Since the international success with the book, Eat, Pray, Love where author, Elizabeth Gilbert ends her spiritual journey on the island, Bali has become a paradise for spiritual seekers. Spiritual tourism is on the rise around the globe, with people traveling to faraway destinations for yoga retreats, wellness centers form of hosting healing, and to discover a deeper link to life. With over twenty thousand temples and shrines dotting the roadsides in both the city and country and yoga and retreat centers throughout the land, Bali draws a lot more these adventurers.
On the way to Ubud, one of the main spiritual tourism centers, an enormous statue of Krishna accompanied by Arjuna pays tribute to the Indian spiritual text, the Bhagavad Gita. Buddhist statues, ancient fertility temples as well as a mosque along the way also reveal the islanders' spiritual beliefs along with their openness to many traditions. Though a lot of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali's spiritual influences come mainly from Indian Hindu practices and Java and mix with the island's animism which views all of nature, and all beings as divine. This deep reverence of nature which permeates the culture, inspires artists, painters, seekers and tourists and has gained it the name, "Island from the Gods."
Australian mandala artist, Christine Rainbird moved to Bali for that inspiration. "The deeply rich spiritual energy of Bali, its gentle people, majestic mountains, peaceful rice fields and cultural ceremonies have got all lured me to retreat here many times during my own spiritual journey," she says.
Spiritual rituals and traditions permeate the culture as well as the most evident is through the offerings which appear daily. These canang sari offerings are made on the temples in hotel courtyards, with the thresholds of shops, in houses possibly at work. Throughout the day, women sit inside shop doorways preparing the small baskets and local markets sell frangipani and exotic flowers to fill them.
Certainly one of my favorite places in the world is Fivelements Puri Ahimsa, a retreat near Ubu. it practices Balinese principles of Tri Hita Karana means balancing life through honoring God, people and nature. The principles are interwoven into all facets of this site, from its healing arts on the nurturing foods and the spectacular architecture where the lodgings are made of local grass, bamboo and recycled wood. Fivelements is often a member of the "Healing Hotels on the planet," a designation which defines hotels where guests "become whole again in body, mind and soul, freeing the crooks to enjoy the sacredness and abundance of life," according to the organization.
In this privileged setting by way of a rushing river, a sacred circle of stones marks the healing energy center on this property which was consecrated by a local priest. Janur Yasa, the Sacred Arts and Guest Liason with the resort, uses a metal rod as an example the powerful energetic field with the sacred circle. As he walks around it, the rod continually points inward toward the guts, pulled naturally by the energetic fields. He supplies the rod to other guests to try to they repeat the experience by themselves.
He describes the Agni Hotra ritual, a fireplace ceremony performed by a local priest for the reason at fivelements. An ancient Vedic practice of purification, agni means fire and hotra means healing. The priest chants Vedic mantras and verses in Sanskrit and makes ritual offerings of rice and ghee towards the fire. The ritual promotes healing, purification and abundance for the individuals who participate as well as for those who work in the surrounding environment and worldwide.
"Every indigenous culture that practices ceremony has a lot wisdom and power," Janur says. "Modern society can be helped by it. In Western culture we just forget about ritual because of the demands wear us and we lose touch with ourselves. Indigenous culture attempts to balance life between spiritual and non-spiritual. That's why a lot of people who come to Bali for that rituals feel differently. They feel the calm."
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Beside this specific lovely non secular place, on earth exist equivalent but significantly less known areas which are faith based. One of the most visited spiritual invest Europe can be Medjugorje in Bosnia and also Herzegovina where you can find excellent Medjugorje lodging .
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