Notes from Emmanuel Aronie to an Inquiry About Subud and Ukraine

The practice of Subud is the Latihan – a 30-minute exercise or training in which each person present surrenders to the power of God, without the trappings of religion, God as each person considers the ‘Ultimate Power in the Universe’. This results in an often chaotic, undefinable series of individual experiences: one person may cry, another may sing, another talk in tongues, a fourth whirl like a dervish, and so on. Pure chaos.

I was opened in March 1973; so, I’ve been at it for almost 50 years. I would say it’s a training of your true inner self, the one you were born with, so rather independent of your thinking mind. The mind is just an observer during the latihan, with no other job, which actually gives it a chance to really rest in an objective way.

I was just at the Subud USA National Congress, to which all Subud people worldwide may attend. Often, it’s a business meeting to elect new administrators, or a Kejiwaan (purely latihan based) Congress, where members meet, do latihan, test on a specific question, and schmooze or sometimes it involves the “Wings” of Subud: Business, Youth, Culture and Welfare.

As to my work in Ukraine, I am not sponsored by anybody. I am here completely on my own steam, although from time to time, Subud people have donated money and sometimes time to Ukraine. If they do, I try my best to funnel ALL of this help to the intended beneficiaries. In the last 33 years, a handful of people have rendered assistance.

Last year, I had 10 classes of about 10 students per class or roughly 100 students. I was the “native speaker” and came once a week for two 3rd grade classes, two 6th grade, two 8th grade and four 9th grade classes, working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Cherkasy is relatively safe. I have only been near a deadly explosion once in the last 2+ years. It was 100 yards away from where I slept, and I didn’t even hear it. At 6:00 a.m. I got a call from my friend Sasha “Emmanuel, are you okay?” “Sasha, it’s 6:00 in the morning, why are you calling me? Sasha: “Half a hotel was destroyed quite close to you and I was worried.” Me – ” I didn’t hear a thing.” Afterwards I went out and saw the half-destroyed building.

Kids go to bomb shelters typically about 3 or 4 times a week, usually for no more than an hour, until the air is considered safe.

The ‘Condolences Tour’ was dubbed as such because of many various deaths or very serious diseases that so many people were subjected to – three cancer deaths, one from alcoholism, one from Alzheimer’s, one unknown, and spouses with various degenerative diseases like ALS and Dementia.

Sirens Wail

By Emmanuel Aronie

Sirens wail, they cry, they scream,
announcing bloody gifts, arriving soon on Track One,
mortars, drones and rockets on another run.
It’s mayhem, pure and simple,
vast destruction, lost limbs, bad karma,
lost life, tears in the wind, a terrible evil, for all to see,
on cellphone, laptop or wide-screen TV,
with no funny stuff, password or code required.
Yes, the world is topsy turvy, mired in talk,
Uncle Sam, in the guise of Donald Trump Term Two,
cuddles with dangerous Vladdy the Poo,
security, paper bag certainty, smoke and mirrors.
So, what did I see at the bus stop today, here in Cherkasy, Ukraine!!?
A young boy, holding a can of Dr. Pepper!!
Mother of the Lord! May Jesus heal another leper,
the surreal now is real. Lordy, Lordy!!!
Sirens wail, they cry, they scream,
they pierce the air; they shock the dream.
Soon, these haunting siren sounds,
will visit Moscow and surrounding towns,
with all its TV brainwashed clowns,
pundits in trance, teenage romance at the billionaire dance,
with lots more, the ordinary folk, buying bread at the store.
All will finally feel – this never should have started war,
the rage and revenge, knocks at their door.
Sirens wail, they cry, they scream.