How we Married and Became Priests in Bali
To put into words what our last weeks have been feels an impossible task, which is why I’ve been so silent.
Following our Intent of spiritual depth on our pilgrimage (or ‘Tirtha Yatra’ in Bali), we came to Mount Batur, an active volcano. As we descended into the doughnut-shaped crater, we could feel the energy as strong, deep, and powerful, almost overwhelming.
We knew we had to find an out-of-the-ordinary guide to instruct us in this place, and we were ourselves guided to visit the region’s high priest. He sent us with his nephew to visit the directional temples in the crater, one of them inaccessible even to villagers, but with his permission, we could enter these holy places.
On that journey, we received a clear intuition that we would become Priests, or ‘Jero Mangku’ in Bali. Here, married couples become priests together to balance the energies. It felt too presumptuous even to believe it, but I had already seen myself in the typical white clothes in clear dreams before, so it felt somehow undeniable.
I wouldn’t have dared to share this with the high priest, but his nephew, who had serendipitously asked us about this just after we received the intuition, encouraged us to do so. And so, late at night, it must have been after midnight, I told the high priest about my dreams, and we shared what we received at the temples.
I expected him to describe a long process for us to become priests, one that would take years. Instead, he shared that this must be the will of the universe now and that he sees the light for this in us.
I heard before that couples would need to be married before becoming priests, so I shared with him that we weren’t married yet. It had been our intention to get married for some time, and we had quietly been dreaming about how to do this. I remember even asking for guidance from the universe.
Well, here it was. His wife, the high priestess, said we could get married on the same day as becoming priests… and that the best day for this was in 25 days…
We were speechless. We both knew this was it, but didn’t dare to say it, yet.
The next day, I proposed to her on the slopes of the volcano. She said yes. We were glowing on the way down. Our dreams were coming to fruition.
A countdown of 25 days began. I first asked my parents, and then her parents, for their blessing, rings were found, and our love was deepened.
I even changed my name. Fritz, as per the Balinese system, was not suitable with Angelica. So I used my second name, Hendrik, for the ceremony.
On March 25, we became Jero Mangku Hendrik and Jero Mangku Angelica.
Now we’re studying day and night to fulfill our new duties. As servants of the community, here and at home, our responsibility is to help people connect with the universe. We will conduct sacred ceremonies for purification and life transitions, and offer direct, spiritual support to all those in need. More about this soon.
In love,
Fritz Hendrik (Lensch)
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