Day 7 of 11: Ida High Priestess & the Hindu Mafia

- February 02, 2017

Yes...that says 11. I realized that the detox is actually 11 days, 10 nights.

*NOTE: This entry is mostly images, so if you don't see them in your email, go here.

Today was a big day. I didn't get much sleep last night due to the pounding rain on my roof, but I got up early for another Campuhan Ridge Walk. This time, it was a bit more wet. Just a bit.

Flash Flood Rains

Group shot for the morning walk.

Bali dude.

Papaya Tree

After our hour long, flash flood, rain storm of a walk, it was time to see Ida. Ida is a the youngest High Priestess in Indonesia. You can read her story here.

Today, for the third time in my life, I had a water purification ceremony from Ida. Each experience has truly been it's own. She is such a beautiful human. I always feel the biggest release after the ceremony, and today felt spectacular. The biggest difference about this experience was what happened during the 40 minutes of meditation before the water pouring started.

We sat on our meditation pillows while Ida sang the prayers and song. She blessed the water, while we meditated with her. About 10 minutes in, three of the holiest looking old dudes walked into the room. Each had a staff. They wore long robes, and their hair was up in buns on the crown of their head. They wore multiple large rings and necklaces, and had white stringy beards. These men didn't just walk into the area, they made an entrance. Kind of like a slow saunter, each one left about 3-4 feet between them, single file. They walked to a point, and then right faced toward Ida. After doing a few things behind a wall, they came back out, and found a spot up higher on some stairs. They sat cross-legged, like us, so I figured they were joining the meditation. Nope. The three holy dudes, started to chat. Like we weren't even there. Just bullshitting while we tried to concentrate on Ida and the meditation. One started smoking. One took a phone call after his cell phone rudely rang three times. It was straight up like the Hindu Mafia just walked in. Ganstas.

After the emotional ceremony, we usually go and meditate more with Ida, but apparently these men were the highest of priests, and Ida had to give them her attention. Dewey, one of our hosts, said that the way they behaved is why so many people appreciate Ida. She has respect, and is humble, where as these dudes, they left an impression of not giving a shit, (I'm sure they do, but I was baffled by their behavior).