Bali Feelings

Just back from Bali, where Karima and I have been for a little over a week, and we’re now both adjusting to the busyness of our Sydney life after the very different pace there. And though collectively we, as tourists, have changed the place (since I was first there in 1990 anyway – made it more urbanised, more oriented towards shopping), the spiritual “embeddedness” of the Balinese people is still very evident.

People who make bamboo and flower offerings every day, and place them in doorways, on roadsides, in their temples. People for whom a reverence for their gods is primary, and alive. Certainly there’s a superstitious downside, but to me, overall, there’s strong evidence of a healthy, happy way of living.

Though the locals we met where mostly engaged with us commercially (hotel staff, drivers, waiters) what repeatedly remained with us was the feeling that commerce was only the practical aspect of this engagement. Beyond it was their pleasure in connecting with us, in ensuring we had a good time, in showing us their way of life, and in sharing the beautiful aspects of their island – from exquisite rice fields to local coffee beans, from a beautifully presented mango lassi to a careful elucidation of the complexities and realities of local corruption.

What does this have to do with Art and Psyche? It’s a great reminder to me of a graceful way of living, where art is in every detail that happens in one’s life, where there’s psychic health – which means there’s ongoing inquiry into our soul and that of the world. It’s what reveals itself when we give its space, which is what artists (particularly those not driven by the institutionalised art systems, often known as “Outsiders”) continually rediscover. I’d like to blog more on aspects of our Bali trip, and the beautiful reminders it’s given me.