Bali is home to many respected balians, but priests make a deeper commitment to spiritual work, which makes me feel more comfortable seeking advice from one. I’m not religious, but having struggled to navigate an increasing feeling of overwhelm in my early 40s, maybe it could offer a fresh perspective?
READ MORE: Hotel Review: The new Anantara hotel in Ubud, Bali
Finding balance
My journey begins with a scenic winding drive through Bali’s mountainous heart to Atu’s village. Chooks scatter and a rooster crows defiantly as I follow my Buahan host Kadek “Oji” Pariana through a typical Balinese family compound and along a jungle path leading to a small, lava stone temple nestling among the knotted roots of a banyan tree. Here Atu, wearing a black shirt and sarong matching his long, dark hair tied up in a half-ponytail, is preparing the ingredients for an offering known as a canang sari.
“All of the ingredients have a symbol,” Atu says as I awkwardly sit in my kebaya, a traditional outfit worn by Balinese women for temple visits and religious ceremonies Oji has dressed me in for the occasion. The coconut palm-leaf container with eight leaves pointing outwards from the centre like a compass rose, Atu explains, symbolises the Nawa Sanga or nine deities who guard or control the nine wind directions. The eight leaves point to the cardinal and intercardinal gods, while Shiva commands the centre.
Following Atu’s lead, I add flower petals to honour the four cardinal gods: white for Iswara/Ishvara in the east and red for Brahma in the south. Mahadeva in the west gets yellow petals, and Vishnu in the north receives purple (blue is ideal, but are not always available). I add a mix of flowers and shredded pandan leaves for Shiva, followed by a sprinkle of rice for good fortune, a piece of sandalwood because “it smells good,” says Atu, and incense as a symbol of fire. After lighting the incense, Atu blesses me with a dousing of holy water.
“Holy water purifications are very important because everyone has two energies: positive and negative,” Atu explains. “The water helps to balance the energy.”
It works, I think, as I’m feeling more relaxed about the next step of my journey.
Written in the stars
“You have a very strong energy – very high for a woman,” Atu tells me after cross-referencing my birthdate with the Balinese calendar and studying my palm. “Good for being a leader, but not good for being a housewife.” Fortunately, homemaking isn’t among my life goals.
Atu’s lack of concern for my financial situation is reassuring, but his warning to avoid mixing friends with money stings as memories of being let down flood back. Nevertheless, I’m grateful for the reminder.
Atu’s wellbeing insights, meanwhile, are spookily spot-on. Specific health issues he says I’m susceptible to (and they’re not particularly common) mirror ailments my mum has experienced, and his mere acknowledgment of a “sadness inside” I’ve been quietly carrying lightens my emotional load.
After running through my lucky numbers, colours, days (who can argue with Friday?) and guardian deity (if I’m in trouble, I can turn to the west with a yellow flower in my hand and pray to Mahadeva), Atu’s assessment that I have a “strong character” and “don’t need another person to depend on” gives me a confidence boost I didn’t know I needed. I’m happily married, but it’s nice to be reminded that I’m capable of managing whatever life throws at me.
Luckily for me, life has thrown me a gorgeous pool villa at Buahan for the next few days. I certainly won’t need any help managing this.
Checklist
BALI
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand offers non-stop flights from Auckland to Bali all year round, with a flight time of just over nine hours.
Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape is roughly two hours north of the airport by car.
DETAILS
balitourismboard.id
escape.banyantree.com
The writer was a guest of Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape.
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