Archive: August, 2017

Susila Dharma USA’s Vision and Work

The vision of Susila Dharma USA is a world where all people are held sacred, and able to live fulfilled and satisfying lives. This vision springs from our passionate belief that by empowering individuals, communities will be strengthened to create a better world for all.

SD USA supports 22 projects, seven within the United States, with others around the rest of the world. We work closely with the Susila Dharma International Association (SDIA), and partner with other Non-Governmental Organizations such as Oxfam, The United Nations and World Vision. You can learn more about our ground breaking, unique and exciting projects on our website, or our Facebook Page

The Women Worldwide Initiative (TWWI) leadership team in New York City.

TWWI empowers women and girls living in the poorest and most marginalized communities to strengthen their agency and improve their well-being. Read more…

Sharing Performance Arts at Regional Congress

Rosana Schutte assembled the performers andelegantly hosted a diverse range of Subud talent for an hour and a half of entertainment on Saturday evening at the Regional Congress in Santa Barbara.

The opening act offered a powerful glimpse of the turmoil in Venezuela, as captured in a dance by Trina Frometa. Tina, a new member at the Walnut Creek Center, is from Caracas, where her family is living through the a period of terrible privation and violence.

 

 

Cherie Valarey and Howard Richmond (left)  wove a moving piano/vocal improvisation around the text of a Bapak talk, which supported the Congress theme “begin, begin, begin….”

Later, Cherie showed the full and exquisite range of her voice with two dazzling operatic arias and Howard performed two of his evocative compositions for solo piano.

 

 

Susan Van Winkle and Elizabeth Trudell (below) sang a duet from Mendelssohn’s “Hymn of Praise.”

 

Halimah Collingwood (below) joined forces with Elizabeth for a capella versions of a folk tune by Leadbelly and a jingle to highlight the SES MyCoolCap project.

Emmanuel Williams gave dramatic flair to odes to a cow AND to a frog from his book of animal poems. (below):

 

 

 

 

Laksar Reese changed the vibe with some cool latin jazz on the saxophone and flute (below).

According to the Old Sage: Story 1

by Hani’a Abrams

For the past few months I’ve been revisiting various translations of one of my favorite wisdom books, the Tao Te Ching, because of a gentle but persistent impulse to relate (not translate!) in my own words the first book, the book of Tao.

I do not know what caused this impulse to arise as it did, sneaking itself in here and there between my daily doings, and I paused whenever I could in my daily doings took out my iphone to read and feel and contemplate and write and contemplate some more, and feel something else, go back to reading, wonder, ponder,  write some more, furl my brow, grunt, sigh, raise an eyebrow, make myself find another translation, exasperate over contradictions of translations, flip a coin to see which translation to go with, make something up, if I didn’t like it replace with something else, (also made up) indulge in feeling clever, doubt my intelligence, throw away the temptation to be clever (kind of), marvel at my ableness to connect to wisdom’s guidance (is that what is was?) and so on and so forth, mostly in that order, but also every which way but loose!

It was a challenging and enjoyable experience, very much like a jazz musician (I imagine) searching through improvisation the ‘right notes and phrases’ to give a fresh and personal take on a classic piece of music while keeping true to something essential. It took a while and I cannot claim success but I like what resulted and am sharing with you.

There is something in us that recognizes music without our ever having to ‘learn’ what music is. This experience has shown me perhaps the same can be said of wisdom! Hopefully in my ‘improvising’ here and there, I did not stray too far from what the Old Sage intended!

Love, Hani’a

P.S. in the photo, for those who can’t tell the difference, I’m imbibing oolong tea, not rice wine!

Story #1

The Way, hasn’t a story.

The Story, hasn’t a title.

That which is without story is the Origin of Heaven and Earth.

The Story is the Infinite Dance of the Myriad Appearances.

One who is ‘desireless’, may come to know ‘The Storyless’;

One full of desire ought learn well how to dance!

‘The Storyless’ and ‘The Dance’ …are they not one?

Gentle contemplation of this question is a Gateway to the  Mystery of Mysteries.

2018 World Congress: Lodging and Local Transportation

The latest issue of the World Congress Newsletter offered these tips about finding lodging and using transportation around Freiburg:

The official Freiburg website www.freiburg.de offers a tourism sector at http://www.freiburg.de/pb/,Lde/225797.html, where one learns about the city and its attractions and can also book accommodation.

You can also check Use www.airbnb.de and homeaway.com to find private rental apartments in and around Freiburg.

Ms Kerstin Schultheis at the Freiburg Tourism Office is the point of contact for all accommodation enquiries for the World Congress. She can offer information about all types of hotels, bed and breakfast arrangements, holiday apartments and apartments in general in Freiburg and the immediate surroundings. Reach her at Kerstin Schultheis, Freiburg Tourism Office, Tel.: +4976138811444,  kerstin.schultheis@fwtm.de.

The World Congress begins on Saturday 28th of July 2018 and continues until Wednesday 8th of August 2018. Arrival date is 27 July 2018 and departure date is 9 August 2018.

The location of the World Congress is the “Freiburg Trade Fair” located at Europaplatz 1, 79108 Freiburg, Germany. http://www.messe.freiburg.de

Check for availability of public transport to the “Messe Freiburg” Trade Fair grounds with the hotel or apartment managers. Nearby communities around Freiburg are well connected and often offer affordable accommodation. There will be reasonably priced local transport tickets available for Congress participants. We are working on an overview of all available accommodation offers, especially with respect to backpacking travellers and campers.

Excitement Builds for 2018 World Congress

Submitted by Kenneth Clark

“It’s going to be a magical Congress,” declared a member of the Subud World Congress organizing team, speaking to a crowded room in a hotel in the south of Greece, on the edge of the Mediterranean. And, as other members of the team spoke, perhaps some early Congress magic wafted into the meeting. Excitement and anticipation were certainly present, too.

On July 6 – 11, Subud Zone 4 held a zonal meeting at a stunning resort in Halkidiki, Greece. More than 150 members from at least 20 countries attended, with delegates from about 12 countries present. The World Congress organizing team attended in force using this time to continue Congress planning, to liaise with delegates, and to report on their progress. The team is comprised of volunteers, most with day jobs, and they have been working hard for many months now.

The World Congress will be held in Freiburg, Germany from July 28 – August 8, 2018.  Freiburg is a beautiful town in Southwest Germany, with a medieval old town and a wealth of cultural activities. It is surrounded by beautiful hiking country, with excellent transportation links to the local area, to Europe, and to the rest of the world. Congress organizers have arranged transportation passes for Congress attendees that will permit travel within a 20 kilometer area, at a cost of 1 Euro a day.

Organizers anticipate that more than 3,000 Subud members will attend. The registration site will be on-line in a few months. A very wide variety of hotels and other accommodations will be available, which attendees will be responsible for booking directly. The City of Freiburg is making available to Subud a former refugee center that will  house 400 persons at a very nominal cost.

Congress events will be held at a large exhibition center in the middle of Freiburg, called “Messe Freiburg.” The latihan halls are huge and will be available 24/7 for kejiwaan activities. Outdoor spaces close to the halls also will be open around the clock.

The theme of the Congress will be “one Subud.” Consistent with this theme, the venue for children’s activities and care will centrally located in the Congress site. Teenagers will be integrated and embraced, with some great program offerings and outings in the planning stages. Of course, aside from latihans and Subud work, many activities and outings will be offered.

The Congress team is working on the Congress website, which will be widely  publicized when it is put on-line. Registrations fees and other details will be announced later this year. Please register as soon as you can when the site goes live – registration by as many as possible, as soon as possible will really help the Congress team with cash flow and planning. Along with early registration, the Congress team, in their presentation at the zonal meeting in Greece, also requested our continuing love, support, and prayers to help them do the best job possible.