Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

LATIHAN

Latihan is the basic spiritual exercise of the Subud movement. The object of the latihan is the worship of God. It serves as an initiation for those entering the movement, and, also a spiritual exercise for those already in the movement. The individual enters a complete of submission in which there is a union with the divine or God.

In the initial stages of the latihan individuals begin to have jerky or convulsive movements. Often individuals experience urges to cry, weep, dance, or speak in tongues. Such actions are believed to result in a release of tension that culminates in a state of inner quietude, in which the union with God occurs. In such a state of inner receptivity, it is further believed, that problems and cares of members can be asked about, and answers are received. The convulsive state that the individual enters is sometimes believed to be a sign of his or her reception of kundalini energy.

In the Subud movement there are no formal prayers, dogma or practices. All lathans are spontaneous. Members meet in each other's homes or rented halls where individuals, especially the initiates, can have the latihan experience.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc