Many of the sites we explore in this series were abandoned at unknown times in the distant past and remain much as they were, barring the decay of time. Balinese sites on the other hand, although ancient, have been repurposed over time to serve the needs of an enduring population. What we see today may be hundreds or a thousand years old, or built on the remains of even older sacred sites so the essential energy remains profound and active.  

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We are at the sacred water temple of Tirta Empul, a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, the God of Water, and one of the most holy temples in Bali. John Paul is with the team; an anthropologist takes her place in the East of the Medicine Wheel eager to explore the accepted theories of Balinese culture and society, a psycho-physiologist– who studies how the brain works - anchors the South of the wheel anticipating what will be discovered about the physical changes to the bodies of people in ritual, a Pedanda (Balinese High Priest) holds the West primed to share the stories and beliefs associated to these sacred sites. John Paul shares that Bali is the most magical place he knows - the Balinese people, outside the cities, have a steadiness at their core which is very different from that of people in the Western world. In the shamanic world, rituals and cleansing are incredibly important and he’s interested in whether the Balinese people’s apparent calm comes from their connection to their spiritual world and the everyday use of rituals. He is keen to learn if science agrees with his shamanic instincts. John Paul and the Pedanda conduct the medicine wheel ceremony asking for permission for the team to be here, and the Pedanda adds an extra prayer for their safety.

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The Pedanda explains to the team and film crew that, in Bali, visiting holy temples requires them to follow the traditional ways. He instructs them in Balinese ritual and temple etiquette. They don sarongs to cover their sexual centres, sashes to moderate any impact on their chakras and the men place udengs on their heads to act as insulation.

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The psycho-physiologist wants to see how Balinese rituals affect the body. She has a machine to measure what happens during meditation and traditional rituals in terms of synchronising the electromagnetic fields around the brain and the heart. A group of Balinese volunteers will be measured as well. She clips the monitors to the ears of people in the group including the Pedanda, who is intrigued by the idea of being ‘measured.’

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The Pedanda leads the team members into the cleansing ritual with the locals and they enter the temple. The sacred water here comes from an underground spring that bubbles to the surface, creating a beautiful pond. A dozen carved spouts pour holy water onto the heads of those seeking purification. As waters pours over the heads and shoulders of the team members, the Pedanda explains that the Holy water, Tirta, has three different purposes; Tirta Geringm for cleaning bad spirits, Tirta Merta, for prosperity and Tirta Sudhamala, for purifying the body and soul.

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The anthropologist tells us that the bubbling spring has been here for thousands of years but records for its use only go back to 926 AD. Tens of thousands of people come to this site each month to be cleansed. John Paul knows from prior communication with a Pedanda from long ago that the team members need to experience the cleansing of each chakra at each water spout. John Paul intends to make it possible for our Pedanda to ask the ancient Pedanda how rituals were practiced in his time. Each day after the team comes out from the temple, the psycho-physiologist removes their monitors and transfers the data to her computer.

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This part of the island is densely packed with ancient archaeological treasures from pre-Hindu kingdoms and specifically, this 10-kilometre-long strip of earth is known as ‘The Land Between the Rivers’. The team travels past hundreds of highly decorated tall bamboo poles and the Pedanda explains that these are ‘penjar’ - erected to celebrate Galungan, the day when Virtue triumphs over Evil. Every street is filled with the penjar and the anthropologist points out how the Balinese live simultaneously in the physical and spiritual worlds. She explains the development of the Balinese belief systems. Bali was originally inhabited by aboriginal peoples of uncertain origin, then colonized by a seafaring people, called the Austronesians, four to five thousand years ago. Since the seventh century CE, the animistic Balinese have absorbed diverse elements of Mahayana Buddhism, orthodox Shivaism and Tantrism. Today, the island is the only remaining stronghold of Hinduism in the Lesser Sunda archipelago. Balinese religion is an amalgam of Hinduism, Buddhism, Malay ancestor cults and animistic and magical beliefs and practices. The psycho-physiologist asks the villagers about their personal motivation for creating the Penjars.

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The team members prepare to explore an ancient temple, Gunung Kawi and their heart/brain coherence is measured before they enter. After descending 371 steps, they discover the carved cave temples of this ancient site built beside the Pakerisan river. There are 23-foot-tall sheltered niches called candi apparent on the sheer cliff-face, each a carved doorway but with nothing behind the ‘door.’ Small chambers beneath the candi contain offerings of food and metal objects, representing the necessities of earthly existence. The anthropologist reports that the temple was believed to have been constructed in the 11th century but the site is assuredly much older and has been re-purposed over the centuries. These candi may have originally been used as tombs. The Pedanda shares the traditional story that these memorials were carved out of the rock face in one hard-working night by the mighty fingernails of  Kebo Iwa, a famous military commander in ancient times with supernatural powers. John Paul knows from prior contact with several of the spirits near the carved enclosures that the candi are not tombs. They told him about the energy of cleansing that comes from the nearby flowing river. In one of the candi, John Paul met a pilgrim who came here to meditate, atone and purify himself before going to take the pure waters of Tirta Empul. The team assembles in one of these spaces to scrutinize the theories and accepted history of this site. John Paul takes the team to a beautiful waterfall that is part of the complex and the team relaxes. Our psycho-physiologist takes their measurements again.

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Clouds of steam rise up and we see the team walking single file on the rim of a volcano. The long arcs of blown-out rock, the billowing steam and molten red lava in the volcano attest to the volcano being active and the earth rumbles underfoot. The team assemble at the Throne of the Gods, a uniquely shaped monolithic stone outcrop. The Pedanda explains that Mount Batur is the Palace of the Gods. The anthropologist says Mount Batur is enormously important to the local Balinese and they travel here to see the sunrise, for temple festivals and to bless the remains of dead relatives. There are many temples on the side of this volcano, one of which is Bali Aga which is the similar to an Amish village in that the residents follow only the very oldest traditions. The psycho-physiologist asks why a community would build so many temples and villages on an active volcano, especially one that has erupted recently? The Pedanda says it is because this place is so close to the Gods. Over the next few days the team members talk with residents of this village about their customs and relationship with the volcano.

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The Pedanda explains that the Hindu-Balinese philosophy conceives of the universe and all within it as an equilibrium between good and bad forces. Neither can be eliminated, but bad things occur when nothing is done to maintain balance and negative forces get the upper hand. Religious ceremonies maintain the balance.  A most extraordinary expression of this belief is Nyepi, the day-of-silence, when everyone is quiet, people don’t drive and even planes don’t fly - the idea being that the evil spirits will fly over Bali, thinking nothing is happening there and move on. The anthropologist says that this is an extraordinary observance of an ancient tradition, rarely found when people also live in the modern world.  

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The anthropologist points out that all of the temples are built following a very strict and spiritually specific architectural layout and have multi-tiered towers with an odd number of tiers and never more than eleven. The team members investigate one of these temples at the base of the volcano.

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A group of Balinese has volunteered to participate in the psycho-physiologist’s brain/heart coherence exercise with the members of the team. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the clips are removed from everyone’s ears and the results are shared. The level of coherence changed substantially during these rituals, with coherence between heart and brain being achieved at the end of the ritual. The Balinese seem to have the right idea in incorporating these rituals into their daily lives.

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The team bathes in the waters of a nearby hot-spring and discuss what they have learned about the Balinese relationship with nature and the spiritual dimensions. Everyone has enjoyed living for two weeks in daily ritual, prayer and blessings as the Balinese have for hundreds and possibly thousands of years. They quietly agree that they have all been transformed by this experience. 

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When they take their places on the Medicine Wheel they offer what they have learned as well as their gratitude for this investigation. John Paul thanks the ever-present spirts of this island and the Pedanda asks for safe passage for the team.