"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. …”
Despite being a Muslim-majority nation, many Indonesians are happy to take part in Christmas festivities regardless of their religion -- although conservative Islamic groups frequently target public displays (AFP Photo/ADEK BERRY)
Jakarta
(AFP) - Muslim-majority Indonesia will deploy nearly 200,000 security personnel
nationwide ahead of Christmas to guard against potential terror attacks, police
said Tuesday.
The
Southeast Asian archipelago of 260 million has significant numbers of
Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who have been targeted by radical Islamist
groups.
On Tuesday,
authorities said some 192,000 police and military personnel would be deployed
to secure Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations across the country --
including in easternmost Papua, a predominantly Christian region.
The
deployment, which comes after a recent spate of attacks, is more than the
167,000 personnel deployed last year.
"As
many as 10,000 personnel will be deployed in Jakarta" alone, said National
Police spokesman Argo Yuwono
"Based
on intelligence data, there are potential risks... so we're taking preventive
measures but we are also ready to take proactive action," he added.
Many past
attacks in Indonesia, which has dozens of groups loyal to Islamic State's
violent ideology, have been against police and other state symbols.
In October
Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered beefed-up security after two militants
from an IS-linked terror group stabbed his chief security minister. He survived
the assassination attempt.
Last month
a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police station in Sumatra, killing
himself and wounding six civilians.
Hundreds of
suspects were rounded up after the attacks, which came more than a year after a
suicide bomber family killed a dozen congregants in attacks at churches in
Indonesia's second-biggest city, Surabaya.
On Tuesday
the country's new chief security minister Mahfud said high security was also
meant to ensure Christian communities could celebrate Christmas without being
targeted by groups keen to disrupt the festivities.
"We
need to anticipate as early as possible things like intolerant incidents and
burning down houses of worship," the minister, who goes by one name, told
reporters.
Conservative
Muslim groups frequently raid shopping malls and other public places to protest
against Christmas displays or seasonal attire worn by Muslim employees.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation of more than 250 million people, is home to a vibrant art scene but lacks high-quality museums (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)
Jakarta
(AFP) - Indonesia's first international gallery of contemporary art opens
Saturday, bringing together works by Ai Weiwei, Mark Rothko and Indonesian
masters in a freeflowing modern space overlooking the Jakarta skyline.
The Museum
of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) holds nearly 800
paintings and sculptures, and aims to provide a world-class gallery to a
country starved of quality museum infrastructure.
The
collection, mostly acquired by businessman Haryanto Adikoesoemo over the past
25 years, is showcased in an airy 4,000 square metre space on the fifth floor
of a city tower.
Indonesia,
a sprawling archipelago nation of more than 250 million people, is home to a
vibrant art scene but lacks high-quality museums.
"What
we are offering is something very different to what already exists in
Indonesia. We are one of kind in a sense of our international and national
focus," museum director Aaron Seeto told AFP.
The opening
underlines growing interest in Southeast Asian art and comes amid a number of
high-profile gallery launches this year outside of Europe and North America.
Cape Town’s
Zeitz MOCAA opened in September and the Louvre Abu Dhabi is set to open this
month.
Seeto said
Museum MACAN is uniquely positioned to boost the profile of Southeast Asian
art.
"We
really want to encourage cultural exchange, but also working relationships with
other museums around the world."
Around half
the museum's collection is Indonesian, and the remainder takes in international
works including paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Willem de Kooning, and
sculptures by Yayoi Kusama and Damien Hirst.
Designed by
London’s MET Studio, the museum will also feature conservation and education
spaces, which Seeto hopes will help boost the appreciation of art within
Indonesia.
The museum
occupies an airy 4,000 square metre space on the fifth floor of
a city tower
(AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)
Civic
role
The
gallery's inaugural exhibition "Art Turns. World Turns" features 90
pieces from Indonesian and international artists.
Works by
Raden Saleh, the founder of modern Indonesian painting, hang alongside pop
artist Andy Warhol and Chinese realist Luo Zhongli.
Several
pieces tackle issues pertinent to current political debate in Indonesia.
FX Harsono
weighs in on the treatment of ethnic-Chinese minorities in his painting
"Wipe Out #1", while Balinese artist Dewa Ngakan Made Ardana
addresses Indonesia’s 1960s anti-communist massacres in "A Father is
Trying to Collect the Memories of His Family".
Arahmaiani
Feisal’s painting "Lingga-Yoni", meanwhile, is being displayed for
the first time since she was forced to flee Indonesia in the 1990s.
The
painting, which overlays Hindu iconography of male and female genitalia on
Arabic script, infuriated Islamic hardliners who threatened to kill her.
Seeto said
the piece was an important acquisition for the museum and highlights the future
role it can play in fostering discussion.
"Even
though we are a private museum we very much consider that what we do occurs
within the public sphere," he said.
Balinese Hindus offer prayers to calm Mount Agung, a volcano that is threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years pic.twitter.com/rEbLW9v8ba
Balinese Hindus walk along a beach during Melasti, a purification ceremony ahead of the holy day of Nyepi, in Gianyar, Bali, on March 25, 2017. (Reuters Photo/Agung Parameswara)
Jakarta.
Travel app and website TripAdvisor crowned Bali as the "World’s Best
Destination in 2017," the first place in Asia to top its "Top 10
Travelers’ Choice Destinations" list.
TripAdvisor's
head of destination marketing for Asia Pacific Sarah Mathews handed the award
to Bali governor's economic and development assistant Dewa Putu Sunartha in a
ceremony at the Seminyak Beach Resort and Spa in Bali on Thursday (20/04).
The
Ministry of Tourism's resources development deputy Gede Pitana, who attended
the ceremony, said,"This award should attract even more tourists to Bali
and Indonesia. We expect 20 million foreign tourists in 2019."
Mathews
said the award was based on ratings and reviews written by travelers on the
TripAdvisor website. Bali was on top of a list of 419 outstanding tourist
destinations across the globe.
"Bali
offers the best experiences in food, culture and ecotourism. We want to share
them to the rest of the world," Mathews said.
Bali beat
London in second place and Paris in third to top the list.
TripAdvisor
also declared Ritz Carlton Reserve's Mandapa Resort in Ubud, Bali, as the
second best hotel in the world after Aria Hotel in Budapest, Hungary.
Bali's Nusa
Dua Beach was also declared one of Asia's Top 25 Beaches in TripAdvisor's 2017
Travelers' Choice list.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz (L) held talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) in Bogor, West Java, on March 1, 2017
Indonesia
and Saudi Arabia Wednesday signed agreements in areas ranging from trade to
aviation as the kingdom's monarch visited the world's most populous
Muslim-majority country for the first time in almost half a century.
King Salman
was treated to an elaborate official welcome as he arrived in Jakarta, his
latest stop on an Asian tour seeking investment opportunities, at the head of a
1,000-strong delegation including princes and ministers.
After
disembarking from his plane, he was met by President Joko Widodo before
travelling past cheering crowds in pouring rain to a presidential palace at
Bogor south of Jakarta, where he was greeted by a marching band, a mounted
honour guard and a 21-gun salute.
Almost 460
tons of equipment have been flown in for the visit, including limousines and
escalators.
Preparations
have been elaborate. Naked statues at the Bogor palace were covered up before
Salman's arrival. Some 150 chefs have reportedly been hired to cook for the
king's party and a VIP toilet has been constructed at a mosque he will visit.
Widodo hailed
the "historic" visit, adding: "As the country with the biggest
Muslim population in the world, Indonesia will always have a special bond with
Saudi Arabia."
The leaders
oversaw the signing of 11 cooperation memoranda following Wednesday's talks at
the Bogor palace. Apart from trade and aviation, they included agreements on
boosting cooperation in science, health and fighting crime.
Indonesia's
President Joko Widodo (centre L) welcomes Saudi Arabia's King
Salman bin Abdul
Aziz (centre R) at Halim airport in Jakarta on March 1, 2017
Jakarta and
Riyadh also inked an agreement that builds on an existing $6 billion deal
between state-owned energy firms Aramco and Pertamina to expand an Indonesian
oil refinery.
Salman, 81,
said he hoped the visit would "contribute to the improvement of the
bilateral relationship between our two countries".
The visit
-- the first by a Saudi Arabian king to Indonesia for 47 years -- is one of the
highlights of a rare Saudi royal tour of Asia, a region seeking investment as
the world's biggest oil exporter tries to diversify its economy.
After the
three-day visit to Jakarta, Salman and his entourage will head to the Hindu-majority
resort island of Bali for a holiday, where they will reportedly stay in five
luxury hotels.
On Thursday
the king is due to give a speech to parliament and visit a major Jakarta
mosque. He is also due to meet leaders of some of Indonesia's major Muslim
organisations during the trip.
Salman
began his three-week Asian tour in Malaysia earlier this week and is also set
to visit Japan, China and the Maldives.
Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi (C) participates in a mass yoga session
along with other
yoga practitioners to mark International Yoga Day on Rajpath
Avenue in New
Delhi on June 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Prakash Singh)
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi Sunday hailed the first International Yoga Day as a
"new era of peace", moments before he surprised thousands in New
Delhi by taking to a mat himself to celebrate the ancient Indian practice.
Yoga-loving
Modi led more than 35,000 people, including bureaucrats, students and soldiers,
performing poses such as the half camel and cobra in a 35-minute mass outdoor
yoga session beginning at 7:00 am (0130 GMT) on a New Delhi boulevard.
Organisers
are hoping the event qualifies for the Guinness Book of World Records for the
largest yoga class at a single venue.
People take
part in a mass yoga session
to mark International Yoga Day on
Rajpath in New
Delhi on June 21, 2015
(AFP Photo/Prakash Singh)
The current
title, according to the Guinness website, was set by 29,973 students in
Gwalior, India, in 2005.
"Yoga
is more than only physical fitness. We are not only celebrating a day but we
are training the human mind to begin a new era of peace," Modi told the
crowd at Rajpath avenue.
He thanked
the United Nations and the 177 co-sponsoring countries for adopting his idea
for a world Yoga Day.
"This
is a programme for human welfare, a tension-free world and a programme to
spread the message of love, peace and goodwill," said the premier, wearing
a crisp white outfit with a national tricolour scarf.
Modi then
surprised the crowds by leaving the stage, removing his glasses, and securing a
spot at the front of the massive session to mirror the stretches, breathing,
and meditative moves beamed on giant screens along the historic avenue.
He took a
brief break in the middle of the session to walk around and inspect students
doing yoga around him before rejoining the routine of 15 different poses,
including the crocodile and "wind-releasing" posture.
The prime
minister, who credits yoga for his ability to work long hours on little sleep,
had been scheduled only to make a speech at Rajpath, where colourful mats were
lined across the stretch that connects the president's palace with the iconic
India Gate monument.
Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) gives instructions as yoga practitioners
take
part in a mass yoga session to mark International Yoga Day on Rajpath in
New
Delhi on June 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Prakash Singh)
Sea of
white
Aerial
images taken near dawn showed Rajpath, or King's Avenue, as a sea of white with
scores of people, clad in new Yoga Day T-shirts, bending and stretching in sync
with the English and Hindi instructions to a background score of Indian
classical music being played over loudspeakers.
Central
Delhi was sealed off and carpeted, with dozens of metal detectors and multiple
checkpoints erected for the big day that saw other VIPs including Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal participate.
People in
650 districts joined in, with pictures pouring in on Twitter from across the
country.
Some showed
soldiers performing various yoga poses -- or asanas -- against a backdrop of
soaring snow mountains at Siachen glacier, the world's highest battleground, in
disputed Indian Kashmir while others showed residents stretching it out in
local parks.
India will
be joined by yoga enthusiasts in 192 other countries -- including in Britain,
where mats will be rolled out along the banks of the River Thames.
Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (front L) participates in a mass yoga
session
along with other yoga practitioners to mark International Yoga Day on
Rajpath
in New Delhi on June 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Prakash Singh)
In his
maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Modi proposed to
dedicate a day devoted to the ancient Indian discipline, prompting the UN to
proclaim June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
Indian
scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaeological evidence
of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the
ancient Hindu scriptures of the Vedas.
And Modi, a
vegetarian who practises the art daily, has made Yoga Day a key initiative of
his Hindu nationalist government since he took office 13 months ago.
He wants to
reclaim yoga as an historical part of Indian culture which has been lost to the
West, where it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Since
storming to power, the Hindu nationalist premier has set up a ministry
dedicated to promoting yoga and other traditional Indian treatments, and also
started free yoga classes for his government's three million bureaucrats and
their families.
"Yoga
is the soft power of India and through that soft power the whole world can be
one global village... (and) violence can be removed with this kind of
peace," Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has told reporters.
Guinness
World Recocrds Representative Marco Frigatti (2nd L) speaks with a
yoga
practitioner as attendees prepare to participate in a mass yoga session to
mark
International Yoga Day on Rajpath Avenue in New Delhi on June 21, 2015
(AFP
Photo/Prakash Singh)
Swaraj is
at the UN's headquarters in New York for Yoga Day, when scores are expected to
strike a pose in Times Square.
But the
government's push for "yoga for harmony and peace" met with criticism
in the run-up to Sunday, with some religious minorities accusing Modi of
pushing a pro-Hindu agenda in officially secular India.
A few
Muslim groups have complained that chanting the sacred Hindu sound of
"Om" during yoga and certain poses, such as "surya
namaskar" or sun salutation, have clear Hindu overtones and were against
Islam.
UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon(C) takes part in a special event celebrating
the first
International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2015 at UN headquarters in
"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)
“. New Tolerance Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being. Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."
The Kumari,
considered a living goddess, attends festivities on the last day of
the 2014
Rato Machindranath chariot festival on the outskirts of Kathmandu (AFP
Photo/Prakash Mathema)
When a
devastating quake hit Nepal last week, a nine-year-old girl worshipped as a
living goddess was preparing to receive devotees at her home in the heart of
Kathmandu's Durbar Square.
As the
earth shook, the ancient temples and statues that packed the square collapsed,
sending a massive cloud of rubble and dust into the air. But the home of the
living goddess, or Kumari, escaped with just a few cracks.
"She
protected us," said Durga Shakya, the 55-year-old caretaker of the Kumari
house, who like all her entourage is from the Newar community indigenous to the
Kathmandu valley.
More than
6,621 people were killed by
the massive eathquake which devastated
Kathmandu's
Durbar Square, a UNESCO
world heritage site damaged by the
earthquake in
Kathmandu (AFP Photo/
Matthieu Alexandre)
"Look
around, the Kumari home is intact. There is a little crack on the other side,
but otherwise nothing has happened," she told AFP in Kathmandu.
"Even
inside, nothing has fallen down, everything is fine."
The Kumari,
a pre-pubescent Newar girl, lives in isolation in her small palace and emerges
only on feast days when she is paraded through Kathmandu in ceremonial dress.
The popular
tradition combines elements of Hinduism and Buddhism and selection criteria are
strict.
Priests say
that to become a Kumari, a girl must have a number of specific physical
attributes including an unblemished body, a chest like a lion and thighs like a
deer.
Even if
they fulfil all the physical requirements, aspiring Kumaris must then prove
their bravery by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.
'Fearless
goddess'
Kamal Tara
Shakya, a 48-year-old Newar woman who looks after the young girl in her palace,
said she appeared unafraid when the quake hit.
"I was
in the kitchen, after the quake struck I ran towards her, it (the house) was
shaking so badly," Shakya told AFP.
"I
took her on my lap. All of us huddled around her and prayed. She didn't say
anything. She didn't seem scared."
Once the
shaking subsided, Shakya took the young girl to the courtyard of the house
where they have remained ever since for fear of aftershocks causing further
destruction.
A Hindu
devotee offers prayers in front of a statue of Hindu diety Kaal Bhairab
in the
Durbar Square neighbourhood of Kathmandu, on May 2, 2015 (AFP Photo/
Roberto
Schmidt)
When AFP
visited the house early on Saturday a priest was performing a blessing in the
courtyard as staff chopped vegetables in the corner.
Mattresses
and blankets lay on the floor, but the house appeared intact.
"I
believe in her, she has protected us," said Anupa Shrestha, a 28-year-old
housewife who had come to pay her respects.
"It is
amazing to see the house okay, it shows her power... I was hoping to catch a
glimpse of her, but I was very happy that her house is not damaged."
Durga
Shakya believes the quake was a punishment from the gods, and that the Kumari
knew it was coming.
"We
will have to do an apology puja (blessing), she said.
"This
has happened because people have disrespected the gods. This is a religious
site, but people were holding all sorts of concerts and gatherings here. They
should have been more respectful."
Appeals
court upholds ruling against lawsuit brought by family who claimed yoga
promoted Hinduism and inhibited Christianity
The Guardian, Associated Press, Saturday 4 April 2015
A yoga class in Encinitas, California. Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
Yoga taught
in a public school is not a gateway to Hinduism and does not violate the
religious rights of students or their parents, a California appeals court has
ruled.
An appeal
court in San Diego upheld a lower court ruling that tossed out a family’s
lawsuit that tried to block Encinitas Union school district from teaching yoga
as an alternative to traditional gym classes.
“While the
practice of yoga may be religious in some contexts, yoga classes as taught in
the district are, as the trial court determined, ‘devoid of any religious,
mystical, or spiritual trappings,’” the court wrote in a 3-0 opinion.
Stephen and
Jennifer Sedlock and their two children had brought the lawsuit claiming yoga
promoted Hinduism and inhibited Christianity. They were disappointed with the
ruling and considering their options.
“No other
court in the past 50 years has allowed public school officials to lead children
in formal religious rituals like the Hindu liturgy of praying to, bowing to,
and worshipping the sun god,” attorney Dean Broyles said in a statement.
Paul V
Carelli IV, a lawyer for the district, said there were no rituals occurring in
the classroom and no one was worshipping the sun or leading Hindu rites. The
district said the practice was taught in a secular way to promote strength,
flexibility and balance.
Yoga is now
taught at schools across the US, but the district is believed to be the first
with full-time yoga teachers at all schools.
A
three-year grant from the KP Jois Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes
Ashtanga yoga, provides twice-weekly, 30-minute classes to the district’s 5,600
students.
About 30
families opted out of the classes begun in 2011.
Pope
Francis and other religious leaders at the Vatican. Photograph: AP
"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)
“. New Tolerance
Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.
Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."
The artist Made Bayak wants to raise awareness about the unsustainable use of plastic in Bali, through his project to build an ogoh-ogoh for Nyepi the traditional way. (JG Photos/Nadia Bintoro)
As Hindus
in Bali prepare to mark the sacred day of Nyepi, or the Day of Silence, that falls this Saturday, myriad
spooky-looking monster effigies, known as ogoh-ogoh, have begun popping up in villages across the island.
Nyepi marks
the start of the New Year in the Balinese Saka calendar, and as such is the
most important religious celebration for the island’s Balinese faithful. The
celebrations leading up to the day begin with the purification ceremony of
Melasti, which takes place three to four days before in a temple by the sea,
culminating on the eve of Nyepi with the burning of the ogoh-ogoh.
A
representation of evil spirits, ogoh-ogoh are larger-than-life effigies of
demons, symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. During the Bhuta
Yajna ritual, on the night before Nyepi, the ogoh-ogoh are paraded around each
village and then set alight, in a symbolic act of vanquishing all negative
elements and restoring the balance between the gods, mankind and nature.
It
represents a total cleansing before welcoming Nyepi, a day reserved for
self-reflection, when all activities that may hinder such purpose are
prohibited. As such, there is no lighting of fires, no working, no
entertainment activities and no traveling during Nyepi, with Bali’s airport shut
down for the day.
In the
past, ogoh-ogoh were made from bamboo and paper. In recent years, though, the
artisans who make them have increasingly turned to the more pliable medium of
Styrofoam — a choice of convenience, but one that goes against the meaning of
Nyepi as a day for getting back in balance with nature.
Local
artist Made Bayak is leading a small revolution to take the ogoh-ogoh back to
its environmentally conscious roots. He does this by constructing his ogoh-ogoh
from plastic waste, to symbolize the true evils that have engulfed the resort
island in recent years.
An
artist-cum-environmental activist, Bayak hails from Banjar Sakih ward in
Gianyar district, and studied at the Indonesia Institute of Arts in Denpasar.
In his
third year there he began experimenting with art using plastic as his medium.
He went on to exhibit the resulting works in a show titled “Plastiliticum,” an
indictment of the “age of plastic” in which he says mankind has mired itself.
“I believe
that after the megalithic and paleolithic, mankind is entering the new era of
Plastiliticum,” Bayak says.
“If we
continue consuming plastics like we do, archaeologists in the future will only
dig up plastic as the remnants of our civilization.”
Bayak’s
“Plastiliticum” expanded over the years and is now a project titled
“Plasticology,” which the artist has been working on for the past five years.
The project
has yielded numerous works of art, from paintings to statues, that employ
plastic waste and other castoffs that Bayak collected himself from landfills.
To mark
Nyepi this year, Bayak is challenging himself to extend the “Plasticology”
theme by incorporating an important cultural celebration into his art to create
an even bigger momentum in his push for greater awareness.
“Creating this ogoh-ogoh along the youngsters
in my village is my way of campaigning against the trend of making ogoh-ogoh
using Styrofoam,” he says.
“It is also
a way of educating the youngsters on the dangers of Styrofoam, which releases a
toxic smoke when it burns. Even during the sculpting process, the fine Syrofoam
grains can be very dangerous if inhaled by the artists.”
Through his
ogoh-ogoh, Bayak is also declaring war on the culture of instant gratification
that pervades life in Bali in the contemporary age.
“It seems
everybody in Bali nowadays is so caught up with the instant lifestyle. They
want everything to come quick and easy, and forget about the real essence of
the making of ogoh-ogoh,” he says.
“Ogoh-ogoh
is essentially a symbol of Bhutakala or the bad traits that people possess.
During the Tawur Kesanga ceremony on the night before Nyepi, when people burn
the ogoh-ogoh, there’s a term, ‘nyomia,’ which is about turning the traits of
Bhutakala into God’s traits.
“So it’s
about salvation and how to make something that’s bad good again. This is what I
want to achieve with the use of plastic waste in making this ogoh-ogoh. It’s
recycling through culture, as I believe Styrofoam and plastic are just another
form of the evil Bhutakala.”
With the
help of his four nephews and local youths, Bayak is rushing to finish his
ogoh-ogoh before Nyepi. The frame is constructed out of bamboo, the body will
be padded out with papier-mache using old newspapers, while plastic waste will
be used for the outer embellishments and for adding color.
“The
challenge was to find the right plastic rubbish to create the artistic coloring
that I envision for the surface. I had to visit a lot of landfills in Bali to
dig up these treasures,” Bayak says.
He says he
hopes this practice of re-using plastic waste will catch on among the people
who turn out to watch the ogoh-ogoh parade and the subsequent burning tonight.
Bayak also
continues to hold regular exhibitions of plastic-waste art, as well as
workshops for local schools and communities, where he teaches children how to
make dolls and paintings using plastic waste.
“These projects are all still self-financed,
but I believe art is a useful and effective method to raise awareness of this issue,
especially among the kids. It’s important to plant the seeds of reuse and
recycle in these little minds,” Bayak says.
Ratu Boko is the locals’ best-kept secret for sunset and sunrise viewing in the tourist spots surrounding Yogyakarta. The complex offers a wealth of history. (JG Photo/Wahyuni Kamah)
When the
chief executive of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, visited Indonesia October last
year, he went to Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta to watch the sunrise.
Following
the tycoon’s lead I asked, where is the best site to view the sunrise? “Ratu
Boko,” answered Ari, my Yogyakarta driver.
Out of
curiosity, I asked Ari to take me to the site one afternoon to catch the
sunset. Ratu Boko is about 18 kilometers to the east of Yogyakarta, situated at
the top of a 196-meter-high hill.
The road to
reach the site curves with sharp turns.
“It’s challenging
for a big bus to pass this road,” said Ari. During the hot season all I could
see from the road was the villagers’ huts on bare soil. “Water is scarce in
this area during hot season,” Ari said.
The Ratu
Boko complex is located across two villages, Sambirejo and Bokoharjo, in
Prambanan, Sleman district, Yogyakarta.
As I
approached the complex a number of visitors were taking selfies by the
entrance. A number of people carried professional cameras to capture the
sunset.
The Ratu
Boko site’s location on the hilltop offers gorgeous surrounding scenery: the
Prambanan Temple to the north with Mount Merapi in the background and villages
in the area. Indeed a good spot for photos.
The complex
has three levels, or terraces. On the first terrace, no ruins remain but the
rock wall supporting the second terrace, several steps above.
A 3.5-meter
wall of andesite rock divides the second and third terrace. A small tunnel
which may have been a moat also marks the division. To the south, I could see
scattered rocks of on-going archaeological works.
A few
meters from one of the many second terrace entrances lies the small Temple of
White Stones. Stepping to the second entrance, I reached the square in the
center of Ratu Boko site.
The breeze
blew softly. Before the dusk it generated a sense of quietness and serenity.
The path leading to Ratu boko. (JG Photo/Wahyuni Kamah)
Setting it
aside from other ancient buildings in Central Java which are mostly temples and
for religious purposes, this complex suggests it had once been a grand
residence.
It is still
not clear what Ratu Boko once was. Only archaeological evidence like
inscriptions and artefacts can help to reveal its history.
According
to the evidence, Ratu Boko is an ancient archaeological site that has both
Hindu and Buddhist influences.
As written
in the ancient Abhayagiri vihara inscription dated 792 CE discovered in the
Ratu Boko complex, the site was originally built as a place for seclusion and
spiritual tranquility, a monastery for the monks.
Remains of
Buddhist stupas (structures containing relics, including the remains of monks)
were also found on the site.
Other
inscriptions told that the complex had then become a residential palace of
Hindu ruler Rakai Walaing Pu Kumbayoni, a descendant of the Sailendra dynasty,
beginning in the ninth century.
Some
ceramics from the dynasties of China, including Ming (from the 14th to 17th
centuries) and Sung (stretching from the 11th to 13th centuries) were also
discovered.
In 1915,
F.D.K. Bosch, a Dutch archaeologist, named the ruins “Kraton van Ratoe Boko.”
The excavation of the complex begun in 1938 and continues.
Sunset at Ratu Boko. (JG Photo/ Wahyuni Kamah)
I stood for
a while enjoying the spectacular panorama from the hilltop. When I looked up at
the sky, I thought it a matter of luck to be able to catch the sunset as the
cloud started to cover the sun.
The signage
in the square pointed to the pendopo in the southeast which I would’ve liked to
explore. However, on-going archaeological works left some scattered rocks
making it too difficult. As the sunset approached, my best option was to follow
the sign pointing towards the best view.
There are
steps leading to the platform. On top is a small open house for visitors to
view the surrounding scenery or to meditate. From there, I could see Prambanan
temple in the distance.
At dusk, I
was almost face to face with the sunset when the cloud unfortunately started to
hide it.
Despite
failing to catch the sunset it was a nice experience to be in the Ratu Boko
complex — named after the local legend Roro Jonggrang.
According
to the legend, it was the palace of Ratu Boko (literally “king of stork”), the
king of Boko, who had a daughter named Roro Jonggrang.
The legend
Roro Jonggrang also explains the origin of Prambanan complex.
With its
mysterious background, Ratu Boko site is indeed attractive; the atmosphere,
surroundings, ruins, the peacefulness and mystique are something not to be
missed.
On the way
out of the complex, I stopped by the Plaza Andrawina. This is the best spot to
get a breathtaking view of the valley, part of Yogyakarta and different angles
of Prambanan Temple and Mount Merapi in the distance.
