For the visit to Austria, our team consisted of Lucia, Isti, Anwar and Michaël. We met up in Munich and took the train to Innsbruck, where we were joined by the Austrian National Helpers and KCs Hannah, Magda, Arthur, and Muzaffar, plus, of course, our Austrian Anwar.

In the evening, we met the small Subud Innsbruck group, 2 ladies and 2 men.

In the past year, the members of the group had great difficulty finding an appropriate space for doing Latihan together, but just one day before we arrived, they found a very suitable place, a Montessori school. Hopefully, they will be able to use it in the future. We encouraged them to do so. We introduced ourselves, sharing personal experiences, and felt close to each other afterwards, followed by latihan and some testing about harmony.

The next morning, we drove 6 hours to Vienna. In the evening, we met the helpers and members from the Vienna group, and we had interesting discussions followed by latihan and also testing, which focused on connecting our inner self with our heart and other parts of our being. The latihan was very deep.

The next morning, we had a meeting and conversation with some members working in the archives. This was followed by a Latihan and some testing. We felt that when facing challenges, we really need to be introspective and look at ourselves.

In preparation for the National Congress, we met the National Helpers and the Committee. The next day, we went to Gutenstein, a 45-minute drive into the mountains. About 45 members attended the gathering. Each day started with latihan, and testing about harmony and “awakening” testing. The latihan felt very deep and strong. Each of the two days of the National Congress was facilitated by a moderator, and they did a difficult job very well. On the first day, a new national committee was formed with Charissa and Beate as chair and vice-chair. The testing of all candidates presented some funny moments as well, and the members were happy with this new start.

The afternoon of the second day presented a few challenges with 31 proposals being brought forward – mainly about the archives – that had to be discussed, and then voted on by all members. We were very impressed by the patience of the moderator Rusydah, the national helpers, and all the members as they went through this intense process. At the end of this Congress, there was a more harmonious feeling, a new beginning which could grow.

Our final day took place in Bad Vöslau. In the evening, we met up with the local group for latihan and testing. We all felt that our visit had been a worthwhile one and wish  Subud Austria a blessed new beginning.