Volume 7, Issue 6, page 11

OR FIVE successive nights, I had talked to
Mandah Love's guests at Love's Retreat,
Lakemont, Ga., one night being wholly devoted to my answering questions from the
audience. On the sixth night, Dr. Alberta
Elliott, a Scientologist, suggested a reversal. I'd ask the questions and the guests
would talk back. And it was quite an experience. For example, I asked Agnes Howell, of
Sweetwater, Tenn., about her job of teaching a
class of 40 childrenówhich is quite a task
for one teacher to manage. These children have
I. Q.'s ranging between 88 to 138. Her answer
was moving and meaningful, with much originality, and I feel that eventually many of her
ideas will become standard in our schools.

I feel that it is a good idea to give a
cross section of the people who are drawn to
Love's Retreat, no two of them for the same
reason. Presently, the majority are interested
in Subud, and one of the most understanding
"openers", Albert Nicholas, is here for openings and latihans. Nicholas gave an explanation of Subud and its appeal for him, different
from that, doubtless, of anyone else. He, together with our hostess, who is also an " opener" (for women, of course, since men "open"
men and women "open" women), have met the
founder of the movement, and regard him as a
great world teacher. They find him, as most
world teachers have been, an humble man. Since
Subud entered naturally into the questions 1
asked of Mandah's guests, I asked Clarissa McClung what it meant to her. I asked the same
question of Michael Coyne, who also has healing in his hands, and spends much of his time at
Love's Retreat. Nicholas contented himself with
a discussion of Subud, as did Clarissaówho,
heart and soul, is "going along" with Mandah
Love's dream for Love's Retreat.

Michael Coyne, wno had several times suggested love itself as a suitable subject for
lecture and research, was asked what he understood love to be. Michael has the rare ability
of being able to express himself in a few
forceful words, and "forceful" is exactly the
right adjective at this point, and in reply to
my question, he expressed himself so well and
so briefly that I am sure others awaiting their
turn would have been happy had he talked right
along. He may not be an expert on the subject
-- who is, except for a few old men? -- but he
managed to speak with authority.
"Willie" McMichael brought Love's Retreat
and its beautiful woods and mountains fully
alive for us because, briefly tho she has been
here, she has learned the dim trails, the
trees by friendly name, the lake (Rabunl, the
"aura" of this place from which so much is
beaming forth to the world.

Francis M. Foy, here with his wife, Sadie
B., from Fayetteville, N. Car., explained why
he came to be "opened" in Subud. Here is a
serious business man -- I presume him to be in
business -- who has felt impelled to Subud as an
answer to his urge to find the Father and himself. Sadie repeated for herself what her husband had said and made a hit with the others
by adding something of herself, for herself.
They arrived about an hour before the question
and answer session. so got into the act early.

Alice Schutz, author of "Law of Life", answered questions about the "I Am" and its Masters. She is firmly grounded in the "I Am"
movement and has been on close terms with the
hierarchy since she was seven. Nobody taught
or told her then; she just knew. It was interesting to bring back Michael Coyne, who refuses any trappings which might otherwise intrude between him and his God, to comment on
some of Alice's remarks. Michael is one man of
my acquaintance who can stand by his guns and
maintain an attitude of diplomacy.

Louise Ramey is state secretary of Subud in
Florida and to her Subud is still something
other than what it is for Mandah, Clarissa,
Albert, Michael, and Willie. She is another to
whom the mountains and trees and rocks and
lake and streams have a special meaning out of
elder time. Individual trees, like individual
persons, have special meanings, and ways of
communicating, for different people. Louise
Ramey has a fine understanding of this. It is
noteworthy that Bapak Subuh went to Nature
herself for the ancient rocks upon which to
found the movement connected with his name. It
should be stated here that the name "Subud"
only accidentally resembles the Indonesian title by which Bapak of the long name is known.
"Subud" is not based upon Subuh, but is a rendition of three Sanskrit words, S usile Budhri
Dharma, meaning, perhaps to over-simplify it,
"A way of life". Louise Ramey's sincerity inspires the layman to look again, listen to,
and possibly seek out Subud.

To close the session, we assembled threequarters of the Grant Judkins family from Paradise Island, St. Petersburg, Fla., in t h e
persons of Carolyn, the wife and mother, and
the two mirror twins, Cherry and Candy, 13'4
(one of the twins -- I'll never know which -- corrected this figure to be 13%1. I asked Carolyn about her reasons for coming to Love's
Retreat, and since she said it was to confer
with me, I copied a Phil Friedman technique
which he uses when something flattering is
said to or about him, and made her repeat,
somewhat more loudly, her reason for coming to
Love's Retreat. You'll be hearing much about
this lovely blonde woman one of these days,
for preliminary investigation indicates that
she has certain great talents, somewhat akin
to those of Edgar Cayce and Zoe Nickerson, as
well as healing ability via the light body,
probably coming in under the term " radiaesthesia": She will not make herself available to
the public until she herself is sure she has
these talents and can use them to the world's
best interests.

The twinsóCherry and Candy (even the parents have to look twice occasionally) -- made
their debut by talking of certain precious and
semiprecious stones. Candy -- or was it Cherry? --
had a ruby large enough to be visible to the
naked eye which they had "mined" that day from
the public mine at Franklin, where you oay a
dollar or so, and keep what you find. It is a
beautiful family, and Grant, the husband, who
avoids people and publicity, is by no means
the least beautiful member. Among three women,
he needs to be wholly masculine, and so he is.

This is a mite gossipy, isn't it? And no
mention of the red hands! But that's what happens when you reverse everything.

Td' Hands in the Mountains