From Subud California Newsletter:

To Fast or not to Fast, that is the Question

As you know, Subud is not a religion, and its membership includes people who adhere to a wide range of faiths as well as people who do not practice any religion. Bapak actively supported members practicing their own faiths. He was an Indonesian Muslim who fasted during Ramadan and found the practice very beneficial. He spoke about the practice to Subud members in a number of recorded talks and recommended it as a way to help quiet the “nafsu” (Indonesian for desires). To be clear, this was a suggestion only, and not a requirement for Subud members.

Many religions and spiritual paths have practices that involve fasting, including Ramadan (Islam), Lent (Christianity), and Yom Kippur (Judaism); there are many Buddhist, Hindu, Yogic fasts as well as non-religious fasts. Bapak spoke about how fasting in other traditions has the same benefits, and he recommended members to practice a fast in accordance with their inner feeling.

Many Subud members who have fasted have experienced deep spiritual benefits from it. Many members have never fasted.  We do not keep track of who fasts.

Fasting can take many forms, and for Subud members who feel moved to fast, each person determines for themselves how to observe the fast. For instance, some people feel to do the traditional Ramadan fast which includes refraining from food and drink during daylight hours (or 6am to 6pm), as well as refraining from anger, negative thoughts, gossip, and using your eyes in an unkind way. Some members receive to abstain from a particular behavior or thought, but not to engage in the food fast. Some people receive not to fast at all.

If you want to learn more about fasting, please ask any helper or member about their own experiences. There is information available on Subud websites and at most centers.  The helpers can also do personal testing with you if you want to explore whether fasting in some manner would be beneficial for you. And please remember, there is no pressure or expectation that Subud members fast.

Dates of the Fasts 2026: Ramadan, February 18 (approximate) to March 19; Lent, February 18 to April 2; Yom Kippur, September 20-21.

Memorial on Saturday, February 14th, 2026, from 4 pm followed by a potluck dinner reception at the Seattle Subud Center (Spring Street Center) at 1101 15th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122. We plan on streaming service on Zoom. Click here to join.

The main course is being prepared, so no need for main course items. If you wish to bring a side dish, bread, or salad to the memorial service, please sign up using this app.  https://www.PerfectPotluck.com/VMNZ9715

Link to signup to attend the memorial service in person here!  https://www.eventcreate.com/e/hadidjahgregory

May God in his love and mercy make her passage easy,

Her devoted Husband, Marston Gregory

Michael and I have been discussing with Marius having a local area Kedjiwaan Gathering potluck at his house this spring. With Honora being in the area from February 9 on, we’ve settled on Monday, February 16, at Marius’ house. Julia is bringing soup or a side dish, Michael will do a main dish. The details are below.

KEDJIWAAN GATHERING – FORMER BSV MEMBERS & OTHERS

• WHAT: Potluck and latihan
• WHEN: Monday, February 16, Noon
• WHERE: Marius’ House – 1501 7th Street, Anacortes
• CONTACT: Julia, 425 359-1972; hurdjulia@gmail.com
• PNW Regional Chair, Honora Drew, will attend

Please RSVP to Julia at hurdjulia@gmail.com with copy to me at bluebear@wavecable.com.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

       Serena

Oswald Norton

Dear Members of Subud Greater Seattle,

As I write this, it’s been only 9 days since Jim and I were tested and then elected as your new vice chair and chair. In that time, we have been able to form a complete committee. Sarah Stralberg has agreed to continue as our treasurer. Lisa Allen has agreed to formally accept the role of secretary.  

Thank you, Sarah and Lisa.

When I thought about putting my name forward for this position, I thought back to a question that Jim O’Halloran and I asked each other 4 years ago: Are there enough members who are able and willing to do the work required in order for the members to enjoy a facility that they own? Or, have we come to the end of the line for owning and operating a facility that we own?

In the next two years I hope, with your help, to discover the answer to that question. I will certainly try.

Housing Committee
In the next 3 weeks I hope to complete the creation of and the formal charter for a committee to explore what we, as a group, need in order to maintain a latihan facility in the Seattle area for the time past when my term is over as chair. Something that I hope will allow us to maintain a facility for those wishing to experience the grace that we have all received, long after my work, and the work of others is over.

I will be putting together a survey, along with the local helpers, to gather from our members their hopes and desires for our future.  This should be out no later than the beginning of March.

Monthly Meetings
I would like to continue our monthly potlucks and get togethers. Not only to share with you the work of the Housing Committee, but to also share with each other how the latihan has changed, or helped our lives since the last time we met. This idea came out of a planning session we had for our last kejiwaan event. 

Each monthly meeting will be a potluck where I hope members will bring their most delicious foods to share with all of us so that we can enjoy the bounty of the foods we create in our own homes.

Kejiwaan Events
It is my hope that the helpers and committee will meet at least once a month to do latihan together and to test about the needs of our group. I am working on getting this regular rhythm setup. I hope that out of this work the Subud Greater Seattle dewan will come to understand how we can put at least bi-annual kejiwaan events for the members. 

We need both men and women members who are not currently helpers to be willing to step into these roles if this is to be accomplished. The last kejiwaan event was mostly led by the regional helpers.

Morning the passing of long time members
With the death of Hadidjah Gregory [memorial service and potluck February 14 from 4 to 7] and the illness and possible passing of some of our members we have some memorials coming up. We need to remember and acknowledge the support and care of these members in our community. I hope you will attend these.

I will update you in the future as I have more to tell.

With Love For Our Subud Community

I am your chair, Oswald Norton

On Sunday, January 25^th after latihan we had our group meeting which included the selection process for chair and vice chair of Subud Greater Seattle for the coming term.  Eleven members attended this meeting.

Acknowledging our past Chair Adira Padilla

Before beginning the meeting, we thanked Adira Padilla for her time as our chair. Her monthly efforts helped us create community through sharing food and discussing the needs of our center. Without her efforts we would not be the group we are today.

Thank you Adira!!!

Meeting Details
After we had the opportunity to partake of the potluck we had a moment of quiet before starting the meeting.

Last Meeting’s Minutes
A review of printed copies of the last meeting’s minutes caused a correction to be raised that last meetings minutes should include the fact that we agreed that any decision to sell our property would be brought to the group for a vote. With that correction the minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Sarah Stralberg handed out copies of the treasurer’s report and took us through a review of where we stood at the end of 2025. In summary, we have money in the bank to cover our current expenses. Due to our adding air conditioning to the rental unit and the bed-bug experience, expenses last year outstripped our income from rentals.

Testing for Chair
Nominations were opened and Oswald Norton, Jim O’Halloran and Marston Gregory were all nominated and agreed to be tested.

The following questions were tested:

• (Name), show through your latihan, will you be able to perform the duties of Chair of Subud Greater Seattle for the coming term?
• How would it be for Subud Greater Seattle if (name) were to serve as Chair for the coming term?
• What qualities does (name) bring to the job of Chair of Subud Greater Seattle for the coming term?
• What qualities are needed to carry out the job of Chair of Subud Greater Seattle for the coming term?
• How would it be for the harmony of Subud Greater Seattle if (name) serves as a Chair for the coming term?

We tested all of the questions with each of the candidates before the group was satisfied with the testing. After the testing was completed, the candidates left the room and voting took place. The members chose Oswald Norton as chair.

Testing for Vice Chair
The nominations for vice chair were Jim O’Halloran and Marston Gregory. It was agreed by the candidates that only the first question would be tested.  After the testing was completed, the candidates left the room and voting took place. The members chose Jim O’Halloran.

Your New Committee

Oswald Norton, chair and Jim O’Halloran, vice chair

General Meeting and Testing for Chair this Sunday, January 25, 2026. Spring Street Center Subud House, Seattle.

Last Sunday, Women and men gathered together for our kejiwaan afternoon. We all benefitted from the wonderful food and testing sessions that followed. Some are hoping we can do this more often.

Agenda for this Sunday:
Quiet time: 11:30AM,
Latihan: 11:45AM to 12:15PM.
Lunch and General Session 12:30-1PM including:

• Minutes of last meeting
• Treasurer’s Report for 2025
• Testing for chair and vice chair 1PM until finish

Thanks to Adira Padilla out outgoing chair:
After two years of dedicated service to Subud Greater Seattle, Adira Padilla will have served the office term to which she originally committed in 2024.

Candidates – Please pre-test
Center and regional helpers are willing to test with members willing to explore their capacity, willingness and ability to serve as the next chairperson after the latihan this coming Sunday.

The term of office is 2 years, ending in 2028. We depend upon the willingness of one another to serve as committee members and helpers to help meet the outer and inner needs of our group.

Please be receptive to considering your own ability to serve and put your name forward if you are willing to test or serve ina committee position in the coming term.

All Subud members, (especially those in the Pacific Northwest and the Greater Seattle vicinity), are invited to participate.

We plan to end at 4PM depending on the needs of the members.

This seems pertinent to our present times!

A provisional rendering by Sharif Horthy of the Talk given by Bapak on May 26, 1976, during the meeting of the Compact World Council, at Kenfield Hall, U.K.

Brothers and sisters, from the reports that Bapak has heard, that we all have heard from the various zones from Central Europe down to Africa and America, it is very evident that the reason why Subud has not progressed, or is still slow in progressing, both in terms of the organization and the kejiwaan, is largely due to the conditions prevailing in world at the moment.  These are as Bapak described earlier today, that it is really true that at this moment the situation in the world is one where God is testing man. It is a time of test for man in that everywhere men are forced to undergo a situation which is chaotic, so that men are forced to live, no matter where men live in the world today, they are forced to live and undergo situations that are in the nature of chaos. And the reason for this is that the greed of man in the world at the moment has reached a kind of peak, as man’s intelligence or cleverness has also reached a kind of peak. Why is it that the result of man’s intelligence reaching a peak is chaos? The reason is that this cleverness, or this intelligence that Bapak is referring to, is a cleverness which is entirely motivated by the nafsu, by heart and mind and by the lower forces. In other words, being of a cleverness that comes only from the heart and mind, it is something that is influenced by the nafsu, by the lower forces which have their abode in the heart and mind, so that everything that man does with his cleverness which he has developed has always the result of ruining something for other people. No matter what man obtains, what result man obtains from his labors, nowadays it is used immediately to make chaos in someone else’s place, in a place other than where the person is who is doing it, whether it is in the form of provoking or trying to wage war, or making trouble in some other way. And this is one of the reasons why Subud cannot, in fact, progress at present in the way that we would hope, because indeed this is the situation throughout the world, and it is by the will of God that man, at this moment is forced to undergo a state of general chaos. Another reason is clearly the situation of money or the economy, which is certainly on the way down and this is very evident. Of course, it is most evident if you hear reports from South Africa and South America and the northern part of Africa, but it is also the case in countries like the United States. For example, in the past, the United States thought of itself as a place where they had a surplus whereby they could help other people in other countries, and they could even export things or export ways of doing things to other countries, so that people who received these things would be able to organize themselves better than before, now, it is just the opposite, that people in the United States are finding all sorts of things happening to them which are not at all what they had anticipated or hoped for. So, it is clear that all these things are happening in the world and there is a general instability, and this instability is, of course, felt also in the Subud organization and in the progress of our Subud organization. In other words, we do not experience stability. Now in this situation we have to be aware that we have received the grace of God Almighty whereby we have received the latihan kejiwaan, and to some extent we are already able to be aware of the guidance of God Almighty within us. So if you compare your situation now, when you certainly feel the condition of the world around you, with how you would have felt before you received the latihan kejiwaan, you will be able to understand that you are not as worried or as upset as you would have been before you were opened. If you remember how you were at that time, if you imagine to yourselves having to face the situation we are facing now, as you were at that time, you will understand that the suffering that you experience would be more than suffering and you would be in the situation of most people today, that they are not only suffering, but they are, as it were, at their wits’ end. Whereas, in your situation you are somewhat detached from it and able to view it as something normal. You are able to maintain your equilibrium.