manifesting visions

It all started back then….maybe in a former incarnation, when I was Balinese? Or was it some 5 years ago when my brother invited me and my mom to come out to koh samui in Thailand and I experienced what it was like to be by the sea on an island. He had been living on the island for a few years already, and it suddenly seemed like a possibility and not just some fairy tale where you live in a bungalow by the sea! The next couple of years I spent a month every winter going to Thailand and trying to find "my bungalow by the sea". I had so many demands; no tourists ( except for me, practically) and a sea I could have easy access to, a simple bungalow that was not too "shiny" but also not rat infested….near a little village so I can interact with the locals,internet access, but without noise from cars and trucks, access to some hot water and western toilet, either sunrise or sunset view (preferably sunrise) inexpensive, and some healthy food nearby, and most important was that there be a nice wind blowing most of the time. So with that in mind, I put my vision out to the universe and began to search and ask whoever I met if they knew of such a place. Maybe in india? But when I was there I felt uncomfortable around the Indian males on the beach. Maybe Thailand? Where the huge tree lined wide white sand beach was lovely, but quickly becoming a strip of hotels. Maybe the Philippines? But I preferred Hinuds or Buddhists… Then suddenly I found myself in Bali for a hoola hoop retreat last year, and fell in love with the place. And when I googled "a cheap bungalow by the sea" I found what I was looking for, but there were rats….then I found another place...but it was too expensive for long term living.

While I lived there for the year, my "search" became more specific….I needed big trees along the beach. Then one day I was taking a walk with my girlfriend and we came to a huge tree right on the shore and we sat down underneath its shade. I felt such a sense of peace and calm as if I could just stay there my entire life. The sun was shining, the waves were gently coming ashore, and a lovely western breeze reached us in the shade of the embracing powerful tree. I told my girlfriend, that now I know that I need a tree just like this one wherever it may be that I find my "bungalow by the sea"! Just before we reached the tree we had also passed a Balinese house set a bit back from the shore, and I commented to her, if only a house like that would be for rent, it would be perfect.

From that day on I remembered that tree and that feeling of peace every morning when I meditated. I returned to that place each day in my mind, and wondered how I can find a place like that to live. As the date of my upcoming return to Israel began to approach, I saw how sad I was that my dream to live by the sea in a bungalow living a simple life was not to be realized yet. I began to ask all the Balinese I knew, if they knew of any land anywhere by the sea where there is a big tree. No one knew of any options.

Then, two days ago, when the internet here at my resort was no longer working I decided to walk to the internet café in town. Just as I arrived a few meters from it, a Balinese man on a motorbike parked at a kiosk, asked me where I was going. This is a typical question from every single Balinese….they need to know where you are going, just like we westerners would say "hi, how are you?" I answered "internet café". He smiled and said, "This is my wife's' warong (kiosk)". I smiled. I thought that maybe I knew him, but wasn't quite sure from where or who he was. Then he said "I have land by the sea. It is perfect for you to build a villa, you will like it very much." How in the world does this man know that I want to live in a villa by the sea?! I laughed. "Well, I have to see it." "when?" knowing the words for "now" and later" in Balinese, that is what I answered him, just kind of shrugging my shoulders, not quite sure how all of this is happening the morning after I prayed all night to God to show me where I am supposed to live and what I am supposed to do. He said, "Okay, now". And motioned that I get on his motorbike. Just as I went around the side to get on it, my second guardian angel suddenly said "hello Eileen" and when I looked around, he was sitting on his motorbike parked next to us. "Where are you going?" How did he get here?! "Oh, this man just told me he has property to show me, so I am going to see it, bye!" This second guardian angel was the husband of my friend that I had just spent 24 hours with the whole family in a Balinese compound, and had showed him during the 4 hour ride, how I just need a little hut on some land to live on here in bail, by the sea. Nothing fancy.

Off I went with the first man, who I slowly realized was my fisherman friend, just without the hat on his head, so I didn't recognize him. We drove for 10 minutes and he stopped at a little plot of land in a grassy area with trees. Here it is….hmm….how far is the sea from here….I walked 5 minutes, and found myself in front of the hugest tree by the sea that I had ever seen. I had been here a year ago, and remembered being in shock from the magnificence of it. They had even built a small temple next to it, since it is so amazing. I shook my head in disbelief! Isn't this just what I asked for?! I cannot believe it.

I remained calm, took it all in, tried to imagine if I could really build a little grass hut, without any water or electricity, and live on this little plot of land….I told him I would let him know. We drove back to the internet café, and said goodbye.

Once I was back at the resort I was speaking to the gardener about how much land costs, and I began realizing that I will have to start dealing with beauracracy, trusting Balinese, contracts, building, digging a well….ugh…not for me! My dream suddenly disappeared as fast as it had appeared. I wondered why. A few hours later I was again with my second guardian angel, since I was joining him and his family at a temple ceremony. I had arrived a few hours early, so he asked if I want to see where he grew up in the forest. Of course I do!! So we hopped on his motorbike and he took me to see his father and mothers "farm". As we drove through the jungle like narrow path, he mentioned that he also has a piece of land not far from here that maybe I would like to build a little hut on? What?! You have a piece of land? How come you didn't tell me until now? And off we drove, to almost the same grassy area that I had just been to see. This piece already had a water pipe, and was not by a main pathways so it would be quieter, and there was just enough room in between the coconut and banana trees to put up a little bale….that is all I would need…just an open bale with a mattress on it and I would be in heaven! And then I could walk for 10 minutes down to that amazing tree by the sea and spend all day there, everyday! And just come back to my little bale to sleep before dusk. I was so excited. It was coming true. How could God just keep whipping out another solution for me every second?

At night I could not sleep. I was in seventh heaven. All I need to do is build the bale and ….hmm….what will I do for a toilet? And where can I shower? And I may need a place to hang my clothes…and where can I store some food? Hmm….but it is perfect. I will have my Balinese friend build the little grass hut, just like his, and I will plant flowers, and a vegetable garden and it will be perfect. I will be just like the simple Balinese that I love so much.

Then suddenly in the middle of the night, as I lay in bed, still excited and full of ideas, there was an electric black out. I was lying there, with the windows and door open, as usual, but everything around me was pitch black. And I started to ask myself if I really want to live out in the middle of the forest, without electricity, alone? How will I feel in this kind of pitch dark all the time? I don't think it is how I want to live. I thanked God….it was a good lesson, not a happy one, but an important one, and the electricity returned, and I feel asleep.

The following day I continued to plan how to make it work. I could get solar powered lights…and I could ask at a nearby resort if I can use their internet, and maybe have a hot shower their everyday, and use their pool if I build the bale on that little plot of land by them? So off I went along the beach to ask them if it is an option. And if so, then all is good. When I got there and spoke with the manager, she said "Oh, you don't want to live alone on a plot of land. You need to be near people. She proceeded to make some phone calls to some area residents that rent out rooms to see if there was something suitable. And yes, I could use the pool and internet for a small charge. I asked her if she knew about the house that I passed along the way, the one that I had seen a few months back and had wondered if it was for rent, that yellow one. She said it is for rent, and tried calling the owner, but no answer. Meanwhile she showed me a few houses that were not my style, and I saw how I started "sinking". What had started off as a dream, now felt more like a nightmare….too many needs, not enough options, and I wanted this to be easy.

When I returned to my resort and again started to speak with Made the gardener about building a bale and how much it costs and what materials, I realized that this too was going to be a project that I wasn't keen on getting involved in with the Balinese. They call it "rubber time" since something that can take a week, takes a few months. And at lunch I had overheard the owner here telling one of the guests how renovating here was horrendous, since you tell them right, and they can put it to the left, or even on top! And that you have to be with them the entire time, otherwise nothing is right.

I went to bed with a new list for my loving God…"I need a bed, air, some walls, a western toilet, hot water for a shower, a place to get dressed, hang up my clothes, with a garden, near the sea, lots of windows, with big trees, without noise from a road or blaring sound system, and for rent at a price that I can pay from the rent I make on my own house, and not building or buying, and that it should be available from July, and physically aesthetic." In the morning I prayed again and asked that if the yellow house is for rent, that when I go by there today, I will meet the owner and it will be perfect.

After breakfast the tide was out, so off I went. And it really was "over the river and through the woods to grandfather's house we go". As I neared the yellow house I saw there was a motorbike in front and a man sweeping the stairs. "May he be the owner, and not just some maintenance man" "Hello, are you the owner?" "Yes." "Are you renting your house?" "Yes." "Can I see it?" "Yes." And then we introduced ourselves. The house was exactly what I had asked for; there was a bed (and a few more mattresses), a shower, western toilet, garden, aesthetic, nice breeze. I remained calm. I listened with my entire body. I had to know whether this man was trustworthy. I had been told by many expatriates and by Balinese that I should never trust a Balinese. But I had already discovered the past couple of months never trust anyone! Everything he told me I knew was true, about all kinds of things. He had been married to a German woman and had lived in Germany, so he knew the ways of the western world and together with that, he was very Balinese. We both knew some of the same people and everything he related to me was factual. It seemed like he was trustworthy. The conversation was simple, direct, honest, kind, friendly, and laid back. Here I was….hours after I had prayed for the yellow house to be what I was looking for. And it was. I was grateful. He suggested we put it in writing, since that is how things are done in the west. I agreed. We made a time to meet to sign it.

And here I am…very calm, very happy, and very grateful. Now I will be able to take responsibility for my life here. I will have to clean my own bathroom, make my bed, sweep the floor, make or buy food (no kitchen, but his mom makes a great peanut sauce on tofu and brown rice, and he can bring it to me every day.) and I knew that when the woman at the resort told me that I shouldn't be living alone, and my girlfriend had written me that I enjoy being with people so am I sure that I want to live alone, that they were both right, and that I will need that too. And sure enough, when gede, the owner, and I spoke, and I asked him if there is a small temple for the house, he said that he prays at the turtle temple next door. And that his spiritual master built it and he comes there three times a year, with groups of students to teach yoga, and since the house I am renting has several bedrooms, I can offer the participants room if I want, and I can join them in their practice. And the resort is another 50 meters away and I will be able to meet people from all over the world, just like I do now, which fills me with much pleasure and interest. And the tree….with the wind blowing and the sun shining that I had been imagining for the past 2 months, is right there. Manifesting visions is always a miracle, no matter how many times I experience it. I love it.

"

"

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne Creator of The Secret and The Power From The Secret Daily Teachings You create your future with the power of your intention. Intention is simply the conscious act of determining your future now. Health, harmony in relationships, happiness, money, creativity, and love will come to you in the future, based on your intentions now. Intend every day and create your future life. May the joy be with you, Rhonda Byrne The Secret... bringing joy to billions

manifesting visions

It all started back then….maybe in a former incarnation, when I was Balinese? Or was it some 5 years ago when my brother invited me and my mom to come out to koh samui in Thailand and I experienced what it was like to be by the sea on an island. He had been living on the island for a few years already, and it suddenly seemed like a possibility and not just some fairy tale where you live in a bungalow by the sea! The next couple of years I spent a month every winter going to Thailand and trying to find "my bungalow by the sea". I had so many demands; no tourists ( except for me, practically) and a sea I could have easy access to, a simple bungalow that was not too "shiny" but also not rat infested….near a little village so I can interact with the locals,internet access, but without noise from cars and trucks, access to some hot water and western toilet, either sunrise or sunset view (preferably sunrise) inexpensive, and some healthy food nearby, and most important was that there be a nice wind blowing most of the time. So with that in mind, I put my vision out to the universe and began to search and ask whoever I met if they knew of such a place. Maybe in india? But when I was there I felt uncomfortable around the Indian males on the beach. Maybe Thailand? Where the huge tree lined wide white sand beach was lovely, but quickly becoming a strip of hotels. Maybe the Philippines? But I preferred Hinuds or Buddhists… Then suddenly I found myself in Bali for a hoola hoop retreat last year, and fell in love with the place. And when I googled "a cheap bungalow by the sea" I found what I was looking for, but there were rats….then I found another place...but it was too expensive for long term living.

While I lived there for the year, my "search" became more specific….I needed big trees along the beach. Then one day I was taking a walk with my girlfriend and we came to a huge tree right on the shore and we sat down underneath its shade. I felt such a sense of peace and calm as if I could just stay there my entire life. The sun was shining, the waves were gently coming ashore, and a lovely western breeze reached us in the shade of the embracing powerful tree. I told my girlfriend, that now I know that I need a tree just like this one wherever it may be that I find my "bungalow by the sea"! Just before we reached the tree we had also passed a Balinese house set a bit back from the shore, and I commented to her, if only a house like that would be for rent, it would be perfect.

From that day on I remembered that tree and that feeling of peace every morning when I meditated. I returned to that place each day in my mind, and wondered how I can find a place like that to live. As the date of my upcoming return to Israel began to approach, I saw how sad I was that my dream to live by the sea in a bungalow living a simple life was not to be realized yet. I began to ask all the Balinese I knew, if they knew of any land anywhere by the sea where there is a big tree. No one knew of any options.

Then, two days ago, when the internet here at my resort was no longer working I decided to walk to the internet café in town. Just as I arrived a few meters from it, a Balinese man on a motorbike parked at a kiosk, asked me where I was going. This is a typical question from every single Balinese….they need to know where you are going, just like we westerners would say "hi, how are you?" I answered "internet café". He smiled and said, "This is my wife's' warong (kiosk)". I smiled. I thought that maybe I knew him, but wasn't quite sure from where or who he was. Then he said "I have land by the sea. It is perfect for you to build a villa, you will like it very much." How in the world does this man know that I want to live in a villa by the sea?! I laughed. "Well, I have to see it." "when?" knowing the words for "now" and later" in Balinese, that is what I answered him, just kind of shrugging my shoulders, not quite sure how all of this is happening the morning after I prayed all night to God to show me where I am supposed to live and what I am supposed to do. He said, "Okay, now". And motioned that I get on his motorbike. Just as I went around the side to get on it, my second guardian angel suddenly said "hello Eileen" and when I looked around, he was sitting on his motorbike parked next to us. "Where are you going?" How did he get here?! "Oh, this man just told me he has property to show me, so I am going to see it, bye!" This second guardian angel was the husband of my friend that I had just spent 24 hours with the whole family in a Balinese compound, and had showed him during the 4 hour ride, how I just need a little hut on some land to live on here in bail, by the sea. Nothing fancy.

Off I went with the first man, who I slowly realized was my fisherman friend, just without the hat on his head, so I didn't recognize him. We drove for 10 minutes and he stopped at a little plot of land in a grassy area with trees. Here it is….hmm….how far is the sea from here….I walked 5 minutes, and found myself in front of the hugest tree by the sea that I had ever seen. I had been here a year ago, and remembered being in shock from the magnificence of it. They had even built a small temple next to it, since it is so amazing. I shook my head in disbelief! Isn't this just what I asked for?! I cannot believe it.

I remained calm, took it all in, tried to imagine if I could really build a little grass hut, without any water or electricity, and live on this little plot of land….I told him I would let him know. We drove back to the internet café, and said goodbye.

Once I was back at the resort I was speaking to the gardener about how much land costs, and I began realizing that I will have to start dealing with beauracracy, trusting Balinese, contracts, building, digging a well….ugh…not for me! My dream suddenly disappeared as fast as it had appeared. I wondered why. A few hours later I was again with my second guardian angel, since I was joining him and his family at a temple ceremony. I had arrived a few hours early, so he asked if I want to see where he grew up in the forest. Of course I do!! So we hopped on his motorbike and he took me to see his father and mothers "farm". As we drove through the jungle like narrow path, he mentioned that he also has a piece of land not far from here that maybe I would like to build a little hut on? What?! You have a piece of land? How come you didn't tell me until now? And off we drove, to almost the same grassy area that I had just been to see. This piece already had a water pipe, and was not by a main pathways so it would be quieter, and there was just enough room in between the coconut and banana trees to put up a little bale….that is all I would need…just an open bale with a mattress on it and I would be in heaven! And then I could walk for 10 minutes down to that amazing tree by the sea and spend all day there, everyday! And just come back to my little bale to sleep before dusk. I was so excited. It was coming true. How could God just keep whipping out another solution for me every second?

At night I could not sleep. I was in seventh heaven. All I need to do is build the bale and ….hmm….what will I do for a toilet? And where can I shower? And I may need a place to hang my clothes…and where can I store some food? Hmm….but it is perfect. I will have my Balinese friend build the little grass hut, just like his, and I will plant flowers, and a vegetable garden and it will be perfect. I will be just like the simple Balinese that I love so much.

Then suddenly in the middle of the night, as I lay in bed, still excited and full of ideas, there was an electric black out. I was lying there, with the windows and door open, as usual, but everything around me was pitch black. And I started to ask myself if I really want to live out in the middle of the forest, without electricity, alone? How will I feel in this kind of pitch dark all the time? I don't think it is how I want to live. I thanked God….it was a good lesson, not a happy one, but an important one, and the electricity returned, and I feel asleep.

The following day I continued to plan how to make it work. I could get solar powered lights…and I could ask at a nearby resort if I can use their internet, and maybe have a hot shower their everyday, and use their pool if I build the bale on that little plot of land by them? So off I went along the beach to ask them if it is an option. And if so, then all is good. When I got there and spoke with the manager, she said "Oh, you don't want to live alone on a plot of land. You need to be near people. She proceeded to make some phone calls to some area residents that rent out rooms to see if there was something suitable. And yes, I could use the pool and internet for a small charge. I asked her if she knew about the house that I passed along the way, the one that I had seen a few months back and had wondered if it was for rent, that yellow one. She said it is for rent, and tried calling the owner, but no answer. Meanwhile she showed me a few houses that were not my style, and I saw how I started "sinking". What had started off as a dream, now felt more like a nightmare….too many needs, not enough options, and I wanted this to be easy.

When I returned to my resort and again started to speak with Made the gardener about building a bale and how much it costs and what materials, I realized that this too was going to be a project that I wasn't keen on getting involved in with the Balinese. They call it "rubber time" since something that can take a week, takes a few months. And at lunch I had overheard the owner here telling one of the guests how renovating here was horrendous, since you tell them right, and they can put it to the left, or even on top! And that you have to be with them the entire time, otherwise nothing is right.

I went to bed with a new list for my loving God…"I need a bed, air, some walls, a western toilet, hot water for a shower, a place to get dressed, hang up my clothes, with a garden, near the sea, lots of windows, with big trees, without noise from a road or blaring sound system, and for rent at a price that I can pay from the rent I make on my own house, and not building or buying, and that it should be available from July, and physically aesthetic." In the morning I prayed again and asked that if the yellow house is for rent, that when I go by there today, I will meet the owner and it will be perfect.

After breakfast the tide was out, so off I went. And it really was "over the river and through the woods to grandfather's house we go". As I neared the yellow house I saw there was a motorbike in front and a man sweeping the stairs. "May he be the owner, and not just some maintenance man" "Hello, are you the owner?" "Yes." "Are you renting your house?" "Yes." "Can I see it?" "Yes." And then we introduced ourselves. The house was exactly what I had asked for; there was a bed (and a few more mattresses), a shower, western toilet, garden, aesthetic, nice breeze. I remained calm. I listened with my entire body. I had to know whether this man was trustworthy. I had been told by many expatriates and by Balinese that I should never trust a Balinese. But I had already discovered the past couple of months never trust anyone! Everything he told me I knew was true, about all kinds of things. He had been married to a German woman and had lived in Germany, so he knew the ways of the western world and together with that, he was very Balinese. We both knew some of the same people and everything he related to me was factual. It seemed like he was trustworthy. The conversation was simple, direct, honest, kind, friendly, and laid back. Here I was….hours after I had prayed for the yellow house to be what I was looking for. And it was. I was grateful. He suggested we put it in writing, since that is how things are done in the west. I agreed. We made a time to meet to sign it.

And here I am…very calm, very happy, and very grateful. Now I will be able to take responsibility for my life here. I will have to clean my own bathroom, make my bed, sweep the floor, make or buy food (no kitchen, but his mom makes a great peanut sauce on tofu and brown rice, and he can bring it to me every day.) and I knew that when the woman at the resort told me that I shouldn't be living alone, and my girlfriend had written me that I enjoy being with people so am I sure that I want to live alone, that they were both right, and that I will need that too. And sure enough, when gede, the owner, and I spoke, and I asked him if there is a small temple for the house, he said that he prays at the turtle temple next door. And that his spiritual master built it and he comes there three times a year, with groups of students to teach yoga, and since the house I am renting has several bedrooms, I can offer the participants room if I want, and I can join them in their practice. And the resort is another 50 meters away and I will be able to meet people from all over the world, just like I do now, which fills me with much pleasure and interest. And the tree….with the wind blowing and the sun shining that I had been imagining for the past 2 months, is right there. Manifesting visions is always a miracle, no matter how many times I experience it. I love it.

walking balinese style

Ever since I arrived to Bali I was struck by the way they walk. It is a bit of a generalization to say "they", but it is pretty common amongst them all. So I have watched and watched and tried to figure it out….to no avail. I thought that maybe it is because the women carry offerings balanced on their heads, so maybe that is the reason they seem to walk so tall and proud. So I tried to carry offerings on my head in order to sense what is different. I could feel how it demanded of me to keep my attention above my head, as if there were strings connecting me like a marionette to the puppeteers hand above me. But it was not that, because the men also walk in that way, and the children, and they are not carrying offerings on their heads.

Then I thought that maybe it was because they are praying in ceremonies all the time and being blessed with holy water on the top of their head, where the crown chakra is, and maybe because that is "open" it influences the way they walk, as if weightless, even if they are carrying a bucket of water or a 25 kilo sack of rice on their head and walking a few kilometers.

The resort has a dirt path in front of it, which many devotees walk past as they come from the village to the temple next door. The wall separating the path and the resort is at the exact height of most of the people, so often when we are sitting and having a meal; it looks as if an offering or a bundle of long grasses for the cow are just floating above the wall, since we don't see the persons' body because of the wall. Even when big Auntie comes each day at dusk with her incense sticks and tray of flower offerings, she looks as if she is gliding along at a perfectly calm rhythmic and even pace. She comes along the path, enters the gate, goes to the back inner temple, and comes round to the main bale, and then out again through the gate to place offerings along the wall and path too. There are no sudden movements, there are no rushing or itching or swatting mosquitoes or an ant away, or anything…just a kind of flow of an inner peace and simplicity.

When I too began to walk that same path twice a day placing the offerings, I thought I would magically begin to walk like them, if I was holding a tray of flower offerings in my left hand at shoulder level. But day after day I sense how my movements have nothing to do with theirs. We are walking the same path and doing the same thing, but with a totally different presence. One of the guests mentioned to me that when I walk my glance is downwards, and why not lift up my head. And so I tried to observe that, and see what is behind these two gestures. I saw that I was quite concerned about where I was stepping all the time; not wanting to slip on wet pavement, or twist my foot on the stones on the beach, or step on a frog, or in a puddle, so I was looking downwards. As I began to raise my head I saw that it was possible to also be cautious and also to keep my head straight and that it certainly makes a difference of one's view of the world and thoughts, if your head is looking upwards or downwards.

But again, what I had sensed with the Balinese seemed miles apart from how I sensed myself. What could it be? How does that old fishermen's silhouette at dawn out at sea on his boat, exhume such strength and power and presence? How does that little two year old boy sitting cross legged on the table eating his dinner with his perfectly straight back and quiet inner peace, learn to be in his body like this? How do their efforts seem so effortless and in a flow whether they are doing something delicate or strenuous, whether squatted and cutting the grass with big shears, or walking along the narrow rim of the fishing boat as it rocks on the waves and they walk from one end to the other, without losing their balance or a beat?

I had a conversation with one Balinese that shared an enlightening thought; that if they are pressured by a coach or overbearing boss or criticism and being judged, the result can never be positive, good. Only if they are working from their heart, happy and at their pace, can their work bring the best results.

I continued watching them every day; the gardener, the massagist, the chef, the housecleaning staff, the driver, the waterman, the priests, the children, the fishermen, the teachers, the garbage collectors, the dancers, the musicians, the old, the young, the rich, the poor, the pregnant, going to work, coming from work, going to the temple, returning, and other than for a few exceptional circumstances, it all just flowed in a peaceful measured posture.

Then this morning I was in an introspective mood, just being, looking out into space, empty inside, just being. Suddenly the answer appeared before my very eyes! I was looking at the 30 year old housecleaner as he walked from the kitchen along the path to a room, and suddenly I realized that he was walking from his heart! His whole stance was centered there. Not in his head, not in his limbs, not in his shoulders, not in his neck, but from his heart. And he just walked. A moment later the gardener walked along the same path, and I continued to sense a glow from his heart too, as he just walked, tall, straight, quietly, unrushed, from his heart. Just walked. He wasn't "already" in his next task, he wasn't in his head figuring out things, and he just walked from his heart.

I had studied different types of movements and dancing, in my lifetime of almost 60 years. I like movement, I like to sense my body and to be in my body, whether doing sacred dancing, or belly dancing, or hoola hooping, or tai chi. I remembered that when I was studying eurythmics, a type of movement developed by Rudolph Steiner for the harmonious development of man, the center of gravity was meant to be in our chest….that was where we were being led from. I remember the first time I felt that, what a difference it makes to do the same movement in space from there, rather than from my stomach, or shoulders. So today, when I suddenly "saw" a glow from their hearts and realized the secret of their movements, I had to laugh, how we had to be taught to move from this place, while the Balinese do it naturally.

It is just another puzzle piece in this mystery of life here in Bali that keeps pointing to a culture of people that are very present and apparently content in the now, with their bare necessities, and their constant laugh and smile, in spite of what appears to be happening on the outside. While sharing this thought with a new guest here, he told me that on the way to the resort he witnessed a small accident between two motorbikes that collided, and as each driver got off the bike to deal with the situation, they both looked at their bikes, smiled, that there was no real damage, smiled at each other, and got back on them and continued along their way. It seems to work from the inside out too….that if you are coming from an open heart, as you walk in the world, things are peaceful and full of love and giving. There is an awareness of something greater that fills the heart and that makes "success" and "material things" shallow compared to an inner richness and space that is their center of gravity, and the place from which they walk in their life.