A Canadian at Seabeck
from Maemunah Doran
As I cited Bapak’s prayer with all the brothers and sisters at the end of the Seabeck retreat, I felt this immense visceral feeling of gratitude rise up in me for the gift of the latihan and the precious time I had shared with everyone who was there.
Here is the link to reciting Bapak’s prayer.
This was my first time coming to the USA from Vancouver Island for the Menucha/Seabeck gathering, despite living in BC for 13 years. I was enabled to register due to the generosity of the PNW dewan in reducing the cost of the conversion from CAD for Adelia and I.
The same largesse of spirit, kindness, and respect was generously evident throughout the whole 3 days inwardly and outwardly. The big and bold nametag (so you could read it across the room, as Isabel said) with the schedule on the back, all ready with my name on it, my room key, was there at the heartfelt “so-pleased-you-could-come” greeting. The donation of almost 60 Bapak volumes brought from Washington was given to the Canadians to take back to share at no cost. It didn’t matter what table you sat at for meals, you were always encouraged into “getting-to-know-you conversations”, many of those morphing into deep personal sharing.
Even though I only knew a couple of sisters, the latihan enveloped me like a warm blanket – a really big blanket! And flowed forth in a familiar but really strong way. In the circle gathering at the finale, so many mentioned how they enjoyed meeting new people and connections, and there it had been at every moment of the gathering – that welcoming open feeling.
Highlights of the Weekend
An opening circle where you didn’t just introduce yourself, you shared something profound about your life and witnessed a whole community unafraid to be vulnerable
Two latihans per day, so good
Testing questions about how to bring our true selves into our lives more potently
A circle each morning where workshops were proposed and voted on spontaneously
A session on sharing our spiritual experiences with each other and what we learned from them in “earth school”
Walking the beautiful grounds with period houses beautifully kept from the original Quaker settlement (so many verandahs with rocking chairs – how fitting!)
Scattering rose petals and Hadidjah’s ashes with Marston and many others on the wooden bridge, singing Amazing Grace
A fun and chuckle-filled Saturday night jigsaw blitz until midnight with 2 sisters – now that is bonding!
Top quality music from very talented brothers and a sister on bongos plus a newly formed gospel choir…love that 12-string guitar! A deep life poem from Isabel (mostly above my pay grade to understand).
A treasure trove box of lovely items (ridiculously discounted) from the Susila Dharma store (The kettle is whistling on my stove as I write).
In sum, the humble dedication to the latihan and to Subud was so strong in this community, it brought me to tears.
Our Bethlehem gathering was the following weekend in Nanaimo, Canada. From those 2 retreats, we now have a working group aiming to dissolve the border between us and have more togetherness in a region nicknamed “Cascadia”.
Susila Dharma Round Table at Seabeck
From Marilyn Schirk
Seabeck this year turned out to be a wonderful experience for me that I will treasure for a long time to come. The beauty of the place, the large group latihans and testing opportunities, the deep connections of friendship and community I experienced, the general sense of uplift and hope for the future, and much more made it an experience I want to keep treating myself to again and again!
As a result of our Susila Dharma Round Table workshop, the request went out to the National Helpers to offer four test questions on Susila Dharma to willing members after latihan on Sunday morning. With their greatly appreciated help, the testing was deep and very moving for many participants. I wanted to share my own experience of the first question: What is the meaning of our nonprofit charitable organization Susila Dharma for Subud in the world?
In response, I found my whole body growing into a tall, strong, and pointed structure with a light at the top – a lighthouse. The words came – a beacon for all ships lost at sea. With all the rigors and demands of fundraising for SD (absolutely necessary of course), it is easy to miss the larger meaning of SD.
Both aspects of the SD journey seem essential to me. If you would like me to send you all four questions on Susila Dharma for testing, please email me, and I will send them to you (mysusila@comcast.net). Hope to see you at Seabeck next year!
From Liza Ramey Wolfgang, Regional Helper
I am so pleased with how well the Kejiwaan weekend at Seabeck went. The sense of community, acceptance, and love was so present and repeatedly commented on by participants. It’s all I could have hoped for, especially as part of the regional helper team charged with planning the event’s content. It’s a funny thing, trying to plan for the content of an event that is actually being provided by the Divine. You can’t plan that! As a planner and teacher, it’s a real-life lesson for me. I have my part to do, and God does the rest. I got to practice faith and letting go, trusting my receiving, trusting others, and knowing that God is ever present in our lives. One of my takeaways from the weekend was that we, the RHs and organizing team, provided the container, and everyone there filled it with their sincerity, their latihans, their trust, and their willingness to be present and open to the experience that unfolded for us all.
Some other highlights of the weekend: a powerful, World Congress-like latihan; experiencing the harmony of working together with the Seabeck team, our national helpers, and local helpers (with a bit of “rubbing of the rice” thrown in); the feeling of acceptance and openness of my sisters as we shared about our receivings; connecting with our Canadian sisters with the hope of more building across the divide; being in service as a helper; and making new friendships and connections with my Subud brothers and sisters.
I also really enjoyed our small circle breakouts on Saturday. The sharings were unique and honest, and vulnerable without feeling scary. We had built that trust in a short time so we could share ourselves and what was on our hearts. That was such a gift. Thank you to all who came for sharing yourselves, your love, and your latihans. I look forward to gathering again next year with ALL of Cascadia and beyond.
From Lucas Hess, Regional Chair
Excellent weekend. Good food, especially the salad bar. Inspired testing. Comfortable, clean, and pleasant rooms. Refreshing air and majestic vegetation. Excellent conversations and finally able to put faces to names, as well as being able to actually read the name on the neck lanyard. Thanks to everyone involved in this year’s Kejiwaan. It was a treat.
Entertainment Night Photos courtesy of Robina Page
From Alexandra Boyer, NH liaison to Subud PNW (reprinted from SUSA)
The setting for the Pacific Northwest Kejiwaan gathering showcased the beauty of God’s creation: we had lovely weather, a view overlooking a branch of Puget Sound with mountains beyond, and incredible forest all around. The amazingly tall and straight western cedars were a vegetable reminder of righteous living. The young deer bounding playfully across the field were an animal reminder of the joy to be alive.
The entire weekend was harmonious and loving, anchored with latihans both morning and evening. As a NH liaison helper, I was involved with the Kejiwaan afternoon sessions that included awakening/awareness testing, exploration of the ways we receive, and tests about our faith, patience, submission, surrender, and courage. Other afternoon sessions that I heard about included a bird walk in the woods and a gospel sing-along (we heard the resulting performance on Entertainment Night.) A group met to discuss education. Also, the men had an opening. The gift shop, including Susila Dharma & SICA offerings, provided a lovely browsing break.
Thank you to the regional helpers and committee who worked hard to give us such a deeply rewarding weekend. Thank you to Almighty God who blessed us with Grace throughout.
From Sonya Shooshan, Subud USA Committee Councillor (reprinted from SUSA)
On the third weekend of September, over fifty Subud members assembled on the Washington Olympic Peninsula for the Pacific Northwest regional gathering. I was privileged to attend, representing the Subud USA committee. It was such a blessing, as lately I’ve been chronically overcommitted and stressed. I unplugged from electronics and enjoyed the area’s beauty, the company of others, and the grace of the latihan. I arrived early on Thursday, and my first activity was “rocker duty” on the front porch, where I simply enjoyed the view and welcomed many Subud members as they arrived. Meals were a chance for small-group bonding, and I reconnected with old friends and met new ones. Latihans were available twice a day, along with a daily sharing circle and multiple workshops each afternoon. I enjoyed it all, including the ice-cream social on Friday night, the wonderful entertainment on Saturday night, and browsing at the gift shop and Susila Dharma boutique. My most valuable moment was in awakening testing when I received my reaction when others disagree with me. I need improvement in this area! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to organize the gathering, and especially to my benevolent assistants who drove the golf carts and helped those with mobility challenges. (Oswald Norton and Jim O’Halloran) I am honored to be sharing the same spiritual path with my Subud sisters and brothers.
Additional reflections and photos can be found in the September 27th issue of Subud PNW.