You can't just join Subud. You first become an applicant, visiting the Subud house once a week to have a chat with the helpers after they have finished their Latihan. This is because Subud doesn't want spiritual tourists. Being opened is a serious business.
One of the helpers who would often join in our chats was Dumah. A man with natural authority, his explanations of what Subud was about made sense to me. I remember him saying that, without Subud he would just be an animal, "well" he added, "sometimes I still am an animal". There was always a hint of potential danger around Dumah, though he was in fact a kind and compassionate man. At my opening my sense of 'what have I got myself into' was heightened by Dumah's Latihan, which seemed to be some sort of war dance.
Dumah has now joined the growing numbers of friends of around my own age who have moved on from this life. He died in Jamaica where he was born in 1953. Some of us had a sense that he had gone home to die after suffering several strokes. His funeral was at the church that he grew up in , the New Testament Church of God. It was quite an experience for those of us who are more used to polite English services. The church was packed with family and friends from around the world, mostly with a caribbean background, with a single row of reserved white people. I was among swaying clapping black ladies.
The actual burial was at the Southern Cemetary. More singing and drums whilst the sad task of putting Dumah into the ground was completed. I made a couple of videos but I don't know if they will work as I have problems with links on Posthaven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxYcX-zi9cQ
https:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxYcX-zi9cQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smx7Tnd7f8g