Connect Magazine 2018 ENG

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WORLD SUBUD ASSOCIATION Third Edition 2018 

6 Congress Countdown 36 Subud Archives 38 

Zoning In 

The Way to Unity 

Congress Kejiwaan 

Congress Info 

Congress 101 

Assistance Fund 

Congress Bazaar 

Looking Back, 

Looking Forward 

Congress 2022 

What are Subud 

Archives anyway? 

“The feeling was that through the latihan we 

are given the means necessary to be capable 

of taking care of our needs, to be at the 

service of others, to be the creators of jobs, 

and to be friends of peace, truth, and justice.”

WHAT IS THE WSA ? 

The WSA is the umbrella organization for the world 

wide Subud community, which includes 54 member 

countries. The WSA exists to support the practice 

and use of the latihan and the human actives that 

arise from it.” So responsibilities of the WSA chair 

is to ensure that the aims and mission of the WSA 

and congress resolutions are carried out. He or she 

also represents Subud in the world and is aware of 

membership concerns. The deputy supports the 

overall mission. The executive team maintains the 

day-to-day work of the WSA and helps to organize 

the congress. The WSA is assisted by an administrative 

team. 

WHAT IS THE WORLD SUBUD COUNCIL ? 

The World Subud Council is made up of the WSA 

chair. the WSA Executive, the zone representatives, 

the international helpers, the MSF chairs and the 

chairs of the two affiliates SDIA and SICA. 

Every Subud member is represented on the World 

Subud Council by their national committee through 

their zone representatives. 

WSC works in coordination with the zone representatives 

and working groups, where they exist. 

Discussions on issues of worldwide concern are presented 

as resolutions and voted on at World Subud 

Council meetings. 

WSA TEAM 

Elias Coragem Dumit, Chair, Brazil 

Lucia Boehm, Deputy Chair, Germany 

Ismanah Schulze-Vorberg, Executive Chair, Germany 

Anwar Ziesel, Executive Vice Chair, Germany 

Hilaria Dette, Treasurer, Germany 

Salamah D. LeClaire, Secretary, USA 

Elwyn Waugh, Accountant, Britain 

WSA ‘CONNECT TEAM’ 

Salamah D. LeClaire 

Mardiyah Alexandra Miller 

Suzanna Dayne 

Translators 

Paloma de la Vina 

Arnaud Delune 

Dahman Bennani 

Maridana Situmeang 

Marsiya Alla Belinskaya 

Photography: 

Many thanks to Subud members for their 

photographs. 

Pamulang, 19th March 2018 

Dear brothers and sisters, 

I thank you for your kind wishes 

on my 90th birthday. I feel touched 

by your prayers for my well-being. 

I thank Almighty God that I have 

been able to live to this age. 

Let it be that Almighty God will 

continue to protect and bless us 

and assist us in carrying on Bapak’s 

mission. 

Ibu, Siti Rahayu Wiryohudoyo 

Connect with us anytime and if 

you would like to be added to our 

distribution list email us at : 

connect@subud.org

MESSAGE 

Our dear Subud sisters and brothers, 

As our Subud World Congress 2018 

approaches, we prepare ourselves 

inwardly and outwardly for it. Our big event 

has different aspects; one of them, the 

official one, relates to the assembly of the 

delegations from all country members, 

during which we decide together on policies 

and priorities for the upcoming terms. 

Officers change every four years but the 

time frame for the development of Subud 

is long term. The rotation of people in the 

functions should not mean discontinuity in 

the work. 

So we need a long-term plan based on a 

shared vision and then take incremental 

steps to address our needs. That will allow 

us to grow and make progress. In our path, 

we are accompanied by the guidance of 

God Almighty, which then helps us navigate 

through the challenges and changes in the 

world. 

The essential quality necessary for this 

journey of ours is unity. 

Unity means that at every corner of the 

world we practice the same and pure 

latihan kejiwaan, as received and spread by 

Bapak. This allows us to be called Subud. 

There is one Subud. 

Unity also means that all aspects - the 

kejiwaan, the organization, the wings - they 

are all part of the same Subud: the inner 

and the outer come together as one. Unity 

also reminds us that there is only One God 

and one humankind. 

This is why we have selected the word 

unity as the theme for our World Congress 

2018 because it sets the foundation for our 

future. 

Indeed, this is the time for us to strengthen 

our foundation. We live in a moment of 

transition. There are generational changes 

taking place in Subud. Life in the world 

today has become very complex, and 

people are confused about what is 

permanent and what is transitory. We are 

very fortunate to have Ibu Rahayu with us 

reminding us of what is permanent and 

true. We need to be prepared and ready to 

stand on our own feet, based on the legacy 

we have received and the guidance of the 

latihan. 

The World Congress is the opportunity we 

have to remind ourselves of what we are, 

why we are here and where we are going in 

the future. We acknowledge our origin and 

look at our future together. 

So, for this Congress, we plan to offer our 

members a less fragmented experience, 

one more focused on the essence and 

basis of Subud. We intend to be consistent 

regarding content, program and physical 

space. Two large spaces of hall #1 and #3 

are dedicated to the Latihan 

With love and respect, 

Elias Coragem Dumit 

WSA Chair 

For this World Congress, we received 

an unexpected gift: a huge 6000 

square meter space – linking the two 

latihan spaces. Originally, we thought 

it would be too expensive to use this 

hall as the extra charge was enormous 

and out of our budget. But after 

signing the contract, we suddenly 

realized that this space was added at 

no additional cost. So, there it was: 

the gift of an enormous empty space. 

At our 2017 WSC meeting in 

Freiburg, members of the council, 

working together with many youth 

representatives, started to develop 

a wonderful content for this space, 

which is now developing into what is 

known as the “Subud Village." It will 

be the physical representation of our 

Subud organization: Subud centers, 

the zones, helpers, wings (SDIA, SICA, 

SIHA, SESI, SYA), WSA services, the 

Muhammad Subuh Foundation, and 

more. We envisioned presenting all 

the services and activities of Subud 

to the members – to many, this is 

still unknown or invisible. To prepare 

a space for all to interact and work 

together. 

parts of our organization stand for. If 

the national Subud organization is 

already out of sight, the international 

one probably has no real relevance 

and meaning at all. 

When we write and talk about the 

Subud organization, those who 

really resonate with this concept are 

mainly members who experienced 

the active days of Subud when 

Bapak was around; all were inspired 

working together and starting big 

and small enterprises, projects to 

change the world into a better place 

for humanity. Newer members now 

don't necessarily share the same 

vision. A lot has changed since the 

pioneer days; Bapak passed away, 

joint projects failed, digitization and 

an accelerated lifestyle have changed 

our daily life. This sometimes makes it 

difficult for members to get to latihan 

regularly, let alone start projects. 

What we envision with this Congress, 

is to change the awareness in all of 

us, not only to understand but to 

support Subud as a whole, latihan, 

organization, social aspects, and 

community outreach. To see and 

hear what our sisters and brothers 

around the world are already bringing 

into life. As we visited various 

groups in different countries, we 

discovered something wonderful; 

almost in silence hidden from the 

awareness, many members have 

followed their latihan, their receiving 

and put it into practice in their own 

lives; starting enterprises, cultural, 

social and healing projects. Subud 

groups have started to work with the 

communities around them renting 

them Subud premises and taking part 

in community projects. 

how the expression and manifestation 

of each wing exists within themselves. 

How the different aspects of the 

organization can support each one of 

us to bring the latihan into action, into 

our daily life. 

At the World Congress, we thrive 

to connect those who are already 

active in the world to those who wish 

to be by supporting them with our 

many resources. We would like for 

everyone to know that we are already 

working on the same picture even if 

we don’t realize it and that the World 

Subud Association is the support 

system for our member-countries 

and members at large. Now is time 

for all to begin to know with an inner 

reality what is behind the acronyms; 

SICA – culture, SDIA – social work and 

welfare, - SIHA health and healing, 

-SESI Subud enterprises and support 

– SYAI supporting our young members 

to discover their path in life. WSA is 

at the center of the wheel, the cog 

that allows support of the oneness 

of Subud; of all religions, cultures, 

languages, and ways of life. 

At Congress we have the chance to 

bring alive our huge support system 

as we do latihan, find and talk with 

like-minded sisters and brothers, 

helpers, elders, mentors and, in 

doing so, realize that we are all 

connected to each other and God, 

we can create our network of joy and 

support. If we make our latihan a 

reality, we create more true humanity 

in this world and we fulfill – almost by 

chance what Bapak has envisioned 

for Subud: being truly alive in this 

world, expressing the qualities of 

Susila Budhi Dharma in service of 

humankind. 

For many of us, to do the latihan 

is most important if not the only 

important aspect of being in Subud. 

The organizational as well the activity 

aspect being of less or sometimes 

even no importance. Asking around, 

you will see that many members don’t 

even know what the acronyms which 

we use to demark the organizational 

The wings, during the Basara Youth 

camp in Kalimantan, coordinated 

their presence by working together 

in support of the young members 

searching for their path in life. Now we 

want to give space to this same spirit 

of unity in diversity during the World 

Congress; inviting members to find out 

With love and respect, 

Maria Ismanah Schulze-Vorberg 

WSA Executive chair

CONTENTS 

CONNECT MAGAZINE 2018 

Contents 

Congress 

Countdown 

Our Subud 

World 

Zoning 

In 

Subud 

Spaces 

08 22 

46 

52 

• The Way to Unity 

• Congress Kejiwaan 

• Congress Info 

• Congress 101 

• Assistance Fund 

• Congress Bazaar 

• Looking back 

• Looking Forward Congress 2022 

• MSF, 

• Archives 

• SDIA 

• SICA 

• SESI 

• SYAI 

“The feeling was that through the 

latihan we are given the means 

necessary to be capable of taking 

care of our needs, to be at the 

service of others, to be the creators 

of jobs, and to be friends of 

peace, truth, and justice. The only 

requirement is to organize our lives 

on earth. “ 

It is almost as if the place was waiting 

for us. We had plans drawn up for 

a structure, finding land in a good 

location was a challenge and a wise 

decision to buy an existing house, and 

property was made... 

On The Cover: 

Sjarifuddin Harris IH USA, Halim 

Bustillo, Chair Norway, Salamah D. 

LeClaire, WSA Secretary, Kohar Parra 

SDIA Chair, Dahliani Drejza IH area 2, 

Sahlan Crona IH area2, Rosella Vaughn 

Youth rep Zone 4 in Freiburg. 

Photo by Anwar Ziesel 

Focus: It Happened 

in Greece ....again 

54 

Oliver Haitzmann talks 

about his life and how he 

became World 

Congress Coordinator – 

quite unexpectedly. 

Finance 

57 60 

Funding the Future of Subud 

Hilaria Dette, WSA Treasurer 

Events 

Planning for congress 

events are well 

underway - see what 

might interest you! 

6 7

CONGRESS COUNTDOWN 


Congress 

Countdown 

“This coming World Congress aims to reflect the 

unity of our association, with the integration and 

working together of all aspects of Subud: Members, 

Wings, Youth, Helpers, Committees, WSA, MSF, 

Zones and Countries, to support the process of 

taking the latihan into the world,” Elias Dumit, WSA Chair. 

Freiburg, Germany view of Black Forest 

8 9



The Way to 

Unity 

Discovery – 

Vision – Action 

“The vision of 

uniting, in an open 

but organized space, 

all the elements of 

Subud will create one 

common program. 

Together we want to 

feel the underlying 

values of the Wings, 

discover and find 

inspiration through 

activities or even 

projects,” 

Congress Chair, 

Oliver Haitzmann. 

“This coming World Congress 

aims to reflect the unity of 

our association, with the 

integration and working 

together of all aspects of 

Subud: Members, Wings, 

Youth, Helpers, Committees, 

WSA, MSF, Zones and 

Countries, to support the 

process of taking the latihan 

into the world,” Elias Dumit, 

WSA Chair. 

The theme of the Freiburg 

World Congress is ‘Unity’ 

which reflects the integration 

and working together of all 

aspects of Subud to support 

the development of projects, 

activities, and enterprises that 

are an expression of the latihan 

in the world. 

The largest hall at the Freiburg 

Congress Centre (6,000m2) will 

be called the “Subud Village.” 

When you enter the exhibition 

space, you will discover all of 

these aspects of Subud: 

Wings, Youth, Helpers, MSF, 

Zones, Countries, Groups and 

WSA including Archives, SPI, 

Translation Unit, Human Force 

and Yes Quest. 

During the 12 days of 

Congress, a dynamic program 

of activity and interaction 

in this space will help 

members to have a clearer 

understanding of how Subud 

can support them, and how 

they, in turn, can support 

the growth of Subud, and 

how together we can create 

amazing new projects and 

enterprises. 

To facilitate this process, the 

twelve days of Congress will 

be divided into three phases: 

Discovery, Vision, and Action. 

Discovery 

As always, the Congress 

will begin with an Opening 

Ceremony. Here the Discovery 

theme will be expressed 

through myths, legends, and 

fairy-tales. This theme will 

then extend into the kejiwaan 

days with a special focus on 

new possibilities. Walking 

around Hall 2, the “Subud 

Village” will surely be a time of 

discovery for each of us, and 

there will be an opportunity 

to participate in the first of 

three major interactive “Shared 

Explorations,” which of course 

is titled ‘Discovery’. 

- meeting a mentor. This is the Vision phase in 

the ‘Project Kitchen’ which is expected to produce 

many projects (a similar process at Basara, 

resulted in 14 projects). 

Action 

The third phase is all about the transition from 

ideas into real-life activity. Plans are honed ready 

for presentation to the panel of Wing Chairs, who 

will make awards from the considerable grant 

money that will be available, and the last two days 

of Congress are all about GETTING STARTED 

NOW, with a final shared exploration, “Action”. 

Wings will be organizing follow-up and on-going 

support for when project promoters go home. At 

the Closing Ceremony, there should be a lot to 

celebrate. 

As well as all the activity in the ‘Subud Village,’ 

there will be several huge tents, with wooden 

floors, in front of the building for children’s 

programs, craft, youth, etc. We can have bonfires 

in this outside area and continue music, dancing, 

etc. into the night. The latihan spaces for both 

men and women are also enormous, and there 

are some 12 rooms for meetings of delegates, 

MSF, Wing AGMs, etc. However, the plan is to 

integrate the work of the delegates, giving them 

an opportunity to participate fully in the general 

program. 

“Preparing the Subud Village has become the 

most exciting part for the organizing team and all 

participants and is exciting as the idea of a Subud 

Village is, it is an enormous challenge, says Oliver. 

Congress 

Kejiwaan 

“..a Subud congress is not 

a congress of a normal 

association, which requires 

only delegates to attend, no. 

And from the membership, 

it is not only delegates 

who need to attend the 

congress. A Subud congress 

is a congress of a spiritual 

association, which in reality 

is your worship of Almighty 

God. So, nothing is more 

important at a congress than 

the latihan.” 

Skymont, USA - 22 August, 1970 

(Recording: 70 SKY 8) 

“The vision of uniting, in an 

open but organized space, 

all the elements of Subud will 

create one common program. 

Together we want to feel the 

underlying values of the Wings, 

discover and find inspiration 

through activities or even 

projects,” says Congress 

Chair, Oliver Haitzmann. 

Vision 

Teams form to develop 

projects, success stories, 

presentations of amazing 

projects by groups and 

individuals - advice from 

experts in finance, law, and 

marketing, etc. - support 

for your ideas from Wings 

“In order to create, with a tight budget and limited 

human resources, a cozy atmosphere within these 

huge and naked convention halls, a lot of creativity 

and an enormous workload will be required from 

all participants; I am grateful for having such a 

dedicated team around me,” he says. g 

As in all our Congresses, the latihan 

is the most important aspect as it 

is our guiding force and the single 

most important way in which we 

are all connected and united. The 

IH is planning daily latihans to 

accommodate the membership. 

g 

10 11



Congress 

Kejiwaan continued 

The latihan space will be made available 

for small group testing for personal or 

workshop related issues in the large 

hall when general latihans are not 

happening. The hall is very large, many 

corners will be available and perhaps 

divided to isolate some spaces. So that 

members can sign up for testing, a desk 

with sign up sheets will be available in 

front of both the men’s and the women’s 

latihan rooms. Helper volunteers will 

also sign up here so that members and 

helpers can meet at specific times. 

As their schedule will be very full with 

new officer testing and new IH team 

testing, the IH will not be available for 

all kejiwaan activities. However, they 

do plan to have some helper meetings 

and youth support activities. Flexibility 

is the most important ingredient in the 

development of this kejiwaan program 

as many parts of the program are still 

in the process of being finalized. As 

we know more, we will let you know 

through FYI, Congress website or 

Facebook page. g 

Congress Info 

Dates: 

July 28 - August 8 2018 

(arrivals July 27) 

Place: 

Freiburg Breisgau, Germany 

(not Freiberg, Germany ;) 

Main Venue: 

Messe Freiburg http://www.messe.freiburg.de 

General Info, Accommodation & Registration: 

https://subudworldcongress.org/ 

If you missed the Early Bird fee register now 

for the normal fee. Registration will increase for 

latecomers after June 15th! 

Kids are free! 

Transport: 

Nearest airports Basel, Zurich, Frankfurt 

(1.5-2.5 hours by train) 

Inexpensive "Flexibus" are available from 

Frankfurt and Basel. 

Visa: 

If you need a visa apply at least 3 months before 

starting the trip. 

Visa support: 

visa.wcot2018@subud.org 

Facebook: 

Subud World Congress 2018 Freiburg Facebook 

page with online messaging! 

Freiburg is one of the most southernmost 

cities in Germany and consequently one of its 

warmest. Its near-Mediterranean climate is one 

of the reasons that it is so popular as a vacation 

spot. Average temperatures from July-August are 

a comfortable 18-23C / 64-74F but temperatures 

have been known to go up to 32C (90F) at 

midday. g 

Congress 101 

“None of us in Subud 

has any authority 

but we do have 

responsibilities.” 

Varindra Vittachi, Former Chair, 

Subud World Council 

For many Subud members 

who attend congresses it’s a 

chance to catch up with old 

friends and make new ones. 

It’s an opportunity to do latihan 

together, share experiences, 

renew acquaintances and 

renew themselves. We learn 

what other members, groups 

and the Subud wings are 

doing in the world and enjoy 

the talents of our brothers 

and sisters during cultural and 

artistic performances. 

But behind the scenes, 

much work is being done. 

Since the first Subud World 

Congress in 1959 in the UK 

- when Bapak began setting 

up the International Subud 

organization - until today, 

the organization continues to 

develop and evolve. 

What they do 

The World Subud Association 

is coordinated by the Chair, 

Deputy Chair, Executive Chair 

and Vice Chair and is supported 

by an administrative team. 

The Subud Council (WSC) is 

made up of the Chair, Deputy 

Chair, the Executive team, 9 

zone reps., 18 IH, Wings Chairs 

including SDIA, SICA, SYAI, 

SESI, chair of the Muhammad 

Subuh Foundation (MSF) 

which also plays a role as 

the foundation of the WSA, 

while the International Helpers 

support its overall mission of 

supporting the latihan. 

Between Congresses, country 

delegates discuss projects, 

direction, policy and guidelines. 

The outcomes become 

resolutions that are carried 

forward to the Subud World 

Congress. 

At each World Congress, 

resolutions from last Congress 

are reviewed, future plans 

discussed, recommendations 

from the member countries’ 

delegations are proposed 

and presented in the form of 

policies. In addition, the WSA 

positions are tested as well 

as the site for the next World 

Congress and the Coordinators/ 

Chairs of the various wings. g 

12 13



Assistance 

Congress Fund Kejiwaan 

WAITING 

Giving and Receiving 

The WSA has set up an assistance fund with 

the hope that any member who really wants 

to attend the World Congress but doesn’t 

have enough can be supported. 

Did you know Subud Spain is supporting all 

members willing to attend World Congress? 

Chile is trying to do the same. In Indonesia, 

a savings program has been introduced, 

and Subud Britain is developing a helping 

hand fund, while the USA is introducing an 

Assistance Fund for members. 

Countries and zones are asked to sponsor 

their delegates to attend the congress. 

But this is not always possible – especially 

in areas that face economic challenges. 

Besides delegates, individuals - from the first 

generation of Subud members to the Youth – 

may also need assistance. 

To meet this need, the World Subud 

Association has created an Assistance 

Fund. It will be allocated to three different 

categories: Delegates, General Membership 

and Youth (IYTF). The fund will be 

administered by Hannah de Roo from the 

Netherlands. She will be supported by the 

Zone Representatives for the delegates, 

National Committees for the general 

membership, and the Youth Representatives 

and Coordinator for younger members. 

Who contributes to the fund? Any and all of you 

who want to bring others to Congress to share 

in the joy, friendship, activities and gifts that only 

large gatherings can offer. Come to Congress 

and bring others with you! And the ones who 

can’t attend Congress for different reasons are 

also invited to support the travel assistance 

fund. 

Some funds have already come in for Youth 

Travel and the Assistance Fund, but much 

more is needed to be able to help as many as 

possible. Our goal is 100,000 Euros! 

To find out how to apply for assistance or 

donate just go to subudworldcongress.org 

and click on assistance fund. Donations can 

also be transferred to the new World Subud 

Association account in Freiburg. g 

Account Holder 

World Subud Association 

Bank 

Sparkasse Freiburg – Noerdlicher Breisgau 

IBAN 

DE51 6805 0101 0013 7641 06 

BIC/SWIFT 

FRSPDE66XXX 

Or contact Hannah de Roo: 

assistancefund2018@subud.org 

Congress 

Bazaar 

Showcasing arts and crafts from brothers 

and sisters around the world has been 

a highlight for many congress goers, 

and we hope to create a truly global 

experience in Freiburg! 

Team Selling approach 

Everyone will sell their own items, but we want to 

introduce a team selling approach. We anticipate 

a high level of cooperation and ask you to 

arrange yourselves into teams to help sell for 

each other. 

If you don’t have a team before Congress, an 

orientation meeting will provide you with the 

opportunity to meet other sellers in Freiburg. 

Description of your work 

People helping you sell your products may not 

be familiar with them, so a brief description of 

your work (no more than 600 words) is highly 

recommended to enhance sales. Please tell us: 

»» 

Basic type and quantity of work you’re 

bringing; please note that space is limited 

and we are making every effort to share our 

limited space fairly 

»» 

Are you involved in any official congress 

responsibilities in addition to your wish to 

sell things in the bazaar? 

»» 

What languages do you speak? 

If your product is a fundraiser for one of the 

wings, please contact Halima (see below). 

Please be aware that there are rules for bringing 

in items for sale into the European Union. We will 

give you further information at a later point. 

Note that you will not be allowed to sell food at the 

bazaar. g 

If You Are Interested In Selling Items, Please 

Contact Either Katja Or Halima 

Katja.Tsafrir.wcot2018@subud.org; 

Halima.Taylor.wcot2018@subud.org 

for more information. 

14 15



1971 

Wisma Subud, Jakarta, Indonesia 

1979 

Toronto, Canada 

Looking back 

Congress History 

Congress Kejiwaan 

WAITING 

Bapak in Briarcliff, New York. Photo: WSA Archives. 

1963 

Briarcliff New York, USA 

Bapak gave ten talks. A keynote was the 

introduction and reliance on testing as a way to 

guide the proceedings and resolve differences. 

Congress attendance was approximately 350. 

About 2000 members from 80 countries filled 

the Wisma Subud village specially built for 

this Congress. It was the largest international 

gathering ever held in Indonesia and was opened 

by the President of Indonesia. Subud world 

was divided into eight zones with councilors to 

meet every two years. An administrative system 

was established on both the committee and 

kejiwaan sides that went from the international, 

to national, regional and local levels. 

Bapak gave fifteen talks. 

About 1600 members attended. Congress 

Chairman, Varindra Vittachi, summed up the 

themes as being “Subud minded” and equipping 

ourselves to “stand on our own feet”. 

More emphasis was placed on the Zonal 

structure, on the need to provide Bapak’s talks 

in languages other than English. There were 

recommendations to improve archives. SBIF 

became more clearly the social arm of Subud, 

there was attention to education, the needs of 

the elderly and support for Vietnamese refugees 

in Subud. Much time was devoted to enterprises 

and the functions of Subud Enterprise Services 

(SES) and Enterprise Associations. 

Bapak and party with John Bennett at Coombe 

Springs. Photo: WSA Archives. 

1959 

Coombe Springs, United Kingdom 

Bapak gave fifteen talks in which he clarified 

the role of helpers and committee members. He 

explained the need and purposes of enterprises 

as a way to raise money for Subud and its social 

work. Some 450 members representing 35 

countries attended. 

1967 

Tokyo, Japan 

This Congress focused on strengthening 

the outer organization of Subud. World 

Congresses became a permanent institution to 

be held every four years. Subud Brotherhood 

International Foundation (SBIF) was established 

to administer Subud funds on a professional 

basis. The International Subud Council was 

formed. It delegated executive functions to the 

International Subud Congress Committee (ISCC). 

Officers of Council and Committee were chosen 

by testing. Subud Technical Services (STS) was 

also set up to organize the co-operation of those 

with specialist technical skills. 

Bapak at 3rd Subud World Congress, Japan. Photo: WSA Archives 

Bapak and Ibu Rahayu at the 4th Subud World Congress in Jakarta. Photo: WSA Archives 

1975 

Wolfsburg, Germany 

Bapak explained more about the relationship 

between the latihan and outer activities such 

as enterprises. A rapid increase and diversity of 

Subud activities was acknowledged and given 

a workable form. In the middle was the World 

Subud Association consisting of Bapak, the 

Congress, the Council of International Helpers. 

Bapak gave twelve talks. 

1983 

Anugraha, Surrey, UK 

A separate organization to which Bapak gave the 

name Susila Dharma Association was set up to 

take over Subud’s humanitarian activities. The 

Subud International Cultural Association (SICA), 

the Subud Youth Association (SYA), and the 

Subud Interational Trade Association were also 

established at this congress. Communicationswere 

modernized and upgraded. SUBUDNET 

came into being. Bapak gave twenty-one talks. 

16 17



1989 

Sydney, Australia 

This was the first congress without Bapak who 

had passed away in June 1987. ISC became 

the agency protecting the copyright of Bapak’s 

talks and writings. There was an urgent sense of 

the need to prepare proper archives to preserve 

Bapak’s documents. The constitution of WSA 

was accepted, replacing SBIF, and giving a 

much clearer concept of the Subud organization 

and roles and responsibilities. A permanent 

Endowment Fund was established for members 

who might wish to leave a donation to Subud in 

their wills. Bapak’s eldest daughter, Ibu Rahayu, 

gave two talks. 

1997 

Spokane, Washington, USA 

Attended by more than 3000 participants from 

52 countries on all five continents. More open 

to the public than any previous Congress, it 

attracted a lot of publicity in Spokane and it is 

believed about ninety people were opened as a 

result. Bapak’s eldest daughter, Ibu Siti Rahayu, 

gave several talks. As usual, aspects of the 

organization were further refined: the role of MSF, 

for example, was clarified and updated. There 

was emphasis on the translation of Bapak’s talks 

and a plan to make a subject index to the talks. 

2001 

Bali, Indonesia 

2010 

Christchurch, New Zealand 

This was the first World Congress hosted by 

New Zealand. The new World Subud Council, 

WSA Chair and Executive team, as well as 

new representatives or chairs of the wings and 

affiliates began their term and at this time with 

the help of working parties, processed policy 

resolutions which were presented and voted 

on by the delegate assembly that included: 

strengthening our organization; talents, projects 

and wings; review of external relations/presence 

in the world; review of finances/MSF; Helpers 

work; WSA Archives; Bylaws; review of roles of 

SESI and SYAI as well as other organizational 

issues. Ibu Rahayu gave three talks. Congress 

attendance was approximately 1,700 +. 

Ibu Rahayu speaks to members in Sydney. 

Photo: WSA Archives 

1993 

Amanecer, Armenia, Colombia 

This was the first congress where Latin 

Americans were strongly represented. There 

were also delegates from new Subud countries 

in Eastern Europe. Work proceeded on the 

formation of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation 

that absorbed the previous Permanent Endowment 

Fund. The autonomy of Susila Dharma 

International was more clearly defined. ISC was 

responsible for a variety of “service functions” 

such as publications tapes, archives and 

communications. A number of Coordinators were 

appointed to take care of various functions such as 

Media and Archives. Ibu Rahayu gave 4 talks. 

Unrest in Central Kalimantan prevented the 

congress from being held there. At short notice 

the congress was moved to the Nusa Dua area 

in Bali. A day was devoted to the remembrance 

of Bapak. A series of days were devoted to a 

geographical area of Subud, for example Asia, 

Africa etc. Challenges and opportunities were 

explored and various cultures celebrated. After 

the congress, two Subud members stepped in to 

prevent an Indonesian bank foreclosing on PTS 

Widjojo. Ibu Rahayu gave two talks. Congress 

attendance was approximately 1,500. 

2005 

Innsbruck, Austria 

Congress recommendations focused on further 

strengthening the organization, nurturing 

member activities and initiatives, improving 

finances, cross border assistance for Subud 

houses and the formulation of a privacy policy. 

The Congress used a number of venues 

scattered throughout the city for its various 

activities such as Susila Dharma, Youth and 

so on. There was a wealth of varied cultural 

activity. Ibu Rahayu, gave a number of talks and 

conducted testing sessions. 

2014 

Puebla, Mexico 

About 1,700 members took part. There was a 

strong Subud Youth Presence at this congress. 

Subud affiliates and wings were very active at 

the Congress holding workshops, presentations, 

performances and exhibits. Each day the agenda 

was filled with different events which delegates 

and members could attend. Behind the scenes, 

planning and organizational meetings were held 

with many new people taking up posts for the 

next four years. Delegates covered a number of 

issues including membership, bylaws and helper 

support. 

Freiburg’s Martinstor or Martin’s Gate dates 

back to Medieval times. 

2018 

Freiburg, Germany 

Germany was chosen to host the 15th Subud 

World Congress in Puebla, Mexico following 

presentations and testing from Subud UK and 

Subud Indonesia. 

2022 

18 19



Looking Forward 

Congress 2022 

World 

Congress 

2022 

With the World 

Congress rapidly 

approaching in 

Germany, it’s time 

to look at where we will all meet 

again in four years. 

So far two countries are bidding 

to host the 2022 Subud World 

Congress: Subud Australia 

has nominated Melbourne and 

Subud Indonesia is putting 

forward two places: Yogyakarta 

and Rungan Sari, Central 

Kalimantan (see articles in 

Zoning In). 

“ The WSA hopes that 

many countries will 

consider hosting the 

World Congress. “ 

The WSA hopes that many 

countries will consider hosting 

the World Congress. In 

Freiburg, delegates will consider 

the proposals by testing with 

the international helpers and 

by looking at presence of the 

following elements: 

»» 

Fair rotation of countries 

hosting the Congresses; 

»» 

Commitment and 

enthusiasm by members 

of the host country to 

support the efforts of and 

being able to create a team 

to plan and facilitate a 

congress; 

»» 

Capacity of the country 

or zone to also propose 

candidates for the WSA 

Executive team (former 

ISC); 

»» 

Presence of members with 

the skills, experience, time 

and responsibility to plan 

and facilitate the congress; 

»» 

Presence of members 

who would be ready 

and willing to work in 

close collaboration with 

the Executive team (not 

necessarily WSA chair). 

Previous experience 

will also be taken into 

consideration; 

»» 

Openness on the part of the 

country and its proposing 

team to learn from the past, 

to use proven methods of 

operation and to be open to 

new ideas. 

On a second level of 

consideration, the delegates 

at the World Congress in 

Freiburg will look at: 

»» 

The existence of venue(s): 

with adequate size, spaces 

for latihan and working 

groups, good spaces that 

can serve as social hub 

during the congress. 

»» 

The accommodation 

options - opportunities to 

satisfy budgets of all kinds 

»» 

Accessibility and 

transportation costs from 

furthest distances to 

congress site. 

»» 

Closeness to Subud 

Centers. 

Please include in your 

application proposals an 

assessment on how those 

elements above can be met 

and also please include an 

estimate budget projection 

based on a reasonable number 

of attendees. In case you have 

the possibility of raising funds 

for hosting the Congress other 

than through WSA, please 

specify that. The proposal of a 

specific venue is welcomed but 

not mandatory. 

PLEASE SEND YOUR PROPOSALS 

PREFERABLY IN A PDF FILE TO 

wsa.secretary@subud.org 

by April 21, 2018. 

20 21

SUBUD WORLD 


Our 

“The whole experience was amazing, like 

a mini world congress with people from 

all over. We were truly blessed to have Ibu 

Rahayu with us and to give us so much 

through her talk and testing, too”... 

Subud 

World 

“In 1976 Bapak advised us in a letter to international 

officers and helpers, and all Subud National 

Committees throughout the world that it was 

one of our duties and responsibilities “to arrange 

for the preservation of archives and historical 

material relating to the development of the Spiritual 

Brotherhood of Subud.” 

22 23

OUR SUBUD WORLD 


1 

Muhammad Subuh 

Foundation 

2017 Grants for 

Subud Houses 

“MSF will be working on a display at the World 

Congress featuring over 25 years of grants 

that have benefited the 3 Areas and indirectly 

through grants to WSA, International Helper 

Travel, Archives and the purchase and 

renovation of many Subud centers around 

the world. The display in the “Subud Village” 

will be an effort to help members understand 

the significance of remembering MSF in their 

wills and bequests. We also hope to have 

some Trustees at the booth or volunteers 

who can answer questions. Subud members 

are welcome to attend our meetings held at 

congress.” Marston Gregory, Chair MSF. 

W 

hile the priority of the 


Foundation is the 

establishment of new 

Subud houses, this year we were able 

to assist in the capital improvement of 

five existing Subud houses. 

With a total 2017 Subud house budget 

of USD 64,500 grants were awarded to 

the following Subud groups: 

1. Subud Armenia, Colombia: 

USD 5,000 to divide their one latihan 

room into two latihan spaces, and for 

mold/humidity remediation, and other 

repairs/improvements. There are thirty 

members, and they had previously 

raised USD 400 towards the project. 

2. Subud Cape Town, South Africa: 

USD 10,000 to replace the old roof. The 

group raised sufficient funds themselves 

to purchase new carpets and renew the 

fire-door. The upper floor is currently 

rented out to a Subud member. In 

future, they hope to renovate this space 

to bring in more income. 

3. Subud Johannesburg, South 

Africa: 

USD 26,500 to replace the roof/ceiling 

which is in a dangerous condition, 

replacement of doors for security, and 

upgrading the bathroom facilities. 

4. Subud Perth, Australia: 

Has completed major 

renovations at a cost of over 

AUD$ 200,000 which was met 

from group funds and members’ 

donations. An MSF loan will 

help fund the next stage of 

renovations which will complete 

the project. - creating an indoor 

social area, flowing through into 

an outdoor garden space and to 

purchase chairs, tables, and a 

storage shed - basic equipment 

essential to rent out the space 

commercially. Subud Perth 

agreed to accept USD 56,000 

as a loan. This effectively 

enabled MSF to increase the 

grant amounts to several of the 

other grantees by USD 20,000 

as loans do not come out of the 

Subud house budget. Thank 

you Perth! 

5. Subud Peru: 

USD 23,000 for kitchen and 

bathroom renovations and 

additions. They plan to convert 

the first floor of the property 

to bring in income from Airbnb 

rentals, which is very exciting 

as the house is located in an 

interesting tourist section of 

Lima. 

Property 

Maintenance 

Fund 

Initiative 

The Muhammad Subuh 

Foundation is preparing a new 

property maintenance fund 

initiative that will be offered for 

one year, as a trial: 

The maximum grant funds 

available worldwide for this 

initiative will be USD 30,000, 

with a limit of USD 5,000 for a 

single grant. 

Reports and bank statements 

will be required by recipients 

of the grant, after which, at the 

end of 2018, MSF will disburse 

a grant of 25% of the fund’s 

value. 

MSF recommends that a 

minimum of 2% of the group’s 

monthly income be set aside 

for a long-term property 

maintenance fund. 

The zone reps can help 

familiarize their respective 

areas with this initiative, not 

just to help the groups but 

also to assist MSF and WSA 

to be able to prioritize funding 

appropriately in the future. 

This initiative arose from 

increased requests to MSF 

for funds for repair and 

maintenance. While MSF is 

willing to help out, Subud 

groups should really have 

property maintenance funds 

in place for these expenses. 

WSA has also been discussing 

proactive initiatives and are 

hoping to have a meeting 

with group chairs during 

world congress to discuss 

use of premises to bring in an 

income. MSF will take part in 

the meeting, sharing success 

stories from Perth, Seattle, 

Portland, etc. The aim is to 

create a culture of long-term 

sustainability. Bapak spoke about 

taking a practical approach, 

suggesting that the latihan times 

could be moved if necessary to 

accommodate renters. Sarita 

Rodriguez, IH, said that when the 

IHs travel they encourage groups 

to share their latihan space for 

use as an enterprise. Nahum 

Harlap, IH, suggested SES could 

work with groups to establish 

enterprises to ensure financial 

sustainability. g 

Subud Johannesburg, South Africa: 

24 25



2 

Subud Archives 

An illustration of an archives that I hope you can use. It is 

the opening page of the Subud Archives website. We have 

permission from the illustrator, Klaus Kremmerz. 

What are Subud 

Archives anyway 

Bapak in farming area in 

Central Java on an outing 

to Puncak Pass. Photo 

taken by Max Baerveldt in 

1969. Part of the Baerveldt 

Photo Collection in the WSA 

Archives. 

What are archives? That is a question that those of 

us working in the archives are often asked. Here is a 

definition and a brief description of the value of keeping 

records. An archive is a collection of historical records or 

documents providing information about an organization 

or a group of people; it also refers to the place where this 

material is stored. Archive or archives? It doesn’t matter 

which way you say it. Archives hold accumulations 

of historical records to help nations, societies, and 

organizations survive into the future. 

Illustration by Klaus Kremmerz 

26 27



Some of the main functions of an 

archive that most Subud people don’t 

know: 

• Preserves the history of the 

organization 

• Preserves records that contain 

adequate and proper documentation of 

the organization’s functions, policies, 

decisions, procedures, and essential 

transactions 

• Furnishes the information necessary 

to protect the legal and financial rights 

of the organization including keeping 

and providing access to constitutions, 

bylaws, copyright, trademark 

registrations, etc. 

• Sets up good directories and files; 

arranges and catalogs materials (in 

whatever format) regularly and carefully 

in a manner that allows them to be safely 

stored and efficiently retrieved when 

necessary 

• Contributes to the smooth operation 

of the organization by making the 

information needed for decision making 

and operations readily available 

• Provides continuity in the event of a 

disaster or when administrations change 

• Protects records from inappropriate 

and unauthorized access 

• Meets statutory and regulatory 

requirements including archival, audit, 

and oversight activities 

• Provides protection and support in 

litigation 

Sightseeing with Darius Brusaferro, Ibu Rahayu, Bapak, Muti, Tuti, and Sharif Horthy. Vancouver, July 

1981. Photo copyright by Simon Cherpitel, http://www.cherpitel.com/. Photographs in the collection of 

the Subud Archives. 

Bapak in farming area in 

Central Java on an outing 

to Puncak Pass. Photo 

taken by Max Baerveldt in 

1969. Part of the Baerveldt 

Photo Collection in the WSA 

Archives. 

28 29



Besides these material aspects 

of the archives as stated above, 

Subud archives have a function to 

preserve and make available for future 

generations information about the 

latihan kejiwaan as it was passed on 

to us by Bapak and to preserve the 

historical evidence of the coming of 

the latihan. 

The intended use of a Subud Archives 

would be for incoming officers and 

helpers who wish to learn more 

about their job and what others have 

done before them; to help those who 

work in wings, affiliates, and related 

entities; to provide source material 

for Subud historians wanting to write 

the history of their country, region, or 

group; and for Subud members who 

want to progress in their personal 

development on the spiritual level as 

well as to understand more about 

Subud and its history. 

An archivist can tie together two 

or more subjects that are located 

in different parts of a collection to 

make the findings of the researcher 

broader or more specific. The use 

of name, place, and subject access 

points in the cataloging record draw 

collections and items together and 

complement information in ways that 

cannot be easily done in the usual 

time the archives user has to gather 

the information. 

Bapak and party outside the French Institute in New York 

before a talk given on 10 June 1959 while on his 2nd World 

Journey. Left to right: Ibu Rochanawati, Bapak, Ibu Siti Sumari, 

and Ibu Ratna (wife of Dr. Zakir who probably took the 

photo). Gift from Raymond van Sommers from the Istimah 

Week Collection. 

Social evening with Bapak at Capri Hall, Vancouver, July 1981. Photo copyright by Simon Cherpitel, 

http://www.cherpitel.com/. Photographs in the collection of the Subud Archives. 

30 31



Bapak at 1st Subud Canada National Congress, August 1970. 

Photo copyright by Simon Cherpitel, http://www.cherpitel.com/. 

Photographs in the collection of the Subud Archives. 

Bapak, Tuti, and Pak Usman at Table Mountain in Cape Town, 

South Africa. Taken by Konrad Baerveldt in 1970 when Bapak 

was on his 8th World Journey. Part of the Baerveldt Photo 

Collection in the WSA Archives 

In 1976 Bapak advised us in a letter to 

international officers and helpers, and all Subud 

National Committees throughout the world that 

it was one of our duties and responsibilities “to 

arrange for the preservation of archives and 

historical material relating to the development of 

the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.” We haven’t 

fully accomplished that but we are on the way. 

An archive By-law, the WSA Archives Charter, 

and a Subud Archives database and website will 

be ready for the World Congress this summer so 

members will be able to see and understand what 

we have in our collections. Someday we hope 

to have archive facilities around the world where 

Subud members (now and in the future) can 

learn more about the history and development of 

Subud. 

If you would like to work, volunteer, donate 

material, or learn how to be an archivist locally, 

nationally, or internationally, please contact your 

nearest archives for information or daniela_ 

wsaarchives@subud.org. If you would like to 

donate funds to carry on the work of the archives, 

go to https://tinyurl.com/y9xyva6e. 

32 33



3 

SDIA 

“ We are proud to say 

that out of 800 project 

applications from 

around the world, 

the one proposed 

by SDIA, SD Canada, 

ICDP Peru, Asociación 

Vivir (Ecuador) and A 

Child’s Garden of Peace 

(US) was selected for 

funding over two years 

in a scientific, peerreviewed 

process.” 

Getting it 

right for 

children in 

Peru 

Student nurses with members of the Wawa Illari team. 

Studies show that 

early childhood is a 

pivotal experience in 

life. If we get it right, 

children thrive and have a 

better chance of going on to 

be healthy and happy adults, 

and this has a knock-on effect 

in so many different areas of 

society, including education, 

health and law and order. 

Getting it right in early 

childhood includes providing 

a loving and safe environment 

and good nutrition, both 

crucial factors in the 

development of a child’s brain. 

This is why last year the 

Susila Dharma International 

Association (SDIA) pulled 

together a team of very bright, 

inspired Subud professionals 

working in the field of early 

childhood health, nutrition 

and development to submit 

a project in a Canadian 

government call for proposals. 

We are proud to say that out 

of 800 project applications 

from around the world, the 

one proposed by SDIA, 

SD Canada, ICDP Peru, 

Asociación Vivir (Ecuador) and 

A Child’s Garden of Peace (US) 

was selected for funding over 

two years in a scientific, peerreviewed 

process. 

The plan is to train 200 

teachers and nursing and other 

students at the University Inca 

Garcilaso de la Vega in Lima 

in a community approach 

to improve early childhood 

development. This will include 

enhanced parent-child 

interactions, and growing and 

consuming healthy foods in 

combinations that are best 

for early brain development. 

Many thanks to SD Britain 

and SD USA for supporting 

the beginning of project 

implementation in 2017 and 

2018. 

Why support SDIA? 

Because we’re good, 

not because we’re 

cheap. 

Many Subud members still 

believe that the best, and 

maybe the only reason for 

supporting the work of Susila 

Dharma projects, SD National 

organisations and SDIA itself, 

is because we are a mainly 

volunteer organisation with low 

overheads: i.e. because we are 

cheap. 

But there is a much better 

reason for giving to SDIA and 

its members – we are good at 

transforming people’s lives, at 

developing new ideas and new 

ways of working; and this arises 

out of the spiritual experience 

and exercise that we all share 

as Subud members. 

A recent example is the 

success of the Wawa Illari 

project in getting funding in 

an immensely competitive 

environment. Why were we 

successful? Not because we 

are the cheapest, and certainly 

not because we are volunteers. 

We were selected because 

our project was among the 

most innovative, sustainable, 

impactful and scalable of similar 

initiatives around the world. 

Bapak told us that it would 

be so. He told us that as 

we develop in the latihan, 

people outside of Subud, 

wealthy people and those in 

government, will trust us with 

their funds. This is increasingly 

the case around the world, as 

SDIA and its members work to 

make our projects visible and 

known. 

But for SDIA to remain 

strong and vital as a Subud 

development organisation 

and charity, we need you to 

support our core operations, 

the activities that underlie the 

visible changes at the top of the 

pyramid. 

This means not just particular 

projects, for which we might 

find donors not connected to 

Subud, but the day-to-day 

workings of our Association 

which are key to making the 

needs and achievements of 

specific projects known by the 

rest of the world. 

We need you to support us 

because the projects that we 

present and support are well 

thought through, well-executed, 

evidence-based, rigorous and 

bring direct results. That takes a 

lot of work, resources and yes, 

sometimes paid professionals. 

We should be proud to be able 

to pay Subud members to work 

solving real-world problems 

and to show their talents to the 

world. We should be able to 

show our talented youth that 

there is a place for them within 

our Subud organisations as 

future professionals, not only as 

weekend volunteers. 

PLEASE JOIN US IN SHOWING WHAT 

THE FRUITS OF THE LATIHAN CAN 

ACHIEVE IN THIS WORLD, BECAUSE 

WE ARE GOOD, NOT BECAUSE WE 

ARE CHEAP. 

Find out more about SDIA 

at the next Subud World 

Congress! 

34 35



4 

SICA 

Congress 

Creativity 

One of the highlights of any past World 

Congress has been performances and 

exhibits by Subud artists from around the 

world - and Freiburg is no different. From 

poetry to art, music, film, dance, song, theatre and 

more, members will share their talents and explore 

creativity through workshops and presentations. 

However, a major difference for the 2018 

Congress is a landmark change that will see the 

Wings playing a major combined part in the way 

the program runs and the potential outcome for 

members able to explore their past and present 

to create a new future. Peter Jenkins and the 

Yes Quest team will give a series of interactive 

workshops based on a fourfold approach that 

links to the Wings and their purpose of providing a 

guiding framework for any activity or endeavor in 

our lives. 

During the congress, we will explore the four areas 

of our Health, our Service to Others, our Creativity, 

and our Activity or Enterprise. These four elements 

are both an inner symbol of our humanity and an 

outer framework to guide our action in the world. 

Congress will provide an opportunity for each of us 

to explore our connection with each of these areas 

– as well as our own personal leaning towards 

any of them specifically in terms of our nature and 

talent. 

On the cultural side, some SICA treats to look 

forward to include: 

»» 

Unity in Diversity – Art Exhibition & Auction of 

Paintings curator Oriana Lince - oriannalince@ 

gmail.com 

»» 

Puppet King Richard II – Theatre production by 

Gregory Gudgeon 

»» 

Jazz, Blues, and Beyond - Australian artist 

Frances Madden 

»» 

Electric Violin – Marius Kahan (a la Jean Luc 

Ponty and Stephane Grappelli) 

»» 

Murder of Ravens – Theatrical vocal 

extravaganza - Adrienne Thomas 

»» 

Contemporary Dance - Tina Frometa 

»» 

Tuppenny Opera - David Weir and Maya Sapir 

»» 

Our Lives Our Selves – Dance project from 

India; 

»» 

Seeds of Hope – Choral presentation from UK; 

»» 

Poems for Peace - Latifah Taormina and 

Laurence Guntner; 

»» 

Congress World Band - Sebastian Flynn and 

friends 

“ During the 

congress, we 

will explore the 

four areas of our 

Health, our Service 

to Others, our 

Creativity, and 

our Activity or 

Enterprise.” 

»» 

Our Subud Story – including Everyday Subud 

Stories led by SICA UK, interviews on the Culture 

Couch with Harris Smart, the Jerry Chalem archive 

from the USA and much more! 

»» 

Congress Choir workshops and performance - 

Audrey Lonergen 

»» 

Congress Lantern Parade - Raphaella Sapir and 

Mitchell Reese 

»» 

Fairytale sessions - Rusydah Ziesel. 

»» 

Artist workshops for families 

For thoughts and input, or if you have a 

presentation or performance you want to share, 

please contact Sebastian Flynn at sebflynn@ 

gmail.com and Rusydah Ziesel at rusydal.ziesel. 

wcot2018@subud.org g 

Invitation to 7x5 

Art Exhibition: 

Fundraising Auction for SICA and 

WSA 

The Art Exhibition Organizing Team 

is very happy to announce a call to 

Subud artists with the purpose of 

fundraising in support of our WSA 

and SICA activities (25% of the raised 

amount will go to WSA, and 75% will 

go for SICA). At the same time, it will 

be an opportunity to show and share 

our work with participants at the World 

Congress. 

This is a ‘secret auction,’ and the 

buyer will not know the identity of an 

artist until the piece is sold. There will 

be an opening night gala event for this 

exhibition for all participants at the 

World Congress. 

What you need: 

- You must have a connection to 

Subud. 

- Put your work on a matt board (rigid 

media) that is 5 x 7 inches or 13 x 

18 cm, using your preferred themes, 

techniques or materials. 

- Sign the back of each work rather 

than the front. All the artwork will be 

displayed anonymously. g 

36 37



5 

SESI 

The Big 

$100,000 

Challenge 

Hadrian Fraval, Chair 

of SESI, invites you 

to submit projects for 

funding at the Projects 

Showcase at World 

Congress. 

The wings are joining together 

at World Congress in the 

enormous Subud Village. We 

have combined all the wings 

in this one area to emphasize 

how our worldly activities often 

combine elements of more than 

one wing. 

This also underlines the 

universality of the four-stage 

process described by Bapak 

in his talks which apply to all 

human activity. That is Zat - the 

intention or Will of God, Sifat 

- condition or situation, Asma - 

deeds, work or action, and Af’al 

- evidence, product or result. 

We now invite you to submit 

projects for the Projects 

Showcase. Yours may be a 

SICA project with an emphasis 

on culture, but it can also 

involve elements of SES, Susila 

Dharma, and even SIHA. Being 

all together in the one place 

near each other emphasizes 

this Congress theme of UNITY. 

The theme of UNITY 

encompasses all aspects of the 

Subud organization (helpers 

and committee). With this 

theme as a backdrop, SESI is 

offering US$100,000 in funding 

to assist projects presented at 

Congress to be implemented. 

The funding is open to all 

endeavors both existing and 

new. Projects may be individual, 

group, zone or national 

projects. 

What is the meaning of these 

words, Zat, Sifat, Asma, Af’al? 

Latif Vogel has compiled a 

short list of words used by 

Bapak in his talks when he was 

explaining the meaning of these 

terms. 

ZAT : inspiration, intention, 

power of God, will, essence, 

content, idea, wish, state of 

existence… 

SIFAT : vehicle, nature, form, 

attributes, condition, situation, 

entity, vessel… 

ASMA : effort, action, work, 

movement, function deeds, 

application, practice… 

AF’AL : result, conclusion, truth, 

reality, proof, product, evidence 

Get Started Now 

It is less than four months to 

Congress and we would like 

you to start thinking about 

your existing or new projects 

which you might enter in the 

project showcase. We want 

well-prepared, well-thought-out 

endeavors. 

We use the word “endeavor” 

rather than “enterprise” to 

emphasize the fact that we are 

not just seeking “businesses,” 

but endeavors of all kinds 

associated with the various 

wings. So, this includes 

projects in culture, in health 

and humanitarian activities. As 

mentioned above, projects will 

often combine many of these 

elements. 

Contact Osanna Vaughn who 

is coordinating this to let her 

know about your interest in 

submitting a project for a 

grant and submission details. 

osanna@osannavaughn.com 

Send a Video 

In the wing area, we will have 

TV screens on which we’ll play 

videos of the activities you are 

all involved in. This means not 

just people applying for funding. 

We want to know about all 

the projects that people are 

doing. So, we’re asking you 

to submit a short video, just 

a few minutes, that tells us all 

about your activity whether it 

falls into the category of SES, 

SICA, SDIA or SIHA. Send your 

videos via Dropbox & the link to 

hadrianf@gmail.com. 

Mentors Wanted 

We are looking for mentors to 

support the people who will be 

submitting projects for funding, 

the aim being to help these 

projects be presented in the 

most professional way possible. 

Ideally, we would like mentors 

who can be available not only 

at Congress but also to help 

projects in the time leading up 

to Congress. We are looking 

for people who have had 

experiences as entrepreneurs, 

people who may know 

about areas like finance and 

communication, but also people 

who have experience in the 

various Wing areas. Contact 

Hadrian Fraval at hadrian@rofin. 

com.au 

In order for the team to conduct 

the first evaluation in advance 

of Congress, we’d like you to 

submit your proposal by May 

30th, 2018. g 

38 39



6 

SESI CONTINUED 

My cool cap ? 

Some years ago, my 

wife, Levana, picked up 

an aluminized solarreflecting 

cap for me at 

a trade show in Texas. I started 

wearing it outside on sunny 

summer days and discovered 

that it kept my head cooler than 

any other hat I’d worn. Not only 

did this cap keep my head cool, 

but others thought it was cool, 

too. Who knew! So I never went 

outside without it! It was the 

only hat I could wear in the sun 

that didn’t bake my head. 

When it finally wore out, I went 

back to the company and got 

their last two caps. But once I 

was down to the last of those, I 

found that they were no longer 

made, that the only way to keep 

my supply going over the years 

was to have them made myself. 

Suddenly a little lightbulb went 

off in my head.... 

Last year, I contacted 36 people 

to ask for their financial support 

for WSA. It was a hard slog. 

I had a target in my head of 

$100,000. I raised only $20,000. 

I thought to myself after this 

exercise that this was not the 

way to do it. So we created 

a new model which we hope 

will deliver both incentive and 

benefit to the entrepreneur 

as well as a serious revenue 

stream to Subud. 

In this model, the gross profit 

is split 50-50 between the 

entrepreneur and, in this case, 

WSA. The vehicle we use is a 

nonprofit business. This 50-50 

divide works until WSA receives 

$100,000 a year. After that, as 

the business grows, the formula 

is adjusted. Also, Subud USA 

and other Subud beneficiaries 

can be included. 

Of course, the model’s success 

depends upon having a 

successful product. Over the 

past three years, Noxgear’s 

Simon Curran and his partner 

Tom developed a product and 

started marketing it on Amazon. 

Both Simon and Tom are 

engineers and they did a great 

job of producing a product in an 

attractive, robust, and reliable 

format see www.Noxgear.com 

I approached Simon as well 

as Susannah Rosenthal with 

my plan to productionize 

MyCoolCap. Simon loved the 

idea and thought it should fly. 

He shared with me that if you 

sell on Amazon and have a bad 

product, you usually don’t lose 

money, as long as you have a 

sufficient level of margin. 

Over the first six months of 

2017, I developed the product 

for production based on my 

original, rather crude, baseball 

cap – the one I had been 

wearing all these years. 

I worked with ten companies in 

China, gradually whittling it down 

to three. Of course, this was in 

close liaison with Simon, who 

was extremely helpful. Simon 

has a “factory” in China and 

travels there frequently. Knowing 

the ropes of how to do business 

in China is the difference 

between life and death for a 

new enterprise. Simon steered 

us through the minefield and 

went through the last part of 

the process of ordering and 

securing delivery of the product 

to specification. 

Once we had the product 

delivered to Amazon, our task 

became an entirely different one. 

Now we were looking for the 

right kind of person to manage 

the business. 

We chose Andrew Morgan 

to head up the business. 

Introduced to us by Susannah, 

Andrew is a talented young 

man with lots of webbuilding 

experience and an 

understanding of business 

and entrepreneurship. We are 

delighted to hand this great task 

to him. With this new model for 

enterprise, he could do very 

well for himself, while at the 

same time generating significant 

money for Subud. 

Daniel Ko offered to make a 

MyCoolCap video to show on 

one of his social media sites. 

With 100% of the profits going 

to WSA, offers of help came in 

from all kinds of people. 

Miraculously, we were given 

good presentation slots — two 

of them really well attended — 

at the Congress. The word has 

gotten out about MyCoolCap. 

com. And I have a feeling that 

there will be many further offers 

of help if we can demonstrate 

the success of this project. g 

CONTACT 

Hanafi Fraval, 

Mobile: +1 (928) 245-0454 

E-mail: fbeco@me.com 

“ Not only did this 

cap keep my head 

cool, but others 

thought it was cool, 

too. Who knew! So I 

never went outside 

without it! It was the 

only hat I could wear 

in the sun that didn’t 

bake my head.” 

40 41



7 

SYAI 

Guillaume 

Sanchez, 

Zone 3 Youth 

writes about 

his recent 

experiences 

in the Subud 

World. 

“ I have decided 

in the past year to 

awaken my curiosity 

of Subud, by helping 

wherever I could 

and by following 

my latihan with 

sincerity. ” 

It is quite an experience 

to join the venture that is 

the Subud organization. 

Ever since the Zone 3 & 4 

gathering in Poland, followed 

by the Basara Youth gathering 

in Indonesia, a whole new side 

of Subud has unveiled itself to 

me. As an organization, you 

witness an ongoing growth filled 

with excitement and dreams, 

but also fears and doubts. We 

wish to accomplish so much 

but want to make sure it comes 

from the right place. 

I have decided in the past 

year to awaken my curiosity of 

Subud, by helping wherever 

I could and by following my 

latihan with sincerity. This led 

me to a beautiful conclusion: 

Subud is growing with harmony 

and humility all over the world, 

and it’s so great to be a part of 

that, even in my small country 

of 12 members. 

Groups are taking responsibility 

and action all around the 

world, to move towards a 

self-sustainable and inspiring 

organization. Africa is now 

contributing an important part 

of their budget to the WSA, 

Youth in Indonesia put together 

a major event in 2016, Spain 

has managed to motivate and 

support all its members to 

attend the World Congress, 

South America has had an 

increasing number of gatherings 

in the past 4 years... and that’s 

just a few things I am aware 

of. The truth is, our sense of 

sharing, listening and latihan 

has just been really great! 

World 

Congress 

Support 

I am convinced there is a 

movement going on, where 

members of all ages are working 

hand in hand on a subtle step 

towards oneness and the World 

Congress is all about getting 

this engine running! To help us 

take action into the World by 

supporting the development 

of our inner Wings, but also 

concretely investing in the 

creation of projects that may 

arise from the World Congress! 

Now, we are focusing on getting 

as many people as possible to 

come to this event in Freiburg. 

So if you want to be a part of 

that vision, we invite you to 

contribute to our crowdfunding 

endeavor that aims to 

support members of all ages: 

https://www.leetchi.com/c/ 

community-world-subudassociation 

Imagine what we could make 

happen if each member gives as 

little as 1 Euro per person! g 

THANKS AND MAY THE LATIHAN BE 

WITH YOU! 

Guillaume 

“ Groups are taking 

responsibility 

and action all 

around the world, 

to move towards 

a self-sustainable 

and inspiring 

organization.” 

Note: Donations can also be made via 

the assistance fund at: 

https://subudworldcongress.org 

42 43


Subud Indonesia’s 70th Anniversary 


8 

IH NEWS 

International 

Helpers: 

Westward 

Bound 

There are 18 International helpers 

who work in three Zones. Area 3 covers 

the Americas. 

The area three international 

helpers began 2018 with a 

beautiful outward and inward 

experience by visiting groups 

in the Pacific Northwest of the 

United States. 

We are very grateful for the 

hospitality and care we have 

received. It is very inspiring to 

do latihan with many members 

some of whom have been 

doing latihan regularly for 40 to 

50 years. When we receive to 

do so, we often offer general 

testing after latihan and the test 

questions arise to fit the group 

we are visiting. Afterwards, 

we talk, hear the questions 

and concerns in each group 

and share something of our 

experiences traveling as IHs 

and information about the world 

congress. 

In general, we find that latihans 

are very strong and our visits 

draw people to come who have 

been away from group latihan. 

They express an appreciation 

for a renewed experience 

of strong receiving. Some 

common themes and questions 

that come up during discussion 

time are: How are we living the 

gifts we have received from 

the latihan in our lives? How 

can we talk about Subud in 

a natural way when we are 

asked about it? Concerns 

about attending group latihans 

when busy lives, heavy traffic, 

and aging bodies make it 

very challenging to get there. 

Concerns about how to improve 

communication between men 

and women and between 

helpers and committees so 

that planning and decision 

making are coordinated. How to 

support newly opened people, 

so they feel welcomed and 

cared about. How to create 

a welcoming atmosphere for 

younger and newer members so 

that they will feel comfortable to 

bring their friends who enquire 

about Subud. 

Subud 

Spaces 

We were impressed with the 

good condition of most of the 

Subud houses we visited. We 

feel we in Subud are learning 

to run center enterprises using 

the houses to bring in income. 

There are many challenges 

in maintaining and operating 

houses that create a context in 

which groups are learning and 

growing. Committee members 

play such an important role in 

providing spaces for latihan 

and managing finances. We feel 

great admiration and gratitude 

for the generous ways in which 

people give of their time and 

talents. In several groups we 

see new and younger people 

coming to do the latihan. And 

we feel very hopeful about the 

future of Subud. 

“ We feel we in 

Subud are learning 

to run center 

enterprises using the 

houses to bring in 

income.” 

From the 

ashes 

Often when meeting with 

Subud members stories are 

shared of times the latihan 

touched others or awakened 

something inside. We would 

like to share one such story. 

Several years ago, during one 

of the wild fires that strike 

California the beautiful home 

of a Subud family was burned 

to the ground. As they looked 

through the rubble hoping to 

find anything that might have 

survived, they came across a 

burned down wall. They lifted 

A Gathering 

up the rubble and saw one 

Like 

remaining 

No 

sculpture 

Other 

turned 

over on its back. They flipped 

it over, and there was the face 

of our dear Bapak looking up 

at them, undamaged except for 

the paint having burned away. 

The sculpture was created by 

Liana Kelley, a long time Subud 

member and very gifted artist. 

This gift created from hands 

guided by God of our dear 

Bapak was the only surviving 

object in the whole house. 

Going through the rubble and 

coming across this face must 

have felt like Bapak coming 

down from above, saying it will 

be ok. God is with you always. g 

IH AREA 3 

Mahmud Nestman, Sjarifuddin 

Harris, Suzanne Renna and Myriam 

Ramsey 

3 international helpers in California 

44 45

ZONING IN 


Zoning 

In 

the activities and efforts of 

WSA which depends on 

contributions from Subud 

countries. 

The importance of countries 

registering as non-profit 

organizations for tax 

purposes was also covered. 

It was reported that 

the Muhammad Subuh 

Foundation granted large 

donations to help with the 

renovation at two South 

African centers - Cape Town 

and Johannesburg. 

Several suggestions were 

made to try and alleviate the 

communication problem in 

the Zone as most people 

do not have phones. One 

suggestion that was well 

received is to buy cheap 

phones and give them to 

members in Nigeria and 

Malawi. 

Other suggestions 

included: having a 

Facebook page for the 

groups as a whole rather 

than separate pages and 

making Skype calls when 

possible. 

There were general 

discussions regarding aging 

population in the groups 

as there is a definite lack 

of Subud Youth in South 

Africa. 

A presentation on the 


Foundation (MSF) was 

made which helped to bring 

greater understanding to 

the members of the function 

and purpose of MSF from 

its very beginnings during 

the times of Varindra 

Vittachi.- 

"The importance of 

countries registering as 

non-profit organizations 

for tax purposes was also 

covered. It was reported 

that the Muhammad 

Subuh Foundation granted 

large donations to help 

with the renovation 

at two South African 

centers - Cape Town and 

Johannesburg." 

Zone 5 

English 

-speaking 

Africa 

The Zone covers four 

countries: Nigeria, 

Tanzania, Malawi and 

South Africa. 

More than two dozen members 

attended the Zone meeting in 

Cape Town. 

Chair Boris Guderjahn welcomed 

everyone and read a letter from 

the World Subud Association 

Chair Elias Dumit and Executive 

Chair Ismanah Schulze-Vorberg. 

An announcement of new helpers 

was also made before continuing 

with the meeting. 

Country and financial reports 

were discussed, and the main 

conclusion was that everyone 

needs to be aware of the need to 

support to the best of their ability 

Zone 5 members in South Africa. 

46 47

ZONING IN 


Zone 6 

Frenchspeaking 

Africa 

"The feeling was that 

through the latihan we 

are given the means 

necessary to be capable 

of taking care of our 

needs, to be at the 

service of others, to be 

the creators of jobs, and 

to be friends of peace, 

truth, and justice. The 

only requirement is to 

organize our lives on 

earth." 

Members from Subud Zone 6. 

Nearly 50 

members from 

Benin, Congo 

Brazzaville, 

Angola and DR Congo 

gathered in Kinshasa for 

the Zone’s 3rd ever council 

meeting. The focus was 

how the Zone could become 

a stronger WSA member. 

As a first step, the members 

present focused on the 

contribution of Zone 6 to 

the development of WSA. 

The groups prepared a list 

of what would be needed to 

fulfill this wish. 

1.Identify the real 

problems of our groups 

2.Specify them 

3.Look for the causes of 

these problems 

4.Detect the consequences 

that would result if no 

action is taken in time. 

5.Specify the sector of 

activity concerned 

6.Propose corrective 

measures to be taken. 

7.Give a number to this 

problem. 

The group decided that it is 

important to prioritize and 

take care of the needs of 

the groups, so things don’t 

pile up and cause people to 

lose hope. They also felt that 

fulfilling the personal needs 

of members is important to 

free everyone to address 

the needs of the zone. The 

feeling was that as talents 

bear fruit, our gifts and 

potential are put to serve the 

community and a feeling of 

happiness and trust in God 

arises. As was stated “We 

cannot serve God and at the 

same time close our hearts 

to the calls within us of the 

needs of humanity. “ The 

needs of WSA become part 

of the needs to be fulfilled. 

The feeling was that through 

the latihan we are given 

the means necessary to be 

capable of taking care of 

our needs, to be at the service 

of others, to be the creators of 

jobs, and to be friends of peace, 

truth, and justice. The only 

requirement is to organize our 

lives on earth. 

Further, to succeed and to move 

forward a group needs to have a 

good leader, a person who can 

create, with the help of others, 

a good working environment, 

trust, and understanding. In this 

way, the group can work for the 

benefit of all. 

The meeting was well organized, 

and a list of conditions to 

a successful outcome was 

developed, discussed and 

adopted by the delegates to the 

meeting. Group problems were 

stated honestly, and solutions 

sought sincerely. 

During this meeting, testing 

was conducted which helped 

to clarify the benefit of doing 

the latihan with diligence and 

to the best of the ability of the 

members. It was felt that as the 

latihan becomes stronger, so to 

the position of Subud Zone 6 in 

the whole of the organization. 

As the latihan grows, it will 

bring the members into a more 

harmonious dialogue and 

interaction. Care for each other 

will also grow. 

Leaders in Zone 6 were able 

to raise awareness among its 

members that funds are needed 

by WSA to run its activities 

which affect Subud members 

throughout the world such as the 

preservation of Bapak’s and Ibu’s 

talks and travel of international 

helpers. The countries voted 

to each raise USD 100 toward 

the overall budget of the zone of 

which USD 250 would be sent 

directly to WSA by the end of 

2017. 

Zone 6 expressed its gratitude 

to the WSA and SDIA and all 

the brothers and sisters around 

the world who supported this 

meeting. 

When a good working dynamism 

emerges then bonds and ways 

of working together can allow 

the members to creatively solve 

the problems which exist and 

concern the members. Members 

of the zone felt that this meeting 

was a stepping stone to working 

together and that the important 

factor is to remain open and 

available to work together 

throughout the zone. g 

A new zone 6 representative 

will replace Rida Liobo Loote 

after the World Congress 2018 

– he is Mendes Mente Lamba 

from Angola. 

"Further, to succeed 

and to move forward 

a group needs to 

have a good leader, 

a person who can 

create, with the 

help of others, 

a good working 

environment, trust, 

and understanding. ." 

48 49

ZONING IN 


Sea & 

Sand – 

A National 

Congress 

Aussie style 

This year, the venue 

for the Australian 

National Congress 

was the seaside 

resort - Currimundi on the 

Sunshine Coast. The beach 

is a five-minute walk from our 

rooms, and it was a delight 

to see the sunrise early in the 

morning. Leonora and Muchsin 

Raven worked tirelessly 

organising the Congress. 

Some 150 people attended, 

including young people who 

added vibrancy and energy. 

The air was filled with laughter, 

young voices and the pitterpatter 

of children’s feet as there 

were a large number of babies 

and toddlers. 

Kenneth Collette, our 

national chairman, opened 

the Congress and formally 

welcomed all the members 

including overseas visitors. 

Ibu Rahayu’s message to 

Congress was read out. She 

echoed Bapak’s advice to 

us to have faith and belief in 

God and to ask for “helpers 

and committee members to 

be useful and helpful people 

who can be examples to 

those who follow them”. There 

was an air of anticipation as 

one of our visitors was Oliver 

Haitzman who had prepared 

a presentation on the Freiburg 


So the Congress, as usual, 

started every morning with 

a latihan followed by testing 

a few questions and then 

kedjiwaan led by dedicated 

helpers. A taste of World 

World Congress banner will be sent around Australia. 

Congress was experienced by 

each one of us as we tested 

the importance of the World 

Congress and our role if any. 

The helpers also tested for a 

new team of national helpers 

for the next four years. 

One of the highlights of the 

gathering was an evening of 

stories reminiscing about our 

time with Bapak. Kenneth and 

Fatidjah Clark from California 

relived their memories of 

Bapak. 

We were regaled with laughter 

and filled with poignancy by 

the experiences and intimate 

stories of Bapak’s sense of 

humour. I hope we make space 

for more of such anecdotes 

from members at the World 

Congress. 

Music & More 

A choir, organised by the very talented 

Lonergan family from Tasmania, brought 

members together to practice each 

evening, culminating in an enjoyable 

SICA evening of performances at an 

open mic. There were also jokes from 

the children and amazing songs and 

music from talented young people. 

Anyone up for a World Congress choir? 

As in the past, one of the activities 

during Congress was the designing of 

a congress banner for the forthcoming 

world congress. Isti Jenkins had teams 

of eager youngsters working every day, 

designing, drawing and colouring the 

intricate patterns they had chosen. At 

the end of the congress, the banner 

will travel to another location to pick 

up added colour, and then to the World 

Congress. 

Melbourne 2022? 

Our Congress passed a resolution 

that was voted unanimously that 

Melbourne, Australia would bid to host 

the next World Congress in 2022/3. 

Peter Jenkins and Davina Flynn are 

working very hard with the logistics for 

presenting at Freiburg. 

Our 2019 Australian National Congress 

will be held on the eastern coast of 

Victoria. We have discovered the secret 

recipe that sea and sand make for a 

very relaxed and enjoyable congress. 

We invite more visitors to our sunsoaked 

summers. g 

Until then, au revoir. 

Rohana Fraval 

waiting for photo 

Bapak’s family join Subud members from around 

Indonesia to celebrate. 

Indonesia 

Celebrates 

Subud Indonesia 

celebrated its 71st 

anniversary at Adi 

Puri, formally Bapak’s 

home in Wisma Subud, 

Jakarta. 

Subud was officially 

registered for the first 

time in Yogyakarta - 

the former capital of 

the newly independent 

Indonesia on February 

1st 1947. Today Subud 

Indonesia has 7 regions 

with 27 groups. 

Representatives from 

the regions were also 

in Wisma Subud to 

participate in 

“Musyawarah Nasional” 

- a meeting which is 

held a year before the 

National Congress. 

Members discussed 

the need to support 

enterprises, improve 

communication and to 

make sure all of Subud 

Indonesia’s assets are 

well cared for. 

Subud Indonesia also 

announced a bid for 

Subud World Congress 

2022. Two places were 

put forward Yogyakarta 

in Central Java and 

the Subud complex 

Rungan Sari in Central 

Kalimantan. g 

50 51

SUBUD SPACE 


"It is almost as if the place was 

waiting for us. We had plans drawn 

up for a structure, finding land in 

a good location was a challenge 

and a wise decision to buy an 

existing house, and property was 

made. As Chair of the Housing Subcommittee, 

I had five members who 

devoted much time and energy to 

the project. " 

Subud 

Spaces 

Sri Lanka’s spacious new Subud house includes a guest cottage and pool. 

Sri Lanka’s amazing Subud House journey 

Sri Lanka began latihans this year at a 

new Subud House in Colombo. Robert 

Goonetilleke takes a look at how it all 

happened. 

In the Subud world, Sri Lanka is blessed as we 

have always had a spacious place for latihan. 

Ronald Jayatilleke often mentioned how a 

spacious Grand Bungalow was offered to him 

just before Subud and the latihan arrived in 

Sri Lanka in December 1957. Not long after 

we moved to this luxurious house owned by 

a diplomat in the same neighborhood where 

Bapak, Ibu Rahayu, Ibu Yati and Ickshan 

Ahammad stayed for quite a long time. 

In 1963, when we still had a large group, we 

moved to Havelock town and ended up at a 

very large property by the ocean. Here we built 

a dream Subud house that should have served 

the needs of Subud for the next fifty years. How 

the funds to buy the property and then building 

it was a miraculous story in itself. 

But permanency was not to be, and decades 

later, with the high cost of maintenance for such 

a huge building and membership dwindling, 

our property had become a burden. Against 

the advice of those who dealt in real estate, 

we decided by majority vote to sell and build 

something that would meet our needs - more 

than our wants. It was a bold move where a 

bidding war turned in our favor. 

It is almost as if the place was waiting for us. 

We had plans drawn up for a structure, finding 

land in a good location was a challenge and 

a wise decision to buy an existing house, and 

property was made. As Chair of the Housing 

Sub-committee, I had five members who 

devoted much time and energy to the project. 

We experienced challenges and faced a few near 

misses along the way, but in the end, they all 

turned out to be a gift. 

Located in a fast developing area very close to 

the New Sri Lankan Parliament complex, the 

property has good roads and easy access. A 

quiet neighborhood and privacy is assured as 

a very high granite wall surrounds the property. 

There is an added bonus - a guest cottage for 

visitors and caretakers quarters neatly tucked in 

the rear of the property. And there is a swimming 

pool to cool off! 

Sixty years is a long time, and it has been a 

privilege to witness this unfolding chapter of 

Subud Sri Lanka. It could not have happened 

without those who came before us.g 

52 53

EDITORIAL 


Focus: it happened 

in Greece...Again 

Oliver Haitzmann 

WSA Secretary Salamah (Dick) LeClaire spoke 

with Oliver Haitzmann about his life and how he 

became World Congress Coordinator – quite 

unexpectedly. 

Q. 

What type of work 

do you do? 

A. I started my professional career as 

an assistant professor at the Institute for 

Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing at the 

Technical University in Vienna. I moved to 

Switzerland in 1983 to join Leica Geosystems, 

a company specializing in surveying and 

photogrammetric solutions. Since 1994 I have 

been a freelance project manager for mapping 

and geographical information systems (GIS) – a 

software like the one used for Google Maps. I 

have worked in international land tenure projects 

with the aim to register and secure private land 

ownership in a state registry. A type of work 

that is needed by developing nations, in South 

America, Africa and all ex-Soviet countries 

which had no private property holdings. It has 

been good for me. I have done a lot of traveling, 

living in different cultures and lifestyles. Although 

my heart will always be in Vienna, I have learned 

to live wherever I am at the time. 

Q. 

How did you come to Subud? 

A. Sophia, my wife, is a second generation 

Subud member but for a long time, I felt that 

it was not necessary for me to be opened in 

Subud. But then while on vacation in Greece 

one summer in 1989, it became clear that 

indeed it was important for me to be opened. So 

I was opened there. My wife sent for my name 

and Ibu gave me the name Oliver which I truly 

love. 

Q. 

How did you get involved in 

Subud work? 

A. Two weeks after my opening I became the 

treasurer for Subud Switzerland and a year later 

the chairperson, then after a while, I became 

a helper. When we moved to Orgiva, Spain, I 

became the chairperson there. In the year 2000, 

the zone 4 representatives retired and so Osanna 

Vaughn and I took over the zone representative 

position. She did the WSA contact work and 

I did the country contacts. After the 2001 

Congress, I continued in the position for four 

more years and really enjoyed it. 

I really enjoyed working with the council and 

being a part of the international team but I never 

wanted to be a ‘professional’ Subud officer and 

be part of those who “KNOW”. So I decided to 

go back to my group in Orgiva and I kind of lost 

touch with the bigger world of Subud at that 

point. 

Q. 

So what brought you to 

become part of the WCOT 

team? 

A. About a year ago, during the WSC 

meeting in Salobreña, Anwar, a dear friend, 

talked to me and in the end after some days 

convinced me to become part of the working 

team for the Congress. My job at that time was 

to be Program Coordinator for the next World 

Congress. I had always liked doing program 

coordination when I was a zone representative 

and I felt yes I can do that – it goes along well 

with my professional life. I met with the former 

Congress Coordinator, Romina Vianden-Prudent, 

and we started working together. 

Q. 

When and how did your 

position change from 

Program Coordinator to 

Congress Coordinator? 

A. I went to the zone 4 meeting in Greece at 

the end of June last year – the country where 

I was opened. There were 200 people from 

all over, so it had a good international feeling. 

At that time many of the members involved 

in the Congress - the WSA team and youth 

representatives from zones 3 and 4 - were 

there all very excited about Congress. We had 

many meetings that were both interesting and 

harmonious. At one point, due to personal 

reasons and commitments, Romina decided that 

she should step down as the coordinator. 

I was asked if I would consider taking on the 

position. The testing with the international 

helpers was very positive. It felt strong and 

wide open. Then the testing went further and 

incorporated having both positions; that of 

Program Coordinator and Congress Coordinator. 

That testing was even more powerful and was 

the final way for me to make the decision. So 

yes now I wear both hats! 

Q. 

Where do you get your 

support and how do you feel? 

A. Well, my wife supports me. My Subud 

group in Orgiva supports me, the international 

helpers support me, the WSC supports me, and 

Anwar and I have latihans and calls about three 

times a week. 

54 55

EDITORIAL 


Q. 

As the Congress Coordinator 

what are your main 

concerns? 

Q. 

What are some words of 

wisdom that you would like 

to share? 

Funding the Future 

of Subud 

By Hilaria Dette, WSA treasurer 

Current needs for Subud 

Future Fund for Subud operations 

A. Well, I really have no concerns. Well, my 

main fear is my health, two years ago I had 

a small stroke. But as far as the Congress is 

concerned well I know it will happen and we will 

have a good congress. Maybe the wonderful 

vision of the integration of all the aspects of 

Subud as one big unit will create a special 

atmosphere. 

I hope that we can realize our vision. The 

concerns that come from others who don’t 

really understand or don’t have the picture yet 

are just that - concerns and worries. What I 

realized at the Council meeting is that those 

who first arrived and did not understand the 

vision were hesitant but after three days they 

all said: “Yes this is great and we support 

the vision.” It helps to take us away from the 

fragmentation that happened over the years at 

congresses. UNITY is the key to having a good 

congress. Uniting all aspects of Subud, wings, 

executive, members, representatives, delegates, 

etc. is the way to go. 

What takes the most energy is to calm the 

worries of those who don’t have the vision. It 

is important at this point for us all to become 

ambassadors of the Congress vision. It will 

happen. Well, the world is so crazy right now, 

and life happens there are things we can have 

no control over. But, I believe, we will have a 

good congress if we work together. If we are 

alone, we can do little, but if we work together, 

we can overcome what is happening out there. 

Being together in Subud will help us face what 

is happening outside of Subud. 

A. We have to have UNITY as Subud can 

only survive if we become one - all aspects 

working together. Not only fragmentation, but 

the tendency of individualization happens all 

the time in this world. So for us in Subud, we 

need to be ONE BODY. Yes, we can always 

say: ‘Well I am in Subud for myself, I can do 

latihan by myself’ but unity is the main key to 

life and to be part of the whole not be a single 

unit is essential. In this way it is easier to be 

connected with the world, first our group, then 

our region, our zone, then the world. 

Joy and peace are the feelings I have when I do 

my work and this is what we all need and hope 

to bring to the Congress in 2018. 

Oliver was born in Vienna and is married to 

Sophia.They lived for many years in Switzerland 

and now resided in Spain. They have four adult 

daughters; Edith, Davina-Rebecca, Lillian, and 

Catharine. Edith, who is now 34, suffers from a 

very rare neurologic disorder NBIA. “We try to 

do everything we can for her and we visit her 

as often as we can. She is a very joyful person 

with a good soul and everyone loves her,” says 

Oliver. g 

Let's travel to the future. 

It is the year 2025, and the 

Subud World is celebrating the 

100-Year-Anniversary since 

Bapak received the Latihan. 

There are a lot of events going 

on throughout the World to 

commemorate this experience. 

On the occasion of the 

inauguration of a new 

International Subud Center 

(hurray!), the current treasurer 

invited all his predecessors for 

an exchange of experience. 

There I am sitting with my 

fellow treasurers; Osanna 

Vaughn, Hammond Peek and 

my direct successor. 

We all enjoy the fact that 

the financial situation of the 

World Subud Association has 

sustainably improved: Funds 

are steadily coming in to serve 

Subud and support Bapak’s 

vision. 

The former treasurers being 

present remember the huge 

efforts they had to undertake 

at the end of every year to 

balance the budget which 

never was generous - only a 

minimum budget. 

In 2001 already Osanna had 

drawn the attention to the 

fact that the contributions of 

the member countries, even 

then, only covered a third of 

the needs. This has started to 

improve slightly in 2017. 

How has the 

financial situation 

developed during 

the term 2014 to 

2018? 

In the recent years, the annual 

budget of the WSA on average 

has been approximately USD 

500,000. 

On the income side 

contributions have come in 

for the last years (average): 

Member countries and 

zones: 

USD 170,000 - 

34 percent 

Foundations 

up to USD 100,000 - 

20 percent 

Enterprise contribution(s) 

(one enterprise) 

USD 100,000 - 

20 percent 

Individual donations and 

extra fundraising: 

up to USD 130,000 - 

26 percent 

Of the 54 member countries, 

11 countries contributed 

considerable amounts. The 

number of countries sending 

contributions increased during 

the past three years. There 

are still some countries which 

do not contribute at all, even 

the 1 dollar per year minimum 

stipulated contribution for 

countries to be considered 

member countries of the 

WSA. Sometimes individual 

members or enterprises 

of these countries send 

donations to the WSA. 

56 57

FINANCING THE FUTURE 


Grants mainly come from 

the Muhammad Subuh 

Foundation and the Guerrand 

Hermes Foundation, including 

individual donations sent to the 

Foundation but earmarked for 

WSA purposes. 

Besides one generous donor 

who has been contributing USD 

100,000 for many years, in the 

past, there were a few more 

generous donors who covered 

up to another USD 100,000. 

Since they are no longer 

available as contributors, the 

extra fundraising needed every 

year to fill the gap, ties up a lot 

of resources of the executive 

team. 

Several members of WSC 

donated through not claiming 

their expenses. In addition, 

some member countries 

covered travel expenses from 

WSC members while they 

were attending congresses or 

traveling in their countries (e.g., 

Canada, Colombia, United 

Kingdom and USA.). 

We estimate that these 

donations and contributions 

outside of the budget add up to 

USD 25,000 to USD 30,000. 

The funds have been 

distributed in the following 

categories (average): 

Kejiwaan Program 

25 percent, 

Media Unit including WSA 

Archives 

20 percent, 

Human activities, including 

Care Support and 

grants to zones 

20 percent, 

Supporting services, including 

Council meeting 

12 percent, 

Executive office, including 

audit and legal fees 

and pensions to widows 

of Bapak’s collaborators 

23 percent. 

In August 2017 we had a 

gap between income and 

budgeted expenses of about 

USD 150,000. During the 

World Subud Council meeting, 

all international helpers and 

officers were asked to adapt 

their expenses in the following 

months to the current financial 

situation. Then a huge effort 

was undertaken to raise 

funds. It was successful: We 

received over USD 20,000 from 

enterprises (Portugal, USA) and 

about additional USD 10,000 

from zones 3 and 4. France 

and Netherlands sent extra 

contributions. Some countries 

sent contributions for the first 

time or after a long break: 

Angola, Congo, Thailand, South 

Africa. Auckland/New Zealand, 

Vancouver/Canada contributed 

considerable amounts, and 

Los Angeles/California and 

Washington DC contribute 

on a regular basis from their 

centerprise efforts. 

Since the fundraising campaign 

of 2016, a number of individuals 

and groups have regularly 

contributed to the WSA like 

USD 100 per month. Hanafi 

Fraval has been supporting 

the WSA executive team in 

fundraising since 2016 and 

managed to collect USD 40,000 

in 2017. 

During the past years, we 

also received considerable 

donations from Cita Buana 

School in Indonesia and from 

Ibu Rahayu, herself. 

How are we going to reach our 

goal that funds steadily come 

in to serve Subud and support 

Bapak’s vision? 

Following the 

recommendations of World 

Congress in Puebla 2014 

• almost all Zone 

representatives communicate 

clearly and regularly with 

individual countries when 

formulating WSA draft and 

final annual budgets respond; 

• WSA Executive established 

a working group to develop 

a coordinated fundraising 

approach; 

• WSA continues to explore 

all options to raise longterm 

capital to finance WSA 

operations; 

• WSA Exec has started 

raising awareness of the 

significance of entrepreneurial 

spirit through conversation 

with representatives of 

member countries and 

communication in quarterly 

reports published on Subud 

World News and distributed to 

member countries. 

What support is 

needed from the 

member countries 

and individuals? 

We trust that in future WSA 

member countries encourage 

their enterprises, and 

that at all National 

congresses, where relevant 

and possible, there be a 

plenary session devoted to 

the topic of enterprises which 

would include SESI where 

possible. 

We trust that the assets 

of Subud (houses) will be 

used to gain profit for the 

maintenance of the premises 

and for the benefit of Subud 

through recurring donations 

to support the development 

of Subud on the national and 

international level. 

Outlook 

Funding the Future of Subud 

is an ongoing process. 

WSA executive continues 

to explore all options for a 

Future Fund that contains 

long-term capital to reach 

sustainability on financing the 

WSA operations. 

We are confident when we 

work on the right projects and 

communicate them; funds 

will find their way to support 

Subud operations in line with 

Bapak’s vision. g 

“ We trust that in 

future WSA member 

countries encourage 

their enterprises, and 

that at all National 

congresses, where 

relevant and possible, 

there be a plenary 

session devoted to the 

topic of enterprises 

which would include 

SESI where possible. 

58 59

EVENTS 


Upcoming Events 

Project Quest 

Freiburg! 

Everyone will have the chance to present their 

project to a big audience at Congress and will 

be in the running for the award of cash grants to 

help put their project into action. 

Celebrating Subud 

Spaces at Freiburg 

World Congress 

Group chairpersons, hall managers, and 

everyone else who is interested in the acquisition 

and operation of Subud halls, houses and 

centres is invited to attend at the Celebrating 

Subud Spaces event this summer at World 

Congress. Participants will learn about Subud 

premises around the world and get information 

on the many different approaches that are being 

used to run a Subud facility. 

The event will feature: 

»» 

a display area about Subud premises; 

»» 

presentations on Subud spaces around the 

world; 

»» 

workshops on the practical aspects of 

running a Subud hall, house or centre; 

»» 

an awards ceremony to celebrate successes; 

and 

»» 

networking opportunities. 

Group chairpersons and hall managers are 

invited to get involved by: 

1. Contributing high quality photos and 

informative text to the event organizers for 

the display panels on Subud premises; 

2. Visiting the www.subudcenters.com 

directory, reviewing the information on their 

Subud premises and, if the premises are not 

listed, clicking on Add a center form to add 

information; 

3. Preparing a PowerPoint slideshow on their 

Subud house, hall or centre to be presented at 

World Congress; and 

4. Participating in the Celebrating Subud 

Spaces event. 

Hadrian Fraval, chairman of Subud Enterprise 

Services International, states, 

“This will be a great opportunity for chairpersons 

/ hall managers to meet, share experiences and 

support one another.” 

July 21-27 2018 

A lodge in Germany’s 

famed Black Forest will 

provide the backdrop 

for this year’s ‘Project 

Quest’. The Yes Quest 

team say this ‘quest’ 

will be in line with the 

focus of the World 

Congress - which is to 

create activities, projects, and enterprises which 

express the latihan in the world. 

All participants will be expected to come with at 

least the beginnings of a project idea. As well as 

the usual Quest activities focusing on personal 

awareness and life direction, we will work with 

everyone to develop their project concept, plan 

it, and enhance their capacity to make it happen. 

Events 

No matter what your age (18 – 88), if you are 

interested, you should apply as soon as possible, 

and definitely before you book your travel to 


There will be an exciting program, lots of music 

and fun in the evening walks in the Black 

Forest, profound personal insights, support, and 

celebration. 

The cost for the six days, including transport to 

and from Freiburg, Quest program, food, and 

accommodation is USD 350$ (250€). 

The program will be designed and facilitated 

by Marlena Basser and Peter Jenkins, with the 

assistance of trainee facilitators Rhyana Blakeley, 

Roland Fraval and Guillaume Sanchez. 

If you have any questions, send an email to 

Marlena (marlena@yesquest.org) or Peter 

(peterjenkins4@gmail.com). 

More info and “interest forms” at 

projectquestgermany.wordpress.com 

World Latihans 

Marston Gregory, MSF chairman, 

says that “This event will help 

Subud centres to become more 

effective and more sustainable, 

and I encourage all hall 

managers to attend.” 

Marston Gregory, MSF chairman, says that “This 

event will help Subud centres to become more 

effective and more sustainable, and I encourage 

all hall managers to attend.” 

For more information, including a draft 

agenda and a list of proposed workshop topics, 

contact event organizer Raynard von Hahn 

SubudSpaces@gmail.com 

April 

8 Subud Italy National Congress 

Contact: Margarita Pizzi 

pizziballesta@gmail.com 

20-22 Family Camp and Earthday 

Retreat - Subud California’s Seven 

Circles Retreat Center in Badger. 

Website. Contact: sulfiati@gmail.com 

May 

19-20 Subud Netherlands National 

Congress - Rotterdam Subud 

Contact: hannahderoo@kpnplanet.nl 

24- 28 Subud USA National Congress 

at the Vancouver Hilton Hotel, in 

Vancouver, WA, USA. 

Contact: Congress Chair, Amelia 

Williams ameliawilliams49@yahoo. 

com 

May 6 

06 

03:00 (Los Angeles) 

05:00 (Bogota/Mexico City) 

06:00 (New York/Santiago de Chile) 

10:00 (GMT) 

11:00 (London) 

12:00 (Paris) 

17:00 (Jakarta) 

20:00 (Sydney) 

22:00 (New Zealand) 

60 61

World Subud Association 

Bringing together Subud members around the world 

Subud and the seven circles 

symbol are registered marks of 

the World Subud Association. 

Copyright 2018 World Subud 

Association. All rights reserved. 

Many thanks to all the 

photographers who contributed 

to this magazine.

Connect Magazine 2018 ENG

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