Central Coast Groups Get Together

By Colleen Anderson, Subud CA at Monterey

The central coast groups at Santa Cruz and Monterey share more than a fog line to offer cool beaches when everybody inland is baking! The Santa Cruz group has their beautiful house in Soquel, while the Monterey group has met in various locations over the years since it was founded in Carmel Valley. For the last few years, we have met in the town of Marina. As this is the closest we has been to Santa Cruz, it reduces travel time for Santa Cruz members to join us there on occasion for latihan and potluck.

Over the years, several members have gone back-and-forth between the groups, so we are pretty interconnected. We’ve gotten together twice in 2023, and hope to continue the tradition, perhaps once a quarter. The photo below of a recent get together was shot outside the Marina Library, using an iPhone and tripod, which created a couple of timing issues.

Raina Snyder did not have time to get into the shot after setting it up. I seem to be searching for a UFO, as the shot was supposed to have been done by that time!I But, it is always spiritually and socially invigorating when our two groups meet together to surrender and break bread.

From left to right above: Hosanna Quintin, Rohana LoSchiavo, Colleen Anderson, Cary Lowney, Isman Kanafsky, Anthony LoSchiavo, Stephen Reynolds, Doug Card, Lianne Card, Gregory Tarsy

Sara Couden Sings Locally this Summer

Sara Couden, daughter of Henry and Priscilla Couden, is performing at several events this summer:

– With West Edge Opera as Ottavia in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea: 22 July at 8pm, July 23 at 3pm, and August 3 at 8pm, at the Scottish Rite Center, 1546 Lakeside, Oakland.
– With Lamplighters as Castiscià (Katisha) in Il Ducato (The Mikado set in Renaissance Italy): August 12 & 13, Mountain View Performing Arts Center; August 19 & 20; San Francisco Yerba Buena; August 26 & 2, Walnut Creek Lesher Center.

Kejiwaan Events in our Centers

from Leanna Harrison, Helena Mertens and Hani’a Abrams

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We three regional helpers would like to start planning kejiwaan visits to our California Subud groups in the coming year. A typical event could include latihan, testing (group and personal), a sharing circle, a talk by Bapak, eating together, schmoozing, etc. Would you like to have this kind of event at your Subud Center?

We could combine several groups together, if the centers are within driving distance, and also we could open each event to any of our brothers and sisters who would like to join us from other locations. While this letter is being sent to all our members, we anticipate that each center’s helpers and council member would help to organize these events.

As we all know, these times together help us to foster a deeper sense of what Subud means in our lives, and a greater sense of community. We are eager to start planning this for 2023 now, as we hope that Covid limitations will continue to wane.

Please let us know if there is interest in your group for this to happen.

With love,
Leanna, Helena and Hani’a

100th Day Selamatan for Mashuri Warren

01/12/1940 – 02/14/2022

Sunday May 22^nd

At the Marin Subud House following their usual latihan

11:00 Latihan

12:00 Potluck Lunch

1:00: Sharing Circle

2:00 Quiet Moments to wish Mashuri’s soul well on his next adventure.

Please let Rahima Warren know that you plan to attend.
Include your email to receive further details.
RSVP by MAY 15^TH to rahima.warren@gmail.com

Remembering Mashuri Warren

Santa Cruz Center Holiday Celebration

In spite of another atmospheric river on the horizon and multiple competing events, the Subud Santa Cruz Center hosted a Holiday Celebration on Sunday, December 12, after regular latihan. A welcoming decorated tree in the entry way greeted us. Luzita Davila, our “Mother Christmas,” was moved to offer an opportunity for in-person visiting after two years of Zoom.

Background carols from the Subud classic recording of the Lewis Ross guitar ensemble put us in a holiday mood with carols. An abundant rich table of dishes awaited us. Raina had baked a pie based on a favorite Deanna Mc Fadden recipe; Luzita brought her signature family Christmas morning version of chile rellanos.

We savored a leisurely meal together and enjoyed being with Leoma Scott, who we hadn’t seen for a long time. Afterwards, Gregory read “Wild Geese,” a poem by Mary Oliver, and Raina shared haiku by Mursalin Arquette. Though we had perhaps envisioned a larger gathering, our hearts were happy and content to have shared this special time together. We resolved to try again to reach out with an event, perhaps closer to spring.

Kejiwaan Day at Wilshire Center, March 28, 2020

Subud California at Los Angeles invites all Subud Members to a kejiwaan day, with the California regional helpers. Please RSVP on the form provided HERE

DATE: MARCH 28, 2020
WHERE: At Subud California Wilshire Center, 5828 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

We will have two large latihan halls available all day and evening. In addition, we have several small rooms which will be available for break out latihans and testing. The regional helpers are preparing a program of latihan and testing based on their testing on needs of our California region at this time.

Outline of Schedule

9:30 – 10:30 – Coffee and bagels or pastry in the cafeteria for those who wish to arrive early to meet and greet.
10:30-11:30 – Latihan in the Women’s and Men’s halls. Testing with the regional helpers will immediately follow the latihan.
12:30 – Lunch will be provided (for a donation to cover food costs) in the comfortable cafeteria overlooking Hollywood and the La Brea Tar Pits.
1:30 – Latihan, testing, small groups, and discussions continue after lunch.
5:00 – Finish daytime program. For those staying into the evening, there are many and various cafes nearby for dinner. After the dinner break, we will have a Bapak video, followed up with more testing.

The cafeteria will be open all day and evening for conversation and reunions, with coffee and tea for breaks. Meeting facilities and cafeteria are on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There is an elevator!

Accommodation will be left to each of you to arrange (see notes below).

We ask that you please RSVP on the form provided HERE so that we can plan for lunch and also have emergency contacts for everyone. If the link does not work, please paste the following into your browser address bar: https://forms.gle/FGguvqEjA5eh4bNp6

We look forward to this day of latihan and testing together.

With love to all,
The Committee and Helpers of Subud California at Los Angeles and your California Regional Helpers

ACCOMMODATION NOTES:

In the past, people have stayed with the following two hotels. The Wilshire Crest used to give a discount to Subud members but it has been a while! See:
http://www.wilshirecresthotel.com
https://farmersdaughterhotel.com

We have also heard that people have had good luck with accommodation in the area from Airbnb and similar services.

Subud Family Arts Retreat, October

A message from Sulfiati Harris, Subud CA at San Joaquin Valley

We have another Family Camp Badger at the Seven Circles Retreat Center in Badger, CA coming up October 12-14, 2018, and this one is going to be great! This arts camp is loosely based around a Native American theme, which is appropriate because this location was a native gathering spot not that long ago.

Our local Subud group near Seven Circles has recently expanded with the addition of Moon Savage (from Santa Cruz) and Emmanuel and Amelia Williams (from the Bay Area), who have moved here in the last month. Moon has proposed some activities (for all ages) including a group rhythm circle and creating a group mandala (on the land, with seeds, rocks, shells, bits of colored glass, etc., that you bring). Emmanuel has proposed a creative writing session where we listen to hear what a specific natural element is teaching us.

Find lots more information about this event, including details on the activities, pricing, and examples of menus at https://www.familycampbadger.com/events.

While you are on the website, be sure to check out the History of Seven Circles page, which as lots of fun photos of days gone by!

When you are ready to register, you can go directly to the registration page.

Autumn color at Seven Circles Retreat Center

Subud Family Arts Retreat, October 12-14!

The Subud Family Camp at Seven Circles Retreat Center in April 2018 was a great success, as you can see from the photo below of six Subud kids forming a pyramid of joy in the yurt .

The next such event at Seven Circles will be a Subud Family Arts Retreat on the weekend of October 12-14. All are welcome and families are especially invited to partake in a range of activities for many interests and all ages. Read More

Top: Jayla Williams-Bridges?

Middle: Mimo (Martin), Mattie Poulum

Clara Heaslip, Jayla??, Jemima Heaslip

Retreat held at Seven Circles

by Sulfiati Harris

A wonderful gathering was held at the Seven Circles Retreat Center in Badger on November 3-5. This event was an extension of the invitation to the Regional Helpers from Subud CA at San Joaquin Valley to come for a visit. Robert and Helena Mertens worked with Sulfiati Harris to put on the event.

The 43 attendees included nine youth: two teens who took care of the seven younger ones. The cost for the weekend was $120 for two nights lodging and all meals from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday. The food received rave reviews, and cooking was a joy because various ladies came in at just the right time throughout the weekend.

It felt like a rebirth for Subud at Seven Circles, with energy akin to when we in Subud California first came to the site in 2002 to clean it up and make it into a Subud retreat center. Many who helped start Seven Circles were present.

In the future, we plan to host two to three Subud retreats like this per year. The retreats will include latihans, some kind of program, and trips to nearby Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. We are striving to keep it very affordable, at something like $150 for the weekend. A program for children will be included, and we are working on a way that children and teens can come at a very reduced price.

We are currently planning a Family Arts Camp for the last weekend of April, and possibly another latihan-focused retreat in February. If you owuld like more information, please send an email to sulfiati@gmail.com.

Come to a Kejiwaan weekend with the Regional Helpers

Subud CA at San Joaquin Valley has invited the California Regional Helpers to come to our center Friday, November 3 through Sunday November 5. Our time with them will be at the Seven Circles Retreat in Badger. We also invite others in Subud California to stay at Seven Circles and join us. Here are the details:

1. The event will start with dinner on Friday from 6:30 – 8:30 (we will hold the food warm for late arrivals). People can arrive at Seven Circles any time after 5:00. It will end at Sunday after lunch.

2. The schedule is to be determined, but will likely include morning and late afternoon latihans, time together and testing as we wish during the weekend. We can also get in some hiking in the pretty fall weather, do some creative activities, and maybe drive up to the National Park for a short visit after the meeting on Sunday.

3. The cost to stay at Seven Circles is $120 for the weekend, which includes the 2 nights of lodging and all the meals. This can be paid online (see details at the end of this message), and can be split into 3 payments.

4. We would like to welcome families, so we are making arrangements for a few families to stay at members’ homes. The Harrises have a vacation rental cabin next to their home which sleeps up to 10 people, as well as two extra rooms in their home. People would also be welcome to stay in tents on their large property. If families do decide to come we will also have activities for children and teens.

5. Seven Circles has 9 guest rooms, a lodge for dining and a full kitchen, a meeting yurt and the smaller Creekside room, both newly carpeted. It is lovely in the fall. The property is 22 wooded acres has a beautiful hike to the top with an inspiring view of the Sierras. It is a 30 minute drive to Redwood Canyon, where we could hike on Sunday. See photo below. You can see more about Seven Circles here. 7.

Each room at Seven Circles has two twin beds and a set of bunks, except Room 5 which has 5 twin beds. They all have private bathrooms. Seven Circles provides blankets and pillows, but you should bring your own linens and towels. We will plan on double occupancy for the rooms as much as possible.

6. Please call or email Sulfiati for more info about the event: sulfiati@gmail.com or 559-336-9362. Sulfiati runs a summer camp which uses registration software from Active.com and has set up this event on that software. To register, click the link here and choose the event (“RH helpers visit Subud SJV”).

To register, please click here

We look forward to welcoming all of you who can come to our beautiful place

in the foothills for this intimate time together.

Travel Funding for the Basara International Youth Gathering

submitted by George Demers

How will our children learn if they don’t see us fly? How will our children fly if we don’t give them the opportunities?

Many, many years ago, when I was a very young man, I came across these words which had a great impact on me at the time: “I am a lover but have yet to find my thing to love.” I don’t remember who wrote them or where they came from, a poem, an essay, a book? The reason they had such an impact on me at that time in my life was because they so perfectly captured how I was feeling – a dawning awareness of great passion within me, a feeling of intensity and the realization that I did not yet know how to express this passion into the world. I hadn’t yet found my thing to love.

This was also many years before I discovered Subud. Discovering Subud has changed all that for me but that’s another story. This is the story I would like to talk about now. I hope most of you are aware of Basara Youth Camp 2016, a Subud Youth gathering which will take place from December 29, 2016 to January 7, 2017 in Rungan Sari, Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is a collaboration between Subud Youth Activities International and Subud Youth Indonesia and is being organized primarily by the youth in Indonesia ( by the youth, for the youth ) with support, as requested, from the WSA, IHs, all wing bodies (SICA, SDI, SESI, SIHA), Yes Quest and Human Force , all of whom will be present during Basara and will help facilitate the event.

Basara is an opportunity for young members to deeply connect with Subud by deeply connecting with themselves. It’s an opportunity for young Subud members to find their place within Subud and in the world.You can find out all about it on their website – basarayouthcamp.com .

We need to get our youth there, however, to allow them this opportunity to develop. Many are limited by lack of financial resources and attending will be very challenging.

In my role as International Youth Coordinator, I have had an opportunity to meet and talk with many Subud members and have always been moved by a strong sense of yearning many have to share the gifts they have received through the latihan with the younger generation, to allow them to discover, sooner, many of the things we discovered much later in our lives. Not to pass on Subud to them, but to share Subud with them. Together.

I have this vision of every single local Subud group interacting with their youth. Wouldn’t it….. couldn’t it…. be amazing if every group began a project to work together to raise enough money to send one or two young people from their group to Basara. The older members working with the younger members, getting to know each other, sharing together, stretching and growing together. Teaching each other to fly. Yes, that would be amazing. We can do that!

Note: it is also possible to donate directly to Basara. There are two funds established, one to assist youth with registration costs, accessed through the Basara website atwww.basarayouthcamp.com/donate. There you can find a secure paypal link for donations. The other fund is the International Youth Travel Fund to mitigate the travel costs of those youth who need to travel the farthest. This fund can be contacted through the WSA website.

We highly appreciate every penny you donate, may God bless you. Thank you so much.

A Mountain Gathering in October

We are planning an informal gathering at the Seven Circles Retreat Center in the Sierra Nevada foothills on October 6-10, at the same time as our Regional Council meeting there. You are invited to come for the weekend to enjoy this beautiful setting, share in daily Latihan and meals, and just relax.

Please use this form to register for the gathering and to reserve lodging at Seven Circles at the Subud group rate of $40 per person per night. Rooms at Seven Circles can accommodate up to 4 people (2 twin beds and a bunk bed) and have private bathrooms. If you are attending on your own, we will help match you up with roommates to take full advantage of the available space.

There are other lodging options in the area, such as Sequoia Resorts and Sequoia Family Cabin , which you can contact directly regarding room availability and reservations. If you plan to stay somewhere other than Seven Circles, please submit the registration form so that we know you are coming and can plan for group meals.

Group meals start with dinner on Friday and continue through lunch on Monday, at a cost of $89 per person for all meals. You may also select meals for just specific days or times as best fits your schedule.

This gathering offers an opportunity for our Subud family to relax together in a peaceful, natural environment, deepen our connections, and have time and space for other activities which may arise.

Print the Registration Form and mail it in with your payment. We hope to see you there!

The Subud California Connections Gathering, October 6-10, 2016

Registration Form – Connections Gathering, October 6-10, Badger, CA

Attendee Information – Complete the information below for each person in your group:

Name: ____________________________________________________ Age if under 18 yrs____________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________________

Phone__________________________ Email: ________________________________________________

Dietary preferences: ___ non-gluten ___ non-dairy ___ vegetarian

Name: ____________________________________________________ Age if under 18 yrs____________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________________

Phone__________________________ Email: _______________________________________________

Dietary preferences: ___ non-gluten ___non-dairy ___ vegetarian

Please attach an additional sheet for more attendees.

Lodging

Lodging at Seven Circles is $40 per person per night, in rooms that can accommodate up to 4 people in twin beds. Please check the nights you wish to stay at Seven Circles (see section below re meal options):

___ Thursday ___ Friday ___Saturday ___ Sunday

Lodging cost at $40 per person x the number of people in group: $_______________

Name(s) of any roommates registering separately: __________________________________________

Please reserve other local accommodations such as Sequoia Resorts and Sequoia Family Cabin directly.

Meals

Most group meals are at Seven Circles. Attendees are invited to a potluck hosted by the San Joaquin Subud group on Saturday night, and a no-host dinner at a local restaurant on Sunday night. Meals not otherwise noted are on your own. If not staying at Seven Circles, you can still sign up for group meals. Children under 6 can eat with their parents at no cost.

___ I/we will have all group meals at $89 per person (OR)

___ I/we will take just the meals selected below, at the price per meal shown:

___ Fri dinner-$23 ___Sat brkfst -$11 ___Sat lunch-$11 ___Sat dinner- $0

___Sun brkfast-$11 ___Sun lunch-$11 ___Mon brkfst-$11 ___ Mon lunch- $11

Cost for selected meals at $ _______ x the number of people in group: $_________

Total amount due for lodging and meals for all attendees in group: $______________

Payment

Please pay by check for total cost, payable to Subud California. You may contact Hannah Kusterer with any questions at abalonegirl@comcast.net. Please mail this form and payment by September 24^th to: Hannah Kusterer, 6330 Sunnymere Ave., Oakland, CA 94605. Thank you!

Kedjiwaan Day in Bay Area

On January 17, the Palo Alto Center helpers hosted a day of latihan and testing. All Subud California members were invited to attend via an invitation sent to the SubudCalEvents list and we were delighted that six members from Monterey, two from Santa Cruz and one from Sacramento came for the day.

In the testing following the regularly scheduled latihan, the theme of forgiveness of self and others was especially powerful for the women.

There was a break for a bountiful potluck lunch which was the opportunity for lively discussion. After lunch, many people stayed for further latihan.

It was a great day! With such strong participation, and the engagement of members from other groups, the Palo Alto dewan is planning to host kedjiwaan days on a more frequent basis.

Playing with the Unknown

by Aminah Herrman

Some of the Sacramento members got together after latihan to tickle the creative process and explore what might be at core of our intentions as we embark on 2015. With boards, paint, scissors magazines and glue we let our selves be drawn to what was most alive in us at the time. Images, words, colours, shapes were freely applied onto boards that told a story, pictured a prayer, suggested an intention, or expressed an idea.

Lots of discussion, sharing discoveries, laughing, and the telling of stories accompanied this free form creative play. At the end we shared with one another. Some had things they wanted to say about their finished product, others were quiet and satisfied with just allowing the process, and a few decided to continue at home and spend more time with it.

We completed our day together going out to lunch and continued to share on multiple levels on the things that bubbled up as we spent time together in this way. It was a very nice day.

sacto jan15 gathering group — Danella Mauguin, Loree Bianchi, Farah Hess, Francesca Wright, Melinda Michaels, Kathryn Taylor. Not pictured: Myrna Nichols, Aminah Herrman

New Washington, DC Subud Center Shines Forth

by Fatijah Clark

The opening of the new Washington DC Center coincided with a gathering of Subud East Coast members in October. The Washington, D.C. group worked night and day to get the facility ready. The temporary occupancy certificate was issued just the afternoon before the gathering! Although work still needs to be done, the building is
surprisingly complete. At night, with the lights on, it really shines, quite a beacon.

If we had any expectations, the East Coast gathering exceeded them. Over 100 people came (someone said it was the largest East Coast gathering they remembered). There were latihans, testing sessions and time to connect. At times, it felt as though the whole building was filled with latihan.

The official opening occurred on a Saturday evening. Elias Dummit, WSA Chair from Brazil, presided over the official ribbon cutting ceremony and declared the hall open. Barbara Thomas, chair of the Washington DC Group, thanked the Subud groups and members from around the world (from as far away as Australia, Equador, France and England) who had contributed to the project.

The chairs around the latihan hall as well as tables and chairs in the social room were contributed by Subud groups or members from California: Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Berkeley, Monterey and San Francisco, as well as from Portland, Oregon. The members of the new center were full of thanks to all who donated so generously their support

Share your center or group event with the California community!

Send us your center or group’s event listing to communications.subudca [at] gmail.com

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