(Above) Halimah at her home in Kalimantan

Fond Memories of Halimah by Rayma Norton

Halimah and I got to know each other after we began serving together 2 years ago as Subud PNW Regional Helpers. Halimah’s laugh came easily and she brought a lightness to the work that I found so refreshing. With her vast experience as a helper, including while living in Cilandak, and having been married to Sofyan, Bapak’s early translator, I might have been intimidated to work with her; in fact, it was the opposite. She often laughed at herself without hesitation, pointing out what she saw as foibles.

My fondest memory of Halimah was during a visit to Rungan Sari, Kalimantan during the most recent Subud World Congress in July 2024. She invited me and my husband Oswald to have lunch at her beautiful home built in the Subud settlement on the edge of the jungle. She had so graciously planned and prepared a multi-course Indonesian meal. Despite the hot, humid weather outside, the ceiling fan kept us comfortable inside the octagonal studio the previous artist-owner of the home had designed and constructed. We all relaxed and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon sharing food and stories. Halimah’s daughter, son, and several of her grandchildren were staying in the big gorgeous house, everyone weaving comfortably in and out of the space. Halimah was in her element with family, friends, good food and stories to tell. I’ll always remember her that day. Knowing Halimah, even briefly, was truly a gift.

(Above) Halimah with two of her grandsons

Halimah Brugger was a Great Hostess
by Oswald Norton

I will always remember Halimah as a wonderful hostess who looked after her guests and went out of her way to make people feel comfortable and cared for.

In 2017, thanks to her invitation, Marius Harold and I went to Boise, ID to do latihan with the group and to open an applicant.  She insisted that we stay with her and Sofyan and that she would pick us up from the airport and take care of all of our meals.

She also organized a special Selamatan meal in celebration for our being there.  She had an Indonesian friend in Boise who would prepare all of her favorite Indonesian dishes. And she invited the other members of their Boise, ID community to be a part of this celebration. We did latihan prior to the meal and then had dinner. Afterwards there was wonderful story telling and connections that continued until late in the evening. That event left me feeling a great closeness to not only the Brugger family, but to all of the members of this small outpost of Subud PNW members.

In two years towards the end of my first round as a regional helper for our region, I arranged another trip there with Rosalyn Neel, who had just become a new regional helper.
During my second visit, her husband Sofiyan was mostly confined to a wheel chair because he had not recovered from his fall which occurred prior to my first visit. Halimah and Sofyan were now living downstairs, as he could no longer climb the stairs to their bedroom. Still, she met us at the airport and took care of everything, including organizing another wonderful Selamatan with the local group bringing pot-luck dishes.

The important thing for Halimah was to help Subud members spend time together, so that we could all do our latihan, have a meal, and spend time late into the evening telling each other the stories of our lives both in and out of Subud.

It also gave me a chance to be with Sofiyan again to hear his stores of his time at Wisma Subud in Cilandak.  He’d just finished editing his book: Bapak Subuh Yang Mulia, Selected Talks which Halimah was very proud of. I was able to read a proof copy and found it so interesting that I believe it began my journey to seriously start reading Bapak’s talks through the Subud Library.

My last experience of Halimah as our host was during her time on the Susila Dharma-USA Board. In 2024 it was decided that our in-person grant meeting would be held in Boise, and that she would host the meeting at her home where there was enough room for discussion and testing. Although a part of our party needed to stay at an Airbnb nearby, most of the meeting and time was spent at her home. Halimah even helped me with getting the cheapest possible car rental so that it was easy to transport the Airbnb folks to and from our meeting.

The other Subud members living in the Boise area were included in our Saturday night festivities with latihan followed by dinner. This allowed the SD board members to meet the Boise members, and for the Boise members to learn more about the work of Susila Dharma USA. She organized the food and created a wonderful environment that allowed us to all share in the latihan and each other’s company. Sofiyan had died a little over 2 years before. We all felt that his presence was with us during that dinner and meeting. Our SD-Board meeting was very harmonious and we were well taken care of by our sister who loved to serve.

Attached is a picture from our grant meeting with Halimah:

(Above) top left; Michael Barber, Oswald Norton, Rifka Several (business manager), Jane Katz, Mary Salisbury, bottom left; Kailani Brugger Ward, Halimah Brugger, Fauziyah Ishak (board chair), Loretta Covert

Halimah Brugger Memorial
by Margarite Charney

Halimah was a true Subud sister. I had the pleasure of serving with her as a Regional Helper on the Pacific NW Dewan. She asked if she could join the Dewan before the last Menucha in 2023. I had an opportunity to do Awakening Testing alongside her at Menucha. I learned from her years of experience living at Wisma Subud in Indonesia. She often mentioned her husband Sofiyan Brugger, who passed away in 2022. And her home in Indonesia. I was amazed by her energy! To me she glowed! She encouraged me to travel to Indonesia and attend the last World Congress. I could not go, but was so proud of her for making the journey!

I last spoke with her on the phone at her home in Boise, Idaho when I learned she was very ill. She said she was tired and shared her diagnosis with me. I was able to join in on three special Latihan’s for her and for the last time hear her angelic singing voice in her Latihan.

God called her home! I know that there’s a special job for her in the beyond. God bless Halimah. She will be so missed by many. I love you, dear Sister! I’m so grateful that I got to know you!

(Above)Halimah in her Kaliman home with her son

Halimah Brugger: A Most Perceptive Regional Helper!
By Fayra Teeters

My memories of time spent with Halimah all revolve around her brilliant abilities to ask the most perceptive questions during Testing. Halimah-led Testing sessions were must-see events! At Menucha the Fall of 2023 she led a 45-minute extravaganza to get the ladies present inspired enough to commit to attending the up-coming World Congress in 2024. She even tested “what is the best way to beat the heat in Indonesia in July?”

Portland Subud holds periodic awareness testing and luckily for us, Halimah led the last one on October 13, 2024. She asked questions focusing on the different levels of life-forces and their influence on our individual spiritual growth. She asked about both the negative and positive influence of each level. For the Vegetable Force my receiving of the positive facet was the Tree of Life, firmly rooted in the earth but constantly reaching its limbs and branches up towards God’s light and love. The negative side was mold and parasitic vines which grow downwards in an ever-tightening grip that strangles out all life, light, and spirit. Profound images, thanks to Halimah!

By all means, please add your own impressions and memories of our dear sister in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!