I was humbled and honored to be asked to emcee the Saturday, July 10, 2021 unveiling of the Subud Archives (embedded below) and the brilliant new archives website created by Roberta Hoffman. Huge thanks to Lucas Boladian, Matthew Clark, Daniela Moneta and the whole archives team. Thanks also to Alexandra TerHorst who helped insure that the unveiling event went off without a hitch.

The presentation speaks for itself, but it is an essential part of culture to see where an organization has been. Subud has a rich history and we’re in a critical period for getting our story down properly. It is well-known that spiritual organizations all over North America are going down in membership and up in median age and Subud is no exception. Subud is in a critical stage because those who experienced talks by Bapak in person are also dwindling in number and the experience of those members can never be replaced. This will take an effort, so I write today as SICA-USA Chair, as emcee of the July 10 presentation and as a Subud member hopeful that a real, intimate and comprehensive discussion of Subud culture can happen and Subud members can support their cultural wing fully, as it will only be as a vibrant cultural force that Subud will continue to exist, or we will be destined to closing centers and doing distance Latihans.

On the new Archives website, you’ll see the names of artists with a Subud connection, such as:

Lukman Glasgow

Betty Parsons

Fairfield Porter

Richard Engels

Harold Hitchcock

Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe

and others.  Look at the site. Take pride in what has been done, but also test on how you impact Subud culture and how culture will shape the future of Subud. As SUBUD USA’s cultural wing, SICA-USA is making plans to roll out our Cultural Conversation so let us know if you are interested in helping SICA-USA shape the future of Subud and Subud culture.

Yours in the Latihan Kejiwaan of Subud,

Paul E Nelson

SICA-USA Chair