Agung Prana, Winner of 32 awards for Tourism , Coral Reef restoration , CNN Hero’s Award plus many more.
Chapter 19
I arrive home late November from our spiritual journey to Bali with Andrew Harvey and 12 others.
I have a deep inner desire to return to Bali in January of 2018. There seems to be a rush to return but I have no idea why. I tell John it is to try and finish this book. He understands and I arrive Jan 26th for a month . I have no idea at the time the motivation for this trip. It will take me 5 months to recognize the significance.
When I first arrive I am making business plans with Agung Wah for “The Centre of Hope “and purchasing Villa number 26 and 27 for myself and Lucia. Wah’s personal baker comes to us in Puri and all arrangements are made. Bank account opened etc.
Another important compotent of this trip is that in the villas next to me are three people from Jarkata. They are Muslim , Jimmy, Wiwies and her husband, Yusnan. Yusnan is the CEO of Bali coin and Jimmy is their promotion manager. They are here to introduce Bali coin to businesses. Agung Prana is on board as well as others in the local area. Bali Coin is a Crypto Discount Voucher based on Ethereum ERC20 Blockchain Techologies , which can be used for Tourism.
It is cycled as a way for tourist to save on accommodations, purchases and other molarities. However, I am not interested in Bali coin to save money, I am attracted because I never again want to go to ATM or use credit card while here in Bali. Undoubtingly there is still shadow lurching and you will meet it when it comes to the ATM and using credit cards. I cannot tell you the number of times myself or the clients I taken here have run into problems. Not being able to withdraw moneys or having our Visa compromised. With Bali Coin, you no longer have to worry.
I hang out with these three Muslims for a week and learn about their religion. They have many symbols similar to catholic but under a difference name. I loved that when we are in temple together, we have Hindu, Muslim & Catholic all praying to the same GOD. It would be difficult to experience this in other parts of our planet. Why do I mention all of this, to allow you to feel that Bali is a culture of acceptance.
Most of the month is spent with Agung Prana. He encourages me to finish book and we discuss plans for Center of Hope. I begin to call “Center of Hope” , Prana’s Passion .
We meet for breakfast and dinner each day. In evening we go to temple to pray and receive blessings. I am astonished that he is spending so much time with me on this trip. I am very humbled and grateful that this wise mentor of mine has made the time. I take in his every word as if it is his last. I record him and his dreams on my Iphone with his permission. Sometimes we simply sit at his table overlooking the Bali sea and allow ourselves to simply BE. No words spoken, we communicate in silence. My love for this man has nothing to do with how we love in our culture. It is not physical, it is soul full. I am reminded that I am his soul sister. A Queen to his King. A servant to his humanity. You must remember at this time he has won 32 awards for his work . In April of 2018 , he wins the CNN Hero’s Award.
We leave Pemuteran together to return to Puri Tama Sari. Late in the evening I am invited to dine with Prana and his wife Arine who has cooked our delights herself . Our meal consists of traditional Balinese cuisine. Rice, tempe, curry chicken, and fish dishes. In Balinese tradition all is cooked in coconut oil and many spices are added , especially chili. If you have not eaten their condiment called Sambal matah you will not have experienced the best in Bali. This sambal is one of Bali’s most popular sambals. You can almost think of it as a salsa or finely sliced chilli salad. There are many variations but the basic sambal matah contains fresh red or green chilli, roasted shrimp paste, red shallots and shredded lime leaves mixed with coconut oil. It is particularly fabulous with seafood and grilled white meat.
The next day I visit Mankgu Made’s for Ocean , Moon, River & Lake ceremonies. This is a three day event. I hang out with a lovely young women from Australia, Brook Martin. Ocean ceremony is held in the Bali sea in Sanur. This ritual is to cleanse our aura’s and to open the third eye. Made will not allow you to leave ocean until he sees your aura clean and your third eye open. The next evening we attend Full Moon ceremony at his location in Desa Vayu. It is raining and I mean pouring with thunder and lightning as we trek our way down to the river for opening ritual. It is a downward walk for a least 1 ½ Kilometres. There are many to help us keep our balance as we silently journey to our location. First there is the sacrifice of a duck and a chicken. At first Brooke and I are alarmed but we remind ourselves not to judge as this is Balinese tradition. After sacrifice ceremony we wait for the lightening to subside so we can go into the river at midnight for another ceremony but alas the river is running wildly so we have ceremony on the river’s ledge. We then proceed up once again to top of hill to Desa Vayu and experience Moon ceremony. This ceremony is to enhance our abundance. Monetary and divinely. Made believes that if we are healthy we are wealthy in every since of the word. Health , wealth and happiness is our divine right.
The ceremony begins with prayers to the Gods , Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. asking permission for ceremony. Brahma, is the supreme force present within all things, Vishnu is the preserver of the universe and Shiva’s role is to destroy in order to re-create. We are all seated on individual stools in a row. His wife Nyoman gives us incense to pray over our individual huge clay pot in front of us. In the pot is holy water and sandalwood oil. Made approaches each one of us and pours out all the water via a sacred spoon and pours over our head until clay pot is empty. I have never been chilled during this experience and I have had many. Made explains that if your charka’s are in alignment you will not feel cold. You will only feel warmth and his is correct as I continue to feel this warmth throughout my body.
Our charka’s are energy wheels that rotate in us. There are seven in total. Chakras, by definition, are energy centers within the human body that help to regulate the immune system and our emotions. Seven chakras are positioned throughout your body, from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Each chakra has its own vibrational frequency, color, and governs specific functions that help make you, human. I am also learning from Made that these charka’s are also the planets that rotate in us. Mercury is our crown, Venus our third eye, Mars throat, Jupiter our heart, Saturn solar plexus, Uranus our sexual organs, and Neptune our root.
We are energy. All living things are created by and comprised of energy. As are the planets. The ability of your energy centers to function optimally is what keeps you psychologically, emotionally, physically, and spiritually in balance.
It is three o’clock in the morning, it is still raining when we depart for our beds. I fall into a slumber of peace.
We awake in the morning to discover yet another ceremony. This one I have never experienced. It is called Lake Ceremony.
We trek our way to LakeTamblingan with Mankgu Made and his followers. We climb down over 150 steps. I am shocked once I reach the end. How I will get up those steps is to be seen by myself and the unseen. His devotees carry ceremony basket offerings to the lake. In a flash, everything is set in motion to begin. Made rings his sacred bell and begins praying to the gods of the lake for entry. It appears we are accepted and he quickly looks at us to see which face we have. We all are invited to enter the lake and Made gives us instructions and prayers.
There are a total of 8 faces .
First is :
- Balinese Pangkung, Dry River Bed, this is the face of someone who is lacking in energy and very tired.
- Telabah – creek face, this is face of low energy and finances
- Carik – rice paddy face, is someone who works hard for a living
- Tukad – river face, a person who is flowing and able to work and accomplish
- Kolam – pool face, face of somebody who has plenty but resistance to change and sharing
- Clebutan – spring face , a person who is an educator of spirituality and may have business
- Pasih – ocean face , someone who is filled with plenty and sharing their wealth with others
- Danu – lake face , In Bali thus far there was only one person Mankgu Made met who has Lake Face. This is a man who has many riches, shares with everyone and has balance in his life, both spirituality and monetary gain.
After our ceremony we make the long walk up the steps and I am helped by a young man. He is very patient with me as my knee from the fall I took a few years ago slows me down a wee bit. We drive to a compound where we are fed and Made waits to see who among us has changed . I am told that I had Spring face before ceremony and now I have ocean. It is not a coincidence that upon my return to Puri many ask what has changed in me. I also receive the same words upon my return home a few days later plus the loss of 6 lbs.
I return to my home in Puri for my last evening and am invited by Prana to join him and his family for a late Diner at his daughter Decy’s restaurant on the ocean in Sanur. Agung Mantra Bugus , Prana’s oldest son is there as well as Bali Coin Group. Prana and I share a fish platter together. Wah & Mia’s children are there to say goodbye to Grandma Lilly. Prana is in his jeans and shirt and I chuckle as I have not witnessed him in all our 15 years together in western attire . He walks me to the car that is to take me to airport and I sing him my goodbye . He laughs, “Until I see you again Ibu Lilly” .
It is the last time I will see Agung Prana in this lifetime. The date is February 23rd, 2018.
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