Cempaka Culture and Tourism: A Pilgrimage to the Root of Islam in Java

"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. …”

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Pilgrimage to the Root of Islam in Java

Jakarta Globe, Wahyuni Kamah, February 16, 2010

The historic and revered Sunan Ampel Mosque sits proudly in vibrant Arab quarter in Surabaya, the capital of East Java.

Sunan Ampel Mosque and the surrounding Arab quarter is a melting pot where spiritualism meets commercialism, cultures merge, and saints and sinners collide.

It is only four kilometers from Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, the busiest port in eastern Indonesia, and situated near what used to be Kalisosok Prison, where the nation’s founding fathers — including President Sukarno — were once detained.

It is considered a less than safe place to travel, known for its rampant pickpockets. Still, hundreds of people flock there every day in buses and cars, all day and long into the night. More come on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, and in the month of Ramadan. Most are pilgrims from across the country who come to visit the mosque and pray by Sunan Ampel’s tomb.

The story of the Sunan Ampel Mosque began in the 15th century when Raden Achmad Rachmatullah traveled from his native land of Champa, Cambodia, to East Java, then ruled by the Majapahit Hindu kingdom. King Brawijaya V of Majapahit granted Rachmatullah a plot of land at Ampel Dento, now Surabaya. In 1421, Rachmatullah built a school and a mosque which grew to become a center for the dissemination of Islam.

He became widely known as Sunan Ampel, and was recognized as one of the nine scholars who spread Islam across the archipelago. When he died in 1481 he was buried in the mosque courtyard, and his tomb has been drawing a steady stream of pilgrims ever since.

Instead of a dome, the mosque has a three-tiered roof that shows strong Javanese architectural influence. Sixteen teak pillars support the 3,000-square-meter mosque.

The five arched gates around the mosque are named after the Javanese words for the five principles of Islam. Paneksen Arch stands for syahadat , the Muslim declaration of belief in the one god and in the Prophet Muhammad. Ngamal Arch represents amal , or charity. Poso Arch represents fasting. Madep Arch symbolizes the five daily prayers, with madep literally meaning to face Mecca, which Muslims must turn toward for their prayers. Munggah Arch, in the complex’s southern corner, stands for hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The mosque is located on Jl. KH Mansyur in the heart of the Arab quarter of the city. A sprawling bazaar with an Arab atmosphere and a pack of pedicabs mark the entrance to the mosque. Middle-Eastern songs blast from music stores while the smell of incense and perfume scents the air.

Restaurants offer Arabic fare, including mung bean curry with roti maryam , a chapati-like flat bread, and coffee brewed with cardamom that you can enjoy while taking a puff from a hookah. Many shops also sell Arabic souvenirs and traditional snacks, like dates, raisins and pistachios.