Thousands of fireflies, kunang kunang, the rice fields were alive with an other-worldly pulse. Ecstatic at the appearance of the ‘Super Moon’ after hiding behind rain clouds for 2 nights, all of God’s Creation came alive. The skies cleared, the stars shone, the moon in all its super glory was dressed in a delicate lacy luna corona defying description. Frogs, crickets, toads, bugs joined the chorus. A chorus singing pure joy. A chorus singing pure Love. That is the key to the wonder of the Universe. That’s all there is. Simple. All else is an illusion. Transmute disparaging energy into a reality that defies words. Our purpose in life is to speak to this truth. To live in this truth. To share this truth. Be this truth. Let everything else go. Trust. Live in the internal essence, not react to the external illusion. Let our internal peace shine to those around us. Stay in the Joy and Love. Live from In to Out!

I woke up suddenly, the full moon shining into our room, flooding it with a heavenly brilliance. Walking out on the front terrace the Super Moon, largest in decades, was displayed in all its glory. All of creation was rejoicing in the beauty. My Mom had said to me over 50 years ago when I first set out to explore the world, “You will always be in my heart. Think of me when you see the moon, for we are both looking at the same moon, no matter how far apart we are.”

Now, thinking of my dear Mom, I distinctly heard in that spunky voice of hers, “You should see the moon from up here!” Yes we are all connected. Trust. All is one. All is well.

“Tat Tram Asi” (Balinese)

“Tat tvam asi” (Sanskrit)

I am you,

You are me.

This powerful Hindu philosophy focuses on the essence of what it is to be human. There is no separating Balinese religion from their everyday life. It is all interwoven in a colorful display of rituals and ceremonies. This contented way of life has been evolving and growing for centuries.

Out of over 18,000 islands of Indonesia, the world’s largest Islamic country, Bali is the only island where Hinduism is the predominant religion. Original Balinese fled nearby Java and established a unique culture, molded by the high castes and artisans arriving on the shores. Inhabitants were made to blend into the new society and a mixture of old and new traditions combined. Hinduism can be traced to the 8th through15th centuries when it was gradually accepted into practice. During this time it incorporated many of its older Balinese beliefs and rituals such as animism* and ancestor worship. Today’s religion is officially called Agama Hindu Dharma. It also known by a few other names, especially Agama Tirta meaning ‘religion of holy water’ which is an important part of many of the religious rituals.

The Balinese think of the universe as a well ordered configuration, where everything has its place. This includes gods, people, and demons each with their allotted place in the universe. There is a duality of nature, high and low, right and left, day and night, clean and unclean and especially good and evil. The yin and yang of life. Humans are caught between these opposing forces.

Bali has adopted the back and white checked fabric as a symbol of light and dark, good and evil. You will find this fabric draped on statues of deities and gods during religious festivals. It is also worn during religious ceremonies and during performances of epic ancient stories from the Mahabharata passed down through centuries.

It is believed the gods represent order and demons disorder. The deities (dewa and batara) reside on the tops of mountains along with deified ancestors and these deities give life to humans and the world, while the demons (bhuta and kala) who live under the sea seek humanity’s destruction. In the Balinese religion deities of fertility and the natural world and deified ancestors are worshiped alongside the Hindu trinity of Wisnu, Brahman, and Siwa. The divine is Sanghyang Widi Wasa, all other gods are thought to be mere manifestations of him.

Offerings must be made thanking the gods for their bounty. If they are not shown respect and thanks they may punish humans with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and epidemics which will destroy what humans have received from the gods. These perils are reminders of their duty to the gods.

Offerings (banten)to the gods are placed high on alters or sacred areas of the temples. They consist of various items, always beautiful and sprinkled three times per day with holy water. Often the daily offerings are made with a palm leaf folded into a container with flowers, rice, salt and sometime fruits. Most offerings are made by women using plant materials. Offerings by men use meat and represent the animal kingdom. The ornate large offerings (Gebogan) are used for special religious ceremonies.

Once these offerings have been blessed and received by the gods, they may be used by the people. During the blessing incense is used to carry the essence of the offerings up to the heavens. The tall offerings (Gebogan) with luscious fruits, other foods and beautiful flowers is then taken home and used for a festival dinner. It is common today to see women carrying their offerings in covered baskets on their heads heading to the temple, then later this is used for the family’s dinner.

When visiting an elaborate funeral in Sulawesi, where many buffaloes were slaughtered (33), it was good to see that the meat was distributed to well wishers in buckets. A sort of ‘take away’. Nothing much goes to waste in Asia.

We went off, with good friend Barbara visiting us from Sumatra, to explore a couple of holy sites with Balinese pilgrims performing ceremonies at our side:

The Elephant Cave, Goa Gajah, and
Tirta Empul – Holy Spring were worth the trip. Both within 1 hour of Ubud it can be a half day trip (300,000rp). The forest paths around the Elephant Cave were lush and welcoming and we certainly washed away many ailments and sins in the holy waters, along with hundreds of devout Balinese!

Nyepi, Day of Silence. On the Eve of Nyepi, Pengrupukan Ceremony is to invite all the evil spirits to occupy the ogoh ogohs and once collected the effigies are burned – thus destroying the evil spirits. Ogoh-ogoh are statues built for the Ngrupuk parade, which takes place on the eve of Nyepi day. Ogoh-ogohs normally have form of mythological beings, mostly demons.

The main purpose of the making of Ogoh-ogoh is the purification of the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings (especially humans). Philosophically, civilized men are required to manage the natural resources without damaging the environment itself.

Aside from being the symbol of Bhuta-Kala, Ogoh-ogoh is considered a symbol of modes of nature that form the malicious characters of living beings. Each village usually build one Ogoh-ogoh mainly built by each village’s Seka Truna Truni (Balinese village’s youth organization), but often some smaller ogoh-ogoh also built by groups of children around the village. Some artist also usually build one. After being paraded on a convoy around the town, finally it is burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification.

During the procession, the Ogoh-ogoh is rotated counter-clockwise three times. This act is done at every T-junction and crossroad of the village. Rotating the effigies during the cremational parade and the eve of Nyepi represents the contact of the bodies with the spirits. It is intended to bewilder the evil spirits so that they go away and cease harming human beings. The Ogoh-ogoh is a very recent addition to the Nyepi ceremonies, first appearing in Denpasar in the early 1980s. At that time, they were carefully monitored for any criticism of the Suharto regime.

All evil demons burned up, we were able to experience Nyepi. If you ever doubt the level of commitment to spirituality in Bali, simply look to their Nyepi festival. Probably no where else in the world is there an island which absolutely shuts down for spiritual reasons.

Before Nyepi, there is Melasti which involves an elaborate ceremony to burn effigies of evil monsters and cleanse the island. Then comes Nyepi, which is known as the day of silence to fool demons into thinking that the island is uninhabited, thus leaving Bali alone in peace for another year.

In most cultures where economic forces relentlessly shape our lifestyles, it is refreshing to see that in Bali, belief in the otherworldly takes precedence, even if it’s just for one day a year.

Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection, and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.

Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents and tourists are not exempt from the restrictions. Although they are free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles responding to life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth. [On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni (Relighting the Fire), social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together. Fires and electricity are allowed again, and cooking of food resumes.

The day is supposed to be spent in meditation and silence. And no cell phones or wifi reception – can you imagine?? In most other countries cell phone junkies would go through withdrawal. But out in the rice fields, in our little home outside of Ubud, not much changed. Without any outside noise Nature again ruled supreme as birds and butterflies danced on the breeze. Normally Bali is a beehive of activity and it is crucial to seek out the hidden lovely quiet spots in which to enjoy your visit. Silence everywhere. What a rare treat! The nighttime was absolute magic with complete darkness punctuated only with fireflies and a display of celestial stars unmatched in the Outback of Australia.

The cycle of life is displayed in the rice fields around us. The fields are plowed, water added, the gossiping ducks arrive to fertilize and rid the field of pests. The new seedlings are planted, they grow into the vibrant ‘new rice’ green. Time passes and kernels of rice start to form. Before you know it the now golden field is harvested. A machine or women with flat baskets separate the kernels. All the while the amazing water irrigation system of canals, leading from mountain towards the ocean, provides the water necessary for a healthy crop. After a few weeks of the ground resting fallow, the fields are plowed. Repeat. Like the Hindu belief of reincarnation: birth and death.

Our time living in these rice fields has been special. Just us, Nature, the cycle of rice, a few local neighbors. Life is simple. Life is good.

Meet me at the bridge at 4! What a Valentines Day surprise! Joseph met me and we went off to a spa complete with natural rock hot pools and smaller ice cold pools. Saunas, a leisurely swim in the pool and a rest in lounge chairs. We had a refreshing shower, and dressed for dinner. Eating overlooking a lush tropical garden we walked home with hearts in our eyes. Ah yes, Bali rates high on the romance scale.

Life as a Nomad presents certain challenges. Entering our 16th year of non stop travel, staying in thousands of guest houses, we were ready to slow down the pace a bit. And can you believe we are still together? Either crazy or something works. Our 14 month trip around the world, from Ethiopia to the Middle East to Europe to N. Africa to C*ba simply made us dream of spending a few months in Bali; not going anywhere. We were feeling the need to recharge our batteries annually. Knowing we wanted to spend a longer stretch of time in Bali each year, we thought it would be good to bring over some of our stuff from Hawaii, to ‘play house’ for a few months each year. Fifteen years stored in 10 boxes, our little treasures, remnants from 2 large houses in Hawaii, were crying to be set free.

And thus we launched into another Stuff dilemma. Which of our favorite stuff shall we bring to Bali? See one of our all time favorite short comedy routines: “Stuff” by George Carlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

We discussed the possibilities with Mr. Ketut. He agreed. Joseph designed a bookcase out of teak. When we were ready to leave we would just slide on the front, with a beautiful Balinese carving, and lock up the sleek cabinet. All our favorite worldly treasures, alias Stuff, safe until our return. The best of both worlds.

And so we continue to Trust that somehow, somewhere, for some greater purpose everything will work out.

And so it goes…………………………………..Next Bali, a twist of fate. Until then let’s remember to let it go and Trust. Enjoy your life! That’s why you are here! Take care and Thanks for writing, we enjoy your emails so much.