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During one of my early visits to Bali, I found myself a small fan - cooled bar as you do, brought myself a cold beer and settled into a comfy chair ready for whatever the evening would bring. Before long I was introduced to the husband of the owner, a certain Dr Friedrich Demolsky. ‘Fritz’ and I drank, chatted and smoked the night away, meeting and greeting various nationalities of visitor to the bar all enjoying the easy-going mood that a few cold beers on a balmy night on holiday creates. That night saw the start of a friendship that continues to now.

 Bali is a strange, faraway land that some will know as The Island Of The Gods. But is it a tropical paradise so beautiful that all of these Gods choose to live there? Or is it a place where it’s the meeting of ancient, ancestral mythology and a uniquely customised version of Hinduism, practiced almost exclusively on Bali, that provides the home for these Gods? To be honest, it’s probably a bit of both.

 Now don’t worry, I haven’t shaved my head and sit around chanting mantras on top a mountain or anything. And Bali isn’t a doom laden, oppressively religious outback either. Far from it. But behind the tourist trappings of bars, hotels, tour operators and all the rest, the Balinese are carrying on their everyday business quietly. It’s estimated that over 90% of the Balinese practice Bali Hinduism. And you can see a lot of it. From the small rituals and offerings to the Gods at every corner, junction and entrance 3 times a day, to the black and white checked cloth which adorn everything from the carved stone statues to the tablecloth, representing the equal powers of good and evil. There are so many rituals, ceremonies and important dates, all confounded by at least 2 different calendars running concurrently. (The year 2010 only exists there for commerce and, I guess, us tourists).

 

 So you see, it’s all very serious stuff.

But of course, there is a lot of the private lifestyle that the tourist will never see. I doubt if you’ll even hear about some of it.

 

Like the Shamans.

   We have our doctors, pills and all sorts of therapists. Here they have Shamans as well. The conduits between all of these Gods and spirits and the people. The young and old visit them almost as normally as we would go to the doctors. Trance state is normal here. Demons and Gods are normal here. Shamans are normal here. You just don’t get this down the local Boots pharmacy.

 

And this is where my good friend Fritz comes in again. An Austrian national, he was the top appeal judge in Austria in his day. Much traveled, educated and now retired, he collects art, is married to the lovely Ketut, herself from a Balinese Shaman family, and together have a lovely daughter, Wayan Larissa. (Ketut’s bar, where I first met Fritz, is the bar I very nearly managed to buy, for those that know that story). Between them, they hold regular seminars on Bali Shamanism, run an immense website and arrange a variety of treatments, healing sessions and more advanced experiences with their Shamans. This is not your speaking in tongues nonsense, this isn’t your tricks with mirrors magic show in a nice boutique setting, this is the real deal.

  They have had much success over many years with the treatment sessions, as the testimonials in their website will show. Based on the ancient ways of having balance within all things, the philosophy is no mystery. Identifying the imbalances and restoring the harmony, however, does not necessarily mean the need for modern medicine. Balishaman services provide access and introductions to the Balian Uat and the Balian Taksu Shamans. Uat (or Urat) means "channel" and refers to the Chakra and aura of the physical body which must be balanced for good health. Taksu is the name of the spirit contacted by the Shaman during trance which will communicate the problems of the client.

Balishaman is a complete service including all transport, educational talks and knowledge of local and historical customs. As a business, it is well respected, both for it’s professionalism and it’s knowledge. As a family, friendly, hospitable, well-liked and my friends.

 If you are interested in learning more, please visit their website. For those whose German is not up to scratch, there is a Google translation of the site. Fritz and Ketut will be around and they will be only too pleased to chat to you about anything you may want to know.