by Farrah Karapetian, posted on Facebook by Hamidatun Karapetian
Remembering Aswan Karapetian
Archive: August, 2019
Remembering Hadrian Fraval
Robiyan Easty offered this tribute to Hadrian Fraval, who passed away due to a heart attack on August 7th (posted on the Subud around the World Facebook group).
Yesterday Hadrian Fraval, a very dear brother, passed over to the world beyond. May God grant great strength and guidance to his wife Halina and all the children to bear the physical loss of such a special person.
We are all special in some way, but for me, Hadrian is an extra special person, both as a human being and in his sincerity, generosity and hard work for Subud over four decades. Hadrian’s was the only enterprise making a substantial contribution to the WSA in recent times, saving it from canceling important activities. He will be gratefully remembered by many as the sponsor of the 100k enterprise competition in Freiburg. And he will be fondly remembered by many as an International Helper for Zone 1+2, not just once but but for two four year periods.
Let’s go back to the beginning. In the ’70s Hadrian was chair of Loudwater group during the rebuilding of the farmhouse into a superb Sudud venue. The many willing members did all but the most specialised work with their own hands, learning the trades as they went. It took us more than 3 years of weekends. At the tail end of this period we converted a former school near Loudwater into 6 flats, of which Hadrian had one and I also, a project ably led by Maxwell Fraval without advantage to himself. The bonds formed were never broken as we later fanned out all over the world.
Hadrian went to Melbourne to run Rofin Australia, a laser and optics company, which had been started by his father as an agency of Rofin UK, which itself had been started by Hanafi Fraval and partners. Rofin UK was eventually taken over, while Rofin Australia prospered under Hadrian’s management.
Then the circle closed again. In 2010-14 Hadrian and I worked together again as directors of WSA, he as the rep for Zone 1+2 . We had an unusual degree of togetherness on this hardworking WSC, with Hadrian’s experience as an IH ever present.
God speed dear brother. I am sad for us, but happy for you in the certainty that you did all that you needed to do here and will continue to be very active in the Great Life.
Subud art on display at the 2019 Regional Congress
The Grace Gallery/Gift Shop was located in a spacious room with lots of natural light, just down the hall from the main meeting room space. Books, handcrafted foods, paintings, art prints, ceramics, ornamental gourds, watercolors and much more were on display.
Coffee & tea service and a seating area were available just outside the gallery, providing some fuel to keep attendees going throughout the day.
Shape Subud California’s Future
The new Regional Committee is seeking a Secretary, Treasurer, and 2020 Congress Chair. Each performs a key role in serving the needs of Subud CA members.
The Secretary and Treasurer serve two-year terms as members of the Executive Committee, along with the Chair and Vice-chair. They participate in committee and council meetings and vote on Committee and Council decisions.
The Congress Chair serves a one-year term and attends Council meetings as a non-voting member.
Responsibilities by role:
- Secretary: Participate in and report the decisions of the Council through minutes of the meetings. May also have oversight for committee and council meeting logistics meetings, preparing and distributing documents, etc.
Treasurer: Provide direction for the Region’s financial needs. Develop fundraising programs, recommendations for budget allocations, and long term financial planning. Provide support and guidance to center and group treasurers as needed.
- 2020 Congress Chair: Recruit and lead the 2020 team to plan and implement aspects including registration, program, liaison with regional helpers, and onsite logistics. Additional details are available HERE.
Each role offers a wonderful opportunity to work with and learn from others and to make a gift of your time and talents to work of Subud.
Contact Luqman Katz at luqmankatz@yahoo.com to learn more.
Local initiative: a Sierra Community Center
by Sulfiati Harris
We are working to transform the Sierra School in Badger, closed for many years, into a community center. It all began with a discussion in May of 2018 between me and a local man, the grandfather of two girls who came to Camp Badger. I told him of the ideas that the Mertens and I had been having. It turned out that he was still on the board of the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School district that owned the school, and he said he would bring it to the next School Board meeting. That surprised me.
After this, the superintendent of the school district, Yolanda Valdez, came up to meet with us in Badger and we went over to tour the school. I had never been inside the building and was excited to see that it was even better than I had imagined.
Around this time, Amelia and Emmanuel Williams moved to Badger and this was key to the project. Amelia, with her strong background in working with local government agencies and nonprofits, brings what I don’t have. I fly high and she grounds me. Together we are a much more balanced team. And, wouldn’t you know it, we were both born on April 17!
In May we sent out postcards to everyone in the local area to invite them to community meetings at the beginning of June. In June, the school district approved our plan, pending the set up of our own 501-c-3 nonprofit. From the community meetings, we developed committees to set up the nonprofit entity (Amelia) and for fundraising (Sulfiati). We will meet again in August to draft and approve the contract between the community center and the school district.
The exciting thing is that we are working with local people from all the various groups in this rural area and the school district to create this center that will benefit everyone. We have been able to bring together disparate parts of this isolated community: ranchers, Hare Krishna devotees, a group of retired NASA scientists, artists, church people, and what the locals call the “Subuds”. We few Subud members are guided and inspired by the latihan and by the love that is at the center of that experience. We are being given the tools and the way to work together in an amazing way, and doors are falling open for the project. I find it quite astounding!
One of the local people in Badger has set up a Go Fund Me account. More information about the history of the project is on our website: https://www.
We had an Amazing Congress!
Or, what I learned serving on the Regional Committee as Vice-chair over the last two years,
by Matthew Cooke
1. CALIFORNIA IS AWESOME
As the CA region, we are mighty — one of the strongest in the world in human and capital resources. Consider the miracle that was our CA congress where we:
• unanimously elected a new chair AND vice-chair
• restored a beautiful position dedicated to connecting our “center-less” members
• agreed how to incorporate varying views on the development at the Marin Center
• reconstituted our Property Management Committee (PMC)
• reconstituted our Property Management Committee (PMC)
• created a new working group to focus on long term development opportunities
As a unified region, we have an incredible opportunity.
2. THE HELPERS ARE THE PIONEERS OF A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION
Bapak advised us it was through our works (large scale charitable endeavors) that Subud would spread in the world. Not by claims or words.
If our IH’s and NH’s have a strong and consistent connection to our RH’s and local helpers, then all of Subud could feel as one with a global purpose to be of benefit to the world, rather than unconnected isolated groups existing for themselves.
Our CA chair reminded us of this and that the kejiwaan is in front.
3, COMMUNICATION & DELEGATION
The work of the Region’s subcommittees for Property Management, Congress Development and Community Resources has been and continues to be invaluable in ever-improving organizational management and operations and consistency of information. From this, we have a huge opportunity to continue to build.
If we are able to maintain clear communications with each other, our delegates, our council, our groups, as well as reach up to the National and International levels we can continue to bring our feeling and efforts closer together to greater effect.
This is doable at the size we now are and being small is to our advantage in setting precedent. The newly harmonious development project in Marin is one that sets the stage.
4, THE COMMITTEE, EXPERTS & ENTERPRISE
Bapak encouraged our committees to appoint experts to oversee enterprises both for ourselves and to fulfill our purpose in the world.
“...we should have a consultative body in Subud comprised of experts in every field of enterprise. These will be the people who can show the way – the sifat – and set the example…”
~ 82 TYO 1
“the enterprises are not just for the benefit of the people who do them, but they are also for the needs of Subud… …we have already received the Latihan Kejiwaan… All we need to do is to put it into practice. And this, the putting it into practice, is through enterprises….” ~ 77 YVR 3
“Because the strength of Subud materially is very much dependent on the progress of enterprises and this is very much the responsibility of the committees.” ~ 77 YVR 3
At the CA congress, we started with our needs and greatest material resource — in the category of real estate.
We have a lot of building and property experts including the world-famous architect Antoine Predock, whose name would attach incredible prestige to any worthy project. Susannah Rosenthal also has a fascinating concept with her Tiny Homes project. And there are others.
The new Subud Center Development Group can, when appropriate, consider involving other regions (and the nation) in more coordinated efforts.
All the US regional chairs have a regular meeting. The balance of involving more of the right qualified people from local to international levels in the way Bapak advised — has the effect of uniting us in ways we haven’t seen and proving the Subud miracle of harmony in both feeling and tangible results.
5. OUR ROLE IN BAPAK’S GLOBAL VISION
If the CA Region understands how the national and global structure was intended to work we can help inspire and influence it — uniting with the other regions and helping the nation to develop and mirror what we’re doing.
We can also invite the national committee (as is appropriate) to participate with our endeavors with clarity and purpose having an impact locally and nationally in the right way.
This “authority and oversight” must of course be balanced with respecting and benefiting from the resources of regional and local efforts.
We have proof in this CA congress that if we are patient we actually move faster. If we let go of personal ego, we can see the bigger picture, that our efforts locally, regionally and beyond are for Subud as a whole in the world, not for our individual selves or local groups alone.
Hence the beautiful prayer for hearts as wide as the ocean.
With so much admiration, love, respect and gratitude,
Matthew Cooke, Subud CA Vice-chair, August 2017- August 2019
Meet the New Regional Chair
by Luqman Katz
At 21 yrs old, I hitchhiked 3000 miles from New York to Carmel Valley, CA. Why? I was going to attend SFAI, the art institute. A friend told me of this spiritual group called “Soyo” (so I thought). Well, turns out it was called Subud. Anyone hear of it? It was love at first experience and 50 years later, here I still stand.
I eventually moved to London for a masters degree program in sculpture. There, I was a member of the Islington Group (at the time, there were over 10 Subud centers in the Greater London area). I was chairman there for a term, and half of the committee members were Americans!
Five years later, back in the states with a family and no means of support, I joined up with the Subud enterprise in Carmel Valley and learned cabinet making and carpentry. And this is what I did for the next 40 years. It was a delight, really. It fulfilled my creative bent and I learned to let my hands do the thinking for me. You know, it’s a what are your hands for kind of deal, and it works!
Recently, I have been the Chair of the Los Angeles Wilshire Center, helping develop new tenants, who have brought income to fund needed repairs to the building.
As your regional chair for these next two years, I would like to experience a return to the main reason we are all in this thing, the Latihan. Raphaela Riparetti (our new vice-chair) and I had a lunch meeting with our Regional Helpers about this and they couldn’t agree more. So, while we trudge through all the t crossing and i dotting, we’d like to emphasize the work of our helpers. I would love to have them travel more to visit all of you and to hold kejiwaan days up and down our coast.
Mo’ money and mo’ money will emerge to facilitate this, God willing and Amen!!!!!!
Pictured above: Luqman shows the new LA Roof to Farah Hess (then Chair of the Region’s Property Management Committee)
Meet the New Regional Vice-chair
by Raphaela Riparetti
After an applicant period of well over a year, I was opened at a UK national Congress in Bideford during the summer of 2000. Never during this time of waiting did I have any doubt that Subud was for me and that has remained the case these last 19 years. My parents were in Subud a number of years before I joined but never told me anything about it nor did they bring my siblings and me to any Subud events. This seems to be related to the fact that as children and young adults they both were forced by their families into pretty tight religious straight jackets.
Therefore, they decided to give their kids utter religious/spiritual freedom, to the point that this part of life was hardly mentioned (but the content of their spirituality expressed in loving parenting!). It’s interesting to note here that my most astonishing and life-changing experiences in Latihan have been very directly Christ related which, despite the different form, has given me a real sense of closeness to my strict protestant lineage. Life is very comical that way.
I’ve been a part of the Amsterdam, Lewes, Brighton, Central London, Rungan Sari, Utrecht, and now Santa Barbara groups. I met my husband, Owen Riparetti, at the Innsbruck World Congress and we now have 2 daughters, Alexandra (6) and Halima (very nearly 5). I served as group chair in Utrecht, and have been a helper in Santa Barbara the last few years.
Soon after moving to CA in 2009, I once organized a Subud CA congress at Joshua Tree together with Harlan Gleeson and a number of others, which was a blast. By the time the congress came around, I remember experiencing such a feeling of bliss, and when I looked off into the desert sky through the wall of the Latihan hall, I saw Bapak and his party approaching. It was an incredible blessing to have those experiences.
I thank God for everything I have been allowed to receive on my journey through life with the help of the Latihan. These gifts are extraordinary and it is hard to paraphrase what exactly I am grateful for because it is so endless and multifaceted. Because of all of this, it is easy to find the willingness to serve the Subud CA community in my newly accepted role as vice-chair. I am asking for all the Divine help that will be needed to do a good job at the tasks that will come on my path!
Kokopelli Gourd by Edie Simone
Parting thoughts for the Subud California Council and members
by Robert Mertens, Chair, Subud California, August 2015-August 2019
It has been a pleasure to serve with you during my second term over the last 2 years.
My tenure has given me opportunities to exercise all of the 5 styles of “Co-active Leadership” at different times and in different situations. Sometimes I have adopted a particular leadership style intentionally and sometimes unconsciously.
I highlight these leadership roles with examples below to show my belief that accomplishment today rests more with small groups of people working together than with heroic “White Knights” commanding a charge onto a field of battle…. or, for that matter with our large institutions.
Pointing to new directions where possibilities live and common ground exists.
An example is our initiation (with Matthew Cooke coordinating) of the Subud APP project that is now in the hands of Sebastian Medina (our WSA Information Technologies manager). It can eventually become a platform for better worldwide Subud communication, useful and suitable to our current moment, especially younger people.
Matthew has told me that the project is temporarily stalled due to lack of money at WSA. I see it being completed as we completed the most difficult part of this new venture: overcoming resting inertia and moving into action. It will give a big boost to the pleasure and usefulness we all can have in connecting with each other around the world. Many paradigm changes in communication begin in California.
Co-equal cooperation with team members to produce a result. Working with our council, executive director, and committees we help lubricate the wheels of council decision, we are bringing forth our shared wisdom so that most decisions made by the council are either unanimous or nearly so. And, we are maintaining an atmosphere of collegiality and respect through differences of opinion.
Leader from behind
Occurs when a member of Subud, whether on behalf of the regional body, a center, or an idea, seeks support and it is given. Big oaks from little acorns grow.
In my 52 years in Subud chairman roles, I observe that ideas that become real start with 1 or 2 people. We gradually gather others around us as our ideas and projects gather steam.
In the role of Leader From behind, I am encouraging our Marin group and our region to co-develop our property there:
- To find community partners in projects such as ecological education (on the part of our property that is a “riparian” environment).
- To proceed on a path that can create affordable housing.
- To bring together workshop leaders in health and wellness practices such as yoga, energy work, and other natural healing modalities.
- To become a center of therapies for veterans to help them heal from the wounds of war.
I am also encouraging Rachmat Martin to work with our new PMC to institute solar power in centers such as San Diego, Santa Cruz and LA where it may be practical, and set an example that Subud is a leader among spiritual institutions in renewable energy.
Leader From the Field
The atmosphere of our time calls for intuition as we proceed. I believe that we are in the final stages of the “win or lose” and battle mentality that can dominate our hearts and minds.
To survive as a human race we now need to “change ourselves, to change the world”. We need to build bridges and take down walls. I am advocating that our regional helpers find ways to strengthen our unity and harmony by scheduling more between congress events and center visits.
I also propose that we reinstitute fundraising in California to better support helper and committee work here and at the national level. We will need a new vision for our members, identifying what can we now do differently to better “Put it Into Practice”. To do this, we can focus on bringing forth the entrepreneurial spirit:
- We can cooperate in bringing forth the entrepreneurial spirit.
- We can seed and encourage “Centerprise” initiatives that will generate continuing and expanding revenue streams, not only for California but also beyond.
Leader From Within
The place of intuition and inner guidance may often require quiet and a relaxed body and alert mind to function. The Latihan is giving each of us new opportunities to be with each other in a continually new and surprising way. It opens a way unexpectedly when there seems to be no way. When a new way opens up, a 3rd and 4th option appear, when before there seemed to be only 2.
Varindra Vittachi was our first Subud world chair (and continued for 25 years). He didn’t like the job and kept trying to get out of it every 4 years when we had our world congresses.
In fact he hid out away from the congress site at the beginning of our 2nd world congress in Briarcliff. He knew that Bapak would appoint him to continue for another term if he showed up. His strategy didn’t work however, because Bapak sent someone to retrieve him and bring him to the congress site. Bapak then chose him to continue as world chair every succeeding 4 years until Bapak died in 1987. May God bless them both.
I’m telling this story of Bapak and Varindra because of 2 famous sayings of Varindra and a story told of a member’s experience with Bapak that shed light on the Leader From Within.
Bapak: A member came to Bapak with a problem asking for advice. Bapak gave him advice. The member went home and dreamed. Bapak came to him in his dream and gave him the opposite advice. The member went back to Bapak and said “Bapak; you gave me this advice and then you came to me in a dream and gave me the opposite advice. What should I do?” Bapak: “Follow the advice of the inner Bapak.”
At the end of my second term as California chair, my committee and advisors were split as to what we should do in Marin. Quite a number of opinions and emotions were being expressed, with no consensus as to how the region should act and what we should do together.
A couple of months earlier I had asked Matthew, “What is our common ground? He said, “We love Subud”. When Bapak was asked, “What is Subud?.” He replied that the Subud members are Subud. “You are Subud.”
By the end of our July 19th Council meeting a consensus involving everyone’s input was realized. We are Subud.
May God bless each of you in your lives, our new committee, and all of us as we bring Subud into the future together.
Love and Blessings, Robert
