a sense of balance

One of the most prominent concepts of Balinese life is that of balance. Everything needs to be in a state of balance. When I walk on the road and the people ask me where I am going it is not because it matters to anyone, it is so the "map" of life will stay balanced once they put me in the right place. When I sit on the porch to meditate or draw I usually sit on the left hand side. My landlord suggested that if I sit on the left hand side in the morning for meditation, maybe in the afternoon when I prepare the offerings, I can sit on the right side? That way there will be balance. He also arranged the garden with a sense of balance by placing a black bamboo in one corner, and a yellow one in the opposite corner. And a black stone sculpture he made from rocks I brought from the sea, by one tree, and a combination of white ones by another tree. So it isn't that things are symmetrical, but they give a sense of balance.

The altars and holy places sometimes are wrapped in a white, grey and black checkerboard cloth, again symbolizing the balance between the forces of light and darkness. There is a recognition and an acceptance of both with no attempt to have either one dominating..,.just striving to keep them in balance, since that is the truth of things…at least here.

Last week I was sitting out on the front porch where I usually spend most of my days, just looking out at the forest and the garden, daydreaming. As I rose to pick some flowers for the offerings, two white butterflies flew near me doing a mating dance above and around the bushes as I watched the playfulness of it all. The next day the same thing happened with two other butterflies that were white and black striped. The following day, some big black butterflies were going from flower to flower. I realized that these are usually the colors of the butterflies I have seen here in bali in the north, where I live. Sometime I will see a small monarch one, orange and black colored….but it is rare. 

I laughed, wondering if even this sense of balance has had an impact on the insects, attracting especially those that are black and white? And come to think of it…almost all the dogs in bali are a combination of black and white! Nothing seems too farfetched these days….