Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal
and give strength to body and soul.John Muir
The energy of the island hit like a smooth sunrise as soon as I stepped out of the airport. Temples and the smell of incense quickly flooded my senses, alongside a lush tropical backdrop amidst a sea of scooters. For someone who has felt belligerently ungrounded this year, something in me instantly settled, although I didn’t quite know why at the time [jet lag is real].
After a few days of adjusting to the time zone and Balinese flow in Seminyak with Alyson Charles and the Fitness + Foolishness founders, we headed to Keramas for our retreat, fueled by glorious tropical fruits and a constant stream of seemingly genuine smiles.
On the first night at Komune I learned more about the rituals I saw upon arrival. Canang sari offerings of woven palm baskets filled with flowers are scattered everywhere; incense smoke serves as a witness to the prayers to the gods for protection and peace.
In a ceremony guided by a local priest, the translator explained that purification begins with us as individuals before we can serve and support one another. In this way, we participate in the overall purification of the world, and it is imperative that we know and feel/practice it ourselves.
This personal and global shift is – in a sense – an act of coming back to our primordial nature, returning to the ancient rituals and practices that ultimately connect us to our Selves and our relationship with Source.
The Balinese are, perhaps, an overall happy bunch because of their deep connection to these practices that constantly intertwine their human-ness with the divine… at least that’s one theory based on what I heard and experienced for myself.
This relationship – however we perceive or practice it – is where we feel the shift from being asleep to awake, aware, connected, in our hearts.
A shift is not necessarily moving away from something, but rather moving closer to truth. It is releasing what is false, inviting in peace and miracles, making space for our true nature of unconditional love.
A shift could be a quick sharp spark of inspiration, it could be a slow and steady recognition based on signs and how circumstances align, it could be a group of Balinese children whose uninhibited presence was so full of sweetness my heart felt like it burst straight out of my chest.
Whenever and however you feel your personal shift — at its core it is the removal of fear or falsehood and a return to our essence, which is simply and wholly pure, unconditional love.
On my last day in Ubud, a local healer named Cokorda Rai told multiple times, “Be happy! Happy happy!” He offered some pertinent and strangely simple yet accurate health advice based on what he sensed in me, but what I remember most is his clear eyes and tremendous toothless smile. I left feeling like a beam of light had traveled through my body, like I was walking on a literal cloud, like everything made sense without me having to know or explain it.
So what is my ultimate, teachable, gold nugget for you? I’m not exactly sure, because I’m still digesting what I learned and received myself; the wheels are still turning; the new software is still buffering.
And I think that’s just it: the Balinese daily rituals reminded me that we can be in constant communication with Source/Universe/Divine if we want to be. Just like they pray at their alters every day, we can remember that there is always an opening and opportunity to ask for guidance, support, peace, and our heart’s truest desires. It may not exempt us from pain, but it will give us tools to soften and work with suffering. It will show and teach us our own definition of happiness.
We can learn and relearn how to play and pray, to be a human on this Earth and also a product of the Universe/God, to be an emotional mess [Hi!] and also deeply trust in the path — whether in complete peace and alignment and/or distress and confusion with what is.
My student, friend, and secret Buddha says “Fear is not a reason not to do something.” Whether fear is leaving a job or leaning into our individual and collective divinity, there is no valid excuse to sit back as a non-participant and ignore our feelings or others or our lives as a whole.
Dive in and discover the magic for yourself.
If and when it hurts a little or a lot, trust in the flow and return to prayer in whatever form works best for you.
Reach out to loved ones.
Meditate with yourself and get to know your heart.
Notice the beauty around you, wherever you are.
Talk to your angels – they’ve got your back.
What you think and say and do feeds your life, body, and soul; it is and will become your reality.
Thank you Bali for reminding me of the power of prayer, rituals, offerings, blessings, ceremonies, worship, and love in various forms.
Onward.
Read the newsletter for a Balinese-inspired roasted veggie salad, YouTube yoga and meditation videos, good music and more.
Photo: Heaven’s Gate at Pura Lempuyang, Bali, Indonesia. Thanks to Ring for showing us around.
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