After almost 2 weeks, it seems I recovered. I had to go the Clinic here in Ubud twice because the situation didn’t get better after having visited the doctor and all the symptoms I could have, I had it. But now I’m OK. It could have been much worse, so better not to complain!

And at the end I’ve  decided to go the healer. I was curious to understand why the healer is so important in the Balinese culture, why many people go there.

Talking with many locals, the name of Cokorda Rai was coming out very often and everybody was talking about him in a really positive way.

As suggested by many locals, I went there around 1 pm when the big groups should have already left, because, I didn’t know, but Cokorda is one of the most well-known and respected healers not just in Bali, but all over the world, so he’s really requested.

Cokorda Rai is an 82 skinny man who has retired, but still practices  as healer in Negari, a village close to Ubud in his Balinese temples’ compound.

Usually it’s not a one to one meeting, you share your visit with the public, but when I went, nobody was there. Just Cokorda, me and the interpreter, a French woman who has been living in Bali for 10 years…one of the most shining and calmest people I ever met! She went to Bali on holiday, she fell in love with the Island and ledt her job in Human Resources and move to Bali. She picked up Indonesian and started working as tour guide on cruises and interpreter.
He sent her to keep me company while he was eating to “recover the energy” after the morning spent with many people. She explained me that Cokorda defines himself as a bridge between whatever people believe and people who want to heal and that his philosophy is that we have to live the present, creating an equilibrium between mind and body. Pretty much common sense, but who’s really able to do that?

After his lunch, Cokorda joined us and sat on a chair and I spontaneously sat on my heels. He began, asking: what can I do for you?

Actually I hadn’t thought about that in advance..I mean I wasn’t there for my physical sickness of those days, my reply just came spontaneously: I stick too much to the past.

He looked at me again and he told me: What can I do for you?

[Again?] I told you..I think too much to the past.

You shine! [?]  What can I do for you?

And he was really sorry for that, he was like struggling, when you try to solve a maths problem and you can’t.

And I was quite embarrassed because that was all I could say to him.

Then he said, Ok, just turn your back at me. He touched first my head, then my ears, nose, mouth and shoulder with strong energy, but not painful for me and he said: no, not so much stressed.  What can I do for you? You, not blocked!

And then he asked me to lay down on the straw mat. He took a wooden stick and pressured some points in my feet. One in particular was painful and he said: ah yeah. Do you suffer from pain? And he was pointing to my abdomen.

Yeah, sometimes.  And he explained what makes my skin a little bit crazy.

And then he said: You need focus? Direction?

And he drew some patterns on my body to raise energy: 2 sticks as support, a circle to move energy and open chakras (points of energy in our body)and the bliss sign  and he said I hope you will find a job soon. “Don’t show it to anybody and don’t wash it away. It will disappear by itself.”

I didn’t expect anything from this meeting and I’ve been happy to have gone there. What impressed me more than anything else has been what he said “You, not blocked!”… I guess our chat would have been quite different just a few months ago..well, healers are not just in Bali I can assure you!

And at the end Cokorda didn’t  tell me anything about my sticking to the past…but what could he say or do? It’s up to us as always. Despite all the breakdowns and second thoughts I may have, I think this is the way…so I keep going!

The other day I was reflecting (weird, uhm?) upon the fact that this is the first place where I feel I’m fitting, without adding any BUT  as I usually do (it’s nice, but…). Bali has a strong energy, it’s one on the most charming places I ever been.

I’m pretty sure about the fact that if I didn’t have to take part to the festival that was the only really planned thing during my stay in Indonesia and to which I committed some months ago,  I would have spent some more time in Bali, finding a solution for the visa and postponing my next flight.

But the flow is bringing me there, to East Java..pretty a long trip!

This Festival is about “World Hospitality and Culture Exchange”: 60 participants (not attendants, participants!) from all over the world, we’ll be hosted by local families and we’ll be sharing culture and traditions from our homeland..I just tell you I had to create an Italian costume, an Italian flag, choose a folk song and prepare a performance, because we’ll be on stage! I guess it would be quite funny.

So the agenda for the next 3 days is full! I hope I will take maaany pictures. In the meantime, enjoy Bali gallery!

Keep you posted!