good people
And I agree, but Bapak also goes on to say “if it is
of Malvern to come along and find out who we are and known that Subud here and Subud there is good and
what we practice. Sharif Horthy has agreed to come that Subud members get along... Subud will spread by
along and give the talks, and although we are not open- itself”. For me the key phrase here is “if it is known”
ing these talks up to the
because those very same
Subud members in genpeople who say that we
eral (because we don’t
don’t need propaganda are
want a situation where a
usually the ones who
few members of the
never tell anyone that they
public feel completely
are in Subud and never
swamped by Subud
share about the latihan.
members), there will be
And in my experience
an opportunity for a few
when you ask these
Subuddies to come
naysayers about how
along, perhaps who feel
many people they have
moved to be there and
brought into Subud themare happy to share their
selves, the answer is usuSubud experience with
ally ‘none’. Doesn’t that
others.
say it all? We are a small
Subud outreach? From ‘The Great Life Farce’ (www.lulu.com)
In the last couple of years we have tried to reach out group and dwindling with every obituary we publish
to local people through inviting them along to some of in the Journal, and yet, apparently, we should do nothour cultural activities, which, sad to say, has been al- ing to try to change this situation.
most entirely ignored. And personally, my feeling is
These same people will say that our behaviour needs
that perhaps we will have more success with an invi- to improve first... but I joined Subud 10 years ago, and
tation that promises to tell them who we are and what I have always found people on the whole rather nice.
we believe, rather than a more covert invitation, which Yes we have our oddballs, but every organisation (parcould to some, perhaps seem more suspicious.
ticularly spiritual ones) does. When I came along to
Now, whenever I suggest any kind of information my first applicant’s meeting it was the ‘latihan’ that atgiving exercise there are always a few Subuddies who tracted me immediately. I could feel this quality, this
will bring out the Bapak texts and quote chapter and lovely sense of lightness and peace, and I knew at that
verse at me. These people assure me that, according moment that that was what I had been looking for and
to Bapak “Subud has no need for propaganda”. And what I wanted. Whether anyone in the group was (or
sure enough, in the 23rd volume of Bapak talks he does is) a true human being yet I don’t know, but on the
whole I felt they were ‘good enough’ and in fact did
says:
“... Subud has no need for propaganda, but it does have some ‘intangible’ something which excited me!
need you to behave and act well and have a nature that If we have to be perfect before we can attract any new
the name Subud represents – to be someone with the people to Subud then I’m sorry but we might as well
>
qualities of susila, budhi and dharma. Then you will shut up shop now.
DOWNLOAD YOUR CONGRESS BOOKING FORMS FROM
http://www.subud.org.uk/booking-form.html
Perhaps it would be helpful at this point to turn to how
Bapak actually defines propaganda himself: “Propaganda,
in reality, means you coerce or tell other people to be
good, when you are probably not a good person yourself.”
And this is where I have to say that if this is what
propaganda is then what I am proposing here is definitely not. What I am proposing is an opportunity for
people to find out what we have to offer as an organisation; just to be a little bit more open and welcoming.
We are not beating anyone over the head with the
Subud Bible, not telling them that this is definitely
what they need for their lives or that what we have is
better than what anyone else has. We are simply sharing with them what Subud means to us and how we
feel we have benefited from the latihan, and leaving
them to make up their minds about whether it is for
them or not. And, I have to say, that the thing that will
make the difference probably won’t be any particular
thing that we say but how we are individually and collectively... and personally, on the whole, I think what
we create, particularly when we are many gathered together, is worth celebrating.
These talks will be at 8pm on the Thursday evening
and on Friday afternoon at 3pm, and we will be taking
over Lawnside (the room in the main reception area)
for these. If you feel that you would like to be a part of
this, then do please contact me. Adelia Tisdall
A Chance To Be Free –
Delegates At Congress
•
This year we have only had two proposals [from the
SE region] to be discussed at Congress and both on
governance. They have been circulated to all the
groups and were printed in last month’s ‘Journal’. As
a result we have been looking at what other useful and hopefully interesting - subjects the delegates could
explore; useful in that we at national council would appreciate some input and ideas around these particular
issues and also hope that more members will feel motivated to be involved and interested in them as a result.
The resolutions and recommendations that come out
of these working groups at Congress provide the basis
for the work and direction of national council for the
coming year.
So the suggested topics are:
1] Governance - Encompassing the two proposals
to look at our organisational practice and how it relates
to our legal structure and to review paid national posts.
In addition - to look at progress since last year and to
follow up on those recommendations. One of the
trustees, Roger Blades, has been looking at this whole
area and in particular the main recommendation from
From the Editor
Hello folks. I have taken on
the job of Editor for the August
issue and on behalf of everybody say a big ‘thank you’ to
Adelia for her hard work on
the first two issues of the newlook Journal. I say I am the Editor for the August issue but as
I am away on holiday for the last week in July, all the
last-minute hassle will fall on our National Chairman
Leonard Hitchcock. My permanent Journal job is as
the distributor of the printed copies and Sofia Davey,
from Sidmouth, as well as invoicing and collecting
the cheques for the Journal and keeping an up-to-date
record of subscriptions (quite a job in itself) tells me
each month how many and where to send the 350+
printed copies. However, I am sure we have some
bright, young (or older) members out there who have
a lot to contribute to our national magazine, so if you
are at all interested in being involved then please contact Leonard; and if you are attending Congress then
go along to the Journal workshop. I won’t be at Congress but I am sure it will be a great one.
Aleena Flanders [email protected]
•
last year about making the work of the trustees more
effective. He has written a paper that I hope the delegates will read [in this Journal] and will facilitate this
group with others. Another trustee, Ghofur Woodruff
has also looked into the issue of trustee training and
will hopefully also be involved with this group.
2] Communications - We need to:
• ‘own’ our Journal, our website and our distribution
of information (e.g. National Office emails);
• find an editorial team for our Journal and give them
policy guidance;
• debate the function of our website, should it host
our Journal?;
• decide if a secure website search engine for our
members’ current details is desirable;
• discuss how we might make it easier for members
to understand our organisation;
• discuss how we might improve communication
within our organisation.
Ridwan Kennedy will facilitate this group, with
Marcus Bolt and others.
3] Enterprise - How can we put 'enterprise' at the heart
of our organisation in the way that Bapak asked us to?
a. ‘Learning how to work together’ starts at group level.
b. What does ‘putting our latihan into practice in the
world’ through enterprise look like? Is it any different >
AUGUST 2012 Page 2
from doing things in the normal business way?
c. The Subud ‘community project’ - can this meet
the needs of our members and how can the organisation help with this or other 'national' projects?
d. How can property owning groups be [or be helped
to be] successful enterprises [with reference to Loudwater, Amadeus, Brecon and others]?
e. How can we, as a spiritual organisation, help our
members to be enterprising or facilitate enterprise at a
personal level [this is topical because of the 'Life Path'
and 'YES Quest' opportunities at the Gathering]?
f. The role of SES (Subud Enterprise Services).
Our valiant SES man Muctar Nankivell will facilitate this working group with others.
I hope that delegates will have the time to discuss
some of these issues with their groups before coming
to Congress but apologise for the short notice.
This year we would like to suggest something a bit
different; that all the delegates attend all three of these
working groups in rotation, spending say, an hour and a
half in each subject group. This means that each of these
three issues has an input from all the delegates attending
so that the ideas and proposals are distilled from a wider
constituency representing all the members. This is based
on what was tried at the recent WSA meeting in Vancouver which delegates felt worked well and was enjoyable.
To work well we will probably need to divide the delegates into three equal-sized groupings which will stay together and attend the three facilitated sessions in turn.
The other way that we are suggesting a departure from
the norm – and again this is an experiment – is to have a
‘kejiwaan’ session in the morning to allow all the delegates
who would like to participate, the opportunity to look at
these three issues from a ‘human’ or inner perspective.
In other words – to discuss and ask to receive aspects
of these subjects which can broaden our understanding
or awareness which can hopefully inform our heart and
mind discussions in the afternoon. For instance on
‘governance’ – or the nature and direction of our organisation – we could look at what could be called the
‘content’ of the organisation which is the way we work
together – how it is and how it could be, the nature of
the ‘right’ organisation for Subud, what is its role or
function, our own role etc. Meaning of ‘Subud is You’
[as Bapak often said!]? The personal benefit of working for Subud. And so on.
All these issues have an inner dimension which can
hopefully inspire our outer work and provide some direction of foundation for any decisions we make. The national
helpers are willing to facilitate this morning session.
I am also hoping that we can organise a meeting for
all those interested in our ‘Youth’ wing and try and clarify how this might function …and maybe find a new
youth organiser [if that’s what’s wanted or needed].
We have our zone 3 youth representative Regina from
Holland attending and I’m sure she will participate in that.
In thinking about the function of Congress it strikes
me that the most important result to hope for is that
most of the delegates can go back to their groups feeling more enthusiastic or more energised or motivated
to work for Subud…or ‘be’ Subud. If this is not the
case then I will feel we have wasted an opportunity. I
can also say that we at national council really need the
ideas, participation and support of the delegates in trying to run Subud Britain! Leonard Hitchcock
How to enhance the
effectiveness of trustees
•
Introduction
One of the key undertakings that stemmed the proceedings of the 2011 National Congress was for the National Council to come forward with draft proposals as
to how the role of the trustees could be made more effective. This had its origins in the debate about whether
or not Regional Chairs should automatically become
trustees, conducted against the background of concerns
being voiced about the overall ‘governance’ of Subud
Britain. Through an exhaustive small-group process,
delegates came to the conclusion that their democratic
representation – in the form of trusteeship from the regions – was worth maintaining, as long as its effectiveness was enhanced.
It could perhaps be said that no over-riding consensus was established, at the time, as to what this ‘effectiveness’ would mean in practice, but there was a
general sense that expert advice on a range of issues
was to be available to such trustees and that the good
governance of Subud Britain was dependent upon the
role being ‘real’ rather than ‘token’.
Simply put ‘governance’ is about the rules and relationships that determine how well an organisation is
run. It is therefore about how decisions are made, both
in terms of the structure and the relationships between
the components that make up that structure. Any organisation of note is bound to experience tensions ‘horizontally’ – that is, between the centre and the local –
and ‘vertically’ – between the so-called bottom and the
top. And Subud Britain is obviously no exception.
Of course, other dimensions of structural tension
have also been identified in our case; for instance, between paid and voluntary posts, committees and diwans, our perceptions of the past and the future, as well
as the competing mind-sets of pragmatists and idealists. One could go on. Governance can be seen as being
about how such tensions are ‘regulated’, and addressed, by the organisation itself.
>
AUGUST 2012 Page 3
This paper concentrates on the role of trustees within
that governance framework, following the recommendation from Congress. It cannot hope to instantly resolve the more overarching anxieties of the
organisation – such as the lack of people putting themselves forward for committee roles, or the development
of a sustaining ‘vision’ for Subud Britain, or how to
draw in a host of new members – but hopefully it can
contribute towards a greater sense of cohesion and purpose that could contribute towards those issues.
Progress so far
1) At Congress there was agreement with the notion of
particular areas of responsibility being ascribed to individual trustees. The aim was to have a more co-ordinated approach to problematic issues, whilst diverting
great slews of detail away from trustee meetings. The
hope was that this would facilitate more space for
trustees to focus on the kind of over-arching anxieties
mentioned above. It has to be said that, while the idea
itself seems sensible, in practice though we now have
the situation where the trustee responsible for property
matters has resigned her trusteeship (although still
keeping the co-ordinating role); the trustee for constitutional matters has been overwhelmed by the task (although still trying to overcome his own limitations);
and no individual trustee has felt able to take over the
communication ‘portfolio’ from the National Chair (although there have been some important developments). Perhaps these are merely ‘teething troubles’,
but they do tend to indicate the sheer scale and complexity of the responsibilities entailed.
2) Trustees now have separate discussions in meetings of their own. Just as helpers have their focussed
get-togethers, trustees now meet separately as part of
the timetable for National Council weekends. This
does emphasize a sense of organisational identity and
provides a forum for frank discussion. Of course, it
was inevitable that the very first one – held in Norwich
– would spark a ripple of accusations that things were
now being discussed behind closed doors without
transparency, so notes of discussion topics have been
produced for meetings thereafter.
3) Similarly, email communications/conversations
between the Chair and trustees have increased dramatically – with possible decisions being consulted upon
and approvals for actions being regularly sought. The
sheer volume of this email traffic can be daunting, but
the sense that trustees can now attend meetings feeling
relatively well informed on the issues (and the possible
ramifications) must surely be welcomed.
4) Close reading of the Constitution led to us re-establishing the Standing Committee, with a view to it
fulfilling the function of fielding the on-rush of everyday
problems. This committee – the sanction for which is
provided for in the Constitution – comprises the Treasurer, the National Secretary, the Council Co-ordinator
and a chair-person (plus the facility to co-opt). The National Council charged this body to work out for itself
who should do what within it, thus clarifying the remit
of paid roles. The Council also deemed it important – at
this point – that it be chaired by the National Chair, to
ensure lines of accountability and scrutiny are kept open.
What’s in train now?
5) That trustees’ overview is dependent upon information sources, and to that end the National Secretary was
tasked with identifying the employment status of those
people who are paid by our organisation – it has become clearly evident that there has been no coherent
employment policy, job evaluation or collated information up until now.
6) Similarly, we recognise the need to develop the
official record of minutes from meetings, decisions
from Congress, and policies handbook. This project
needs further clarification and development, but future
trustees should be able to refer to previous decisions
and policies. We are also working to establish the centralisation of available data and documentation.
7) Trustee training programmes – similarly there are
proposals for initial and continuing training that came
to the June National Council – one from the Chair of
East Anglia and another from the South East region. It
was agreed to transfer some training funds from the
National Helpers’ training budget to finance annual
peer-training events for trustees, drawing on the expertise of experienced former trustees.
Future developments requiring decisions
8) Selection procedures – there are at least two, similar,
proposed processes to be further debated – one from
the Consultation & Change Process and another from
South East region. This issue needs to be addressed at
both national – for candidates for the National Chair
position -and at regional levels – for regional Chairs.
There appears to be consensus that applicants for such
posts should put forward vital information about their
experience and suitability before testing takes place,
but the focus for debate centres on whether this testing
process remains paramount in reaching a decision. It
has been acknowledged that a contingency process
needs to be established to adequately deal with the kind
of situation that emerged at the 2011 Congress, where
none of the initial candidates ‘tested positive’. In the
interests of pragmatism, it has been suggested that regional chair selection processes should within the >
AUGUST 2012 Page 4
provenance of each particular region to approve.
9) Voluntary and paid positions – this relationship
has, at times, been problematic. This has led to a proposal that the roles and expectations be subject to a review. The South East region would like Congress to
consider the actual merger of the National Secretary
and National Council Co-ordinator posts. There is a
recognised need for trustees to establish a framework
to oversee the efficacy of paid posts to accord with Employment Law – it has been suggested that a voluntary
committee of three members be set up to operate as the
equivalent of a ‘personnel department’. The ‘gearing’
of the operational relationships between the National
Chair, the Standing Committee, the Trustees, the National Council and paid national posts needs to be regularised, clarified and determined in such a way that
achieves balance and adaptability.
10) In order to bring greater clarity and lines of accountability to trustee and council deliberations, these
national meetings require established ground rules.
Agreed protocols as to how the meetings should be
conducted – and comprised – could go some way towards providing such transparency. This would give
guidance to the process of chairing trustee meetings.
11) How such organisational relationships are conducted raises the whole issue of our ‘culture’ or ethos
– how we do what we do. But that in turn is dependent
upon our sense of ‘Vision’ – organisational development has to relate to our collective sense of what the
organisation is seeking to achieve, inwardly and externally in the world. We need to determine how such a
vision will be articulated and this will doubtless be one
of the themes of the 2012 Congress.
12) Any changes to our Constitution would then
have to follow on from the satisfactory resolution of
issues 8-11, but would also need to take into account
the outcome of our negotiations with the Charity Commission. A Congress workshop on constitutional
change is planned for 2012. The Constitution provides
a template and guidance for how Subud Britain should
operate, and contains within it a list of aims for the organisation. A newly articulated Vision may, or may not,
require changes to this list. The whole issue of what is
our ‘public benefit’ is obviously central to this debate.
good, consistent, use of its existing provisions. Arrayed
against that is another strand of critique that would prefer to see a more thorough-going overhaul of processes
and structures – good governance here is often seen as
being dependent upon more responsive democratic
processes. Others then suggest more of an ‘alloy’ of
those points of view.
One key element in the debate – even seen by some
as the crux of the matter – is the role of helpers, at
group, regional, and national level. The main text of
our current constitution makes no specific mention of
this – seemingly this was a ‘pragmatic’ decision when
the last version was agreed. Presumably a more visibly
‘outgoing’ organisation would entail writing helpers’
roles into the Constitution, which is just one of the reasons Subud Britain’s sense of mission and vision needs
greater resolution.
Hopefully it can therefore be seen that the Trustees
have attempted to tackle some of the paradoxes of
guiding a Spiritual Organisation in a mindful way,
whilst being aware of the work still yet to be done.
Roger Blades, South West Chair
•
Finding direction through the
latihan
NH kejiwaan sessions at the Gathering
How do we know when we are doing the right thing?
How do we find our right work, life partner, perfect
home? This year the national helpers’ testing sessions
for the first three mornings of the gathering will be focused on exploring how our inner voice indicates the
right way when a choice looms. How do we know when
it speaks, how can we tell the difference between that
and the often louder voices of our desires and passions?
How do we manage to find our way on our life’s path
and progress even when obstacles get in our way? How
do we overcome the inner blocks that prevent us from
doing as well at our chosen career as we could?
There are lots of approaches we might use for these
sessions – testing about our inner forces, body awareness, etc but we hope that by having small groups of no
more than six we can really help each other find a deeper
level of understanding of ourselves and others. We will
be meeting at 10.00 after the main latihan in rooms 31
Conclusion
and 32 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before splitPatently, there is a wide range of positions advocated
ting off into our small groups. Do come and join us.
by members in relation to constitutional change and
the effectiveness of trustees. One whole body of Bapak’s Room and Talks at Malvern
thought sees the current constitution of Subud Britain This year the National Helpers are dedicating Room
as being flexible enough to accommodate the organi- 13, on the first floor on the way to the Abbey room, to
sation tensions outlined above – good governance in Bapak. Many new members do not know much about
this case can be seen as springing from actually making Bapak and may not have had much information before >
AUGUST 2012 Page 5
their opening. In Room 13 we will have information
about Bapak’s life with pictures and quotes, as well as
books and talks available to read. In the afternoon there
will always be a couple of helpers in attendance and
we will play videos of Ibu Rahayu (Bapak’s daughter)
and Bapak talks every evening after latihan. Monday
evening there will be larger venue talk in the Drama
Studio.
We would also like to encourage all those who knew
Bapak and have interesting stories to tell, to come and
share one afternoon – check the notices at Congress for
details. There will be a poster to tell you where to find
Room 13 and when our sharing afternoons will be held.
We are also planning to play a short piece of audio
from a Bapak talk before every latihan from Monday
onwards in the York Hall from 19.30 till 20.00, after
which latihan will begin promptly. There is no obligation to join this but it is something recommended by
Ibu Rahayu as an aid to a deeper latihan. We will provide transcripts of the extracts and play the full talk involved later in the evening in Room 13. We hope that
Bapak’s room will be a place to come and feel refreshed and we would welcome any input into making
it a beautiful and inspiring environment.
Looking forward to seeing you in Malvern – even if
the sun does not shine on us we are sure the latihan
will! Delia Whitbread for the National Helpers
•
Kejiwaan workshops at congress
The regional helpers will be organising kedjiwaan
workshops on Thursday and Friday mornings and you
are warmly invited to come along for some sharing,
creative thinking and testing. These workshops offer
opportunities for us all to explore different aspects of
our Subud lives, and because we have plenty of time it
will be possible to do this in greater depth than can usually happen at group level. We hope that they will be
of interest to everyone.
We found last year that the workshops offering specific themes were much more popular than the “open”
sessions, and so far we have suggested a few ideas for
people to explore. These were the result of quite a bit
of discussion and testing at the regional helpers planning weekend at Loudwater in June, and we hope you
like the look of what we have come up with:For the women:
• COURAGE, TRUTH AND HONESTY : This explores our capacity to be honest with ourselves and
others and the courage to be who we are.
• LIVING WITH GRATITUDE : Learning to recognise the value of gratitude in our daily lives. How can
we do this? What gets in the way?
• BRINGING THE LATIHAN INTO OUR DAILY
LIVES: How can we do this and what gets in the way?
• SELF LOVE AND SELF NURTURE: How well
do we value and nurture ourselves on an everyday
basis, as well as at an inner level?
• LIVING WITH CHANGE: An exploration of loss
which is part of all our lives;
• CIRCUMSTANCE AND CHOICES: how do we
make decisions? What is driving us? We will explore the part played by the different inner aspects
of ourselves.
For the men:• ACHIEVING HARMONY : how do we move
from places of conflict to a place of harmony and better
understanding of each other?
• NEEDS OF THE SOUL : deepening the latihan .
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PUT THE LATIHAN
INTO PRACTICE IN OUR DAILY LIVES? : and
what are the obstacles?
• PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY : looking at the
moral ethical and spiritual responsibilities within
Subud. Our personal responsibilities to God, ourselves,
family and others .
• BODY TESTING : following Ibu Ruhayu’s recommended guidance on testing to awaken the physical
and inner body .
• UNDERSTANDING OUR LATER YEARS : understanding the spiritual significance of the years after
fifty and preparing for ageing.
• FREE TESTING : finding your personal direction
achieved through the latihan and identifying your personal inner question supported by your brothers.
• TESTING FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE : what issues and questions are there for younger members in
Subud?
We hope you like the look of these and will join us
after latihan on Thursday morning. On Friday morning
there will be a repeat of these workshops (so you can
go to more than one!), and at the same time delegates
are be invited to join workshops for testing that relates
directly to the forthcoming business of congress.
Personal Testing
This is just a reminder that the Personal Testing desk
will be operational during congress on the second floor
(look out for the notices) for any individual testing that
you wish to do. This is open to everyone, and will be
available on Thursday and Friday afternoons (after the
above workshops), all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. A warm welcome is guaranteed!
Jonquil Bennett
(Regional Helper Oxford)
AUGUST 2012 Page 6
•
Susila Dharma at Congress
This year at congress, we are hosting the annual Susila
Dharma international gathering, so there is a good opportunity to get to know more about the work of the
Susila Dharma network of which Susila Dharma
Britain is just one partner.
It is the opportunity for all of us around the world
working to promote Susila Dharma to get together, not
only to present some of the work taking place but to
discuss and work on ways to improve our organisation
and its effectiveness. Primarily the workshops and discussions are for those working in Susila Dharma, but
they are open to all interested in learning more about
how we work now, and strategies for the future development of the association.
The chair of SDIA Kumari Beck will give a presentation on Wednesday night called Susila Dharma and
Subud, to give Subud members a clearer picture of
what SDIA and the network does. Kumari is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon
Fraser University in BC, Canada. She teaches courses
in social issues in education, global education, intercultural and international issues, and contemporary issues in curriculum and pedagogy. She also works with
student teachers and with undergraduate and graduate
programmes. Her main research focus is international
education.
Sharifin Gardiner will give a report on Thursday
morning about his attendance on behalf of SDIA at the
recent UN Rio Summit with a focus on environmental
sustainability. Many of the topics for discussion will
be facilitated by Rosanna Hille, who has been SDIA
communications coordinator and continuity adviser
since 2007. During 2012 Rosanna is serving as Interim
Executive Director, while Hamida Thomas takes maternity leave. She is a manager, educator, writer, editor,
community developer, trainer and facilitator specializing in non-profit and community organizations.
Rosanna has a special interest in facilitating local capacity, participatory approaches, evaluation and increasing understanding between cultures.
As well as these very experienced and eloquent
SDIA speakers we have presentations of SD projects
from Columbia, India and the UK, our own Living
Well Dying Well initiative of Hermione Elliott. With
over forty project partners, it is not possible to present
all the work of the association so these presentations
will give just a flavour of what we do and more importantly why we do it.
We look forward to seeing you in August
Stephanie Holloway, on behalf of SDB and SDIA
•
SICA – A New Departure
SICA across the world is in a process of reinventing itself. At the Americas gathering in June this year a
meeting was held to try and map out a long term and
sustainable future for SICA. A report of what took
place has now been published and a summary of the
main points and the full report can be downloaded
from the SICA Britain website.
The main thrusts of the report are inner and outer.
On an inner level it paints a vision of SICA as a body
founded in the experience of the latihan, supporting
members in finding and expressing their true inner culture. To this end it is proposed that each country explores ways of helping members who are interested in
the nature of their inner culture; a conversation with
the national helpers is necessary.
On the outer level is a vision of a future structure of
SICA as a separate legal entity affiliated with the National Subud organisation in each country. This is similar to the relationship between Susila Dhama Britain
and National Council. As a separate body SICA would
be able to approach cultural funding bodies such as the
Arts Council, Governments and European arts funding
programs for financial support.
So an exciting time and a time to do some work. At
congress this year SICA will run a workshop or work
group to start to develop the ideas in the Vancouver report. if you are interested in taking part please go to
the SICA Britain website, read the summary and download the full report. If you want to talk to me about this
please email me on [email protected]
Marius Grose www.sicabritain.co.uk
•
SICA supports two new poetry
initiatives
Two new poetry opportunities are being supported
by SICA.
Emmanuel Williams is asking for submissions
for a poetry anthology to be published in 2013.
The second is a Poems for Peace Initiative in honour of Peace One Day, September 21, 2012.
This event is hosted by SICA but is open to all.
For full details please go to the News page at;
www.sicabritain.co.uk
Marius Grose – SICA Britain coordinator
AUGUST 2012 Page 7
•
Calling all Actors, Musicians and
willing hands for ‘The Nightingale’
At Congress on Thursday evening Alexandra
Martin and myself will present a shadow puppet
version of the Hans Christian Andersen story,
‘The Nightingale’. We’ll need acting voices to
voice the puppets, hands to create and move them
and musicians to play. We will need enthusiasm
and commitment and we’ll bring pleasure to our
audience as a result.
We hope that many young people will become
involved but we are also hoping for older people
too. The story of The Nightingale will touch your
heart, but it will also make you giggle.
We begin on Monday morning and will work
for a couple of hours each day until the performance. If you want to know more you can phone
me on 01226 791458.
I’m looking forward to starting.
Sylvia Le Breton
Music at Congress
•
Dear Performers – We are planning ad hoc folk music
sessions, and if there are enough musicians, a ceilidh;
also a classical evening and for anyone interested in
playing early music – a recorder conscert is a distinct
possibility.
There will be music in the Quad provided by talented and enthusiastic rock musicians led by David
Shrubsall and esteemed associates, together with a
karaoke opportunity (you provide the chords, and
they'll play the backing for singers). Daliani Dixon is
collecting singers to perform in a choral piece by John
Rutter.
Aside from music there will be poetry readings and
a competition. Sylvia Le Breton is putting on a play
she has written herself. Play readings are being investigated. So ... if you are a singer, instrumentalist, poet,
writer, dancer, actor, or anything else in the performing
arts line that we haven't yet mentioned, please do get
in touch with [email protected] or
[email protected]
Spanish Lessons for Mexico
Could you be a Subud Youth Activities
International Rep for our area?
International youth representatives are working in a
team of six people: every area has one male and one
female youth representative and both roles for our area
have recently become vacant. (Our area is area 2 and
contains zones 3, 4, 5 and 6: Africa and East and West
Europe.) As a team they encourage activities to look
after the needs of the Subud youth and represent the
voice of youth in the World Subud Association.
In this regard the words of Bapak, when he commented on the proposal of a youth association, touched
me very much:
‘Because indeed it is the moment that such an Association of young people should start in the world, and
Bapak prays that it may truly grow and become wide
and successful, because it is always said that the youth
are the flower of the nation. If the youth of the nation,
this flower, loses its scent, its sweet scent, then it can
be said that the nation no longer keeps its worth and
becomes a nation that is worthless.’ 83 LON 7
One of the important messages of Bapak about the
youth representatives is that they should be at least 24,
and preferably 32 years old. Because at that age you
have experienced the youth stages yourself and that
makes it easier to truly understand the needs of the
youth. Of course there have also been younger representatives, but please, don't feel too old too quickly!
If you feel inspired and want to serve the needs of
the young people in Subud or if you have any questions, please feel free to ask:
Regina Ruzhenkov-Rodenburg, zone 3 youth representative, [email protected]
Steven Martin, former international youth representative area 2, [email protected]
Maya Korzybska, WSA Executive Vice-Chair,
[email protected]
I hope you can also feel the importance and will help
to spread the news and find together two fresh and enthusiastic international youth representatives.
Regina Ruzhenkov-Rodenburg
•
• A Message from the MSF Liaison Officer
Paloma De La Vina intends to give some lessons in
basic Spanish during the Great Malvern Gathering.
This is in the preparation for the World Subud Congress in Puebla, México.
If you are interested and would like to know more
contact Paloma at [email protected]
•
I am Dorothea Hamidah Rogers and I am the newly
appointed MSF Liaison Officer in Subud Britain. My
role is to bring an awareness to the members of Subud
Britain of what the Muhammad Subuh Foundation
(MSF) is and what it does.
MSF is, in a material sense, the backbone of the international Subud organization. Subud has no bank at
present, and MSF takes the place of a Bank. Instead of
taking deposits and making loans like a bank, MSF >
AUGUST 2012 Page 8
depends on our contributions,
wills and bequests for its income. It finances, through
grants or loans, much of what
goes on in the Subud World;
from assisting in building or
purchase of dozens of Subud
Houses including Lewes
Subud House, to supporting
SICA, Susila Dharma, Subud
Youth, the International Almoners, as well as the work of
the International Helpers, the
translation of Bapak’s and
Dorothea Rogers
Ibu’s Talks and the Archives.
MSF’s mission and purpose is to establish Subud on
a firm financial footing for the benefit of future generations. So far MSF has spent more than two and a half
million US Dollars in this endeavour.
Currently MSF is financing the completion of the
Latihan Hall in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Heloise Jackson has been very active and involved in this construction project.
MSF has launched a major fundraising drive called
“The Legacy Project” at the recent Americas Gathering
in Vancouver in an effort to raise funds to preserve the
talks of Bapak, for which the Belgian company Memnon has been hired to carry out preservation work. Two
new short films about MSF and the Legacy Project will
be premiered at Congress and I will be grateful for the
opportunity to show these films and to speak about
MSF at any Regional or Group meetings around the
country
Each month I plan, God Willing, to write a short article about some aspect of MSF and its work.
“The most powerful weapon in life, with which to
make your life safe and happy, is nothing other than
doing the best you can towards your fellow beings.”
78 CDK 19.
Goodbye to all this!
•
As some of you may already know, I am giving up the
role of Woman KC for Subud Britain after Congress. I
had 2 years to go before the official change-over at
World Congress. With the 2 ½ years I have already
completed as KC, and the 4 ½ years I served in the previous diwan as a National Helper for London Region,
I have completed 7 years in all on National Council –
more than enough at one stretch for most people! It became clear to me that I did not have the energy for the
job I once had. When there is more duty than joy in
one’s role it is usually time to call it a day so I was not
surprised when testing with the other women NH’s
confirmed this in April.
I have been part of 4 NCs in all and, contrary to appearances, each has been more harmonious than the
previous one. I will miss the people – but not the endless weekends away and the disruption to one’s normal
routine. I have really enjoyed the European visits being
KC afforded me and the chance to get to know my
brothers and sisters in the wider Subud world. I have
made some very good friends and been able to witness
the power of the latihan to cross boundaries of language and culture. As well as that I have gained several
useful life skills that do not come easily to me – patience, the ability to retain composure whatever is
going on, knowing when to keep one’s counsel, learning how not to let my feelings show on my face and, I
think, I have a better capacity for listening to balance
my general taste for talking – though my brothers and
sisters on the diwan may not agree!.
It is very easy when you are doing a Subud job, especially a spiritual one, to kid oneself that it is SO important you need not bother with your worldly life.
However, during some dark times in these last years,
my NH role on the Council kept me afloat when my
life was difficult –and I experienced the help God gives
in doing a role. Added to this was the great support of
the NH diwan, and especially that of my KC male colleague Howard Ray, who has been very tolerant of my
occasional rants and explosions!
In the last year I have moved to my dream home and
a new city – a gift from God, it feels. Also my beloved
Mother – having reached the great age of 90 – died
with much grace in April. I need time now to work on
my true Subud work in the world as an artist. For many
years early in my career as a stained glass artist, I was
crippled by lack of self-worth and a sense of inadequacy. I felt unable to sell myself or present anything
I did as having value. Despite evidence to the contrary,
I thought I was not ‘good enough’. For instance, during
my last major depression, I designed and made the pictured Ave Maria window for a church in Croydon quite
sure that it was going to be terrible until I saw it finished and installed!
I have battled with my inner demons for many
years. Much of my insecurities stemmed from childhood and early college experiences that had been destructive. In the last few years all this has been
purified – with the help of the latihan and some theraputic heart and mind counselling, I have let go of all
the past hurts. It is a bit late in the day but I have a
confidence now that I never achieved when I was
younger and some of that is due to the work I have
done on the National Council.
AUGUST 2012 Page 9
•
We are meant to use
our hearts and minds –
and a Subud job is good
practice – they tend to
bring out both the best
and the worst in everyone. Having a Subud
job does help you grow
– we don’t need to be
perfect – we just need
to be willing. I have
sometimes learnt more
from my mistakes than
Delia Whitbread
my successes.
It would be very nice if we could just go for one testing session and solve all the problems we have in life
– but it would make life very boring. There are consequences to all actions and if we never act on our desires
at all we are unlikely to achieve anything – let alone
learn anything. We are meant to be brave and we are
allowed to make mistakes – if we are really sincere and
surrendered then God may protect us from the worst
outcomes. Testing is only as good as the questions we
ask and, as we cannot test every question we might
need to cover, we are likely to go astray if we rely on
testing too heavily.
My first testing session after my opening in 1977
taught me the problems of just relying on testing. I was
teaching English in a very rough secondary school in
the East End of London and finding it very hard. I had
been practising the latihan for about 18 months and
went to the helpers for some guidance. We tested
whether I should be teaching secondary school children – that was not the problem, whether I should be
teaching in London – that was not the problem either.
In the end they suggested I persevere and see if it got
better and come back if it did not. Crucially, one of the
helpers advised me that I would not necessarily be in
that career for life – that it may be something I would
gain strength from and them move on to something
else. I did not feel very strong at the time – the boys
that I taught were wild – more classes ended in fights
and my tears than anything productive! I got better at
managing the situation but, as the months went by I realised I could not stand to stay in that school any
longer. In the end I wrote to Bapak for advice – a
lengthy process in the days before email. I gave in my
resignation for the end of the summer term and applied
to teach in a local girl’s school instead. The day after I
resigned I received my reply from Bapak who said I
could be a good teacher but I should not teach boys! I
went on to teach more happily in a girls school – until
inclination and testing indicated that I should pursue
my early dreams of being an artist 2 years later. Interestingly Bapak’s reply to me was careful not to suggest
that I was destined to be a teacher. I learnt a lot from
my teaching experience that has been useful to me in
later life but it was not my true vocation.
I found an old talk recently where Bapak was testing
talents with some members – to everyone he said
words to the effect of ‘yes, you could do well in that –
if you work hard…’ Finding your talent through testing
did not ensure financial security and a blissful future,
being enterprising meant endurance and perseverence
– as well as training and practice. I have found it is not
a matter of simply following my inner receiving but a
balance of all my faculties and worldly skills led by
the inner to discern the right way.
I always loved the old hymn ‘Dear Lord and Father
of Mankind’ with its final verse;
Breathe though the pulses of desire
Thy coolness and thy Balm:
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire:
Speak through the earthquake,wind and fire
O still, small voice of calm’
Though I have never been a person who has visions
and spiritual experiences, I have always been blessed
with prescient dreams and a clear inner voice at times
of need. If my heart and mind were very agitated, as
they often were earlier in my life, I generally failed to
take any notice of my quiet and rational inner voice…
I hope I have got more practised in listening to it in my
years on the National Diwan. Certainly, through being
a KC, I have not entirely lost my quick temper or a tendency to profanity when the going gets tough, but I
hope you will all forgive me if anything I have said or
done has been out of place in these last years. I am very
grateful for the experience working on the National
Helper diwan has given me and I would like to wish
Melinda Heathcote all the best as my replacement for
the next 2 years. (You go girl!) Delia Whitbread
The Dutch experience
•
The Dutch congress and Zone meetings this year were
both held at Beukenhof, a former Monastery in Noord
Braban, now a conference and holiday destination. One
potential attendee had left early, feeling the presence
of past monks, so I rather expected something 16th
century Gothic and, like Catherine in Northanger
Abbey, was disappointed to find instead a large, attractive, but distinctly modern brick building, with a bar
in the chapel. Though logically, 20th Century Monks
were just as likely to be peeved by their monastery becoming a conference centre as ones from the 16th.
The sun shone on Britain and The Netherlands alike, >
AUGUST 2012 Page 10
and the atmosphere was relaxed
France and Holland reported
and friendly. The Dutch speak at
some growing groups, and new
least one other language well, as
members, and everywhere ena matter of course, and many
thusiasm for the latihan is strong,
several, so it was very easy to
however, many countries find it
communicate, even if, for this
difficult to fill roles, particularly
monolingual Brit. rather shamcommittee roles, while the
ing. The Chair of Subud Netherhelpers, not all are fully active or
lands is very capable, young and
engaged. The Netherlands, for
elegant though her two years
example, owns two properties,
ended at this Congress, there was
but the work and communication
Café helpers...
no suitable person to take over so
in the eight groups has to be carthe committee is continuing in the interim, and Hannah ried out without any formal committees. Portugal has
is planning to test for a further term.
a new National Chair, Muchtar Martins, who unfortuThe group reports were very original: each group nately was not able to be present, and a new young
gave presentations, which ranged from a slide show of committee councillor Miguel Botelho, who was. Premembers and activities at the Subud house in The sentations were given by France, Spain and Ireland on
Hague, to sung reports where in partictheir ideas for projects, these all inular mention should be made of
volved property. Belgium has withWouter, the male Zone helper’s talent
drawn for the past three years, and
as a comedian. The group from AmsterItaly wasn't represented as there is no
dam acted out latihaning and socialisnational committee and the KC's
ing in their very small rented premises,
were unable to come. Elisa Caballero
graphically illustrating their need for a
from Argentina, is the Co-ordinator
Subud house. The Netherlands has a
for Translations on World Subud Assum of money bequeathed to them for
sociation and she gave an update
another Subud house somewhere, but it
about the sub-titling of the twentyhas been in the bank for some time
two talks by Bapak, and the forty
while the question ‘where?’ is debated.
talks by Ibu Rahayu, which are on
The arrival of four Area 2 internavideo. Each talk's translation has to
entertainment
Evening
tional helpers, joining the IH based in
be checked and proof read before bethe Netherlands, heralded the start of the annual Zonal coming the official version and ready for sub-titling,
meeting. This took place over two intensive days, and none of Bapak's are ready yet, however ten out of
though it was felt by most that this was too short and the forty available by Ibu Rahayu have been sub-titled.
didn't allow sufficient time to develop themes and follow There are versions in English, French, Spanish, Gerup with testing. The good news is that next year the man, Japanese, Serbian and Vietnamese so far. A subZone meeting will be a week long, incorporate a gath- titled talk by Ibu Rahayu was shown at the Zone
ering, and take place in Poio, near Santiago de Com- meeting, and I liked the immediacy of it very much.
postella in Spain. There will be an opportunity to walk
You don't have to wait for the DVD to experience it
part of the Camino de Santiago. Pencil in the end of June too, as they are available on-line now in the Subud Libeginning of July 2013 for this.
brary. Regina Ruzhenkov is the Zone 3 Youth Rep and
Paloma de la Vina the Zone Rep reiterated the theme she feels strongly that young people are concerned
of the meeting: Back to Basics, testing about what about what is happening in the world and are looking
members needed from the zone showed that there is a for inspiration, truth and working together with all
need for awareness and connection to the global Subud ages, and are not merely interested in entertainment
family, and that the Zonal council is about making con- and fun. Miguel is already working with younger
nections and giving confidence to members. Paloma is members and also their non-Subud friends and relaSpanish and divides her time between Madrid, the tions on repairs at Bucelas, and would like to hold a
Gulf, where her daughter lives, and Mina Clavero, Ar- working youth camp there. The lady KCs held a very
gentina where she finds inspiration for her paintings; successful weekend in Lisbon last autumn for women
these can be seen on the Subud International Cultural helpers from the Zone, and it is planned to hold a series
Association Britain website. Delegates from each of kedjiwaan events for members, country by country,
country shared the realities in their countries. Spain, during the coming year, supported by the Zone KCs. >
AUGUST 2012 Page 11
Lastly we repeated the invitation to everyone to attend the European Gathering at Great Malvern, and a
number of people including two visitors from Germany
(Zone 4) said they are planning to come. The Netherlands is very flat, but also green and blissfully litter free,
and whole families can cycle in safety on the myriad
cycle ways. Disappointingly, I saw no old fashioned
windmills, but I can verify that the Dutch are very fond
of cheese!
Sonia Ray Int.Committee Councillor
•
Three extracts on forgiveness
When you do latihan and someone is crying, do you
ask why? You feel how that person is, and you feel that
he or she is in trouble. It is true. Well, you also cry, for
that person is like your own self. Yes, so how are you?
God wills us to be brothers to one another. Well, this
is how it is, so this latihan kejiwaan is really practical
and realistic. There is no need to be told what to do;
we can get along by ourselves, provided always that
we do not forget the power of God, which constantly
protects and envelops our lives.
This is how it is, brothers and sisters, and so Bapak
says that you should do enterprises. These will form a
bridge between you, so that you begin to be harmonious. Why is that, when we are being trained by God
to be harmonious in the latihan, we are not harmonious
in our daily lives? This is why Bapak is not really surprised or disappointed at the letters he receives. No, for
of course this is how it is. It is the usual thing, for you
do not as yet really understand. If you really understood and were aware of this, there would be no quarreling groups and no quarrels among the helpers, or
between helpers and committee members. There would
be none of this, for each would forgive the other and
each would value the other as a human being.
For the road to God, the road to heaven, will be trodden by people who are truly honest and truly human in
their behavior. They are people who can feel for their
fellow creatures; they help one another and respect one
another. These are the lessons taught in religion, brothers and sisters; not only in Islam but also in Christianity.
That is the reason why in Islam, at the end of the fast,
each asks the other for forgiveness both inner and outer.
They may or may not be sincere in doing this, but this
is how it really should be. If people wipe out and obliterate their sins, then they must not repeat them. Yet they
do repeat them, and they never cease to repeat them.
Well, this is how it is.
Bapak 79 LON 2
worship God, when we do latihan, we are in a state of
surrender and acceptance, so too, the result will be up
to God’s mercy. This is a test for a human being; that
is because God holds reality. If our efforts earn God’s
mercy, it will be a reality. So, this is an understanding
we have to have if we do latihan, because reality is in
God’s hands. So, do not keep looking for other ways.
Even though you have not got what you have been
looking for or hoping for, if God does not will that for
you, then you have to accept that. That is because, in
your acceptance, God will take other factors, other
considerations into account.
All the same, we still have to make an effort, because, in Subud, the latihan is not just for having fun,
for being happy, no. Instead, we have many experiences of hardship and suffering. Well, if, say we want
happiness, we will certainly be tested first with suffering. That is so a human being will know what it feels
like to be happy, and what it feels like to suffer.
Well, that is a reality that even the messengers of God
had to experience. So, if you are suffering, accept your
suffering. But do not forget God; ask God to forgive you.
Asking for forgiveness is very important. This is
why, when I test with you, I always include: How do
you ask God to forgive all your sins? Human beings
are never free of sin, from making mistakes. Do not
be ashamed – everything will come out in the latihan
– and do not be afraid. Most people are afraid to face
God by themselves. In truth, God appreciates a person
who asks for forgiveness, who asks for their sins to be
forgiven. So, get used to praying to God, to pray for
God’s blessing – ask God to forgive you. Well, do not
ask Bapak or ask me to forgive you. Of course, I will.
However, God will appreciate it more if you face God
yourself. By doing that, you will feel God’s closeness
– well, the closeness between you and God is not
something you can feel – it is a contact that comes
spontaneously.
Ibu Rahayu 2 BDO 1
The forgiveness and the mercy God grants to human
beings are not like what one person grants to another,
saying, for instance, "I forgive your sins". It is not like
that. Forgiveness from the One Almighty God, the
mercy of God to man, is joy and happiness, a state of
bliss.
Then you can find whatever is needed for your life,
so that whereas formerly your dull brain did not understand anything, yet because of the forgiveness of
the One Almighty God, because of the mercy of God,
your brain then becomes clever, becomes intelligent,
Turning now to the result, the reality. So, having done so that all sorts of things emerge from your mind that
latihan, having made an effort, you certainly want to can be used as equipment to make your life in this
know: What is the result? Nevertheless, since when we world secure.
Bapak 72MEX 1
AUGUST 2012 Page 12
•
WHAT’S ON GUIDE AUGUST 2012
Sun 5th South West
World Latihan
& Social day &
South West
Council Meeting
Sun 5th Highland
Sub-group
latihan
(1st Sunday
every month)
Bristol Subud Hall
Delia Whitbread
10.30 for 11am latihan
01179 081 051
Light testing and lunch
07719 489 152
Please bring food to share
Balloch Village Hall
Balloch Nr. Inverness
10.30 for 11am latihan
Solihin Roberts
01224 791 373
Subud Britain Congress
AUGUST 2012 Page 13
•
Hello Subud UK siblings...
Buy the NEW 2012 Directory at
Congress
Margaret and Ridwan
want to thank all the
Secretaries and Contacts in Groups and
Sub-Groups who
have patiently completed Census
Forms and
checked draft
pages for the new Directory.
Leonard and Hannah have kindly agreed to
stock copies on the SPI stall at our European
Gathering and Congress.
After Congress you can purchase a copy from
Margaret, whose contact details are: Margaret
Hughes, 1 Littledale, Knotty Ash, Liverpool L14
5PR, [email protected], 0151 228 3790.
Buy it at Congress for £6, or buy it later for
£6.50 (includes postage).
YES Quest at Congress
•
Are you thinking that the YES Quest is
just for young people?
Well, think again!
Yes Quests for young Subud members have been running now for ten years.
During this time we have often been approached by
older members who say, “it’s not just the young who
need to look at their life work and direction”.
They remind us that life changes: relationships break
up; children leave home; people have job changes.
They have told us that many adults would welcome the
opportunity to review their progress through life, revisit their talents and explore new directions.
So, we have deigned a YES Quest program for
adults. The first Adult YES Quest is planned for January 25th to February 4th, 2013 in Kalimantan.
Sound interesting? Then come along to a YES Quest
taster at Congress…
Part 1 • Monday 2 – 5pm and Part 2 •
Tuesday 2 – 5pm (you need to come to both)
There will also be a YES Quest playshop for young
people aged16 > 25 ‘Living MY Life’
Tuesday 10am – 1pm
•
Greetings and commiserations to all my brothers and
sisters in Subud Britain. Greetings, because as an
expat Londoner I suppose my heart has never truly left
those shores. Commiserations, because an invasion of
that “Green and pleasant land” by all those would-be
conquerors and the hangers on, connected with the
Olympic Games has been achieved in the name of
sport. Once, that is, that the coach drivers found their
way from the airport to the village with their troops.
However it’s an invasion that Hitler couldn’t achieve
in the name of Fascism even though we weren’t, militarily, so well prepared in those days. For instance, I
don’t recall my family being offered a surface to air
missile launcher for our roof, or a tank on our lawn.
Just an Anderson shelter. That’s right I was there – see
One Child’s War and if you don’t immediately recognize my name, then ask your parents, or even your
grandparents.
They might tell you that I was there when Coombe
Springs was the focal point for Subud in Britain. I was
there for the final skirmishes that saw it move out and
brush off its Gurdjieff affiliations by buying St Mathews Hall in the heart of the racially sensitive Notting
Hill area and establish Subud Central London. They
might remember, as I do, our dear Sikh member
Khalia, who ran the wee coffee bar and who used at
times to sit in the main lounge adjacent, cutting his toenails whilst he waited for customers.
They’ll all confirm that the 1960s was an exciting
period of development for Subud Britain, parallel to
something that was happening in the pop culture world.
Wonderful visits from Bapak to Europe and England
were the highlights of course, but for me, it was doubly
or trebly exciting as my wife Ardilah and I were
blessed with the birth of five of our six children. I also
became one of the first national helpers in the UK. But
I digress.
After a quite long spell overseas, working as a journalist and documentary filmmaker and acquiring a
Kiwi son, we came back to see the rise but not the fall
of Anugraha and for various periods of time, were
members of Maidenhead and Loudwater and later Canterbury, which has now morphed into Faversham.
Actually I might still be in that area now, but for
what I consider was an act of God and which inevitably, it seems, led me to writing a spate of works
of fiction. Fact is that in 1994, whilst working as editor
of a weekly current affairs programme for Worldwide
Television News, in Camden, my health collapsed.
Probably due to having to commute from Canterbury
to London daily, whilst running the gauntlet of IRA >
AUGUST 2012 Page 14
bomb threats and the wrong kind of snow on the rail
line, my days as a working journalist came to an abrupt
end. I won’t list all the symptoms I suffered from, but
from my point of view, the worst was an inability suddenly to find words to express myself. The mitochondria, or power house, of vital brain cells went into
pause.
Then followed one year of tests, all paid for by my
company and finally, three Harley Street medicos - a
heart specialist, the Queen’s, a neurologist and lastly a
psychiatrist, declared I had ME, or post-viral chronic
fatigue syndrome. The last advice I received was “go
to Australia and lie in the sun.” So I did.
About five years later, the words started to come
back, I edited a couple of Subud newsletters in Australia and then, one day, I received to write a book. The
result was Master Control, a lightly written spiritual
sci-fiction novel.
(Extract: where had he been? The questions invaded.
Had be been to the deepest realms of his own soul or
had he been to a place outside his body, outside of his
comprehension? Was there a difference, or were they
both the same?) Later came One Child’s War, a very
personal document and more
recently, I wrote Mr
Callaghan and the Asylum
Seeker, which is a novel
within a novel. So if you
like reading, all three can
be purchased for very little on Amazon.UK and
on Kindle. My next, by
the way is a satire on
political leaders, called
Born Liars. Meanwhile, have a terrific
Congress.
Hugh Hanafi Hayes
•
'Songs From an Armchair'
July 8th saw the launch of an independently-published
book that is a 'must-read' for anyone who fears the
onset of old age. 'Songs From an Armchair' is the
charming and inspiring story of how, against much resistance, a volunteer set up a Poetry Group at Wisma
Mulia, the Subud care home for the elderly.
Two years on she publishes the poetry constructed
by this group of nine indomitable women with a combined age of nearly 800 years, and reveals interviews
with each of the ladies about their astonishing lives,
and how they were surprised to find themselves learning about and writing poetry in their 80s and 90s.
Wisma Mulia, England.
Some of these ladies have become fine performance
artists and read expressively, cheekily, amusingly, as
each poem demands, describing life in another era,
from liberty bodices to the art of wearing perfume.
All profits from 'Songs From an Armchair' go directly to the benefit of the care home in question.
Please feel free to contact Stephanie Smith (the volunteer in question) at Wisma Mulia or visit
www.songsfromanarmchair.co.uk
•
International Subud Poetry Anthology –
Call for submissions
I have been reading and listening to poetry by my
Subud brothers and sisters for years and there is no
doubt in my mind that we are getting better and
better at it.
I’d like to celebrate this by putting together an
anthology of poetry by Subud members from all
over the world.
I invite you to send me three of your best poems
along with a brief biography.
I hope to have the anthology sequenced, edited,
checked, designed and printed some time next year,
well before the World Congress in Mexico.
Please email your poems to me at: [email protected].
Deadline: end of 2012.
Thank you.
Emmanuel Williams
This project is sponsored by SICA International.
SIHA Programme at Congress
SIHA Members coming together to share
MAKING THE CONNECTIONS
to our Health, Healing, Life and Death
Go to www.subud.org.uk to download
Full Congress Programme – AUGUST 2012
AUGUST 2012 Page 15
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Subud Britain Archives at
Congress 2012
Come to our workshop "Subud Britain Archives a long year's update; much more to come"...
Purpose: to update and report on progress; discuss needs; receive your ideas, suggestions and
feedback.
On: Saturday 25th August; time & venue to be
confirmed
** Watch the Congress programme for details! **
AUGUST 2012 Page 16