Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Romance, serenity at the Water Palace

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Romance, serenity at the Water Palace

Retno K. Djojo, The Jakarta Post, Thu, 01/22/2009 1:48 PM

Culture: A view over the ponds of the Soekasada water palace, with the garden compound in the background. (JP/Retno K. Djojo)

If you're hungering for a taste of history, art and culture, you will get a good dose in Karangasem regency, in the eastern part of Bali, which is rich in examples of the island's cultural heritage.

Taman Soekasada or "The Water Palace" in Ujung is one of Bali's finest such cultural treasures.

It is, in short, an astounding architectural and cultural jewel not to be missed.

The 12-hectare water palace complex some 5 kilometers south of Amlapura, the capital of Karangasem, is ringed by an ornate fence.

The three big pavilions float on a serene lotus pond, connected by bridges, creating an intriguing and romantic atmosphere.

The palace was designed and constructed under the patronage and protection of Karangasem's last king, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karang Asem, in 1926.

The late ruler, a learned and well-traveled man, modeled Soekasada on the Versailles Palace in France.

It was originally intended as a meeting place and guesthouse for delegates of the Dutch government and dignitaries of other countries visiting tropical Bali.

Serenity: The still waters of a lotus pond in the Soekasada water palace, East Bali, surround one of the pavilions. (JP/Retno K. Djojo)

The wide windows of the pavilions look over the palace waters, testimony to the late ruler's passion for harmonizing nature and art. As a culturalist with an international perspective, he blended traditional motifs with modern materials, and balanced Western-style geometry with a Balinese sense of place and symbolism. To ensure his cultural vision materialized, he personally oversaw work at the construction site.

A visit is memorable: Take in the exotic blend of western and Middle Eastern architectural styles enlivened with intricated Balinese carvings, or stroll under the Middle Eastern flavored archways held up by elegant Italian columns, or pause a moment in a walkway shaded by frangipangi and mango trees.

The highest point in the park affords a marvelous view over the distant Lombok Strait and the lush green hills of Mt. Rinjani in Lombok. The view north is a breathtaking panorama of rice terraces set against the backdrop of the mighty Mt. Agung.

Soekasada sustained severe damage during the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963 and the earthquake in 1975.

Because of the future of Bali's rich art and cultural heritage lies in its past, intensive restoration work was carried out from 2000 to 2004 by members of the Karang Asem court.

Thanks to these efforts, one of Bali's finest examples of its cultural heritage has been saved.