It is morning again in Bali. I wake up as the darkness begins to turn to daylight. Usually, I don't like to awaken before the sun comes up, but in Bali I awaken early full of life, full of expectation, ready to start the day. I walk out to the living room of my joglo with no walls that happens to be set in the middle of a rice field. I find myself smiling as a rooster prances across the floor right in front of me. I realize that this house is actually the rooster's domain, and I am but a mere intruder. This is what I constantly feel over and over again. That I am connected to absolutely everything and that the rooster is as important as me.
I sit down to watch as a woman brings the offerings and sets them in front of the house. This scene has become my reality television. I wonder how I could have gone so long ignoring the sacredness of the morning. The Balinese make everything that they do sacred. Everything they do is about connection to each other and to the world around them. The Balinese call everyone their friend.You don't see anger. When someone gets in a traffic accident, it's no one's fault. No one is blaming someone else. It just is. There is no reason to get angry.
Bali is known as the Island of the Gods and for good reason. The Balinese spend most of the day making offerings for their gods and goddesses, as they believe the gods are present in all things. So how does one go about finding the real Bali and having their own spiritual awakening?
1. Go To Ubud- Yes, Ubud is touristy, but that is also where I found most of the healers to be. It's also where I found other like-minded spiritual seekers to be. It was nice to find a community of people to be around who I could talk about the deeper things of life with. While the Balinese people themselves are very spiritual no matter where in Bali you are, it's a lot harder to feel it in Kuta or Seminyak which seem more oriented to partiers and shoppers than to those who are looking for a spiritual experience.
2. Visit The Healers- The healers of Bali are very powerful. The healers, called balians, dedicate their lives to healing after discovering that they have the gift of healing. Visiting these healers should not be thought of as a tourist activity, but only as something you should do if you are serious about letting go of your ego and progressing to the next step of love. Visiting them wasn't always easy, as I was forced to look at my own self and let go of many layers of pain and facades that I had put up in my own life. These were some very powerful healers. I realized how "attached" that I had been to the story of who I was and that it was preventing me from offering my gifts to the world. Soon after, my return from Bali, I knew that I needed to get rid of most of my possessions, quit my job, move out of the US, and follow a more authentic path. I warn you that visiting the healers of Bali will change your life!
3. Practice Yoga, Meditation, Ecstatic Dance- These activities are available just about everywhere in Bali, and performing these activities aided in the healing work that I was doing and helped me to further find myself.
4. Spend Time With The Local People- Most of the people in Bali speak English, so it makes it very easy to get to know them. The Balinese look at everything with a spiritual point of view. They have a strong connection to nature and to each other. They spend a lot of their time just visiting and being with one another. They are the happiest people that I know, and there is nothing like a Balinese smile. I got invited to a baby's three-month ceremony, and it touched my heart to the sacredness with which the Balinese treat their children.
5. Get Out Of Ubud- Spend some time by yourself. Get out and explore the untouched parts of Bali. See the volcanoes, the rice fields, the black sand beaches. There are so many glorious things to see in Bali that will awaken your heart. After my spiritual experience in Ubud, I booked a hilltop room that overlooked the beach in Amed. It was nice to go inward after spending time with so many others in Ubud. I had time to ponder my own deepest fears. In Bali, I realized that my deepest fear had always been going through this life and not having had one person who really knew me. It was there, I realized I should have been more afraid of going through this life without having known myself.
If you want to discover the real Bali, you can't be afraid of discovering the real you. Because that is the heart of Bali and what this Island of Love is all about.
Have you had a spiritual experience while traveling? Let me know in the comments below!
Bali is known as the Island of the Gods and for good reason. The Balinese spend most of the day making offerings for their gods and goddesses, as they believe the gods are present in all things. So how does one go about finding the real Bali and having their own spiritual awakening?
1. Go To Ubud- Yes, Ubud is touristy, but that is also where I found most of the healers to be. It's also where I found other like-minded spiritual seekers to be. It was nice to find a community of people to be around who I could talk about the deeper things of life with. While the Balinese people themselves are very spiritual no matter where in Bali you are, it's a lot harder to feel it in Kuta or Seminyak which seem more oriented to partiers and shoppers than to those who are looking for a spiritual experience.
2. Visit The Healers- The healers of Bali are very powerful. The healers, called balians, dedicate their lives to healing after discovering that they have the gift of healing. Visiting these healers should not be thought of as a tourist activity, but only as something you should do if you are serious about letting go of your ego and progressing to the next step of love. Visiting them wasn't always easy, as I was forced to look at my own self and let go of many layers of pain and facades that I had put up in my own life. These were some very powerful healers. I realized how "attached" that I had been to the story of who I was and that it was preventing me from offering my gifts to the world. Soon after, my return from Bali, I knew that I needed to get rid of most of my possessions, quit my job, move out of the US, and follow a more authentic path. I warn you that visiting the healers of Bali will change your life!
3. Practice Yoga, Meditation, Ecstatic Dance- These activities are available just about everywhere in Bali, and performing these activities aided in the healing work that I was doing and helped me to further find myself.
4. Spend Time With The Local People- Most of the people in Bali speak English, so it makes it very easy to get to know them. The Balinese look at everything with a spiritual point of view. They have a strong connection to nature and to each other. They spend a lot of their time just visiting and being with one another. They are the happiest people that I know, and there is nothing like a Balinese smile. I got invited to a baby's three-month ceremony, and it touched my heart to the sacredness with which the Balinese treat their children.
5. Get Out Of Ubud- Spend some time by yourself. Get out and explore the untouched parts of Bali. See the volcanoes, the rice fields, the black sand beaches. There are so many glorious things to see in Bali that will awaken your heart. After my spiritual experience in Ubud, I booked a hilltop room that overlooked the beach in Amed. It was nice to go inward after spending time with so many others in Ubud. I had time to ponder my own deepest fears. In Bali, I realized that my deepest fear had always been going through this life and not having had one person who really knew me. It was there, I realized I should have been more afraid of going through this life without having known myself.
If you want to discover the real Bali, you can't be afraid of discovering the real you. Because that is the heart of Bali and what this Island of Love is all about.
Have you had a spiritual experience while traveling? Let me know in the comments below!
 | Val Dawson is convinced that she is half mermaid and is always looking for the next great beach. She writes the travel blog, This Way To Paradise, which is a guide to some of the best islands and beaches in the world. |
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