Mystical Bali – Presentation: Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA – July 31, 2010

[ July 31, 2010; 10:00 am to 11:30 am. ] I hope all my friends in the Seattle Area can join me on July 31st for “Mystical Bali.”

By now millions of people have been introduced to the island of Bali through Liz Gilbert’s best-selling memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” The upcoming movie with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem will only increase people’s awareness of the island. [...]

Continue reading Mystical Bali – Presentation: Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA – July 31, 2010

  • Share/Bookmark

The Secret Alchemy of Travel - Presentation: Mystic Journeys, Venice- May 6th, 2010

[ May 6, 2010; 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Join me on Thursday May 6th, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, at Mystic Journeys Bookstore in Venice for a talk on travel and spirituality called “The Secret Alchemy of Travel.”

Mystic Journeys Bookstore

1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice CA 90291
Telephone: (310) 399-7070
May 6, 2010 7:00pm – 8:30pm
info@mysticjourneybookstore.com
Mystic Journeys’ Online Calendar

The Secret Alchemy of Travel

After [...]

Continue reading The Secret Alchemy of Travel – Presentation: Mystic Journeys, Venice- May 6th, 2010

  • Share/Bookmark

HD Video from Spirit Quest: Besakih Temple, Bali Indonesia

Here’s a brief handheld POV clip, shot with a pretty crappy camera, of worshipers streaming into (and out of) Besakih Temple on the slopes of Mt. Agung, in Bali Indonesia.

Continue reading HD Video from Spirit Quest: Besakih Temple, Bali Indonesia

  • Share/Bookmark

Balinese Temples: Besakih - The Mother

This is the first entry in a periodic series about the  temples of the “Sacred Balinese Mandala.” Today we begin with the center, the heart, the most revered of all nine temples: Besakih.

Bali is often called the land of 10,000 temples, and while no one actually  has quite an exact count, that’s as good a [...]

Continue reading Balinese Temples: Besakih – The Mother

  • Share/Bookmark

The Balinese Sacred Mandala Pilgrimage

There are 9 “directional” temples that cover Bali. These temples are each dedicated to a different deity from the Balinese Hindu Pantheon. In addition each temple (and direction) is associated with a color, a weapon (or ritual object), a sound, a written symbol and a part of the body. This is also called “nawa sanga” (both “nawa” [...]

Continue reading The Balinese Sacred Mandala Pilgrimage

  • Share/Bookmark

Spirit Guides: Bali, Egypt and Europe

A quick googling of “Spirit Guides” returns well over a million results. Just about every spiritual tradition on the planet embraces the idea of some form of spirit guide: whether they’re called angels, devas or ascended masters. And I have to say that I’ve had my share of experiences with these “non-embodied” helpers. But that’s not what I’m talking about here.

I’m referring to the real-life, flesh-and-blood, currently incarnated kind of “spirit” guides without whom meaningful experience, if not useful access, at sacred sites would be a lot harder to come by. All over the world I have consistently found myself dependent upon, and deeply blessed by, the kindness of strangers who would become friends.

Continue reading Spirit Guides: Bali, Egypt and Europe

  • Share/Bookmark

Balinese Hinduism: Generator, Operator, Destroyer

The Balinese practice a unique form of the Hindu religion that they call Agama Hindu Dharma, which is something of an amalgam of “traditional” Hinduism, Buddhism, animism, ancestor worship, Zen and perhaps even a little Shinto. We in the West tend to think of Hinduism as a form of polytheism, but this is erroneous.

Continue reading Balinese Hinduism: Generator, Operator, Destroyer

  • Share/Bookmark

Balinese Offerings

Practically everywhere you look in Bali you will see offerings made to the Divine: flowers, rice, leaves, food, candy, and even a little money. The tiniest offering is a delicate little cone made from banana leaves and flowers (it looks just like a sushi hand-roll), while the largest and most elaborate will be as tall as a man.

Continue reading Balinese Offerings

  • Share/Bookmark