The Magic of Bali
Bali is an island that is a powerful Presence. It is one of many sacred power places on the Earth. Bali brings up “stuff.” When I first arrived on Bali those who have resided here for over a decade said to me, “Oh, Bali has certainly tested me and I am sure it will test you!” Or “Bali will either accept or reject you.” Or “Bali is a place that confronts you.”
Daily hundreds of people arrive on Bali with enthusiasm to enjoy the many facets of the island. Yet not many of us arrive here and say: “O.K. Bali, shine the light on those dark places inside of me. Bring up repressed experiences; confuse me with guilt; let me clearly see my obsessive reactions; let me fully feel my insecurities. And hey, by the way…show me my forgotten gifts that are meant to be shared with love in the world.”
This is the ‘Island of the Gods’, so named due to the many Gods and Goddesses in the Balinese Hindu pantheon. And Bali Herself is a Goddess. She can be like Maha Kali, whose fierce compassion pierces a false belief about our self or like Maha Saraswati, who nurtures our deepest heart’s desires into existence. Of course, both are emanations of the Divine Mother. And embracing both the shadows and the light are required to living fully as our soul’s purpose.
I know of a couple who arrived on Bali for a much needed holiday. Maria (not her real name) arrived 5 days before her partner and found a cozy place to stay. Then she began to feel a familiar, debilitating pain in her back. This pain was a lifelong nemesis. She knew no one and had no idea of where to go. Our visitor met a woman who knows a man visiting from India who specializes in alleviating structural body pain through a series of treatments that also address the imbedded emotions underlying the pain. She made an appointment with the traveling doctor.
One evening at dusk, Maria was walking down the gang to her lodgings when a woman on a motorbike stopped to say hello. Maria said she was feeling a bit spacey because she just finished the fourth in a series of five intense body treatments. Maria explained to the motorbike lady that these treatments were taking her on an unexpected journey into unexplored inner emotional territory.
The motorbike woman (moi) responded with: “Ah, ha. Yes, that journey can feel frightening. Yet if it is happening for you here and now, you have all the inner and outer resources to deal with it all. And, besides… Bali brings stuff up. Congratulations. It sounds as if you are really embracing it all.” Her partner arrives. Guess what happens? Deeply hidden stuff arose in her also. They went to Lombok and on Lombok the light of awareness shone on aspects of their relationship that did not feel supportive to either of them. They separated. Maria returned to Ubud to continue with her inner journey and the treatments. The day before Maria was to return to her country, her back was healed. She also arrived at an inner place of balance, peace and strength within herself, with the assistance of yours truly. Her partner joined her for a one day holiday before they both returned to their country. And who knows…perhaps they are “living happily ever after.”
I had never set foot on Bali prior to arrival. As a former non-traditional actor, director and playwright what I knew of Bali I experienced through the various music, puppet and dance companies that I worked with when they toured the U.S. I also learned about the culture of Bali through dialogs with friends who had lived or visited Bali as well as through film and television documentaries. When it became clear that I was to visit Bali, I gave various friends the news. Each one said the same thing: “Oh, that is one place I want to return to. It’s magical” So, I said, O.K. “What is this “magic of Bali’ all about?” when I arrived.
Magic is a potent word that can conjure up all sorts of delightful or devilish visions and experiences for each of us. The Balinese practice both white and black magic. They accept, respect and utilize forces that can destroy and create. The Balinese easily accept the appearance of spirits and ghosts appearing as lights or a breeze and can direct energy to harm or heal another. We can choose to align and utilize either force.
On Nyepi Eve (Balinese New Year) giant paper Mache figures called Ogah Ogah’s, parade through the town and cemeteries vanquishing evil forces for the coming year. On Nyepi, the entire island shuts down. Even the airports. The sounds of silence are illuminating. In that silence, the demons cannot penetrate. The Balinese show them they mean business.
For me the magic of Bali is how She clearly supports us to experience the Light with the dark. Bali has a similar energetic with Nepal in this way. Both are esteemed as centers for spiritual growth. The magic of Bali lies within each of us. It is a Natural law that we become what we focus upon. Or said another way: ‘Thoughts become things’. Bali is a highly expressive culture. If our thoughts are on our pain, we create our lives from this pain. If our thoughts are on our joy, then we create joy in our lives. The first 6 months of my stay on Bali was a head on daily confrontation on many levels. My diverse and many polarizing experiences-between diving into the dark and rising into enthused ecstasy-were initiation rites by the island. I am happy to report that it feels as though I passed the tests. I was living in South Korea prior to my arrival on Bali. When it became known to me that it was time to leave, I asked the Universe: “Show me where my creative seeds will take root on planet Earth. Show me where I will become Heaven on Earth.” To me living as Heaven on Earth is magical. Bali arose as my answer. (Timbuktu might arise as your answer. We all vibrate differently with different places on the planet.)
Magic is whatever we desire it to be. For Maria it seems her magic was a journey into her pain to be reborn with the power of her own well Being. Magic is a falling star, feeling fully in unity with ourselves, our environment and the Universe or our friend giving us a book we wanted and we never told her we wanted it. We can empower a stick to become a magic wand, conjure up our lives into a dramatic soap opera, or simply take one step, one breath at a time to relax into the wonder of the Magic of Being.
