First impressions of Bali
Spirit is deep in the Earth
We arrived in Bali, and I felt from the moment we landed: This land invites, or even demands, purification. Spirit is deep in the Earth here, not as in Nepal, where I’ve felt Spirit is high in the sky.
What I mean by Spirit deep in the Earth is the call to be honest and face myself, to break down ideas and mental images into fertile soil for action. Discovering the realm of the unconscious and composting old beliefs and patterns.
In contrast, Spirit high in the Sky, in my experience from guiding groups in the Himalayas over the last years, inspires insight, provokes new perspectives, and shifts our worldview. It’s more wide-angled, world-facing, where Earth is more grounded in the practicality of the consciousness we face day to day.
I can already feel Bali calling for this grounded, Earth-centred honesty. Seeing the mess that our mind creates, so that it can be cleared up to face what’s in front.
I’m all up for this and asked in meditation this morning, purification, yes, but of what? The answer I received is this:
Attachment.
Not the purification of mysterious ‘negative energies’ that are hard to relate to in day-to-day life, but purifying our many attachments, so we can live more freely.
Attachment to Past: purify imprints from past experiences, family dynamics, and behavioural patterns by seeing and uncovering the unconscious.
Attachment to Future: purify desires and the fear of not fulfilling them by releasing our ideas of success based on the culture and expectations we were brought up in, and being totally available to the present.
Attachment to present: purify thoughts of how things should be right now by opening to and receiving what’s in front.
Over the coming days and weeks, I intend to notice attachments. Before coming back to edit this article, we were in a situation where we had given the taxi driver 10 times what we were owed due to my misunderstanding of the currency. I was angry, yet delighted to spot attachment in action.
May this driver delight his family! May we purify our attachments to be more free!