Excerpts from Returning to My Mother's House
Bali: Searching for the Wisdom of the Deep Feminine (page 4)
Mom would have especially loved the seamless integration of art and spirituality. Every dance, shadow puppet, or theater performance was offered to one of the hundreds of Balinese gods and goddesses. Bali is the most diverse of all the Indonesian islands with Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islamism existing relatively well together. No one seemed to care whose god was being honored at any given event. One of my favorite enactments was the Barong dance in which a fantastic creature with bulging red eyes, giant fangs, and a massive black beard festooned with frangipani represents the eternal struggle between good and evil. The Barong creature is equally fierce and gentle, sad and joyful, and as his ancient tale unfolds I experience all the same contrasts within myself. In quintessential Balinese fashion neither side can win, because without a balance between good and evil the world would fall into chaos. This marvelous reconciliation of opposites was portrayed in every aspect of the island’s culture, from its art to its agricultural methods—incorporating floods and drought as equal parts of the natural cycle—to its cuisine—adding both hot and cool spices to balance the lively flavors. It was as if at every turn we were reminded of the wisdom of the feminine, her invitation to embrace paradox rather than fight it, to find the partnership between opposites rather than pit them against each other.
The Balinese women offered us important lessons. They were stunning, delicate, and strong all at the same time. With honey-colored skin and ink-black hair down to their waists, they dressed in vibrant handmade batik wrapped tightly around their sensuous bodies. Though tiny and slender they carried teeming baskets of fruit or ceremonial offerings on their heads, walking for many miles through mountain roads and rough terrain. They breast-fed their children and raised them communal style with the whole village taking part. We learned firsthand how physically strong the women were during our dance classes. Balinese dance is subtle and complex, demanding high levels of strength and flexibility as an expression of the Balinese belief that physical balance creates inner spiritual balance.
Toward the end of our trip our Balinese sisters took us to the market place and helped us pick out brightly patterned batik in royal purple, tangerine, and peacock blue. They taught us how to wrap our sarongs and tie our sashes for the temple festival that we would attend the following day. Then our dance teacher Made showed us how to make temple offerings, skillfully demonstrating the intricate cuts and folds in a palm leaf until it formed a tiny green cradle held together with bamboo splinters.
“Now we place several grains of rice and a single flower of frangipani as offerings to the gods. And then you add your prayer.” Her dazzling smile was her offering to us. It exuded grace and strength, the balance she had been teaching us all week in our dance lessons.
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Copyright ©2008 by Gail Straub. Excerpted with permission from the book, Returning to My Mother's House, by Gail Straub, published by High Point Press, ISBN 978-0-9630327-5-1. Please request permission before duplicating or distributing this material.
