Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Balinese take on `ngayah' jobs

"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. …”

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Balinese take on `ngayah' jobs

Ni Komang Erviani, THE JAKARTA POST, ARANGASEM | Sat, 03/21/2009 2:23 PM

It was still early morning on Friday when Ni Luh Putu Sriyani left her house in Kerobokan village, Badung regency, to got to work at a private hospital on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Denpasar.

But unlike the other days, Sriyani was wearing a traditional kebaya blouse and carried a small traditional knife in her purse.

Working together: Balinese Hindus perform the Ngayah (voluntary duty) Friday to prepare for the Panca Wali Krama festival, at Besakih Temple in Karangasem. The Ngayah is a Balinese tradition to prepare for traditional and religious events. (JP/Ni Komang Erviani)

Together with her colleagues, Sriyani headed to Besakih temple, the largest in Bali, located in Karangasem regency.

The temple - located on the foothill of Mt. Agung, the highest mountain in Bali - was already busy with preparations for the once-in-a-decade Panca Wali Krama ritual, which will be held April 9, coinciding with voting day for the legislative elections.

Sriyani and her friends are performing ngayah to help prepare for the rare festival.

Ngayah or ngaturang ayah could be described as the practice of voluntarily working together for a customary or religious event. It is part Balinese societies strong sense of tradition.

Each person performs a voluntary duty according to his or her ability.

Sriyani decided to contribute her majejahitan skills and created various ceremonial objects from janur, or young coconut leaves.

Her co-worker Eka Wardani meanwhile brought a long a sapu lidi (broom made of coconut leaf bones) to sweep the pura yard.

For them taking part in preparing for Panca Wali Krama is a source of pride.

"I'm glad that I can help," Sriyani quipped.

While Eka said she was happy to help, "although I could not do much," she added modestly.

Hundreds of other Balinese Hindu contributed what they could on Friday to prepare for the festival, which will reach its peak on March 25 and April 9.

Organizing Committee Chairman I Wayan Gunatra said between 500 and 700 people from various parts of Bali had been coming to the temple everyday since Feb. 13.

"During weekends the volunteers can easily reach thousands of people," he said.

Devotees not only contribute their skills but also what they can materially. The committee has received cash and goods worth a total of Rp 347 million (US$29,500) as of Friday.

Meanwhile, the Bali provincial administration has allocated some Rp 1.6 billion for a series of ceremonies which will end on April 24.

Gunatra, who is also the bendesa (customary leader) for Besakih, said volunteers had helped the committee a great deal, as carrying out all of its duties on its own would be impossible.

Panca Wali Krama, a ceremony believed to be able to cleanse the universe from all negative forces, requires massive amounts of ceremony paraphernalia in the form of flowers, janur, bamboo and other crops.

"The ngayah voluntary duty symbolizes a human's devotion to the Almighty One as well as ensures the ceremony's success," Gunatra said.