One of the first goals Levana and I have set for ourselves is to visit all the Subud California centers. Our hope is to meet as many members as possible and understand each center’s successes, challenges, and aspirations. Visit are scheduled to Sacramento and Marin on October 8- 9, and to Sonoma and Santa Cruz on October 22-23. We plan visits later to San Diego, Palo Alto and Arcata.
We also want to share a vision of where we are now as a Region, what we need to do immediately and over the coming two or three years, and how to look at the next five or more years if we are to be in healthy and sustainable state.
We very much look forward to visiting you all.
NOTE: Our four new Regional Committee members were announced in August and September. If you missed those messages, you can review their brief biographies HERE.
Our dear brother Mashuri Warren passed away on February 14, 2022, in his home with his family around him. He had been living with Parkinson’s disease for a number of years, although he continued to be active with the Walnut Creek Subud Center.
A long time Subud member, Mashuri was very involved in supporting Subud California’s development during the early days of the Region. He also served many years as a helper, first with the Marin Subud Center and then with Walnut Creek Center. He leaves his beloved wife, Rahima Warren, and children from a prior marriage.
Mashuri’s life in the world included attaining a PhD in Plasma Physics from UC Berkeley and a career including 10 years as an Environment Staff Scientist for Energy Environment at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
Those will knew and worked with him over the years will have fond memories. Please share your stories and thoughts about Mashuri in the comment box below.
Walnut Creek Center members gathered in 2021 (left to right): Rahima Warren, Priscilla Couden, Henrietta Haines, Hannah Kusterer, Mashuri Warren, Frank Dill, Henry Couden, and Mary Weikert
Remembering Faridah Brock
Faridah Brock passed away on August 11, 2021.
She was living in San Anselmo, and was a long time Subud member of the Marin Center, as well as a participant in the San Francisco group. She is pictured here at her wedding to Lucas.
Faridah served as chairperson of Subud Marin in the 1970s and negotiated with the city of San Anselmo to post the first street sign indicating the directions to the Marin Subud Center.
She’ll be remembered as a bright, inquisitive and beautiful woman.
Thanks to Rasjidah Franklin and Rachman Cantrell for this remembrance. To share your own thoughts or memories of Faridah, please enter your text using the comment box below.
My Sojourn with Subud
by Gareth Loy, Subud California at Marin
I was in the last semester of my senior year at San Francisco State, preparing to travel that summer to India in the Peace Corps, when a girl I had met at a Methodist summer camp in high school unexpectedly showed up in a college course on world religions I’d signed up for.We were both so struck by the synchronicity of finding ourselves in the same class years after having completely lost touch that we stopped after class to catch up.
We’d had a brief adolescent romantic fling, but she explained that she was presently living with her boyfriend while she finished college. We agreed that I’d come to their apartment that Friday evening to meet him and renew our acquaintance.
I was born a Methodist preacher’s kid, yet despite this unpromising beginning I had demonstrated an early and earnest interest in religion and spirituality — which I suppose explains the Methodist summer camp studying theology and the above-mentioned class in world religions. She was the daughter of a mathematics professor — also not so promising a beginning, but her clever, energetic, and quixotic free spirit had attracted me. Yet this latest phase of our relationship would turn out even wilder and more interesting than the first.
I will skip over most of it, except to note that the era was the mid 1960’s, and the location was the Haight-Ashbury… need I say more? But the most enduring outcome of that renewed friendship came when she disclosed to me that she’d joined an Indonesian spiritual organization that she thought I might be interested in. She said they met two evenings a week in an upstairs room they rented at California Hall on Polk Street, and I could come along with her, sit outside in the adjoining cloakroom, and listen to their goings-on if I were interested. Captivated by this exotic mystery, I quickly agreed.
Of course you probably have a good idea of what I heard at California Hall the night I went. To me, the sounds coming through the walls testified to a deep, intimate expression of intense spiritual devotion moving freely and directly among the participants. It lit me on fire: I realized that here at last was a way I might break through the thick crust that seemed to cover over and block access to my deepest self. Of course I’d had glimpses — weeks at a time of spiritually elevated states in adolescence that would come and then steal away as mysteriously as they’d arrived. And of course the Haight-Ashbury had taught me the hard way what we all now know about getting high: it’s like a tourist visa to paradise — but it expires, and when you inevitably come down again you are not necessarily better off. But I’d just been introduced to a practice that could seemingly invoke those same depths at will! I had to join.
My three months applicant period flew effortlessly by and I was then ushered into the room with the rest in order to be “opened”. But opening up was not easy. When I eventually began to feel movement I questioned it wondering, “Am I just making this up?” Fortunately, the answer came immediately: “Yes, you are just making this up. And what you uncover in the process is your true Self. And this action is called worship.” So I surrendered to what moved in me, and, for my diligence, was eventually ushered into an inner sanctum of serenity and insight.
I was shell-shocked and culture-shocked when I returned home from the Peace Corps. I was physically and emotionally demolished by what I’d lived through, yet I still faced the prospect of the Draft and Vietnam. I had no vision for my life beyond surviving. So I threw myself into the Latihan with a kind of fevered desperation, looking for healing and a sense of direction. Eventually, I found I had everything I needed to face and overcome these obstacles and find my true purpose.
I continued practicing the Latihan faithfully, lived in a Subud house near the Panhandle, studied Subud literature, and diligently attended all events where Bapak spoke in California. In fact, when he came to San Francisco I recorded his talks on tape and mailed them to Indonesia. I remember touring the building Marin Subud eventually bought, and I remember testing with them the prospect of assuming the administration of a Nature Conservancy property somewhere near Sears Point. Sometime after Marin Subud split off from San Francisco, I moved to Fairfax and practiced for a while in Marin.
Later I practiced Latihan in Palo Alto while I pursued a doctorate in music at Stanford. But I stopped when the university where I’d been hired to teach had no Subud center nearby, and the demands of family and career took over.
That was about 40 years ago. Countless times I’ve driven past the Marin Subud sign and felt a familiar tug. I promised myself I would find my way back in retirement — which I achieved only just last month. Of course there is much more to tell. If you would like to hear some of my music, below is a recent commission piece I wrote for viola and ‘cello.
Note: this post was originally published in the Marin Center newsletter from May 2021.
Remembrances of Isaac Goff
This article was first published in the Marin Subud Center Newsletter and is reprinted here with permission.
How fortunate we are that we knew Isaac, that he was a part of and cared deeply for our Subud group.
I hope you will enjoy the below tributes to Isaac as much as I have. Isaac not only touched the lives of people all around the world–a few of who write below–he worked directly to help save the lives of 300 (and counting) young children in Bolivia in need of heart surgery. A remarkable thing.
—Meldan Heaslip
Renee Goff said: In all the years we were together, Isaac always tried to follow the tenets of SUBUD and Bapak’s advice. He wasn’t perfect, but he was a good man, husband, father, friend and employer. And he had a really good sense of humor which made up for any minor shortcomings. And I miss him.”
Isaac & Renee. Photo by Rachman Cantrell.
From Peter Filippelli ~ Isaac! A mountain of a man. A man with a sense of the future. A man with the knack of how to make ten cents into a dollar. A successful business man. Not only was he successful but he used this talent to advance Subud and particularly Subud Marin.
Aside from this unique talent, he was my warm and loyal brother. A man who, despite an occasional doubt about Subud, stayed faithful to Subud and Bapak. To his end, he professed a deep commitment to the latihan.
He accepted his coming death with grace and surrender. He told me during recent phone calls that he thanked God for his success and family. He knew he was dying but accepted this with surrender. I remember telling him that he was an example as to how to face death. I confessed to him that when it was my time I would probably break down in tears and act like a spoilt child: I don’t want to go. He laughed and actually comforted me despite his angst.
God bless my dear brother. I will miss you deeply.
Isaac & Peter. Photo by Rachman Cantrell.
From Miftah Leath ~ I first met Isaac when I was 19, cleaning house for Vivana Brodey, who introduced us. I was not yet in Subud, but Vivana made sure I got invited to all the social gatherings, and at that time I could sit outside the latihan before being opened. Subud Berkeley rented the Val Bovie ballet studio for sequential latihans. The women went first. I loved the image of all these big men loitering outside a ballet studio, hanging by the curb smoking cigarettes, waiting to go in for latihan.
Isaac had just opened his yarn shop on University Avenue and I started buying yarn from him. He and I had a compatible sense of humor–a comfortable wise-guy way of talking to each other. He was a kind of indulgent older brother and I was a sassy little sister. He was always patient and seemed very wise to me, and his business succeeded and grew. Vivana was into astrology at one time and told me Isaac had many planets in Taurus, and that his chart had a large influence on his business acumen. He told me once, not that he particularly loved business, but that he was good at it and he may as well do that as anything else. Later in life he would share the other things he was good at, like his beautiful photography.
It seemed to me that if God wanted to make something happen on earth, God would just have to grab onto Isaac and pull to make things in the material world move. He was a monumental presence in my Subud life, one I thought would always be around. He was my big brother, and I will miss him.
Isaac at his store, Dharma Trading, in Berkeley @ 1969. Photo by Rachman Cantrell.
From Reynold Weissinger ~ I moved with my family to Marin from San Francisco in 1969, a year after the Marin Subud group was started. I think Isaac moved from Berkeley a few months later, perhaps just after we bought the Subud house.
He was a happy addition to the group, energetic with a great sense of humor. Soon after, he moved his business, Dharma Trading, to San Rafael. Marin was a close group at that time, and we did everything together. A number of us who lived in Fairfax, including Isaac, would meet at the bakery after work for coffee. There were frequent activities to raise funds, like dinners, rummage sales, a successful film series and a music festival.
After purchasing the Subud House in San Anselmo we had many work parties. Isaac was a fixture at these events. When we decided to remove some pavement for a planter, Isaac was on the jackhammer. A very unpleasant job that took hours. He also became a helper. And married Renee! A beautiful wedding.
About 1973, Isaac, Yohannan Kalisher and Juan Lorenzo Hinojosa started an enterprise called Dharma Mercantile, to manufacture jewelry. The business took off and eventually employed about 50 Subud members. It attracted many new people to our group, which grew to two hundred members. One of the largest Subud groups in the world, and we had many international visitors, including Bapak and his family.
The last time I saw Isaac we met at the Marin Subud house to discuss major remodeling and repairs. I knew he was having health problems. This was one more thing he wanted to take care of, facing an uncertain future. We both loved that place, filled with so much history and so many happy memories. We were friends for 50 years. He will be missed.
Isaac breaks it down. Photo by Rachman Cantrell.
From Rachman Cantrell ~ I thought of Isaac as eternal in this physical realm and never suspected he could actually leave it. Isaac was an impressive presence and had a huge impact on the material development of Subud. He started a number of Subud enterprises over the years involving many members along with his main business Dharma Trading Company, which is still going strong.
Isaac is kind of an unsung hero. He did not put himself forward but worked quietly in the background to make the world a better place with his charitable projects helping kids in South America. His efforts saved lives and improved the lives of many others. He is an example of what it means to put the benefits of the latihan into practice in the world. Some details on his charitable enterprise can be found here.
Isaac loved riding his motorcycles and photographing amazing sights on his travels. His photos were truly beautiful (find them on Facebook).
He will truly be missed by those left behind, but I have no doubt he will be active in his next big adventure in the world beyond this one!
Photo by Isaac: “My favorite bit of natural landscape, Fairfax to Petaluma. Beautiful in every season!”
From Raymond Lee – “Here’s the thing…” or The Lessons I Learned from Isaac
The geese glowed in the dark.* Forced to migrate from California, they stood silently glaring on the lawn of their new home, livening up an otherwise drab corner of Wisma Subud – Isaac’s container had arrived.
Isaac had brought his geese, his family – Renee, Sampson, and David – and familiar belongings to an unfamiliar land. Hired to help the hotel and Kalimantan projects that Bapak had initiated, his down-to-earth California-chill approach would be tested by the frustrations of Jakarta life, and the cantankerous community of Wisma Subud residents.
“I just wanted a swimming pool,” sighed Isaac, “but the powers that be think that kids in bathing costumes will bring moral turpitude to the compound.” Isaac had proposed a pool, but what he called the “morality committee” vehemently resisted his plan. He sighed; his hang-dog expression even droopier than usual. I could see his frustration. But then, being Isaac, he shrugged and let go of his dream of swimming in the compound. That was Isaac: he didn’t get hung up on things.
After a meeting in Bapak’s office in the S Widjojo Centre, he turned to me, “Here’s the thing… Bapak sees people the way they are, he doesn’t expect them to change or be something else, but just what they are.” That was a revelation to Isaac. Yet, he was like that himself, taking people as they were – most of the time – not trying to change them.
But most of all, as his plastic geese proclaimed, Isaac was Isaac. He made no attempt to adopt Javanese customs as many foreigners in Wisma Subud did in a quest for spirituality. Always the pragmatist, spirituality was a turn off. Isaac never talked about life forces or angels, no. He was far more interested in importing gym equipment from Nautilus than nattering about the nafsu. So, I was curious to see Isaac on one of the high points of the Wisma Subud calendar, the end of Ramadhan, when hundreds of Indonesian members, dressed to the nines, brought their families to pay their respects to the man they regarded as their father, Bapak. I saw Isaac and family sweltering in the humid horde, inching forward to where Bapak and family sat. For Indonesians, this was a deeply moving moment: touching someone of Bapak’s stature would bring them good fortune. That was not the case for Isaac. After more than an hour or perspiring, Isaac finally got to lower his great bulk on to his knees and greet Bapak. Bapak smiled graciously. Isaac struggled to his feet, moved down the line until he saw me, “Raymond, I don’t know what that was, but it certainly wasn’t spiritual!”
Though Isaac stuck to his ways, Indonesians warmed to him. They were noticeably friendlier to Isaac than they were to me. What did he have that I didn’t? Was it the plastic lawn geese that glowed in the dark? I was trying hard to fit in, through language, gesture, and behavior, yet Isaac was accepted effortlessly. Finally, it dawned on me, Isaac was himself, what you saw was what you got, there was no hidden agenda. People felt safe with him. A big lesson for me.
As one of the most practical and straight forward people I ever met, he asked down-to-earth questions that had me scratching my head. “Here’s the thing, Raymond. Why are we struggling to raise all this money for this hotel? We could buy storage facilities in downtown LA yielding 12%.” I looked at him, couldn’t he see the vision for what we were doing? Why would we buy something as mundane as a storage facility?
Isaac was frustrated with the way things were going on the projects, many things did not make sense to him. Then, when PT S Widjojo, the hotel project, and the bank sank into the Anugraha vortex of spiraling debt, Isaac packed up his geese, and took his family back home. I never saw the geese again, but I would see Isaac, this time in California.
After I had given a presentation about PT S Widjojo to a Subud group, Isaac offered to put me up at his home, promising me a tour of California on the way. And that is what I got – a five-hundred-mile drive from San Diego to Fairfax, during which Isaac gleefully pointed out various landmarks, none of which were visible. We were driving at night.
The next morning, we sat down in his office cum den. “That’s me when I was a cab driver in New York City”, he said, pointing to a photo on the wall. Isaac somehow always looked like a biker – minus the tattoos. He got out his mail-order catalogue, a thick publication printed in black and white on cheap paper. “I prepare this every year and send it to schools who order t-shirts and dyes. I do it all myself,” he said proudly. Dharma Trading was a simple business and Isaac was a master of cost control. “How do you keep costs down?” I asked, as he showed me his warehouse in Fairfax. “I never use lawyers”, he whispered. I was puzzled: How could Isaac survive without one? Then I realized, when he got into a dispute, he would simply sit down and work it out with the other guy. That was who he was.
When next we met, it was in Innsbruck at the World Congress. “Still selling t-shirts and tie-dye materials?” I asked. “Yes, and I am buying my competitor.”
I’ll admit, his business seemed boring. It did not have the daring and dash of the great Subud enterprises, which by now had all collapsed. Where was his vision. Where was his burning desire to change the world? All he wants to do is make money, I thought.
“I’ll double my turnover to more than two million dollars a year,” he went on. I nodded, thinking to myself, that’s nothing, the Subud mining venture will generate billions.
Then he told me that he was spending time in South America. “Doing what?” I asked. “Funding cataract operations for poor families.” I was startled.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, I caught up again with a very different Isaac. He was trimmer and slimmer. Gone was the California-casual look, he was dressed in stylish black.
“What happened? You are not your usual casual self.” “You won’t believe what I’m doing now?” grinned Isaac. “I’m designing women’s clothes!” He was amazed at himself, and so was I. Even his charitable activities in South America had expanded to funding open-heart surgery for poor families.
That was the last time we met, but a few years later, he shared with me photographs he had taken as he toured on his bike – living the biker dream. They were stunning, moving meditations of the California countryside.
Then it struck me. Isaac had transformed. From proud owner of tacky plastic lawn geese, he was now a master photographer making wonderful images. Without spiritual claims, or crisis, or visions, Isaac had evolved from purely making money through enterprise, to doing significant charitable work, to being an incredible artist. And all the while his business kept growing until the turnover was in seven figures. He wasn’t an enterprise guy, a Susila Dharma guy, or a SICA guy, but all of them rolled into one. He was a living reality that the latihan, which he had done diligently for so many decades, transforms us. He had become a complete human being.
I will miss the big guy as he sets off on the next stage of his journey. I can only imagine that when he meets the angels tasked with interrogating him about his deeds and misdeeds, he will pull them aside, and with a wink of his gentle brown eyes, he will grin and say, “Here’s the thing…”
In memory of Isaac Goff: Keep it simple, keep it real, and keep at it.
With deep affection, your brother, Raymond
*Editor’s note: Renee loved what Raymond wrote above, but noted that there were no plastic geese (or flamingos, or plastic anything) 😊
Isaac enjoying life. Photo by Rachman Cantrell.
One of Isaac’s talents was writing. The story he wrote about why he got into business is worth reading and can be found HERE.
Losing Chairs and Seeking Houses
A disappearing Bentwood chair
The recent issue of Subud USA has a delightful story from Latifah Taormina, “The Tragic Tale of the Disappearing Chairs.” Latifah traces how hundreds of Bentwood chairs came from the improv theater group “The Committee” in San Francisco to the Subud Marin Center in 1972 and links it to the importance of contributing to SICA. Read her story here and make you own contribution to SICA here.
When chatting about this story, Latifah mentioned another tale from the annals of Subud California, from the time when the region began its search for Subud houses. Here is an excerpt:
“Because of the work I had done with the San Francisco group’s housing committee, I was able to attend a most interesting meeting with Bapak during his visit to California in 1968. It was with the regional helpers and committee with regard to the ownership of future Subud houses in California.
At one point I asked Bapak, “If San Francisco has $5,000 in their house fund, but Subud Los Angeles finds a property first and needs our $5,000, that Subud San Francisco would have to give it to them?” Bapak smiled and nodded. “Yes,” he said, in English.
Since then, Subud California has established a regional housing fund that is only used to provide loans to centers that want to repair or purchase a Subud hall. Centers have developed successful enterprises which enabled them to pay back the loans and maintain their properties. Our region has come a long way!
Subud CA Regional Council Meeting Report, 12/8-9/19
The Regional Council at work: Alicia Lerrigo (Marin), Sulfiati Harris (San Joaquin), Rifka Several (Sacramento), Levana & Hanafi Fraval (LA), and Robert Mertens (Chair, San Joaquin).
The Subud California Regional Council met over the weekend of December 8-9 at Subud CA at Sacramento. Eight councilors attended (two by telephone) and two additional centers were represented by non-voting members. To see photos of all the Regional Council members, go here.
Elizabeth Trudell, Chair, Community Development Committee, distributed a template for year-end reporting, due from all centers. Get a copy here.
Executive Director Report, Henrietta Haines reported on the house loan repayments (Los Angeles has fully repaid; Marin and Butte are still paying). She requested that if any Subud house has issues where our insurance (Church Mutual) might be involved, to contact her first. Henrietta is the one point person for the insurance company. In discussions about a possible insurance claim for a crawl space leak in the Marin house, the following property policy was developed and approved:
The moment a leak is discovered in a Subud property, an independent inspection is required to determine and document any mold issues. Contact Henrietta with any questions on this policy.
Also note that ALL Subud California centers, whether having regionally-owned properties or not, have liability insurance through a contract managed by the Region for protection against claims for accidents or damages.
In Henrietta’s financial report, she
requests that all people working for centers as independent contractors submit
invoices to the centers, which are then sent to the region. If they receive
more than $600 yearly, W-9s are required. Councilors requested that a short
financial report be submitted monthly to keep current with regional finances.
Subud CA at Sacramento loan request (Rifka Several): The center submitted a loan request to finance a portion of their HVAC system replacement. The center is paying $3700. The loan for $9000 was approved, to be repaid in 2 years with 5% interest.
Property Management Committee [PMC] Report (Farah Hess): The attorney hired by the Region to address the Subud CA at Los Angeles mineral rights has moved to another firm and will be able to work pro bono for us. The PMC will work with Sebastopol to review the rental coordinator agreement and tenant lease renewal. All property inspections for Subud CA houses has been completed.
Regional Finance Committee (Manuel Oliver): They need more members! This committee focus on strategic planning and future growth. Contact Manuel if you are interested.
Subud CA at Marin loan request (Alicia Lerrigo): Alicia has developed a center advisory committee and is working on a marketing and business plan for rentals, along with starting a “Subud Marin Growth Fund” fundraiser. She proposed a loan to address the “stage 1” maintenance issues. This proposal was submitted just before the meeting and the PMC did not have time to review it and make a recommendation.
Following quite a bit of discussion, the council approved a loan of up to $34,000 for emergency repairs (including water damage, roof repair, new water heater, smoke detectors, mold abatement, and electrical panel replacement). The final amount of this loan will be determined when bids are obtained. In addition to this loan, the council approved a 4-month management contract for Alicia to manage this work and continue developing the business plan ($4000 per month). The repayment of the loan was deferred until January 2020.
Big Fish Fund (Sulfiati Harris): This Fund is a monthly donation plan for the World Subud Association (WSA) to make monthly recurring donations at www.bigfishfund.org. Many small donations will help fund international helper work and also youth participation in Subud.
Centerprise Report (Hanafi Fraval): Reynard von Hahn from Subud Canada has set up a resource site for groups that have Subud properties – go to www.subudspaces.slack.com.
Badger Family Camp (Sulfiati Harris): Scheduled for February President’s Day weekend. The family camps are replacing the children’s summer camps.
Badger Community Center (Sulfiati Harris): Center members are partnering with the local school district to use empty school property as a community and arts center.
REGIONAL CONGRESS – SAVE THE DATE! July 19-21 at Sonoma State University. The theme is “Putting the Latihan into Practice.”
NATIONAL CONGRESS – SAVE THE DATE! July 4–7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
Hani’a Abrams (RH, Berkeley), Michael Myers (Councilor, Sebastopol) during lunch.Jeff Stone & Rifka Several (Sacramento); Henrietta Haines, (Executive Director, Walnut Creek), Elizabeth Trudell, Palo Alto)
Marin Subud Center Hosts Artisan Fair
Submitted by Alicia Lerrigo, Chair, Marin Subud Center
Subud Marin opened its doors to the local community on November 24th and about 50 neighbors came by to say hi!
People were happy to meet us and many commented they loved the space. We collected contact information for folks who want to be included in the next event and encouraged them to spread the word.
This event was inspired at somewhat short notice, but the group is very happy with what we were able to pull off, and with the quality of the overall experience. View this short video to get a feel!
Please stay tuned as we are considering doing another Artisan fair in the spring.
Marin Center Celebrates Chris & Virginia van Royen
On June 16, members of the Marin Center held a dinner gathering to celebrate the many contributions made by Chris and Virginia van Royen over their years as staunch members in Marin, and gave them a fond send-off for their move to the Pacific Northwest to be near Virginia’s family.
Stories were shared, toasts were given, and a feast was enjoyed.
Regional Helpers on the Road!
Marin, January 28-29. 2017
The regional helpers, along with two national helpers, visited Marin in January. On Saturday, they shared latihan and testing with Marin helpers and committee members. Renee Goff and Miriam Rimkeit officially received their certificates as “retired” helpers.
There was discussion about filling vacant committee positions, managing house rentals, and adjusting latihan times to meet member needs. The group enjoyed a delicious buffet meal on Saturday night at the Center.
Alexandra Boyer & Serena Heaslip
Elna Cooke, Isaac Goff, Briana Breen
Update on Marin Subud Center
Submitted February 5th, 2016 by Isaac Goff, Chair
During 2015, Subud Marin has been scraping by financially, with contributions averaging $460/month and expenses averaging $2,300/month. The difference has been made up with house rental income and savings.
The house has pressing needs for both cosmetic & structural repairs, for which there are no funds available. There has been no committee for some time other than a paid house manager and volunteer treasurer. The group now has a Chairperson, Isaac Goff, and a property committee. The group is just at the beginning of determining which repairs are most pressing and their cost, as well as a plan for increasing rental income.
We have received an offer from our principal tenant, Tamalpa Institute, to lease the property exclusively starting 2017 for 10 years to serve as the Tamalpa Institute home. Control of the property would pass to the tenant as in any commercial lease. Subud’s use of the property would be written into the lease and likely be limited to Sunday & Thursday latihans and one weekend per month. The tenant would make any cosmetic and other changes to suit their needs. Discussions have not reached the questions of, How much is the lease payment? Who pays for which repairs? Details of the changes they intend? etc?
This created a surge of interest. The group met and voted NOT to lease the building for 10 years. The feeling expressed was that in doing so, Subud would be as renters in someone else’s building, much as when a group rents space in a church or community center. The issue revolved around “the feeling of it no longer being the Subud House”. There were dissenting opinions expressed a few members.
While we continue to talk to Tamalpa about what other arrangements might be possible, it is clear they are looking for a “home to call their own”. It is likely, Marin will have to replace Tamalpa’s income during 2016 or 2017. Therefore, it is urgent that efforts be made to attract additional tenants. This requires both some cosmetic and some costly repairs (repaving of asphalt).
Subud California Assists Local Centers with Web Redesign
Subud California at Palo Alto launched a glamorous new website in April (http://paloalto.subudcalifornia.org ) , rich with many new features such as an online Paypal donation button, a member page, with links to websites of members, and a collection of member art. Over time, this can expand to include information about art, activities or enterprises from other Palo Alto members. There is also a renter community page, showcasing the use of the hall for music, yoga, movement, meditation and other spiritual practices. There are also plans to create a mirror site with the Spanish translation. Lianne Card, Stephanie Ferreira, Naomi Onaga and Elizabeth Trudell, were members of the web team that designed, wrote content and built site, together with the local committee, and Elizabeth Baskin has taken over as web master leading the web team.
Leonard Robel at Subud California at Marin has also taken over as webmaster, and is in the process of creating a beautiful redesign of the center’s website. The website is in the final stages of setting up the donation page before it is launched. Check http://marin.subudcalifornia.org soon for the new website.
The two websites were built on Weebly, a web building tool that makes it easy to create a clean, contemporary design, without knowledge of html or programming languages. This makes it much easier for members of centers to add content and modify the website over time. Weebly designs also adapt to mobile devices easily, and has good search engine optimization. Weebly had been chosen by Palo Alto and Marin, based on the needs of the centers and after comparison of various web building systems.
Both sites use new subdomains of the Subudcalifornia.org domain (e.g, marin.subudcalifornia.org), which the region has provided as a free service to the centers.
Subud California at Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Arcata have also expressed interest in working with the regional web team to revamp or create new websites, and will be working with local webmasters including Leo Horthy and Michael O’Connor (Los Angeles) and Derek Choice (San Diego) and other members of local committees.
The regional web/tech team includes Mike Scirocco, Henry Couden, Naomi Onaga, and Andrew Morgan, as well as Mathias Dussain and Jeff Stone, with Philip Lindstrom and Lucas Hess.
For more information, or if your center is interested in revising or creating a website, contact Naomi at communications.subudca at gmail.com
Mhd. Harun Anthony Taormina passed January 7, 2014
A committed member of Subud since 1958, a lover of hats, pasta and Middle Eastern music, Harun was an artist in nature with a taste for what he called “subdued elegance.”
For the past 50 years, Harun has carried a little piece of paper in his wallet with these words on it:
Patience: Free from any passion. Sincerity: To face and accept any happening even though it fills you with fear. Submission: The situation of not feeling sorry or regretful of losing anything, or if anything is taken from you.
Invitation
We are having a 40th Day Selamatan & Celebration of Harun’s Life on February 15, 2014, at the Marin Subud House, 100 Sacramento Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960.
Latihan at 6pm. The Selamatan and Celebration of Harun’s life at 7pm so non-Subud members and family may join us. Please come, and please share with those who might wish to come as I do not have everyone’s address.
Please RSVP to Latifah Taormina: ltaormina@gmail.com as we will be serving food. If you wish to do so, you may make a gift in his honor to the Subud International Cultural Association: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/iLoveSICA
