A Visit to a Balinese Healer

A Visit to a Balinese Healer or Balian~ Photos and Video

A recommended experience on all of our tours and a staple of our Wellness Tours is a visit to a local Balinese healer or Balian (sometimes referred to as a dukun). There are many types and styles of Bali Usada or healing in Bali and it takes some time to find the right method and practitioner.  There are essentially four types of traditional healers in Bali. Very briefly, a Pica or Paica works with objects, The Balian Usada studies the Lontars (ancient sacred texts), The Ketakson who serves as a medium or link between the living and the deceased, and the last group is a combination of some or all of the above.

Some healers use hands on techniques like massage or applied kinesiology to move energy, remove blockages, realign meridians and such. While others employ a less invasive approach to energy work similar to Reiki. And others use offerings, tinctures, holy water, astrology, herbal medicines called Jamu, and other traditional homemade remedies. In most cases it is a mixture of several approaches.

A Balinese Healer uses her breath to dissipate to illness

I won't comment here on the efficacy of the treatments or the healers themselves, but I will say that I have witnessed some surprising outcomes over the years. Certainly some healers are more gifted than others, so your milage may vary, but it is always an interesting and worthwhile experience. I have seen some people experience near miraculous results, and some receive no tangible proceeds. It has, however, resulted closer to the former rather than latter.

Using Holy Water, a Balinese Balian blesses our tour participants for a safe and rewarding journey

On a recent Balifornian Culture Tour, two participants wanted to seek the help of a Balinese healer. We didn't have much lead time so our "go-to" healers were not available, but we were able to find one with a good reputation that was willing to see them. She is primarily a Ketakson so she acts as a channel to the other world. Occasionally, when a person dies an offering or ceremony is missing or incomplete. A Ketakson can help in these matters and provide the family with the missing piece to allow the dead to travel safely to the next world. 

Shafts of light illuminate the healing area where The Balian provides closure for a grieving family

We arrived at her compound and waited in the courtyard with a couple dozen others. She was with a family in the open air "treatment area". There was a grieving family around her listening intently as she channeled a recently deceased loved one. I am a bit more skeptical of the telekinesis style of healing versus a more hands on approach, but she was able to sense details clairvoyantly that surprised us and hit home with the family.

A Tour Participant peers into the courtyard where a healing session is taking place

Here is a very brief video of the prayer used in the healing session.

When it was time for our tour participants to receive counsel, they took turns sitting in front of the healer while she recited prayers and blessed them with holy water and flowers. Their palms were read as we translated the healers messages. We were told the reading was accurate and the suggestions were valid.

Others look on as The Healer works with other community members

I have not mentioned the healers name or village as occasionally a healer will gain fame and appointments for the villagers may become more scarce as well as expensive.  If this healer or a practitioner of other forms of traditional Balinese healing is of interest to you, please just contact us.

This is a far from exhaustive recap of the visit and certainly only touches the surface when it comes to Balinese Healing. For more information please contact us directly and we can arrange more specific sessions for you during your visit.

Related Blog Posts...

The Sacred Rituals of Besakih ~ And the Gods came down to Bali… A photo/video essay.

Bali Photo of the Day ~ Hindu Priest Blesses Holy Daggers

Ngaben ~ The Traditional Balinese Cremation Ceremony

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Bali Photo of the Day ~ Monkey Forest Bridge

Balifornian Photography Tour at Ubud's Sacred Monket Forest

Today I wanted to follow up with a couple additional shots of the Dragon Bridge in Ubud's Sacred Monkey Forest to give you a bit more perspective.

In previous Bali Photo of the Day blog posts, I featured the bridge itself and the Komodo Dragons that protect the Sacred Bathing Temple that the bridge leads to.

Today I wanted to show the Komodo Dragon carvings from the bridge. Here is a wide shot from the bridge overlooking the gorge...

The Dragon Bridge of Bali's Sacred Monkey ForestAnd here is a closer view...

A pair of Komodo Dragons keep watch over the Sacred Bathing Temple of The Monkey ForestAnd here is another shot of the elaborate carving of the Dragon on the bridge...

A detail view of the dragon carving on the bridge in Ubud's Monkey ForestI hope that helps complete the experience for you and come see it for yourself!

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Bali Photo of the Day ~ Komodo Dragon Sculptures Protects The Holy Bathing Temple

Balifornian's Art and Culture Eco-Tour

Todays Bali Photo of the Day comes to us from a recent Art and Culture Eco-Tour. We stopped into Ubud's Sacred Monkey Forest, crossed the Dragon Bridge over the The Holy Bathing Temples where these two fellas have kept watch over the natural springs that pour from the side of the Monkey Forest Gorge.

Bali's Sacred Monkey Forest features two Komodo Dragon Carvings that protect the Holy Bathing SpringsSome say these beautifully carved Komodo Dragons have been overlooking these sacred Bathing Springs for hundreds of years. The Balinese still use these springs to cleans themselves and don't be surprised if you see naked or nearly naked locals taking part in the ritual.

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Bali’s Dragon Bridge of The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud

One of my favorite places to visit in Bali and one of my wife’s least favorite places is Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana. More commonly known as The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud. She has a slightly irrational fear of the mischievous simians but for most travelers and locals, a visit to The Sacred Monkey Forest is a fun one. Mind your shiny valuables and don't try to hide food in your pockets, but if you are aware of the potential pitfalls, the forest has much to offer.

A mother monkey enjoys a tasty yam as her infant clutches her breast as another monkey flies by crossing The Dragon Bridge in Bali's Sacred Monkey Forest

Much has been written about the three troupes of playful long tailed macaques that call the forest home. Depending on whom you ask, there are somewhere between 200 and 600 of our primate cousins living amongst the 115 different speicies of trees in the dense forest. Instead here I would like to focus on one of my favorite places within the Monkey Forest.

There are many remarkable aspects of the Monkey Forest. There are three major temples, the oldest dating back to the 14th century, neatly one hundred fantastical sculptures, impressive huge trees and plants (complete with Tree Spirits), and there are even not one, but two monkey cemeteries. But my favorite is something different.

A huge Banyon Tree attempts to engulf The Dragon Bridge that crosses the gorge in Bali's Monkey Forest Sactuary

The elaborately carved Dragon Bridge crosses a narrow gorge in the middle of the forest. Its hard to date the bridge acurately. I have been told its more than 700 years old, but many stories and legends surround the mystical bridge. The bridge itself cuts directly through the truck of an enormous Banyon Tree and leads to The Holy Bathing Temple. 

Repairs have been made as when I visited a few years ago one of the dragon’s snouts had been broken off (most likely by a disrespectful tourist rather than a monkey). It has since been repaired and looks none the worse for wear. I suppose it helps that in a tropical setting like Ubud, moss will cover shaded stone in just a matter of months making it look like it has been there since the Majapahit Empire.

The view from The Holy Bathing Temple across the Dragon Bridge and through the Banyon Tree in Ubud's Monkey Forest

I won't reveal the secrets of the forest and the current day stone carvers here, but I will say their talent is immense and the traditions remain strong. Come visit us for a special insider’s tour of The Sacred Monkey Forest and we will show you even more that most travelers miss. Pardon me, I said “we”, but I'm sure my wife will not join us for this part of the tour.

Balifornian welcomes a new member to the team

It is with great pride and the giddy excitement of an eight-year-old girl playing with her Malibu Barbie Dream House for the first time, that we announce the newest member of the Balifornian team.

David “Dino” Maiolo has agreed to come on board and help us out with our projects in Bali and Sumbawa. He is currently in our California office with us and will be joining us when we return to Indonesia in September. He asks that you not rob his house while he is gone.

Welcome Dino! (Dino is the one on top)

Though he has spent the majority of his life in San Diego, California, Dino is no stranger to travel. Having spent two high school summer vacations in southern Africa, Dino became so fascinated by other cultures and societies that he decided to join the United States Army as a means to see more of the world. His adventures have taken him to many regions in south, central and north Africa as well as the middle east. While stationed in Germany for two years, Dino was able to visit virtually every western European country at the time as well as East Berlin during the Cold War years.

After returning home to attend San Diego State University, Dino used his love for surfing as a means to see more of the world. This time his travels would lead to many tropical destinations such as Costa Rica, Fiji, Australia, Panama and Mexico, where he lived for two years. By far his favorite surfing destination, however, is Bali. He is enamored by the Balinese people, culture and natural environment; not to mention its world class surf.

Dino loves his life as an internet marketing consultant, helping companies promote themselves with better online visibility. He uses a combination of search engine optimization, social media, pay-per-click advertising and intense data analysis to facilitate better online conversions for his clients. Since he works from his computer, online consulting allows Dino the opportunity to continue traveling while helping his clients. His immediate plans are to return to Bali while continuing to assist his clients.

Welcome Dino! We are both lucky and thrilled that we were able to fool you into joining us!

With love,

Michael and Maryam