I spotted this red dragonfly at Tirta Ganga, the water temple, here on the island of Bali. He was kind enough to let me close and wait while I took loads of pictures of him (her?).
How can you know whether you chose the stairs to heaven or the way to hell? Quite easily. How do you feel? Is peace in your awareness?
–A Course in Miracles
I’m getting more and more comfortable with letting my feelings – whether I have an internal sense of peace or conflict – determine whether I’m on the right path. I’ve spent years – my entire adulthood, really – ignoring how I felt about things and following the paths laid down for me by others. How I felt about a particular decision just didn’t come into play. I sacrificed my peace to please my husband, for social validation, and for financial security, and this left me angry, confused, and resentful. Closed off and judgmental. Conflicted. Not at peace.
And it drove me crazy.
Twice.
At least, that’s how I felt at the time. Crazy. Like the world just didn’t make sense anymore.
I’m no longer angry, confused, and resentful. I mean, I still feel these things occasionally; I am human, after all. But they are no longer fundamental aspects of my personality. I’m still more closed than I’d like to be, and I’m still more judgmental than I’d like to be. I berate myself when these traits burst out of me unbidden. And then I berate myself for not having more self-compassion. And then I give a great huff when I think how much more I have to learn, how much further I have to go. Still, I’m more open than I was. I’m less judgmental than I was. And when I do have those outbursts, my neuroticism eventually burns itself out and I’m able to let it go; I seem to move through the stages of this cycle more quickly with time.
In short, I’m more at peace.
Internal struggles aside, it’s hard not be at peace in Bali. At least, as a tourist. True, the heat can be a bit oppressive and the locals sometimes treat you like a walking cash dispenser, but…the water is blue, and cool, and clear, and the snorkeling is second to none with the abundance and diversity of the sea life here; no one’s fighting rush hour traffic to get a to job they hate, so everyone’s pretty chill; and being surrounded by so many different trees and flowers and animals and water as opposed to buildings and concrete makes finding a shady spot to sit and watch the world go by a pleasant way to pass the time.
Here’re some shots of this lovely island:
Another gorgeous Bali sunrise.One of the coconut trees at the villa. They also have mango trees and lots of plumeria and other beautiful flowers.One of the many temples at the villa where sacrifices are made to God (a sacrifice being a small basket of flowers and some burning incense).This guy sits at the front entrance to the villa along with his twin (perhaps blessing and guarding the place?).As seen in the small, beach-side town of Amed.Tirta Ganga, the water temple.Seen at Tirta Ganga. These are human-sized statues with a normal man in the middle, three demons(?) to his right, and three representations of God(?) to his left. There are also yin-and-yang symbols in the tiles on the ground. It seems to signify the duality of good and evil. The detailing on the statues was magnificent – the demons all have big, googly eyes and long, thin, pointy fingernails, among other visually stunning features.One of the funnier statues I saw at Tirta Ganga.This pool at Tirta Ganga, with rows of statues just like this guy and these stones to walk across on.The walking stones gave the illusion of floating on the water. This, and the distance between them, gave me jelly-legs to walk on them.Walking on water (sort of) at Tirta Ganga.These women are making intricate silver jewelry by hand. The woman pictured is soldering small rods of silver onto silver beads to create detailing.This woman is creating an intricate silver chain by hand.This woman is making another chain by hand.Taken at Besakih, the Mother Temple. Besakih is the largest temple on Bali. It is also old – at least 2000 years old. This is probably the oldest historical site I’ve ever seen.Besakih. The temple looks out over a huge swath of the Bali coastline. You can maybe make it out if you zoom in. The clouds may obscure the photo, but the view was quite grand in person.One of a few Balinese ceremonies I stumbled across. I’m told this ceremony was to bring rain to the region, but communication is a real problem here, so I’m not 100% on that. It’s the rainy season for Bali, but the eastern side of the island hasn’t rain in 6 months.Balinese ceremony.Balinese ceremony.Balinese ceremony. I love the Hard Rock shirt. My tour guide at Besakih that day was wearing a Jack Daniels t-shirt.Balinese ceremony. The Balinese people really are quite friendly.The rice terraces here are very bucolic and picturesque.Bought some jackfruit by the side of the road.
TL;DR: Reflections on stumbling across peace; photos of stumbling across eastern Bali.
Thanks, Darcy 🙂 I miss you tons! Can’t wait to see you when I’m back in Cali.
What an amazing and spiritual journey you have been on. Bali and the people look so warm and friendly. Love that you are sharing with us. Thinking of you and I hope you have an amazing thanksgiving day.
Luv darcy
Thanks, Darcy 🙂 I miss you tons! Can’t wait to see you when I’m back in Cali.
What an amazing and spiritual journey you have been on. Bali and the people look so warm and friendly. Love that you are sharing with us. Thinking of you and I hope you have an amazing thanksgiving day.
Luv darcy