Bali Photo of the Day ~ Beach Festival

Today's Bali Photo of the day comes to us from our sister company Floating Leaf Eco Retreat.

This was taken during a current wellness retreat tour. We took our retreat participants to Jimbaron Beach for a sunset seafood farewell dinner and to our surprize there was a huge ceremony and festival taking place.

What a great send off for our wellness retreat and we are so happy they had such a rewarding experience in Bali.

Our Wellness Retreat participants were treated to a resplendent beach ceremony and festival at Jimbaron Beach, Bali

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’s Royal Water Palace ~ Taman Ujung Soekasada.

This is a companion blog post to Our Family and Bali’s Royal Family of Karangasem and focuses more on The Water Palace of Karangasem. To learn more about one of the Maryam's lineage and Bali's Royal Family of Karangasem just click here.

My wife is a princess. She is sweet, smart and beautiful. A lot of men say those things about their wives but in this case she is a real actual Princess. In her early years, she was raised by her Great-Grandmother, who was the daughter of the King. 

Bali’s Royal Water Palace~ Taman Ujung Soekasada in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia 

I Gusti Bagus Djelantik, The King of Karangasem's Water Palace

In our efforts to learn more about Maryam’s lineage, we have been visiting her family’s palaces. Our continued quest took us to The Karangasem Regency in East Bali, the seat of the kingdom. Here we visited Tumbu Village, home to Taman Ujung Soekasada, The Royal Water Palace of Karangasem.  

From the Old Bali archives. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 UnportedAbove is the Palace as it was in 1925.

Putu sits overlooking her family's Tama Ujung Water Palace

This was the residence of The Karangasem Royal Family. It was built by The King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Djelantik who reigned in Karangasem from 1909 until 1945. The King lived here much of the year along with his wives and many children.

Taman Ujung Water Palace is perched on brilliant green hills, with sacred Mount Agung in the distance, and overlooking the ocean in the other direction.  The sprawling elegant complex is remarkably well maintained.

We are able to host weddings and very special events at The Water Palace. If you would like to discuss having your very special event at Taman Ujung, please contact us directly for details.

Many palaces we have visited in Indonesia can be disrespectfully strewn with litter. But, Tama Ujung is immaculate and the blooming flowers and various wildlife stand testament to the commitment to protect the memory, and continue the traditions, of the Royal Family.

Much of the palace was damaged in the eruption of Mount Agung Volcano in 1963. It was largely reconstructed via sponsorship of the World Bank along with Indonesia’s government.

Taman Ujung had also suffered some damage during World War II when the invading Japanese dismantled it’s iron bars for weaponry production. But today it can be visited in all its splendid glory just as it was for Maryam’s family many years ago.

It is one of many palaces and one of three water palaces built by the last raja of Karangasem.  It consists of various styles of architecture complete with pools, moats, canals, bridges, and fountains. 

The complex is a combination of Balinese and European architecture. My favorite architectural element is the endless hallway/bridge that was built with such precision; it offers perfect symmetry and one point perspective.

There are two of them actually and they lead to a rest house called “Bale Gili” which sits in the middle of the largest of three ponds within the complex. 

Entering Taman Ujung in Karangasem, Bali

While it is beautiful and offers a spectacular vista, most interesting for us was the access into the private rooms of the family. The original traditional beds and ornaments are still intact. On the walls hang many photographs of the family. We will be posting many of these amazing old photographs soon. To be notified and to join our free newsletter, just click here.

Putu stands on the infinity bridge in her family's Royal Palace in Karangasem, Bali

The majestic palace, along with hectares of manicured gardens, gazebos, and two huge ponds, also served as a place to welcome and to serve important visiting guests and Kings from countries worldwide. 

The Taman Ujung heritage site of the kingdom of Karangasem, offers views of Bali’s neighbor, Lombok and the of Lempuyang mountains. The Kingdom spread east to Lombok and ruled there as well. 

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Bali Photo of the Day ~ Cat Napping Dog

Todays photo of the day comes from The Bali Aga Village of Penglipuran.  Penglipuran is known for its main walkway that is lined with traditional houses that lead up to the village temple. Each home along the way features traditional elements, chief among them being the front gates.

Here we have a dog asleep on his watchdog duties.

Penglipuran Village, one of Bali's ancient civilizations.

A dog naps infront of a Bali Aga gateway in BaliFor more about Penglipuran click here and for more about The Bali Aga, please click here. If you would like to learn about and view photographs of one of The Bali Aga's rituals, click here for a photo essay on The Human Blood Sacrifice ritual of The Bali Aga of Tenganan.

Have a wonderful day!

Bali Photo of the Day ~ Ritual Stabbing at Traditional Dance

Hello Balifornians!

Today we feature a powerful shot of a mass ritual self stabbing during a traditional dance. They don't really hurt themselves as this is more of a demonstration, but there are sacred events in Bali and Indonesia during the year where serious pain (and sometimes lasting damage) is done during holy festivals.

Balinese Traditional Dance and Rituals

This Traditional Dance from Bali features a ritual self mutilation

The men are stabbing themselves with a mock up of a holy kris or spiritual dagger.  You can see a Mankgu or Hindu Priest blessing the daggers (Kris) here.

Want to submit your photo for the Bali Tour Photo of the Day?  Simply send your photograph in JPEG format and a description to photos@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels and please sign up for our newsletter here.