Ritual in Bali

We dive into the water 9 times under the sacred stream, they say it is good to do before the full moon, and tomorrow here had to be the full moon. The rice fields smell, the tropical rains are going for a couple of hours, it has stopped the traffic and everyone is imprisoned at the place where it caught you. 

When I stood in the temple of water before leaning my head under the stream of water, I watched some people standing with their eyes closed for prayer before performing the ritual.

They seem to be thinking something – thinking about their intentions, desires, requests. I secretly watched a sequence of local actions and repeated them, but standing with closed eyes under the stream, I could not get any idea to my mind, any request, intention, or thought that would create a goal for this ritual, make it meaningful.

Then I stopped waiting for it to come, and as if I pointlessly bowed my head under the water – suddenly a strong current flooded me and I understood – I myself is an intention, every wish, and request and I do not need long minutes to come up with why I bow my head to the sacred current.

My biggest request is to feel the current flowing through my head, my body, how the cold fires me, how the skin has melted briefly from the coolness, how the water is flowing and merges with the water where we all stand at its halfway.

I just came across the ultimate and true realization – our body is so small in such a wild kingdom of nature. Nature rules here. 

© Fortune, 2020