See the world through my eyes! Experience it through these blog posts.

Happy Easter!

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Dominique Hurley_EasterPhoto: from my archives… no tulips and irises in Bali

It’s Easter Sunday morning here in Bali. I’ve always liked the symbolism of Easter – rebirth, new beginnings, ascension to a Higher Self, union with God, hope, and all sorts of other good things.   I wish you all a very Happy Easter, no matter your religion – may this wish be whatever you need it to be at this time in your life.

I needed a reminder on my iPhone that today was Easter as I haven’t seen any obvious signs of it in this predominantly Hindu culture.  Grant it, I don’t know if I would have seen the signs as I avoided going into town yesterday during the last day of our workshop.  The others went shopping all day. Instead, I stayed at our retreat center and enjoyed the nature sounds, picked up my laundry (after hand-washing it in shampoo for 3 weeks, I decided to get it properly washed), went for a short walk in the neighbourhood for lunch in the very hot sun, went for a swim in the pool in the pouring rain (no lightening so it was lovely to watch the drops bounce on the surface and not worry about sunburns), put another layer on one of my paintings (and realized I just wasn’t flowing with it), and worked on my photos/blog.  In the evening, our group went to a beautiful restaurant for our goodbye dinner – the best fish curry ever (served in a huge coconut)!  It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful workshop.

The roosters are now calling the world to waking and it’s time for me to pack up and move to my last retreat center for the second half of the Eye of the Spirit Visionary Art retreat with Philip Rubinov Jacobson, Mantra Cora, and Wolfgang Widmoser.  The group will have already been together for a week – I can only hope that I can ease my way into this new group and workshop with joy and grace.

One of my goals this week is to blog less and paint more.  I so love sharing and working on my photos, but I’ll admit that this week, it took my attention away from painting.  I don’t like unfinished projects, so with every trip, I wanted to edit my photos and write the stories before I forgot them and before I had so much to deal with that the task would have been overwhelming.  It’s just the way I am.  Who knows, I still may end up writing posts every day, but I’m putting the intention out there my main focus will be elsewhere.  Let’s see how that goes. 🙂

Have a great week!

Photos from my walk around Pugig House:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Day Trip to West Bali: Cremation, Temple & UNESCO rice fields

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We spent another day on the road Friday for some planned and unplanned stops.

Dominique Hurley_ West Bali_DLH_1784Cremation:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_cremation_DLH_1870First, we pulled over when we saw that villagers had gathered for a cremation.  We were planning on going to one on Saturday, but we had a hard time figuring out where it was, even if it was going to be a big tourist draw. Only certain drivers are privy to knowing the location and they keep it a secret until the last minute to keep dibs on driving visitors there. Or so one of our group told us. Anyhow, this one had no tourists at all when we arrived. 

We all hesitated as our van came to a stop.  It felt like we were crashing a funeral.  Our driver told us not to worry about it and that we were welcome. This is another example of the differences when it comes to privacy.  He said we didn’t even need the usual sarong, sash, and covered shoulders as it wasn’t at a temple. So we walked up the little hill and observed as the bodies were being torched, along with offerings that kept being added to the pile.  One of the Balinese came over to us and explained what was happening.

According to the Balinese calendar, this weekend is very auspicious for cremations – they’re happening all over.  Sometimes, bodies are unearthed years later when the family can afford to cremate the remains.  Actually, I’m not 100% sure it’s only for financial reasons.  Don’t take my word for it.  You can read more about it here.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_cremation_DLH_1874For me, it was very special being a part of this as my uncle has just been or soon will be cremated before his funeral next week.  It helped me feel even more connected.  The non-stop spiritual rituals, offerings, and ceremonies here do that daily.  There’s no getting away from the reminders of how sacred life is and how we’re all part of one big human family.  It’s a truly beautiful part of Bali.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_cremation_DLH_1861Two bodies were being cremated at this ceremony.  As per their culture, there were no tears or signs of strong emotion.  That would hold the spirits back. Instead, it’s a time of celebration to ensure an easier release into the cycle of rebirth – into the same family. Sometimes it takes generations and once, Nicole told us, a friend’s relative died and was reincarnated months later because one of the women was pregnant at the time of his passing.  The priest lets the family know which spirit has come back.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_cremation_DLH_1850This cremation was for a 17-year-old boy who died in a motorbike accident the previous day.  The other was for a young father of 2 who fell from a tree soon after Nyepi (New Year’s Eve 3 week ago). He was hospitalized and then died several days ago.  As the men were from different families, the bodies were not burned in the same fire.  There’s another one behind the one you see here in my photos.

Bathroom Break:

Even bathroom breaks can be worthy of a few photos – 

Jatiluwah Rice Terraces

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_UNESCO Jatiluwah_DLH_1963These organic rice terraces are a UNESCO world heritage site – I felt so elated as we drove in.  There’s something simply romantic about rice terraces. Of course, I’m not the one bent over all day planting.  I’ve simply always been in awe of great photos from such places – especially when they’re flooded and the rice is being planted.  All the heart chakra green had quite an impact too though.

As mentioned in another post, most of Bali now grows genetically modified rice that was introduced in the 70s.  This “miracle rice” yields 3 crops a year, but has led to serious health consequences, including death in childbirth due to the fact that blood won’t clot as much anymore.  Scary stuff!  One thing I noticed here versus the rice fields around the ashram was the number of dragon flies – bright reds, oranges, and yellow.  A good sign indeed.

We walked around taking pictures with Paul as our guide.  Nicole had really sore knees and opted to wait for us back at the restaurant.  We saw plenty of rice, beautiful cows (Hindus love their field working cows and keep them well washed – strung through the nose, but well washed), cacao, coffee beans, lemon grass, etc.  One poor woman reacted strongly when I raised my camera and I brought it straight back down and placed my hand on my heart in apology.  It must be hard for her to work there with all the tourists coming through. Another man, however, came soliciting photos and at the end asked for money to buy ice (10,000 Rupiahs = $1).  Paul, who speaks Indonesian, acted as our interpreter.

By the end of the walk, I knew I had to take care of myself. I was dangerously close to heat stroke.  I was beet red and burning up.  I knew what to do, however.  As soon as I dropped off my stuff at our table at Billy’s Terrace Café, I went to the washroom and did what I was taught to do at temples – just less ceremoniously.  I poured water over my head at least 3 times and all over my face and back.  I came out a bit soaked – strange at a fancy restaurant, but hey – it’s Bali and it felt great.  I came out and immediately joined the buffet line for a great feast.  I especially liked the coconut chicken on a stick with satay sauce.  I’m assuming that all the choices were organic, but I didn’t ask.

Pura Luhur Batukaru

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Pura Luhur Batukaru_DLH_2103From there, we headed up the narrow and severely potholed road up Bali’s second biggest volcanic mountain to the Pura Luhur Batukaru temple (not sure why the spelling on the sign is different, but I’m told it’s the same place).  If I thought taking photos from the open window in the back seat of our passenger van was challenging at high speed, it was even more so as I was tossed up and down and all around, albeit at a much slower speed.  The advantage though was that there were no tour buses up there. That’s partly why Nicole chose to bring us there.  Perfect.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Pura Luhur Batukaru_DLH_2115As for our previous visit to a sacred site, the sky simply poured on us (as it has just started doing here an hour after I cam back from lunch in the hot sun).  Luckily, we were able to borrow umbrellas from the temple staff.  They were huge as well as colourful – 2 bonuses for photographers.

This is one of the directional temples in Bali.  Every Hindu in Bali must visit these temples once every 7 months (Balinese calendar). You’d think with the majority of the island traveling here once a year that they would fix the roads, but that’s besides the point.

When a Hindu sage came here from India at the time of Christ, he established the first temple site here.  Now, however, the oldest structure, the pointy one on the right in this photo, dates back to the 1300s.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Pura Luhur Batukaru_DLH_2125We walked around in the rain, observing a few families fulfilling their religious duty and putting water over our heads as we were taught to do.

More Drive-by Shooting (the good kind):

Dominique Hurley_ West Bali_DLH_1826Within minutes of leaving the temple, the rain stopped, so I continued taking pictures from the window. Great fun!  I always take hundreds of photos that I don’t bother sharing on these road trips – I still have plenty to share though. I simply enjoy seeing the world go by through my lens.  I see lots of fun details that I wouldn’t otherwise if I weren’t so focused.

Dominique Hurley_ West Bali_DLH_2212Someone else spotted this pig at the back of a motorbike coming from the opposite side, however, and I had to swing the camera out the window and back to shoot it without seeing what I was doing. It was very far and small in my photo, but I blew it up in Photoshop … (the photo, not the pig). This may have been the village male who makes his rounds to all the female pigs upon request.

  • In the rain:

At one point, the sky came falling down again and so I kept the windows closed and had a bit of fun with more abstract photography. I love some of these!

We got home at about 6pm and once again, I was too tired and still full, so while the others went out for dinner, I got ready for bed.  Lots of sun and food today.  When I go to a buffet, I tend to overdo it…

Thanks Nicole and Paul for another great day!

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Feathers and Feelings – More Bali Adventures

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Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1502It’s getting late on this, our quiet day of Nicole Lawrence’s extension to Flora Bowley’s Bloom True workshop. Not surprisingly, even if we’ve slowed down a bit in the last 2 days, there’s still so much to write about.  I’m sitting on our terrace after several heavy rain showers alternated with the jungle concert of creatures and drummers/chanters somewhere nearby.  Enchanting!  The girls have gone out for dinner, but I was in my creative flow and decided to stay put.  It’s good to know what we need and to do just that.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1587I haven’t painted at all this week. Two of the gals found time yesterday and today to do a bit.  Instead, I was more interested in creating images from my shots from last night at the Petulu Village Heron Sanctuary.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1500But let me backtrack before I share more of these photos.

Life Drawing in Ubud:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1267On Wednesday morning, Nicole took those who wanted to Pranoto’s gallery for a life drawing session.  I almost didn’t go. After 6 months of studying drawing at The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, I still can’t say I enjoy drawing.  But I will eventually enjoy what I can do with my drawing skills on canvas, so I went anyway.  There were about 20 other people there, sitting on the floor or on mini-stools in a circle around the model, a local woman wearing a sarong around her waist.  The light was almost straight above her, hanging from a rod.  The one thing that amazed me was that I could clearly see the highlights and shadows on her because of the colour of her Balinese skin.  What a difference!  The highlights truly shined.  As per usual, my first 5 minute sketches were a good reminder that constant practice is needed.  By the end, with the 10-20 minute poses, I did better.

I still can’t say I enjoy drawing, but I see some improvements for sure.  During our last pose, I spent half the time admiring the work of the man who was running the session.  He just went at it with charcoal on large sheets of paper and created such beautiful stylistic pieces in such a short time.  I preferred those to anything on the walls. Wow!  If you’re planning on going though, make sure to go to the washroom before – I ended up holding it in until I got home because I was strongly discouraged to even go in there if I wanted to keep my pants dry (from the bottom up, vs. the other way).

We were supposed to go to a temple in the afternoon before heading out to see the herons and egrets, but we all voted to postpone that visit as we were feeling too rushed.  Instead, I had a nice swim after lunch (I know… not recommended, but that’s my version of living on the edge.).  There’s nothing quite like floating on your back with the open sky above you and the world going quiet. Even my mind quietens down when my ears are under water.  I need that.  It gets sooooo noisy in there.

Petulu Heron Sanctuary:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1499After a quick ice-cream break, we headed to Petulu village, home to the heron sanctuary.  The village charges a $2 entrance fee to have access to their one street when the birds come home to perch in the trees for the night.

Nicole’s husband Paul learned traditional Balinese dance from the head of this village.  It was part of his music studies here sometime in the past. We went to his house after spending a bit of time on a path in the rice field where a sign advertising the “best viewing of bird” led to a little food stand / store.  I didn’t actually make it to the warung. I just stood there on the path looking up and taking zillions of photos – knowing full well that I’d be a horrible sports photographer.  I had lots of fun though – thanking the inventors of digital photography.  Whether I took 50 or 500 shots (guess which), it was all the same price.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1610I also had fun speaking Czech to a couple that came along – friends of Paul.  They’re from a small town near Brno, but are now living in Australia. I became much more extrovert around them – funny how that happens with Czechs.

The village chief then took us to the flat roof of a nearby building to get a better view of the birds. We were as captivated by the cock fighting training going on below as we were by the egrets above.  It takes a lot of skill, we were told, to train roosters.  They are pampered (special leg massages) and trained so that they can kill or be killed.  Luckily, we didn’t see that.  We only saw some teasing and short training bursts.  Poor roosters…

I much prefer the village’s relationship with the egrets and herons.  They are truly appreciated, and I don’t believe it’s only for the tourism value.  Not sure though… We heard a few stories about ceremonies that brought them back after their disappearance for a few months, the abundance of feathers that fell from the trees when they needed them to make special costumes, etc.  I only caught part of these stories, however, as I walked around the roof with my nose up in the air, yet fully aware of its 2-storey drop.

Obviously, I spent quite a bit of time today in Photoshop layering some of my photos as the clouds and the egrets never seemed to be lined up in real time.  Here are other photos of Petulu from street level.

Traditional Healer:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1735

Today, on our day off, Nicole took a few of us along for her 8am visit to a traditional healer she has seen before ($25 a visit).  What an experience!  When I asked about putting his name and photo on my blog, he didn’t want any promotion (but the photo was OK).  I therefore don’t even know his name.  I can certainly understand.  After “Eat Pray Love” came out, life for almost everyone in Bali changed and I hear the services from the healer in Elizabeth Gilbert’s story have been quite compromised by it.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_photobyJen

photo by Jenifer Swaringen Reynolds

We all sat on a bamboo mat in his office – an outdoor covered platform like those we’ve seen everywhere here.  As the healer worked on each of us in turn, the others sat and watched (we were all OK with this – we could have gone indoors somewhere if we had wanted privacy).  The only time I wasn’t comfortable with our group session, was when 2 other foreigners joined us and one lit up a cigarette.  That was the first time I breathed in cigarette smoke since I arrived – I’ve been swimming in incense, but I’ve so appreciated the break from the other kind of smoke.

Nicole was the first to be treated.  It was remarkable.  He pressed on a lymph node on her leg and the indent remained long after.  It didn’t on the other leg.  After he did his thing, he pressed again and there was no more indent.  It’s impressive when the results are so visible. I soon followed after her as I wanted to get it over with.  In addition to obvious intuitive skills and a quick yet effective visual scan of the body, he spends time feeling the head and face, using pressure points to assess our condition. Painful spots is what he’s looking for.  He then moves to the feet and pushes several points on several toes with a special stick-like instrument. Each point is associated with various organs, etc.  Everyone writhed in pain at different points and didn’t budge at others. I even found myself using the double tap wrestlers use to break a hold (I watch a lot of movies). The amazing thing is that after he finds the spot(s), he does quick energy work using his magic wand over the specific meridians (I may not be using the language he would) and then tries the acupressure spot again.  Miraculously, there was no more pain at all anymore.  This happened time and time again with everyone.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1732For some, he looked at the person and before they had time to report all their ills, he would say – sit down and confirm with his hands what he had assessed at first sight.  Sometimes, he would say – here’s your problem. I can fix that.  For me, however, I was told I would have to do the work myself (or the play, really) – the story of my life. He explained that my creative center (root and sacral chakras; sex organs) are closing down as I near menopause and I’m holding too much of the fire inside.  Basically, I have smokin’ ovaries, and if I don’t let some of that fire out through passion and creativity, mental issues (memory, confusion, fear, etc.) as well as my skin and nerve issues in my arms (carpal tunnel, etc.) will just keep causing me problems. I always thought my problems with my arms were a call to creativity – I was right – both skin and nerve deep.  Although he didn’t talk to anyone else in terms of Ayurvedic elements, he confirmed that my issue was too much fire that I’m keeping in and not releasing. He told me to be more creative and passionate (but not to complain when I get strong emotions) ]. He also gave me a breathing / visualization exercise to do several times a day.  I’m to visualize all the fire in my first two chakras and move it up to my heart and then to my throat.  I need to pause it there until I feel the saliva in my mouth – savour the sweetness of that creativity and passion, smile, and breathe it out. Sounds simple, but I did it a few times and it’s quite nice indeed.  It’s all about controlling my inner fires and lightening up and out.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1739Now you’d think that my life was all about creativity. But if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that this year of learning hasn’t been a year of playing. I haven’t really let loose like I can sometimes do in the studio.  I’ve never really been good at playing, actually.  That’s why I took a 4-year degree at university to become an expert at organizing events for other to have fun at. I’ve always been too serious. One healer told me in Hawaii that my spirit was from the star Sirius and it was no use wishing I was from the planet Palladium.  I just am the way I am.  I still am. When out of balance, however (as the Ayurvedic doctor reported earlier this week), I am not only introspective and focused, but overly controlling and just not fun. Flora noticed it. Other participants in the workshop have noticed it.  My classmates in Vienna and teachers there have noticed it.  Basically, I’m not the most easy-going person and can be quite harsh on myself at times.  I’m much more relaxed than I was decades ago, but still have a ways to go to be happy in my skin – litterally.  So although I’ve devoted this year to the arts, I need to figure out the best way for me to have fun and creative with it.  I need to let go and let loose so my volcano doesn’t implode.  Hopefully, between my Ayurvedic medicine and new breathing exercise, I’m on my way there.

Creativity is one prescription.  So is passion.  Although the doctor didn’t say it specifically, I’d say that’s a confirmation that it’s time I find my life partner.  Thing is, I’m not one to settle.  It’s always been 0 or 200%. I want a man who is committed to learning to love unconditionally (and is already quite good at it). That’s also where I want to be when I enter into my next relationship.

If he’s read this blog, he’ll know he’ll need a good capacity for love and willingness to grow into that.  There are lots of delightful aspects to who I am -really!   I just don’t believe in only putting my best foot forward here. This blog is not all about marketing. It’s more important that I be authentic.  You get to know all sides of me here as I travel through life exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

I’m sure there’s a compatible mate out there for me – I just haven’t met him at all these events I enjoy that only attract women.  Being an early up and early to bed person hasn’t helped my social life either.  Oh well. I’ll keep on working on myself, following my guidance, and living to the best of my happiness all the while having faith that when the time is right, I’ll meet someone with whom I can add another element of love and passion to the mix. After all, it’s doctor-recommended.  I’d rather do it while my pitta / fire is balanced, however, not to attract someone else who is out of balance. Until then, I’ll enjoy being single and learning to be more truly loving to myself and others.  That’s always a good thing.

OK – off to bed. Big day tomorrow and it’s almost 11pm.  Time to enter the magical wonders of dreamtime.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1495 copy

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Day Trip to Eastern Bali

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Dominique Hurley_East Bali_DLH_0991Tuesday was my first time venturing out of the Ubud area during daylight.  Nicole Lawrence and her husband Paul organized a full trip for us to places where hardly any other tourists were – Nicole’s specialty.

First, we stopped at the Pelangi workshop in the village of Sidemen to see how the traditional single Ikat weaving is done. It’s quite the process – from the design to the tying and dying of threads and then to the spinning and weaving.  The results are fabulous!

This traditional village was higher up than Ubud and endless trucks filled with volcanic sand were making their way down through it – but it was too cloudy for us to see the volcano from where we were.

We then had muffins and relaxed by a small river at the foot of a mountain where some of the locals were taking their bath.  It was explained that the Balinese don’t have the sense of privacy that most westerners have.  This is part of why it’s so natural for them to welcome tourists into their country, ceremonies, homes, etc.

After a bit more driving, part of our group had a dip at Candidasa beach in the Indian ocean.  This was followed by a delicious lunch on the breezy terrace of Lezat Restaurant.  Great food, lovely breeze.

We then visited the walled village of Teganan,with its Bali Aga people and preserved ways of living and worshiping – ways that predate the arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism to the island. To live there, we were told, they can only marry within the village. I unfortunately missed a lot of the stories that were shared as I made my way around taking things in at my own rhythm and with my camera.  I enjoyed my time though.  The craftsmen here are known for their palm leaf drawings (with several artist tables lined up all up the main street) and double ikat weaving.  I’m not sure why the roosters are coloured with food dye…. one artist said it was just for fun.  Maybe it’s part of their marketing – keeps the tourists near their tables taking pictures…  Walking around, taking pictures, I wondered if the villagers ever got tired of being photographed – like animals in a zoo.  There are several reasons I am not a people photographer, and this is one of them…  Having said that, I have certainly been guilty of being in photo safari mode in Bali.

Nicole was so grateful to find out that Wayan Muditadnana, a delightful man in his 80s whose work has been sought by collectors all around the world, was still around. She’d had such pleasant visits with him in the past few decades.  From his level of energy and enthusiasm, I imagine he’ll be around for quite a long time more.  His lontar writing is legendary and he’s passed this on to his children – his daughter has been recognized by the government as the best in the country.  His customers over the past decades include museum curators, travel book writers, foreign presidents, etc – all recorded in his very detailed bookkeeping that he was so happy to share with us.  He told us stories that Nicole translated and showed us one of his handcrafted treasures from which he read and  for which he refused a $40,000 offer.  He will be passing it down to his children.  He also played some traditional music for us – the songs he is hired to play at tooth filing ceremonies and cremations.  Much to the dismay of one of our participants, he had already chewed some stimulating yet teeth-staining betel, so he wouldn’t be having any for another hour.  His little kit seemed intriguing and some wanted to know what it was all about.

Of course we also saw a lot through the windows of our mini-bus while driving around throughout the day. I had fun playing with my camera until the heat and traffic fumes became too much for my fellow passengers.  No worries – I kept composing shots in my mind – so much to see!

It was a lovely day, and by the time we returned to our village with the full moon large and bright over the horizon, I opted to stay home while most of the others went out for dinner. I was still quite full and almost ready for bed… after a bit of blogging of course.

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New Bali Chapter at Pugig House

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_Ubud_DLH_0337

Bali Chapter 3 is well underway and my new home for it is great. Two chickens just chased each other at my feet and are putting up quite a ruckus – fun! Originally, when Nicole Lawrence advertised her extension week for Flora’s workshop, we were going to stay at Swasti Eco Cottages, where I was all of last week. But when only 2 of us signed on, she asked if we’d be willing to go to Pugig House homestay instead – a German owned complex run by a Balinese family.  It consists of a few houses, apartments and a swimming pool in the village of Penestanan, next to Ubud. This is where she usually stays. It’s great! After a week in one location, I was ready to experience something new in a new neighbourhood – plus it’s less expensive here.

my room
my window-
Amy’s room
Amy
outdoor kitchen

Once again, I had asked to share a room to reduce my costs, but ended up having my own small (yet plenty big for my needs) single room on the ground floor of a shared house. Amy is upstairs in the stunning suite with an open-air terrace. We share a bathroom. It’s quite perfect, really.   We’re now 6 participants in this workshop and all but one are in rooms in buildings around the property. We’re surrounded by jungle – that’s how it feels. The daylong concert is incredible and gets even better in the early mornings and evening! There’s a valley right below us with a spring where the village used to get their drinking water. I haven’t been there yet – instead, we walked 3 minutes up the road to Cafe Vespa, where I had one of thier Ayurvedic drinks – the Pitta one, of course.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Pugig House_DLH_0271On our first night, we walked down little alleys and even smaller footpaths that seemed to go nowhere, but ended up at shops, yoga studios and the Yellow Flower restaurant. What a feast! Sunday nights are their buffet night. It was similar to the one on our last night at Swasti, but the food was much tastier. We do eat well here! There are also many other resorts, spas, etc. around – as for everywhere I’ve been so far in and around Ubud.

Morning Walk:

On Monday, we left early and were dropped off at the beginning of a trail that went along the ridge where 2 rivers meet. It was just lovely – and being with a group of visual artists meant that we were all at a very slow speed, taking all the natural and man-made beauty in.   Stunning!  This is one area where they collect the grass to make thatch roofs.  Before pesticides, those roofs lasted 20 years.  Now they last 3.

At the end of the trail, Nicole treated us to morning tea on the lower terrace of  Murni’s restaurant & spa – beautiful!. I had a coconut drink with bits of rice jelly in it and a piece of cashew pie. It was delicious, but reminded me of why I avoid having too much sugar in my system.  Nicole taught us “drawing with a breathing tone” – a method she used to teach children how to draw in Waldorf schools. Instead of drawing outlines, something I still do, you start by moving your pencil from the center out while constantly moving. You start by making organic shapes and then change them as you go.  That’s not a great explanation and I can’t find a link on the Internet to share, but I feel it may change the way I draw.  I’ll try it on Wednesday at our live drawing class.  It was a great follow-up to the fantastic children’s book that Flora read in her workshop -“Ish” by Peter Reynolds.  That story had moved me to tears after years of battling my “I can’t draw” demons.

ATM Problems:

Our driver met us at Murni’s and brought us to one of the supermarket complexes. One of my goals was to take money out. My original spending estimate (and cash I had brought) was based on reported meal prices that are harder to find these days. Apart from meals, 2 massages and a batik class, I hadn’t used my money for anything else. My Ayurvedic consult was paid by credit card. Still, I was running out of the cash after half my time here. Fortunately, ATM machines are everywhere here. There were 5 at the supermarket, all affiliated with different banks. One didn’t work for anyone – the screen would go blank after we’d enter our PIN. The other worked for 2 and not for the next. One man warned that some ate cards. Another girl said her machine only gave very small amounts instead of the maximum 2,500,000 Rupiahs ($250 Cdn). One of our participants got the message that her password had been changed. Yikes. Although I was able to enter my PIN and ask for money, I didn’t succeed at any of those machines. Our driver then stopped in town and I tried 2 more. No luck. We were dropped off further along for our afternoon event and I tried 3 more – no luck. It was very strange as it actually allowed me in the system, so I knew my card worked. I have plenty of money in that account, so that wasn’t the issue. I tried asking for smaller amounts – $100, but again no luck. Thankfully, I still had a 50 Euros bill that I had brought to ensure I could get back to town from the airport when I get back to Vienna. But that won’t last the week. It’s pretty scary being in a foreign country and your access to your own money isn’t working. President’s Choice Financial (my online bank) had told me they didn’t guarantee their debit card would work in other countries. It worked fine in Austria though.  I simply underestimated how much cash I would need here. Luckily, there is a solution. Nicole, our organizer, took money out for me and I’ll repay her by Paypal. Hopefully $300 will be enough for the next 2 weeks, including all meals, taxis, and my ride back to the airport. I’m not concerned. Had I been traveling alone, however, that would have been a pickle. Credit cards aren’t accepted everywhere, not even at the fancy resort we were at last week.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Ubud_DLH_0454Sound Healing:

Before I came to Bali, someone from Saskatoon had recommended I stay / visit the Yoga Barn. It’s quite the place. I’m glad, however, that I only got to visit and not stay there. There are lots of foreigners and energy moving through this popular place in the middle of a very noisy busy town. There are times when that would be great, but I was much more in the quiet ashram-retreat mode this trip. Still, I was grateful for their huge list of offerings. The one 4 of us from my group chose was a very soothing sound healing session with Shervin Boloorian. His special guest was a Norwegian musician who brought beautiful kirtan chants into the mix. I had had the great fortune of experiencing this kind of thing before. It’s truly wonderful – I had moments of bliss and lots of journeying as 65 various instruments were played by 2 musicians while a third person walked around our lying bodies introducing essential oils. I could have stayed there for several more hours.

The Hubub of Ubud:

I was very mellow after our sound therapy and although very aware of the incessant noise and constant traffic in Ubud, it didn’t phase me. We walked along a street of shops and while others shopped, I created a little project of photographing statues and motorcycles –there are plenty of both here.  I didn’t see anyone carrying a mattress on their bike (as someone had reported), but I did see 2 ladies carrying a clothing rack. I’m so glad I don’t have to spend more time in town if I don’t want to – all 3 places where I’ve stayed so far were far enough to satisfy my preferences for a more peaceful and natural atmosphere.  I would have found it very stressful to stay in town much longer.  I’ll admit, I really liked some of the purchases folks came back with during my various retreats – especially the clothing – but I’m not in shopping mode this trip.

Evening Hunt for Food:

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Ubud_DLH_0676After a swim in our pool, I decided to join the girls for what turned out to be an adventurous hunt for food. I had eaten late in the afternoon and so wasn’t hungry, but the idea of an organic restaurant at the end of a long walk through rice fields intrigued me. Sari Organik had come highly recommended.  We brought our flashlights and were dropped off at the head of a footpath (that is also used by motorcycles, which I’m glad to report, are used to squeezing by pedestrians with a friendly “Hello, Thank you!” I’m sure the walk would have been stunning in the daytime. At night, it simply felt like an adventure. When we finally found the restaurant about 20 minutes later, past a few places where the rice field irrigation system had flooded the path, they were closed for the night. So we backtracked and ended up at another outdoor terrace where my companions had a lovely meal worth the very long wait. I just had a fruit salad so I could take my before/after meal Ayurvedic medicine. By the time we got home at 10:00pm, after a desert stop at Café Vespa just up the road from Pugig House(which stayed open late to cater us), I went straight to bed and slept very soundly. What a full day!

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Painting and Healing in Bali

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_IMG_6803THE FINAL DAYS OF FLORA BOWLEY’S WORKSHOP:

Our Flora Bowley Bloom True Ubud workshop has come to an end… at least this chapter of it. Part of the group is continuing on with Nicole Lawrence for the extension week – a decision I’m very glad I made. Originally, we were only 2 signed up, but 4 others have now joined. I already know it will be a great week.

The last few days with Flora were wonderful – I’m not saying they were always easy. After all, I brought myself to the process, and so I was bound to come up with challenges (internal and external). On Saturday morning, Flora even said to me “this really isn’t about formulas or systematic steps, Dominique. Just throw all that out and play – have fun!” I can easily do that in my own studio when in the flow of exploration and connection. Here, however, I had really wanted to try out (and succeed) at using whites and colours at the same time with the sponge brush in a way that would keep those colours bright. This year has been all about whites (and drawing, of course)! I’m so not into pastels though. When I tried this technique during Flora’s e-course, despite watching her videos over and over, I kept getting washed-out colours and painting the fence. Anyhow, Flora was right. I was being too systematic again. I wanted to do it right, when in fact, there are no mistakes in this process. So I lightened up a bit, and kept at it. I even got her to show me exactly how much white and colour she puts on her brush at the same time. Just watching her for 1 minute on my canvas helped a lot. I definitely learn by watching. Sure, it took a few more layers as I kept covering all the whites up again with my usual vivid colours, rendering the lotus 2-dimensional once more (vs. having it pop out a bit from the canvas). By the time our morning together was done, I was quite happy with this piece. I had chosen a very simple design so I could focus on my goal – not think about composition or anything else. I’m glad I pursued it. I’ll admit though, I had a bit of a hard time just playing and having fun (the heat didn’t help, but I took care of myself).

  • canvas 1: continued from previous days

My other two canvases are still very much in progress and I’ll continue them in my other 2 workshops.This second canvas garnered a class cheer because Flora finally saw me go totally free and loose.  In her opinion, it’s finished.  In mine, there’s a long way to go.

  • canvas 2:  continued
  • canvas 3: new and also still in progress

I know I’ll be transforming this one completely…

Many participants had works still in progress at the end of the day, but we lined them all up and spent time honouring them and their creators before breaking for lunch. You might see some similarities in the styles, but it was beautiful to also see the uniqueness of everyone’s voice. That is also one of the themes we’ve explored this week. It’s not about painting like Flora. It’s about learning to be free in our expression and to find our own voice. Having painted for 20 years, mostly self-taught and without paying much attention to other artists’ work, I feel I’ve already developed my own voice. This year of education, however, is like taking singing lessons so that I can fine tune and expand on my skills. After I get back to Canada, though, I feel like exploring on my own again – without so much focus on what’s happening out there in the art world. I want my art to continue being an expression of my own unique voice as I communicate with Spirit –  that will evolve as I go even deeper into my own artistic and spiritual practice. Yay!

  • Class’s finished works and works in progress:

I only had my iPhone and the sun was so bright, it was hard to see what I was taking pictures of on the screen. I’m afraid I don’t have everyone’s work, but this gives you a great idea of what we’ve been up to.  Many worked extra time during our breaks and evenings, and so you’ll see that many are indeed beautifully complete.

  • My favourite:

I must say, it was truly inspirational to watch Liane Worth work. This was the first time she had used a figure on a painting (one of my goals).  Her final pieces truly moved me – took my breath away a few times.  At one point, I thought (didn’t say!) “No! you’ve taken away what I liked” and then the next time I turned to look, it was even more stunning than before.  Nice reminder!  If I had a home and was in the market to buy work, I would add these 2 pieces to my collection.

Flora’s piece:
Of course it was always great to see Flora work.  She too went through an array of emotions and worked her painting through the awkward teenager phase.  She was very open about this as she was about the whole process.  She’s a great teacher.  In the end, she was very happy with it and it was purchased by one of the participants.  Perfect!

PITTA OUT OF BALANCE – Ayurvedic Consultation:

As for letting go and just playing – I have my good days and days when I require a bit more self-love to allow that to happen. I found out that this is very much a trait of my Pitta constitution, which is currently way out of balance. Right after our morning of painting, I took advantage of our proximity to Amrta Siddhi Ayurvedic Health Centre – right across the street from Swasti Eco Cottages. People come from all over to be treated here over a period of 3-10 days. A few people from the group had reported good results for various ills. I had already heard a lot about this traditional Indian medicine – one of the oldest in the world. In fact, I trust its foundation on a complete understanding of the human being.

For over an hour, the young doctor from India questioned me and looked at my tongue, my pulse, and my eyes. The main reason I went was for my eczema, which in the last year has seriously affected my hands and in the last 6 months had spread all down my legs for the first time in my life. As many practitioners of various kinds have told me, I have too much fire in my body. I’d heard some say it was like I had a volcano inside and if I only treat the skin in one area, the volcano will find another place to errupt.  In the Ayurveda system, I’m mostly a Pitta (fire) dosha, with a bit of Vata (air, space) – these describe the forces that help a person function since birth. The latter is all about movement (no doubt my love of variety and travel).  When in balance, the former is all about transformation, organization, leadership (I recognize myself in that). People with pita are usually of medium build, have sensitive skin, and dislike being told what to do. When out of whack, as mine is, some of the results are skin issues, irritation, and an excessive need for control (yup, guilty). This imbalance affects the whole endocrine and hormonal system – digestion, metabolism, and energy production.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_IMG_6853 copyThe Ayrurveda system addresses these imbalances through various natural medicine, as well as lifestyle and diet changes. It turns out that I’m already doing many things that are in line with my constitution – a relief after so many years of focusing on my health and lifestyle. Obviously, however, more changes are required. I’ve got enough medicine – 6 kinds to take before/after meals, and before bedtime – to last a month. I also have a list of do’s and don’t’s in terms of diet for my particular constitution. Can you guess what the worst dietary thing is for a Ptita? Dried, salty, deep fried things … so much for being a chipaholic…  The strangest thing on the list of things to avoid for me was brown rice. Pittas should eat white rice, not brown. Now that goes against what I’ve learned and practiced, almost daily, for the past couple of decades. I’ll certainly give it a try to see if it makes a difference. On the plus side, Pittas should never fast and should satisfy their healthy appetites (yay!), but should eat their last meals before sundown (a bit tougher at certain times of the year).  I could go on, but I won’t. All this to say that I’ve taken both my astrology and angel card readings to heart when I was advised to take care of my health this month and pamper my body with what it need. It’s all about balance.

The fascinating thing for me is the reinforcement of how much our minds and bodies are linked when it comes to health. I’ve gotten used to the fact that what we think and feel affects our physical health. Today was about recognizing how our physical imbalances can affect our ways of being in the world – my excessive need for systems and control at times (what Flora commented on that same morning) can simply be a result of an imbalance in my Ptita constitution. Interesting, eh?

HEALING SPRINGS

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_DLH_9888There’s been a lot of focus on healing here in Bali. A week of peace at the ashram, self-care and spa treatments at Swasti, etc. Thursday’s group visit to a sacred healing spring was certainly one of the highlights in that area. In fact, I think this might be one of the highlights of my trip to Bali. It was very powerful. We were asked to set out on our afternoon with an intention. As our convoy traveled past the nearly deserted streets of tourist shops and rice fields and up into the mountain, the sky got darker and darker. By the time we arrived, it was pouring rain. Most got out of their dry clothes in the parking and wrapped their required sarong around their bathing suits for the long walk down the stairs to the various stations of this sacred Hindu healing spring. First, we arrived at the 3 fountains of the 3 main Hindu gods – Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva. We prayed and poured water over our heads with our right hands.

Down another long series of tall steps, we arrived at the second site, where we knelt or sat on our shoes with our offering and burning incense in front of us. We then said 5 prayers, the first and last with our hands in prayer position at the third eye. For the other 3, we held one of the flowers in our hands. I was always last, with my camera in hand, so I managed to take a few pictures of every stage before joining the group.  This was bit challenging with my umbrella and stuff, but there was something magical about being there in the rain. An extra blessing.  Plus I could much better avoid heat exhaustion or sun stroke that way, so I was very grateful.

The last station was the sacred spring. First you walked bare foot along the rocks to the first spring (more like a waterfall). You put your face forward and let the forceful water release any negative spirits or obstacles from your life. Then, still holding onto your prayers and intentions, you leaned back on the rocks of the second spring and welcomed the healing powers of these waters. This was followed by a brief ceremony where some of the sacred water is offered to you to sweep over your head or drink and then sprinkled on you. We then placed a bit of rice on our third eye and on our throats.

In addition to praying for loved one and unconditional love for the whole world, I focused on a very special intention / prayer for my own life. When under the springs, I had a very deep “it shall be so” feeling – a huge release that extended from this lifetime into past ones. I was moved to tears and also to great joy. I also witnessed some of the locals being very affected by the ritual – similar to what I’ve seen on TV with some of the evangelists. Powerful indeed!

The nice thing about this place is that it was only rediscovered by the masses about 5 years ago, although it has been used since ancient times. We came at a quiet time – even better. I was told it wouldn’t be so quiet on a full moon. One of our guides, whom I recognized from the tooth filing ceremony, kept me company as I slowly made my way up the very long series of high steps back to the group. We chatted and I took pictures – catching my breath. I can walk on flat land for hours, but I’ve never been great with hills and steps. Perhaps when I get my Pitta into balance, that will change. Anyhow, he had heard about the place, but had never gone before. He said he would definitely take his family there now. There are several water temples in Bali – I’m scheduled to visit another one with my last group. These, however, are often very crowded with both locals and tourists. I’m so glad Nicole brought us here. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.

DRIVE-BY-SHOOTING – redefining the words

On our way back, our driver generously made a few quick stops so we could take pictures from the window and got out once to photograph the statue.  Mostly, however, I experimented some more with shooting from the window as we drove by, often quite quickly. The results are super grainy, but certainly good enough for viewing here. Those that were too blurry, I used an artistic filter on them, which was fun to play with. Plus, even if none had worked out, for me this was total play time. I have so much fun with the camera!

I always find out so much during our drives.  For example, large gatherings are not only temple ceremonies, but cock fights.  There’s a huge gambling problem here too – some men sell their land to gamble on the fights.  I also finally figured out what it is they sell in the bottles in front of convenience stores – I thought it was alcohol, but it’s gas for the motorbikes – sold by the bottle and refilled on the spot.  Another bad bit of news is that this miracle rice that allows for 3 crops a year is genetically modified to the point that rats don’t recognize it as rice and leave it alone when it’s in storage.  One unfortunate result, Nicole told us, is the increase in asthma in children and women dying in childbirth because of hemorrhaging.  I guess the higher prices at Swasti’s organic restaurant were well worth it…

LAUGHTER YOGA

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_IMG_6909Right as we got out of the car, a friend and I decided to go check if the Ayurvedic doctor took credit cards.  On our way there, however, we walked into Ambarashram, thinking that was the clinic, and found out that there was a laughter yoga class that had started 20 minutes earlier – perfect since one of my lifetime goals is to laugh more.  We decided to join, but thought it wise to use the facilities before laughing too much.  By the time we joined the 200 Balinese behind the ashram in the garden, they had already finished the laughter part (figures !).  I didn’t know this, however.  As I walked in, 2 men quickly made space and I sat on the grass between their mats.  I was so impressed by the turnout and gazed at all the bronze sculptures of inspirational leaders around the open-air garden: Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Mandela, and many more I didn’t know.  After the mini-lecture, which I didn’t understand, of course, but gave me a chance to simply take everything in, we did about 10 minutes of dancing, followed by about 45 minutes of yoga.  It was so sweet. I recognized most of the positions, but when I couldn’t see the leader or see what my neighbours were doing, the man on the left would tap me and make signs to help me understand what to do.  He was thoroughly astonished to see that I could do the full lotus position and alerted his friends to the fact – a bit embarrassing, but i was happy.  What I liked the most were all the poses that had me gazing up at the beautiful whispy white clouds in the sky – in those moments, I was alone with the Heavens and tears came to my eyes from the beauty of the whole experience.  This was a perfect way to follow up my time at the sacred healing springs.  Balinese people are truly welcoming.  They didn’t make me feel strange at all, even if, by the end, I was the only white person in the crowd.  I’m certainly open to such spontaneous blessings in my life.

BLOOM TRUE CLOSING CEREMONY

At 5pm on Saturday, our group gathered back in our painting area for a final sharing circle. This was a lovely group of women and Flora, Rachel, and Nicole did a fantastic job with everything. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one of Flora’s painting workshops (online or in person) to anyone at any level – total beginners to professionals.

At 7pm, we met at the restaurant for a delicious traditional Balinese feast, which was to be eaten with our hands.  I found out that the kitchen staff had been in full transition this past week, explaining some of the inconsistencies we experienced.  The new chef and his team certainly did a great job on our final night here.  We were also entertained with dance performances by very  talented local children (7 years old and up) and presentations by the staff. Some of these folks had been working hard in the gardens, kitchen, rooms, etc.  all day, so what a feat it was to then have to entertain us until past 10pm.

We saw most of the group this morning at breakfast and made our goodbyes, knowing we’ll meet again in our Facebook group.  I’m now ready for chapter 3 of my Bali experience.  I’m very grateful to everyone at Swasti Eco Cottages and every beautiful individual that formed our group – being here was a real blessing!

 

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Monkeys, Culture, and More Brave Intuitive Painting in Bali

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Abundant warnings leads to monkey fear:

It’s 4:30pm on Thursday – our afternoon off. I’ve come back to my room at Swasti Eco Cottages in time to witness the thunder and lightening show from inside. I had just been out for a walk down the street, to the very edge of both my comfort zone and Monkey Forest. This was my first taste of tourist-Bali. I had chosen not to visit Monkey Forest or even walk around it into Ubud as I had heard of both monkey and human attacks in the area – both leading to hospital visits and thefts of various kinds. I’m quite content to play it safe here. All of my classmates have already been into Ubud to shop, eat out, or even to get tattoos. I haven’t felt the need or desire to do any of these in town yet. I don’t feel I’m missing anything right now – perfectly content with how I’m choosing to spend my time here in the adjoining village of Nyuh Kunning.

Our cultural guide Nicole was asked to show our group the way on Monday and had a monkey start to crawl up her leg until a local man with a stick scared it away. She had been avoiding the place in fear for decades. I’ll admit I share in that fear and would probably attract such an occurrence because of it. Instead, I decided to stay at the hotel for a swim on that day. It was way too hot for me to go for a long walk at high noon. Call me chicken – a smart one though! I’ll add that I read on Facebook that someone from my 3rd workshop (visionary art one) had to go to the hospital earlier this week after being bitten. Monkeys will climb on you to steal your food, water, phones, etc., and a simple scratch requires a rabies shot…. so perhaps you can understand why I’ve passed up the opportunity.  Sorry, no great monkey shots.

Lunch on the edge:

Coffee & Copper is not the most relaxing place to eat with all the hubbub outside. Imagine a tiny dead-end street (where cars are concerned – motorbikes have a small but busy lane-way that bypasses the forest and goes to Ubud). The parking lot is big enough for about 6 cars, but there were at least 12 there and more trying to turn back after dropping off loads of tourists who wanted to pay to visit the monkeys (something locals think is crazy). Others may not even have noticed or cared, but I’m still a bit in hermit / ashram mode. One tourist parked her rented van right at the entrance of the lane and came in to eat – quite the commotion outside until I told her about it. Motorbikes were scraping by both sides of the van and some were getting a bit aggressive with it. I’m glad I don’t need to drive here – the fact they drive on the opposite side of the road would be the least of my worries.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_IMG_6792From the restaurant, I could observe a few monkeys in the parking – the first ones I’ve seen. It’s baby season, and I’ll admit, they are really cute (although seeing them fight amongst themselves behind the fence as I walked back wasn’t very comforting). My classmates told me that an aggressive male came in Coffee & Copper the other day and stole the desert off their plate, growling and baring its sharp teeth. I therefore chose a table further back. At one point, I heard the waitress hiss a few times and take out a red wooden mask whose jaws made loud clacking noises, so I imagine there was a monkey coming in, but I didn’t see it. Effective.

Swarmed:

What I did see is a lone traveler – a woman about my age, but with tons of make-up and hair like Dolly Parton’s (but in black) – get swarmed by a throng of vendors. They kept shoving their wooden sculptures in her face and speaking loudly at her. I’d read about these and heard that some folks were happy to leave the country to simply get away from them and begging children. This was my first time seeing any in action. The tourist bought a beautiful dragon sculpture (which attracted even more vendors) and had a hard time getting to her hired car. She looked harried, but had her arms full by the time she got in. Both parties probably thought they’d gotten the good end of the deal. Interestingly, the vendors basically ignored me. I only got a “Buddha for a dollar?!” once and then was left alone. Maybe it was the wet hair under a Tilley hat, my hippy dress, my lack of make-up, or simple vibe of polite disinterest. All I know is that I was glad to have been left alone by both the monkeys and vendors. I did have a wonderful conversation, however, with a young artist, Dewa Artawan, who was painting fantastic pieces in an art gallery on the way. He invited me to return to the shop to paint with him.  That was nice.

Abundance:

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The lunch, by the way, was very good. The portion of red rice with garlic marinated chicken breast and loads of vegetables was bigger than at my hotel and the price much better. It’s not the $2-3 meals I had heard about, but still under $5. I had gone for a late lunch because before that, I’d had my 3rd massage – this time a mix of Mayan and Indian energy and body work to target the abdominal area / digestive tract (1 hour for $18). Two days ago, I had a lovely Thai massage. My body is appreciating the care and attention – and hopefully my eczema will improve.   After letting the coconut oil soak in for about an hour while I did the laundry in my bathroom sink, I had a wonderful swim. Once a day, at least!  There’s nothing quite like it.

Swasti Cottages– a truly Eco-friendly place:

This resort is doing a lot of things right for the environment. In addition to using salt in the pool (which my skin also appreciates), other examples I’ve become aware of is collecting rain water for their extensive organic gardens, cutting the grass by hand, giving guests cloth bags to avoid the use of plastic, using small refillable bottles for their organic shampoo and soap, recycling paper, plastic, and glass in each room, using cloth napkins in the restaurant and serving drinks with glass straws (very cool!), changing bed sheets and towels only upon request, and more I’m sure. Although the Internet service and restaurant have generated a lot of complaints in our group (which management has tried to address repeatedly), it’s quite the amazing place.

Balinese Cultural Afternoon:

On Wednesday, Nicole Lawrence took those who wanted to her friend’s house – or should I say her friend’s village. From the street, it looks like a normal household gateway (and it probably is). Behind it, however, there’s not only the family temple, but several houses where various relatives lives. It’s basically a family complex. There are also a few outdoor pavilions where people hang out, spaces for the pig (I had a nice moment with that pig!) and chickens, and green space for all the cousins to play. During my time there, I could really sense the importance of extended family bonds that exists here in Bali. Interestingly, however, families don’t eat together except for ceremonies. Food is prepared in each house’s kitchen every morning and people eat when they’re hungry. Although sit-down meals aren’t part of the culture, they seem to get plenty of together time. It was beautiful to watch everyone interact.

We were there to learn various crafts from this talented family. First, two of the girls taught us how to do a traditional dance. Fun, but very challenging! They perform at a local hotel every night. Later, when we were leaving, we got a glimpse of their elaborate preparations.

Several of the parents taught us to craft various offerings, an integral part of the Hindu culture here in Bali – they use about 100 of these a day, blessing their homes, properties, vehicles, temples, etc. It appears that there are plenty of young coconut fronds on the trees to supply each family year-round.

I’ve also seen the staff at the hotel walk around placing these everywhere, sprinkling them with a wet flower and burning incense in each spot. They’re also on the street in front of shops, etc. Sacred rituals are very evident here. Our taxi driver also had one on his dashboard. When folks don’t have the time to make their own, though, they buy them from door-to-door salespeople or at the 4am market. I’m sure it’s like knitting – you can get good enough to do it while watching TV (it took one mother 1.5 minutes to make a mini rice cake steamer pouch) – but as a beginner, I made plenty of mistakes.  No worries – the gods will still know how grateful I am.

After our craft session, we got to try their traditional instruments – the horizontal gongs (hear a sample on YouTube by clicking here). Great stuff. Now I know what’s making the music I hear very early in the morning around the neighbourhood.

Basically, though, we simply got to enjoy the company and the space with Nicole and her friends. Once again, I was grateful for this non-touristy experience.

After our visit, we walked to the most expensive hotel in the area and snuck down to their viewing area to see the rice terraces. Wow!

We followed that up with the world’s best ice cream (according to Nicole, and I’ll admit it was amazing!) and a lovely dinner at a traditional Javanese restaurant in Ubud (but not in the busy core). Afterwards, we walked behind the restaurant into their organic gardens to see the firefly show – advertised, but free. Nice. I certainly slept well that night.

Being Brave – Flora Bowley Style

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_DLH_9535Flora’s workshop continues to be great! After our first days’ themes of “presence”, “letting go”, and “self-love”, we had a day of “bravery”.  As usual, I was moved by some of the stories that some of the gals shared in our morning circle. What wonderful beings! It always feels good to be in a loving, accepting, authentic group. This is one of those and our workshop process has created the space to both express and honour that for ourselves and others.  It’s not just about painting – everything Flora teaches in her Bloom True course is as much about life as it is about what happens when you’re in front of the canvas.

If you’ll recall from my previous blog, everyone moved around the circle to paint on every canvas for the first few layers of the process – creating a space of openness, exploration, and total non-attachment.  This was done with a variety of tools in alternating layers of cool and warm colours, black & white, and so on – you can use just about anything really.  Take a look at some of the ones Flora used during her demo.

After that, we did more collaborative work,but with two people working at the same time.  Here’s Flora and her wonderful co-organizer Rachel Rice demonstrating – but on a fresh canvas.

This helped us to totally accept that anything can change at any moment. It’s so freeing when the painting isn’t yours and you know several more layers will follow. It’s all about getting in the flow and moving with what moves us without getting the mind too involved.  It’s also all about letting go of control.  Fun!

The funny thing is that when it came time for us to do it, my partner had gone and chosen the painting I had worked on last the day before.  We had been asked to keep one for the next day and let one go for the collaborative work.  I had let go (i.e. rejected) that one because I really wasn’t drawn to what I had created.  What an opportunity, therefore, to get past the “I have no idea what to do with you” to simply keep playing with someone else – complete exploration and letting go of control. The results were pretty interesting and when it came time to choose any canvas from that batch to keep working on for the rest of the week, I chose that one.  Ah, evolution…  This is where that painting got to by the end of Thursday.  I really wanted to practice one of Flora’s techniques using the sponge brush and whites…. I’m still struggling with using whites with my colours…. can’t say I like this right now, but I know it’s just part of the process. The nice thing is that I’m not tied to anything there and so the possibilities are still limitless.

When it comes to painting (and life), there are threshold moments that bring up fear and ask us to bravely move forward. Most paintings go through an awkward teenager phase – mine sure lived up to that today. I tried some new things in class and really embraced the idea that I’m not here to produce a finished piece to show you all. This is truly practice time – I may or may not finish anything this week or even here in Bali – and that’s OK. I’m just taking advantage of being in this group and having Flora to consult with when blocks come up or when I want to try one of her techniques that I couldn’t quite figure out during her e-course. I was feeling good about my umbrella and banana tree that I had painted from on-location sketches. When I turned it around, however, I decided to take a risk and turn the banana tree into a woman. A few layers later, however, I had created a total mess, sprayed it and wiped it down, creating a very muted painting – not my preference. I know that the bright colours on the next layer will really pop on the muted background, but by 11:30, I was too hot and I’ll admit, a bit discouraged even if I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be with this painting.  So I gave up for the day. I was brave and took a risk – I didn’t like the results. Tomorrow will be a brand new day. I know the awkward teenager will evolve. There are still limitless layers to go.

Flora’s painting is evolving beautifully. I loved what she had done yesterday with her painting, but it wasn’t edgy enough for her. Nothing gave her that spark – so she went in a completely different direction with it today– not to prove a point, but because it was what she was moved to do. I love the results of that too and now she’s feeling more interested in it.  It’s important to keep things interesting for ourselves in our painting process – or else painting becomes boring.  Again, she’s a great role model! To see with what ease she let go of what was to create something new by bravely exploring new avenues was inspiring. This piece, as for all the ones you’ll see here, are all works in progress.  Stay tuned for more.

Flora’s work in progress:

Some Classmates’ Work in Progress:

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Tooth Filing and Brave Intuitive Painting in Bali

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Tooth Filing Ceremony:

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_DLH_9479

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_DLH_9316Wow! What an honour! Tooth filing is the most important religious ceremony in a person’s life here in Bali – more important than a wedding. It’s a coming of age ceremony that symbolizes the release of an individual’s animal nature (filing of the canine teeth) and sins, thus ensuring peace for the soul and reincarnation. I’ve read on some webpages that only family can witness the ceremony. You can imagine, therefore, how special it was for our group to be invited because Nicole, the cultural coordinator for Flora Bowley’s painting workshop, used to live here (on that property, actually) and is very good friends with the family. The father is the owner of a tour company that caters to German tourists and so there were actually a lot of foreigners there.

The ceremony takes a month to prepare and lasts several days. Because of the high expense, families usually wait until they can hold the ceremony for two or more of their children. The actual tooth filing is what we were invited to witness – it’s only about 10-15 minutes long and by the time we got there (and the time I took photographing the abundant visual stimulus on the way through the family’s entrance gate, temple, upper yard level, and down the steps past the crowd), I only caught the very end of the second daughter’s filing. She was no longer lying down, but seated and then carried out.

 

The eldest daughter later told us that the actual experience felt a bit painful, but mostly strange. This daughter had already been married for a few years to a man of a higher caste. She therefore had to have a special ceremony to bring her back down to her family’s level. At the end of the celebrations, she would need another ceremony to bring her back up to her husband’s caste. Although she visits the family every week, she cannot pray in her family temple anymore. The father had ensured, before she got married, that this arrangement would be allowed so that he could fulfill his tooth filing duty to his daughters once both were of age.

Our hosts and everyone there were very welcoming – I’d venture to say tolerant as we were sometimes like the paparazzi. I’m not sure if it’s because of the heat or the culture, but the atmosphere was very laid back. People sat around and chatted, answered questions, ate, etc. As is custom when visiting a temple, we all had our shoulders covered and had to wear a sarong (wrap around garment) – even if what we wore underneath was a long skirt. If you had a sash over your sarong, it was even more respectful. Although part of our group left before the daughters were all dressed up for another part of the ceremony, I stayed to see them come out of where they were being prepared. We al left, however, before the ceremony started, in time for a very quick swim before our afternoon painting workshop.

A few quick notes:

  • The temple was brimming with offerings, most made with the young fronds of palm trees. At the end, they will all be ceremoniously burned.

 

  • The most popular subject of conversation and photos was definitely the sculpture made almost entirely out of the parts of a pig – even those pretty lace flags at the front. The red parts, however, are either peppers or mini tomatoes.  Everything else came from the pig.
  • There were 12 priests involved in the ceremony. The high priest was extremely generous to allow us to photograph him – something we were told not to expect.

Flora Bowley’s Bloom True Ubud Workshop

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti_IMG_6745We’re already half way through our retreat and I’ve been too busy experiencing it to write much about it (that and the horrible Internet service here at Swasti Eco Cottages has encouraged me to be more present).

 

As you’ve seen through the photos in the previous post, except for the Internet service and tiny portions at the delicious organic restaurant on site, the setting is ideal.

Opening Night:

Our group met for a lovely organic buffet on Sunday evening – more fresh vegetables than I had seen the entire week before. We’re all women living in various areas of the world – U.S., Canada, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria (that would be me). The restaurant looked beautiful and each table was decorated with individual gift bags (Flora Bowley designs) filled with goodies (paint brushes, a fan, a notebook, and more).   What a nice touch. After dinner, we headed through the organic garden to our painting area. The pathway was lined with candles and a circle of cushions with a beautiful altar in the center welcomed us into the space. After sharing a round of names and “truths of the moment”, we had a ceremonial letting go and welcoming ritual before choosing a hand-painted card for our week. I let go of any scarcity mentality (as per my last blog) and welcomed laughter. My intention is to reconnect to that playful side of myself this week. The card I intuitively picked said “Follow your breath”. It seemed very appropriate.

I fell asleep that night to the incredible concert of frogs, geckos and other creatures. Happy. Peaceful.

The Workshop:

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Most of the ladies in our group had already taken Flora’s Bloom True e-course (highly recommended). The workshop is following the same process, but doing so in community is quite a bit different. We’re doing a lot of collaborative work, from mandalas on paper to paintings on canvas. The process of having everyone paint on every piece for short periods of time through each step of Flora’s process is ideal for the practice of non-attachment. For the first two days, nothing was “mine” and so it was easy to be bold and brave and to let go of what each layer of paint offered. This course is all about making strong commitments and then being open to change. It’s all about exploring what’s on the edge of our comfort zones and not being attached to anything until much later in the process. It’s also about having a lot of fun while following our intuition. It’s an amazing process for both beginners and advanced painters.   Again, I totally recommend it, and Flora is simply lovely in so many ways – a great teacher. What we learn through her classes (and blog, etc.) is as much about life as it is about art. Some women here have truly had life-changing experiences because of her course. What an amazing role model. Plus she’s a great business woman and I’m learning a lot from her from that perspective too.

There’s so much more I could write about, but that’s it for now. Time for another great day.

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First Impressions – Swasti Eco Cottages

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_DLH_9286Hi everyone! Just so you know, this is where I’m writing from – on my private balcony while a thunderstorm passes over Swasti Eco Cottages (all the while naked little children are still swimming in the pool).  But before I introduce you to my home for the week, which I’m doing now because I have no idea how much time I’ll have to blog once my Flora Bowley workshop starts, let me recount my day.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_IMG_6641This was the first morning I didn’t set my alarm (I had set it 2 days ago- I just didn’t set it right…).  I smiled when I woke up and looked at the time to see that it was 5am on the dot.  My internal clock is definitely working well.  I showered, finished packing, and went to 6 am meditation / fire ceremony / and yoga before a delicious breakfast of curried noodles and vegetable.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_DLH_9065 copyI am so grateful for my time at the Anand Ashram in Ubud. I definitely felt welcomed there and the blend of relaxation, spirituality, beauty, good food, and great people absolutely added to that.  This is my favourite photo from my time there – to me it represents all that the ashram offers – giving, receiving, mindfulness, natural beauty, peace, community, solitude, etc.

At 9am, Yuda and Herny drove me to my next home.  They offered to do so for 40,000 Rp ($4) after they strongly reacted to the “only 100,000 Rp” ($10) that my resort wanted to charge me to send a taxi to come and get me.  I really appreciated the savings, but also transitioning to the next chapter with my previous hosts.  They were as surprised as I was though, when turning onto one of the last public streets.  A man was stopping cars and charging them a toll ($2).  They wondered if it was because their car plates were Indonesian vs. Balinese and if it was another ploy to make money from tourists.  They had recently told me of the locals who started charging tourists to view the hundreds of egrets who come back to their nests at night – in a public location. They, however, were allowed to walk past them without paying.  Entrepreneurs…  Anyhow, we found Swasti Eco Cottages and Yuda graciously helped me with my bag as the long driveway into the place is only large enough for motorbikes.  With my art supplies, easel, camera, etc. I’ve got more than I could carry alone.

Wow!  The place is gorgeous! It’s not in the center of town and so I will continue to be blessed with nature and songbirds. Yay!  It was only 10am when I arrived, and so I knew my room wouldn’t be ready.  So I left my bags with reception and walked around for an hour taking photos of my first impressions.  The place consists of several cottages on a large property – each with their own garden and veranda.

There’s also an organic garden somewhere and, as it turns out, goats!  I was taking a photograph of the entrance ramp when I heard noises behind me.  I turned around in time to very quickly snap these shots and avoid being trampled (a bit of a dramatization – I do that) – totally unexpected!  Fun!  They were being brought out to pasture – I wonder where, and I’m glad I wasn’t on the entrance path with my suitcase as they went rushing out.

At 11am, I was shown to my room. It’s on the 2nd floor of a 2-storey building near the reception and overlooking the pool.  I’ve always liked apartments better than houses to live in, so this was perfect! In the photos below, it’s the top left room (from the front) and the top right from the rice paddy/entrance). I really appreciate simple living and can do with quite little.  But I also love luxury and the beauty of this room took my breath away.  I was even more surprised that there was only 1 bed.  I had requested a shared room to save on costs and was told I would be sharing.

top left balcony
top right – view from the road

I quickly looked around, took a few photos, changed into my bathing suit and went for a swim.  I’m reconnecting to my love of swimming here – always loved the water.  My skin, however, doesn’t like chlorine and my eczema is especially bad in this heat. This pool is salt water based and the itching afterwards was fierce, even after 2 rinses.  Oh well.  A few minutes of itchiness  didn’t take away from the sheer pleasure of swimming – something I don’t think I’ve done in the last couple of years.

What a relief, therefore, when my skin and whole body got quite the treat at 12pm during my complimentary massage (well, it was part of the retreat).  Amazing!  I hadn’t had a massage in 9 months.  My friend Cheryl from Embrace Wellness in St. John’s used to barter with me, and so my body really needed this after so many months.  Wow! 1.5 hour full body massage, Balinese style. There were some distinct differences from the many kinds of treatments I’ve been blessed with in my life. I truly benefited.  As I drank my delicious cup of tea afterward, I looked at their spa offerings – so many choices for under $20, so I’ll listen to that angel card reading I got in the Czech Republic 2 weeks ago and pamper myself a bit while I’m here and if we have time.  My body, mind, and soul could use it.

After my massage, I met Flora, Rachel and Nicole in the organic restaurant (the organizers).  We’d all been on Facebook together and I knew Flora from her 5-week e-course, so it was like meeting people I already knew. Nice.  They seemed surprised that I was in a private room when I asked them about it, and said they’d check into it as I told them I didn’t have the budget for a single one.  I was in quite the mellow mood after my massage, and so I headed to the cushioned area and ordered a Balinese salad with tempeh (with some ingredients from their organic garden) and simply took everything in (the view and yes, later the salad).  The prices are definitely higher than at the ashram or in town.  Breakfast, however, is included.  I must stop focusing on my budget, however.  Sure, I need to be reasonable while I’m here, but I’m here because I was guided and the Universe (and many of you) supported my vision with the abundance to fulfill it.  I can’t afford to be wasteful, but I can certainly afford to focus on being healthy, abundant, and joyful while experiencing what this place and my workshops have to offer.  So I let any concerns go and a few minutes later, Flora came to give me the good news.  I could stay in my room as we’ve got the whole place booked for ourselves and no one else was assigned to it.  Perfect!  I will enjoy my social time and would have adapted to having a roommate for sure, but I totally appreciate my having my private space.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_DLH_9212I can see that many of the folks from the retreat have arrived.  I’ve met a few, but am slowly transitioning to being more social after my week at the ashram and my amazing massage.  We’re all meeting at 6pm for our opening dinner and ceremony. I’ll be at my most extravert by then.  Still a couple of hours to relax and listen to the rain.  It’s coming straight down hard and so it’s not affecting me on my balcony at all.  Life is so very good.

P.S. They turned the Internet off during the storm and later the connection was very sporadic and weak – I had to start uploading photos only at 3am when I woke up to go to the washroom (I’m lucky my room is near reception as not all rooms have wi-fi) and by 5:30am when I woke up for good, it hadn’t succeeded in uploading them all – lots of false starts and retries until 9am when we started.  So I’ll have to let go of my blogging habit to be fully present.  No worries though – I’ll eventually have my photos online.  You too will have to practice patience 🙂  all part of the Balinese experience.

 

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I Guess I Wasn’t Ready… Perfect!

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6526Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a hyper planner – obsessed with details and with a very active mental check-list.  I had a good laugh at myself last night when someone’s Facebook post in the group for my next retreat alerted me that I may have made a mistake.  It turns out that I’ve successfully gotten into holiday mode – my days were all mixed up in my mind. I was actually booked to stay at the ashram one more day/night, so the title of my last post was wrong. Bonus!  So perhaps all that talk about transitions in yesterday’s post was meant to help me realize it simply wasn’t time to go yet.  I must really be mellowing out for me to make such a mistake… I seem to be making more with the years – a sure sign that I’m learning to relax.  🙂

So what did I do on my last day?

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6523First thing, I checked to see how the baby bird was that another guest and I pulled out of the pool last night.  I got to call on Saint Francis of Assisi again.  Thanks to Google (a modern day miracle?), we learned that it was only 3 days old (eyes open, but no feathers yet) and that the mother would come and feed it and take it away if we put it up in a little nest.  Had it had feathers, it would have been on the ground on purpose for supervised life training 3-4 days before it could fly.  This one was too young, so we knew it had fallen out of the nest by accident.  When I went to check on it this morning, though, our whole make-shift nest was gone. We found out that Yuda had found 3 other chicks and thought the mother had been killed, so had them in a box by the kitchen. Herny succeeded in feeding them bits of tiny wet noodles today (they refused the worm). Their plan is to let them go free in 3 days.  Supposedly, the rice paddies are filled with these apparently orphaned chicks.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6517After that, I made it to meditation/ fire ceremony / and yoga at 6am.  Yay!

At 8am, I had another great breakfast! Yay again!

And then I decided to join 2 Edmonton gals staying at the ashram to spend the day at the neighbouring Wydia Batik Studio for some creative fun – it took me 7 hours instead of the usual 5, but I had nothing else planned so that wasn’t a problem. Oh, we weren’t offered lunch, so yesterday’s student must have pre-arranged that. Just so you know, it’s not part of the 400,000 Indonesian Rupiah (about $40 Cdn) cost for the day.  No matter. I really wasn’t hungry anyway and drank 2 liters of water with sports minerals (sugarless Gatorade, basically) – great in this heat, even though there was a breeze in the shade of the studio.  I’ve had heat and sun stroke a few times in my life and have to be careful.  Overall, I’m thrilled with my experience!  My piece has its obvious flaws, but I did most of it myself.  Still, I’d say it was a collaboration as the team there all pitched in at one point or another.

So here’s how you create a batik:

1.  Choose a design or make your own and trace it on a cloth.  I really liked this Balinese dancer and a bird, and so I combined those and free-handed roots and spiral tree branches to make it yet another tree goddess. Had I had more time, I may have ventured my own design, but for today, I was very happy for the pre-made designs to choose from.

2.  After practicing with the “chanting” (wax drawing tool)  on a scrap piece of cloth- dip, wipe, keep at 45 degrees angle, left to right, repeat after 10 seconds, etc. – I then waxed my entire design.  Note: this is where you can decide how much involvement you want in the process.  The 3 artists there did most of the wax work for the others.  I was like a 2 year-old … “I can do it! I want to do it!” and so they were happy to coach me and I had to live with the consequences of hot wax drips on my toes and on my design, etc.  This also meant that I was much slower in my process, but that’s OK.  I got the experience I wanted.

3.  Use the stamps and hot wax to create a border.

4. Choose your colours and paint them in using bamboo sticks.  The colour wheel with numbers helps here as the colours you see when you apply them are not what they’ll come out as.  Everyone did their own colours.  Unfortunately, these tools aren’t very precise and although the wax stops the colours from running, it won’t do that if you don’t paint within the lines or splatter drips all over the place. I’m so used to free intuitive messy stuff – still need practice being precise and careful …. is that a description for patient?!  Unfortunately, it’s that sloppiness that I wish I had avoided because the blotches on the final design really catch my eye.  Unlike with acrylics, you can’t just paint on top of them… Oh well…

5.  After that dries in the sun (long enough for the colours to dry, but not for the wax to melt), re-apply wax designs on top of the coloured parts to protect those.  That takes a long time and I’ll admit that after 5 hours without a break and my mind starting to wander, I did about half and handed it over for the guys to finish.  I was starting to make silly mistakes.

6.  Dip in the fixative to set the colours and rinse.  I think this is where the blues and greens actually turn blue and green.

7.  Dip in the yellow and then orange (which oddly makes red) and rinse.  Repeat that process twice to get a deeper red (or whatever colour you choose).

8.  Dip in the fixative again.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_66249.  Put in boiling water to melt the wax – the original lines become white and the next layer remains the colours you’ve chosen. The rest combines with your background colour.

10. Rinse and hang to dry.  If the sun has disappeared behind a building by the time you’re ready, you can also blowdry it.

I don’t guarantee I remember all that correctly, but know that the batiks you see in stores may have had 4-5 layers of wax and colour on them.  We did the fast and easy process. I think I may use gold paint or 3-D paint to add to it and to hide some of those obvious defects… I’m still thrilled with my day and totally recommend the experience.  It may not be a Balinese art (it’s from Java), but it’s a great thing to do while in Ubud.

I became a huge fan of batiks in the late 80s when I started collecting clothing by Kaliyana Artwear (in the days when she was more into that) – she still comes to Indonesia to work with the locals to make her more upscale line today though – beautiful clothing that I’ve been happy to wear for over 25 years.  I still have some of the original pieces from the early era and they’re perfect to wear here in Bali’s heat.  Here are a few that have traveled the world with me during the years – a blast from the past.  See Kaliyana’s online shop to see what she’s up to these days… inspiring!

Barcelona, Spain
Czech Republic
South Korea
Prague, Czech Republic
Holland
Sedona, Arizona -USA
Saipan – Northern Mariana Islands, USA
Newfoundland & Labrador
Vanuatu

I now feel completely ready for the next chapter of my trip. Spending a creative day near the ashram was just what I needed to help me transition to the next workshop and bigger crowds. Ah – the gecko in my room just squeaked in delight at my obvious personal and spiritual growth.  Yes indeed: good job Dominique!  Hee hee.  Now I just need to learn to be a mellow, go-with-the-flow gal while not losing those effective organizer skills I’ve come to count on (as have others..).  This time it’s true when I say that I’m leaving the ashram tomorrow…

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