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PNW regional helper thoughts
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2166
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Posted by
rachmanc
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
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The following is an article written for the Subud Pacific Northwest newsletter which may have general interest. I thought I would share it with you.
At The Pacific Northwest Subud camp in Indianola (near Seattle) the newly formed regional helpers group (Halimah Brugger, Nadia Woodcock, Steven Czuba, Rachman Cantrell) met and did testing in regard to our strengths, weaknesses and various other subjects. As a brand new regional helper I was very pleasantly surprised at how well we got along and at the depth of our connection as a group.
We are each individuals with our own voices but all of us are committed to the work ahead and wish to do what we can to further the aims of Subud in this region. One thing that I received clearly in the testing is that there is no hierarchy in Subud. A local helper is not higher than a member, a regional helper is not higher than a local helper, a national helper is not higher than a regional helper and an international helper is not higher than a national helper. Bapak has told us this many times in the past but as human beings we tend to forget. Even though I already believed this, it was helpful to experience it inwardly. All of us have different functions in Subud but any one of us can receive something unique which can benefit the rest. Bapak was only one human being but he was able to have a tremendous impact in the world and especially on those of us who came into Subud. In some degree we all have the possibility of making a positive difference.
Many parts of the world are experiencing destruction and chaos. When we receive and experience the latihan deeply it has a cooling and quieting effect that is far reaching. Our latihans are not only for us. They can also touch (as Bapak described humanity) "our brothers and sisters who have not yet been opened." When I heard that phrase in a 1984 talk I began crying. I realized that Bapak looked at the world in a much different and more inclusive way than I had.
Another thing I remember from that talk is that he said we don't have to worry about who is right or who is wrong because basically we are all wrong. Even when we are right we are wrong because that is the nature of man and man makes mistakes. That is a paraphrase but pretty close to what he said. When I heard that, it had a freeing effect on me. I had previously been fairly rigid in my feelings about right and wrong, correct or incorrect, black and white, etc. but after that talk I was much more forgiving and tolerant of my fellow man!
At that time in 1984 I was in a somewhat stagnant state of my spiritual development and was having a hard time receiving the latihan at times. At a testing session with Bapak he began talking and it seemed his words were directed toward me. He said that perhaps we were not happy with our progress in the latihan but that actually we had received much already. He began describing the 'little' things that had changed, like not getting angry so often, or not being so fearful as we were, being more tolerant and accepting and other things like that. I realized that even from an outer point of view that those were real miracles. I have heard of extraordinary people being able to mentally manipulate material objects and cause spontaneous fire, but how many can change the actual nature of a person? The real miracle is to be able to touch and awaken a human soul and I realized that had happened in me!
One more thing I want to share for people like me who sometimes have a hard time receiving the latihan because of thinking, etc. A few years ago at a testing session in Menucha (a retreat center near Portland, Oregon) a member suggested testing the question "Where should my attention be in this latihan?" That test had a profound impact on me at the time but more than that, whenever I have trouble getting started with my latihan or when my thinking is too strong I will stop and ask that question again. So far it has had pretty amazing results!
Another thing I realized at a latihan in Indianola was how much I really loved and appreciated my brothers and sisters in Subud. I really do!
Rachman
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