Sacred Water Ceremony in Bali with Ida Resi Alit

Re-post by request -- February, 2013:

When we arrive, the high priestess is about to begin her mid-day prayers, and graciously invites us to meditate while we wait. Afterward she will do the water purification ceremony for us. We sit and meditate with eyes open so we can see her Hindu-Buddhist rituals -- holding a vajra, ringing a bell, flicking water and flowers into the air, chanting for 30 or 40 minutes. We are entranced.

She turns toward us with a radiant smile, motions us over and explains: we will be completely wet with water and afterward we will change into dry clothes. Of course, we didn't know, so brought none. When my turn comes, I step up to the high platform  where she sits. Her young niece fills many water bowls. Ida Resi Alit asks me to pray. I put my hands in front of my heart and bow my head. 

The water begins to cascade over me. I tilt my head down to avoid breathing water. Rushing water surges over me. She tells me to wipe my head. I brush the water through my hair many times, feel tension release, yield to water, then raise my hands high above my head, receptive.

 

Drink, she says, and I cup my hands right over left and drank the sacred water she offers three times.

She invites me to pray. I hold my hands near my forehead Balinese style and feel an expansive wholeness words cannot describe. 

On my next visit, two European women come along with me and my friend Yolanda from Mexico. This time, many Balinese families are there also.

Many people respond strongly, with motion, cries, and laughter releasing as the water pours over them. Ida Resi gives instructions to help move the energy: stamp your feet, breathe deeply, pull the energy up into your heart.

There we are—Balinese, Mexican, Belgian, Hungarian, Romanian, American, and British all drinking in the ineffable healing transmitted in Ida Resi Alit’s own star language, the mother tongue we all share.

Of all my journeys in Bali, all the ceremonies that raise my spirit and awareness, these water purification ceremonies are the ones that touch me most deeply because they affirm the sacredness of water.

Through all our water woes and water wars, this is the reason we struggle and fight—because water IS sacred. Most of us have forgotten, but some still remember and offer water blessings to anyone who appears at her door.

After these three ceremonies,

I am moved to make a vow:

To learn more about healing water

to balance all I’ve learned about water ills.

Mara  
Asmara (my Indonesian name)

 

You can enjoy my documentary "Sacred Waters of Bali" at

vimeo.com/channels/maraalper

Ida Resi Alit's unique story:

From "A Little Book on Ida Resi Alit:" Ida Panditha Mpu Budha Mahaseri Alit Parama Daksa, also known as Ida Resi Alit, was born I Komang Widiantri on March 14, 1986, in a small farming village in the central highlands of Bali. She lived as an ordinary girl for the first twenty years of her life. At the age of 20, due to external events, she fell into a deep depression. Ida Resi Alit’s uncle, a village Mangku, concerned for her well being, introduced her to meditation and yoga to soothe her. As she started practicing, the girl who had no previous spiritual training or deep desire, began to have out of body experiences and download information during her practice. She was instructed to perform a special ceremony, the meaning of which she did not understand. At the ceremony she fell into deep unconsciousness. She stopped breathing and her pulse was gone. Her family wailed, crying and reacting hysterically, scared that she had died. Ida Resi Alit has no memory of this time. At 2am she started to regain consciousness, to be able to blink but not to talk. Then she saw a laser, like a bolt of lightning in the sky, and found herself able to fully return to her body. She slept until the afternoon and when she had awakened spiritually. She was able to recite mantras she had never been taught. High priests were called in to confirm this. Not only were the mantras valid, she knew many more that the priests had not yet learned. Soon after she was ordained by the highest authority, the Hindu Dharma Council, and she became Bali’s youngest and only female High Priestess.

Another article about her: http://www.i-mag-online.com/2012/09/bali%E2%80%99s-high-priestess/

 
 

"Sacred Waters of Bali" video coming soon

Mara Alper's documentary "Sacred Waters of Bali" will be available on Vimeo.com next week. Watch here for the link to view it.

This evocative short film shows Bali Hindu devotion to water in ceremonies for cremations, New Year's Melasti, Saraswati and water purification with High Priestess Ida Resi Alit. Beautiful images, music, sounds of water and nature draw the viewer into Balinese daily life and ceremonies.

Family Ceremonies

The Balinese like to invite us to their ceremonies. They are proud, we are curious. I am honored each time. This time a young woman I meet at a hotel while walking one morning hears of my interest in sacred water and invites me to her family’s home. 

Kadek

3 sisters at home

Kadek picks me up on her motorbike and in we go to ceremonies in progress – a cleansing of dark deities and demons for Kajon Kliwon that happens every two weeks. We begin in the family temple, then go from room to room, giving blessings and asking for protection, asking that the offerings be accepted.

From here, Kadek’s sister Made (Ma- DAY) invites me to a ceremony at the home of another Made, my hotel manager’s wife. I patiently wait two hours while they set up. It is a ceremony for their family temple that happens every 6 months.

Made and I have a good conversation about her life, her family, her in-laws feelings toward her – complex like everywhere, with caste/class differences. At least their religion is shared. When a second priest arrives, the 3 hour ceremony begins with prayers and sacred water blessings.

                                    

 A young black chick is a traditional offering. It is sacrificed with blessings while a bird sings freely in the tree above. I do not eat chicken for quite awhile after.

The ceremony closes by knocking over the demon towers triumphantly. The black and white fabric represents the balance of good and evil – both part of life. The main difference is that good can create and destroy, but evil can only destroy.

 I am moved once again by the intricacy and dedication in every ceremony here. 

Priest's assistant offers sacred water at entrance to house.

The mother of the extended household

Water Purification Ceremony with High Priestess Ida Resi Alit

19 January, 9 February, 19 February

The first visit was a quest. Several contacts who might lead me there fell through, yet I was determined to find this high priestess who was dedicated to water so I decided to set out with a driver and a friend to find her small village Demulih, which the Balinese tell me means "not welcome"—well, here we come!  

Found at last! Demulih slightly NW of Bangli

When we finally arrived, not only were we welcome, our timing was auspicious, though unplanned. The high priestess was about to begin her mid-day prayers, and graciously invited us to meditate while we waited. Afterward she would do the water purification ceremony for us. We sat where she indicated, slightly behind her, and meditated with eyes open so we could see her Hindu-Buddhist rituals holding a vajra, ringing a bell, flicking water and flowers into the air, chanting for 20-30-40 minutes. We were entranced.

 

Ida Resi Alit, Balinese High Priestess

 

 She turned toward us with a radiant smile, motioned us over and explained: we would be completely wet with water and afterward we would change into dry clothes. Of course, we didn't know, so brought none. When my turn came, I stepped up to the high platform she sat on. Her young niece filled many water bowls. She asked me to pray. I put my hands in front of my heart in the customary western way, and bowed my head. 

The water began to pour over me in cascades. I needed to tilt my head down avoid breathing water. Down it came in gushes. 

 

Next, she told me to wipe my head. I brushed the water through my wet hair many times, felt tension release, yield to water, and raised my hands high above my head, receptive, receiving.

After several minutes she told me to pray. This time I placed my hands near my forehead Balinese style and felt an expansive wholeness words cannot describe. 

 

Drink, she said, and I cupped my hands right over left and drank the sacred water she offered many times.

The next visit, two young European women who were also drawn to the water ceremony came along with my friend Yolanda from Mexico and I. This time, many Balinese families were there also.

Encouragement to raise the energy up into the heart and lungs

Many people responded strongly, with motion, cries, and laughter releasing as the water cascaded. Ida Resi sometimes gave instructions to help move the energy: stamp your feet, breathe deeply, pull the energy up into your heart.

There we were—Mexican, Belgian, Hungarian, Romanian, American, British and Balinese all reveling in these moist moments, drinking in ineffable healing transmitted in Ida Resi Alit’s own star language, the mother tongue we all shared.

Of all my journeys in Bali, all the ceremonies that raised my spirit and awareness, these water purification ceremonies are the ones that led me here because they affirm the sacredness of water.

Through all our water woes and water wars, this is the reason we struggle and fight—because water IS sacred. Most of us have forgotten, but some still remember and offer water blessings to whoever appears at her door.

 

After these three ceremonies,

I am moved to make a vow:

To learn more about healing water

to balance all I’ve learned about water ills.

Mara 

Asmara (my Indonesian name)

From "A Little Book on Ida Resi Alit:" Ida Panditha Mpu Budha Mahaseri Alit Parama Daksa, also known as Ida Resi Alit, was born I Komang Widiantri on March 14, 1986, in a small farming village in the central highlands of Bali. She lived as an ordinary girl for the first twenty years of her life. At the age of 20, due to external events, she fell into a deep depression. Ida Resi Alit’s uncle, a village Mangku, concerned for her well being, introduced her to meditation and yoga to soothe her. As she started practicing, the girl who had no previous spiritual training or deep desire, began to have out of body experiences and download information during her practice. She was instructed to perform a special ceremony, the meaning of which she did not understand. At the ceremony she fell into deep unconsciousness. She stopped breathing and her pulse was gone. Her family wailed, crying and reacting hysterically, scared that she had died. Ida Resi Alit has no memory of this time. At 2am she started to regain consciousness, to be able to blink but not to talk. Then she saw a laser, like a bolt of lightning in the sky, and found herself able to fully return to her body. She slept until the afternoon and when she had awakened spiritually. She was able to recite mantras she had never been taught. High priests were called in to confirm this. Not only were the mantras valid, she knew many more that the priests had not yet learned. Soon after she was ordained by the highest authority, the Hindu Dharma Council, and she became Bali’s youngest and only female High Priestess.

Another article about her: http://www.i-mag-online.com/2012/09/bali%E2%80%99s-high-priestess/