i guess it started about a month ago when i went into the big city and saw all kinds of big sparkly "things" hanging in the open front entrances of many of the shops. december 1....what could it be? and then when i returned to my village i started to hear loud cracks, and bangs and booms at all hours of the day, and realized that they were firecrackers going off. and that's what was for sale. so for the past month, morning noon and night, all over bali, kids have been saving up their pennies to pay $5 for a loud firecracker or fireworks....just during the daytime you don't really see any colors in the sky!
i remember last year when i was staying in a resort during new year's eve, the balinese gardener was in charge of setting things up for a bonfire and fireworks at midnight. we were a group of about 10 guests, and after a festive meal we went out on the beach to wait for midnight to see the fireworks. but suddenly at 11:45 there was a big boom. the german manager was shocked! it's not yet midnight! who lite the firecracker already?? and scolded the gardener and insisted he wait till midnight and THEN light it. this kind of situation happens alot to me. that i am SURE that my way, is THE way. that fireworks and firecrackers are lit at midnight to celebrate the moment of the new year. right? but to the balinese, it is fun, and why not do it all month? and even today, january 1, they are still lighting firecrackers and fireworks...i just laugh.
the balinese family that rent out their new house to me that is situated on the grounds of the family compound, decided to make a fresh fish from the fisherman bar-b-que for his brothers and parents and all the families. it was tasty and nice, but i saw that i needed some "content". a friend that teaches quantum matrix meditation and owns a lovely resort in the neighboring village had invited me over for a guided meditation and singing and dancing, so, even though it was drizzling and i had no way to get there, i prayed that if it is meant to be, it will all work out fine, and i set off with my big standard balinese rain poncho that one and all wear in the rain, and stood on the main road.
as the clock ticked and i realized no transportation was passing and that soon i would be too late to join them at the resort, i decided to "dare" and just wave my hands in the air and stop the next car that drove by and see if they were going west towards the neighboring village. sure enough, the one car that passed, after a few minutes, stopped! nice! they opened the door and i realized that they were already a full car of balinese people, but they had no problem squishing together to let me in too. they spoke english, knew the resort i was going to, and even though it was out of their way, they happily dropped me off right in front of it. i thanked them and blessed them that may this be the beginning of a wonderful new year where we all go out of our way to help one another!
i arrived on time, but balinese time, which is nicknamed "rubber time", because you "stretch" it alot...meaning that only in another hour would we start. it was a nice opportunity to meet the other 7 people that would be participating. one was a lovely, beautiful chinese woman that had hair down to her ankles, and is a healer and teacher of feminine style tai chi and qigong. she had brought a "gift" for all of us for the gathering; essential oils that enable "abundance" and had energized it and we would all be able to anoint ourselves with it, thus beginning the new year with "abundance consciousness".
after a small birthday celebration for one of the guests that was leaving, in which we all stood in a circle around him and rubbed the palms of our hands together and then made an energy ball which at the count of "three" we figuratively threw above his crown chakra thus blessing him with love and light, we headed towards the octagonal meditation room.
a beautiful flower mandala, candles, and purple cushions set the tone in the room along with all the small buddha statues and spiritual paintings on the walls. after we each said a few words about who we were, the leader/owner, began the quantum matrix meditation. she is an excellent guide and lives what she teaches. a very powerful and beautiful and intelligent woman that lives in the Light and enjoys bringing others there too to interact together.
the theme for the evening was "setting intentions for 2013". she began by inviting us to close our eyes and breath in white light through one nostril into our pineal gland ("third eye"), while closing the other nostril. and then slowly breathe out. this is a short cut to getting quickly into connection with a higher state. from there she guided us to go to our highest place of Light and peace and get in touch with the place in us that is nourished by this. as we delve into a deep connection with our truest self we were invited to envision what we want or need in order to nourish this life source in us. it can appear as a picture, a symbol, a color. and to invite that vision to manifest, if it be for the good of all, or any greater plan divine power may have for me, in the DNA of every cell of my body. after experiencing that sensation in us, we were invited to look over the year 2012 and see where were we 12 months ago? what issues did we have to work on then? what have we learned over the past year? how does that correlate with the vision we just had? the practice of quantum matrix healing meditation is to rise to a higher state, where we can have an overview of things, and be co-creators, instead of passive onlookers. we again connected to that vision and understanding we received about our intention for the coming year. and then slowly "came back down to earth" and opened our eyes. we each took a turn sharing what is that place for us that allows me to be my truest most alive self, and how do we bring that new vision we experienced into our relationships this year?
after another guided meditation again going through the same process but focusing on envisioning what we need in order to feel abundance? it can be an actual amount of money, or a state, and to envision what we would do with that abundance? what would it serve? and again, to feel and sense it, to see what symbol or color it is, and to pass that sensation and connection with abundance through our entire body. and again we shared in one word what we felt.
next, the beautiful small glass bottle with the essential oils of "abundance" were passed clockwise from one person, grateful to his neighbor, anointing the third eye, throat, and heart chakras with the small glass dropper of oil, and then the space around us. it was a very special ceremony. when our leader finished, she recommended that if we really want to manifest these changes in 2013, we need to take time in the morning and evening for the next month, and reconnect to our symbol or color and our intention and feel it in our body and release it to divine power to bring it about.
i laughed as she said "this really really really really really really works." because i know it does! it has worked for me. almost everything i envisioned last november in the week workshop i did with her, has manifested. and i continue to use this tool daily and witness the miracles each time. and it has worked for her and her husband for over 25 years, and for the many people they have taught. she made an interesting comment that she believes that we can rise to a higher level of consciousness and be co-creators of our reality there. and that we are all going through evolution, but you can be active, or passive as you go through it. you can wait until it happens to you, or you can listen to messages you receive to participate in the evolution, or you can activate the evolution!
it was an empowering experience and one of deep gratitude to her and to the universe for being able to participate with the other people in such ways. one woman, who happens to be the world champion hip hop dancer for her age group, then led us in a short hip hop lesson, after we had been led in a free style qigong lesson by the chinese woman. a good time was had by all, the others went down to the sea for a bonfire, guitar and singing, and fireworks.
i still needed to get back home. in the north of bali, you don't walk around at night, and there is no transportation. it was 10:30 and i figured if it worked out until now, then also a ride will "appear" and i will get back home somehow. and sure enough, a moment later i was offered a ride with the balinese helper that had made the bonfire and was going home and agreed to go out of his way to drive me on his motorbike.
the whole ride home the sounds of fireworks was going, but the streets were empty in both villages, other than two groups of young men that had set up huge speakers and had beer and were "hanging out" to await midnight. although i love the forest that surrounds the area i live in, it is not the open horizon that allows watching fireworks.
and today, new years day, the kids were off from school and so the family rented a car, invited some nieces and nephews and drove to the big city 45 minutes away, to play in an amusement area in a department store. the dodge'em cars, and carousels were fun, the escalators were a challenge and scarey for the 6 and 8 year olds, as i remember well also from my childhood. and everyone got to pick out some new clothes afterwards, and a typical balinese meal of a plate of rice with a bit of chicken and sambal and some rice cracker, and off we drove back home, beginning january 1, 2013...here in bali.
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