Update #4
With this February passed the holiday of Galungan, which means in less then 210 days we will be convening in Bali for our Journey together during the next Galungan festivities. The photo above was taken outside our house in South Bali Galungan morning at 5:30 am. Notice the beautiful penjors decorating the village and a woman making offerings.
Artistic, Healing and Spiritual Luminaries
During our journey together, we will have the honor of meeting several Balinese luminaries in different artistic, healing, and spiritual disciplines. One of the special people we should* have the good fortune to meet is Ida Resi Alit (Ida Panditha Mpu Budha Mahaseri Alit Parama Daksa). Ida Resi Alit (also known as Ida Maharisi) is known as a dispeller of darkness who helps people connect to their spiritual path.
Meet Ida Maharisi
The legend has it that she left Bali to head to Java to find work, then returning to visit a sick friend. She accompanied her friend to visit a mangku (priest) to receive a melukat (water cleansing ceremony). When she was purified by the water, she fell into a coma and went through several months of near-death experiences. At the end of these months, she was inexplicably able to recite ancient mantras and perform ancient mudras with stunning perfection.
Ida Maharisi’s gift was very clear, especially after passing a series of tests. It was consequently agreed that she was to be adorned to the highest spiritual position, becoming the youngest woman to receive this rank at the age of 20. Her life is now dedicated to the service of others and fulfilling many spiritual duties.
Visiting Maharisi
The following is the story of my visit with her. This is also how I connected with Nyoman, the Balinese man introduced in the earlier blogs who will be accompanying us for the entire trip.
A dear friend of mine was visiting Bali, and together we ventured to receive a cleansing from this amazing priestess that he had heard about. We agreed to meet in Ubud at a location where Nyoman, who would drive us to Ida Maharasi’s compound, would meet us as well. From the very moment I met Nyoman, I knew this was going to be a special experience. The drive was about an hour from Ubud, down some of the most picturesque winding roads in Bali; vistas of ravines and terraced rice fields drifted by as we drove down progressively smaller roads. We arrived at her compound, a long series of buildings decorated with ornate Balinese carvings and statues of deities in every corner. We walked the length of the compound to the end, marked by a beautiful bale (wall-less shelter) with the backdrop of the jungle.
Nyoman, whose mannerisms and concise explanation of the Balinese traditions is outstanding, informed us what to expect from our time during the meditation and the cleansing. He instructed us that whatever we feel during the ceremony, whatever it may be, we are to simply let it out in whichever way we feel we need to release it – be it crying, singing or dancing. Nyoman explained that once coming in contact with the holy water, some may faint or fall into trance but there is no cause for worry as this is not unusual, and he would be there to help if such a thing was to occur.
We walked back to the front of the compound where there was large empty stage-like altar. In front of it and slightly to the side, there were many people who we learned were also waiting for a cleansing from Ida Maharisi. We all waited together, mostly Indonesians and two other female foreigners, chatting while drinking tea and snacking on cakes until all of a sudden, the crowd hushed. The petit Ida Maharisi emerged from her quarters, into the courtyard, and the crowd was in awe. Ida Maharisi proceeded to softly explain in Indonesian, followed by English, that she would begin to chant for about 50 minutes during which we should meditate. Following this, we were to proceed with the cleansing in groups of five.
She then climbed to the top of the shrine and commence. The guttural chanting was riveting, pulling at every cell in my body, and commanding total attention. It was hard to imagine that the powerful chants were coming from the small frame of a small 24 year old. Ida was assisted by her grandfather, in deep baritone, who was standing slightly lower than her on the shrine. Their voices, combined with the chimes she rang, created a strange harmony like nothing that I have ever heard before. As the chants progressed, her assistants burned more and more incense. The smoke seemed to dance, forming patterns congruent with the frequencies in the air. This continued for some time, I suppose for 50 minutes, but the sense of time felt altered in this space.
After this incredible evocation of the spirit, the space was now prepared for the cleansing. The first group was called up, as the chanting continued. Water was first splashed onto them and then poured in pails over the participants’ heads with each one receiving focus for a couple of minutes. Ida Maharisi instructed them to stomp their feet, wash their face and body, to come inline with their promise to mother earth, to come into their true self. It was powerful!
There were many groups of men and woman. In the third group, one of the women did indeed faint and fall into some kind of trance. Nyoman was there to catch her and hold her while the ceremony continued. She became alert shortly afterwards. In other groups, some cried, while two more fell into a trance. Most seemed authentic whereas one appeared as though it may have been somewhat embellished, perhaps in hopes of finding the healing she desired. Most certainly though, everybody appeared to be lighter after the experience as they all exchanged smiles and laughs.
After all the locals, it was time for the foreigners to receive the blessing. I volunteered to go in the first group. The chanting resonated louder as we now stood right in front of Ida and her assistants. The crystal clear brisk water started as a trickle on our heads and bodies, and quickly grew into large pails of water being poured over us, completely drenching us. While I noticed the reflection of the light coming through the water, making it seem crystalline, Nyoman began to tap lightly up and down my spine to help shake loose any bad energy that I was holding on to. I looked up for a brief moment only to find that Ida and her grandfather appeared as deities, high above me. She encouraged me to stomp my feet, wash my face and body, to become one with my promise to mother earth, and to become inline with my true self. That moment in time seemed to be an eternity, as the waters washed over my body and soul, reverberating with the chants of Ida Maharisi, her grandfather and the chimes.
And all of a sudden, it stopped. We followed the suggestions of others and stood in the warmth of the sun, silently assimilating our own experience of the cleansing. The next group of foreigners went up. At the end, they joined us in the sun. Of the foreigners, none fainted or fell into trance, though the experience was profound for all of us. We went home, feeling relaxed yet revitalized and definitely lighter.
In Love Over and Over
The myth and mysticism in Bali is strong, and as one seeks it, one gets deeper and deeper into it. The more I search, the more I fall in love with Bali all over again.
Blessings,
Alexander Joy
* I say “should” as high priests and priestesses are duty- and honor-bound to their work so they can be called away to honor duties and emergencies at any moment.