A Day of Worship
I woke up today to go to the sacred springs outside of Ubud. One bathes there to wash away the old and make room for the new.
Seemed like an appropriate act for the New Year and first New Moon.
On the way, my friend told me that today is not only one sacred day but four.
It is the end of Kaningung when the ancestors and gods are sent back to heaven after Galungan.
It is a sacred day for Shiva as well as a day held sacred for the balance of the cosmos and it is a day where people meditate on the wrongs they have done and how they will live a better life.
The latter they carry on until sunrise.
Normally these are all separate days but this year due to the calendars they all occur today. Which just so happens to be Shabbat, the day I set aside for rest and spiritual nourishment.
So I’m going to spend the day with the spirit of Bali and the gods.
Sometimes you just have to feed your soul! Writing challenge or no.
Love and blessings to you!
P.S. After spending the day visiting temples, marching with Barongs, and receiving blessings I am amazed at the ways ancient traditions have woven meaning into everything they do.
I have known this through study and practice but it is quite a different thing to see it performed in ritual at a societal level. This is what is missing in so many lives in the west.
That this meaning focuses on one’s relationship to community, nature, and the divine greatly contrasts many of the ills of the modern world.
This is something that visionaries have been saying for centuries and is a large part of what I try to draw public awareness to. It’s a privilege to be participating in a society that still does its ancient work. I am taking notes and looking forward to sharing.
Love and share.
I’m starting something new. Writing every day as I put my random thoughts down on binary paper.
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