Author Archives: Oswald Norton

Updated International Helpers Visit Pacific Northwest


Pictured above left to right are Mahmud Nestman, Myriam Ramsey, Suzanne Renna and Sjarifruddin Harris

Friday, Jan. 12 – Subud Greater Seattle – Eastside facility

  • Group Dinner at 6 pm with Subud Members at Pogacha Restaurant in Bellevue (See Halstein Stralberg for details)
  • Attend 8 pm latihan Friday evening

Saturday, Jan. 13 – Bellingham/Skagit Valley

  • Will drive up from Bellevue, WA Saturday morning
  • 11 am Latihan
  • Group activities as decided by the group

Sunday, Jan. 14 – Subud Greater Seattle Subud House 

  • Attending morning 11 am. latihan
  • Potluck Lunch – Please bring a dish to
  • Group Activities with the IH team

Monday, Jan 15 – Portland Subud House

  • Attending Evening 8 pm. latihan
  • Group activities decided by the group

Tuesday, Jan 16 – Portland Subud House

  • Attending 1 pm. latihan
  • Group activities decided by the group

 

Can Practice Make Perfect: The Power Of Listening and Speaking

It was my privilege to be a part of a regional helper team, assisting the Subud Greater Seattle committee and helpers in organizing a Kedjiwaan Day last Saturday.

This request started with your chair, Honora, asking for help from the regional helpers during our Spring Subud PNW Regional Board meeting in Bellingham/Skagit Valley group’s facility.  It took a while to organize, but the outcome seemed to satisfy everyone.

Each member attending spoke clearly about what they have been experiencing and what they needed.  These same members set the agenda and determined what was to be tested and how much latihan was desired.  These same members brought food for the potluck that was sufficient for our needs and satisfied everyone. All the regional helpers did was to help the group determine the date available and the facilitation desired agenda.

During and after members asked, “Why don’t we do this on a regular basis?”

All that’s required is for the group to setup a regular schedule.  Example: the Bellingham/Skagit Valley group has a general meeting one month and a Kedjiwaan day the next.

What do the members of SGS want for themselves?

Making time to listen deeply to each other might have a transformative impact on lives of the members of Subud Greater Seattle and in turn on the center itself.

If your regional helpers can help you further in understanding how to go about the planning of a regular series of future kedjiwaan events, please let us know.

Our Annual Kedjiwaan Retreat Awaits You – Nov. 9-12

Our annual Kedjiwaan Retreat at the Menucha Retreat Center awaits you.  This is the one time each year where we can be together as a region to experience the power of the large group latihans which include many members from throughout our region and beyond.

It is also the one time to be able to spend times with friends you have known for years that live throughout the region, but with whom you’ve not seen since last year.

There will also be time for personal testing, workshops that you create and entertainment from talented brothers and sisters from throughout the region.

The retreat center survived this year’s devastating fire. We, your regional helpers are ready to serve you. Please register by Sunday 10/29th so that we can submit our final numbers to the retreat center.

With all the chaos going on in our country, there has never been a greater need for a kedjiwaan retreat like the one we have at Menucha.

Looking Forward To Being With You,
Your Regional Helpers,
Elizabeth Flanders
Isadora Roth
Benjamin Boyce
Elisha Gullixson
Oswald Norton

Menucha Retreat And Conference Center escaped the fire – Event Space is Safe!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Many of you have been asking, “Did the Menucha Retreat And Conference Center escape damage from the Eagle Creek wildfire?”  I have news.

All is well!

However, they lost $50,000 in revenue due to cancelled groups. And, could not have their annual fund raising event.

The best way you can support our friends who run this center is to attend our annual kedjiwann weekend November 9th to 12th.

Please register now open in support of this great facility!

Click this link to register.

Thanks, Oswald Norton
Subud PNW Regional Helper

General Meeting This Friday In Bellevue

Subud General Meeting This Friday – Eastside Facilities

Hi All Subud Greater Seattle Members!

Please come to latihan at our Bellevue facilities this Friday 9/15 at 8 pm (quiet at 7:45) and stay for our general meeting afterwards.

Topics will include:
– An update on the dates and plans for our annual Kedjiwaan Retreat at the Menucha Conference Center November 9th to 12th.
– An report on fun that was had at The Great Create held at the Pilgrim Firs Retreat Center
– Whatever you want to talk about. Bring your questions and reports.

Are Your Talents Challenging You?

Rayma and I were looking for a place to bring our friends for some good local jazz and great food on Saturday Sept 2nd.  We remembered the great times we’ve had going to the Lake Chad Cafe and hearing the Jim O’Halloran Trio.  Lucky for us he was playing that night.

With Jim that night were Royce Shorter, Jr. on drums and Farko Dosumov on bass.  It was an fantastic evening with two sets that I would have dance to if there’d been a dance floor.  Our friends also had a great time and look forward to returning with us.

I hadn’t heard Royce or Farko with Jim before. So, during a break I asked him what it was like to play with this equally talented duo.  “It’s challenging – and I like the challenge!”, he said. The result was an extraordinary blend of the three instruments in a totally satisfying performance.

Are you as challenged by your talents as Jim is by his?  I’ve known Jim for many years but have always been impressed with how he balances his work life as a certified electrophysiology specialist at Swedish with his performance life as a jazz cellist and his work as a helper and now vice-chair for our group.  It’s an example to me of how to live your life to the fullest.

Future Appearances:
If you’re looking for some great music experiences, I recommend that you check out two of Jim’s upcoming events:

1) He’s supporting Felix Ngoussou – the equally challenged owner of Chad Cafe – at the opening of his Seattle Business Education Hub.  It’s a non-profit center that seeks to elevate immigrants and refugees, minorities and low-income families to financial success through education, counseling, mentoring and entrepreneurial training. He’ll be playing in the street with Royce and Farko.

2) He’s back at Cafe Chad with Steve Kim on bass, Ricardo Guity on percussion on Saturday September 16th.

Lake Chad 9-16-17 promo

More on Jim and his work at Swedish
We deal with the electrical conduction of the heart-ablations for arrhythmias, pacemakers, defibrillators and so on.  I work in a procedural area.
 
More on Royce
Royce grew up playing gospel in church-his dad was a minister.  He won the Guitar Center national drum competition several years ago.

More on Farko
Farko grew up in Tashkent Uzbekistan.  His twin brother is a heavy metal guitarist in Moscow Russia.

More on Jim’s recordings
You can find his recordings on CD Baby.

9 Days Until National Congress

A Few Rooms Are Still Available, But Time is Running Short!
TO REGISTER Call 800-595-7897 or Email Registrar
June 30 – July 4, 2017
Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center
Reisterstown, Maryland

Click pictures below for complete details and registration.


 

 

Great Create Information Posters now available for your bulletin board

Hi All,
We invite each and every one of you to be a part of and to promoted The Great Create. So, we’ve created two posters:
The announcement
The Rate Sheet

Please post them in your Subud houses and on your bulletin boards, refrigerators, or, where ever you store reminders for those things important to you.

Looking forward to seeing your Creativity Show Up August 24-27 at the Pilgrim Firs Retreat Center in beautiful Port Orchard, WA.

Oswald Norton, Subud PNW Regional Helper

Ever Wonder How To Turn Your Feather Collection Into Art?

Have you ever been fascinated by feathers you’ve found while walking in the woods?  I have and kept them as reminders of nature.  I saved them in jars.  I added them to dream catchers.  Chris Maynard, son of Bob and Andrea Maynard, long time Seattle Subud members, uses them to create art.  Using the fine surgical magnifying glasses and intricate cutting tools from Bob Maynard’s surgery, he cuts tiny birds and other animals out of feathers.

He turns them into bird song, SINGING BIRD 34

Or, creates a joke, “What Happens When the Raven Croaks”

You only have until June 4th to catch this exhibit and it’s worth the short ferry ride from the Seattle Ferry Terminal to the Bainbridge Island Terminal and then a very short walk up the hill to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

It’s free…And Amazing. Now where will you find that combination again?