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There is a darker side to the animism that is such an intricate part of Balinese culture. It's magic. Black magic. I am talking about curses, possessions, hexes, and a myriad of other phenomenon more befitting the likes of Haiti than the island of Bali. A month and a half here and I had not even the slightest inkling of this underbelly. I hate being clueless.
There is a darker side to the animism that is such an intricate part of Balinese culture. It's magic. Black magic. I am talking about curses, possessions, hexes, and a myriad of other phenomenon more befitting the likes of Haiti than the island of Bali. A month and a half here and I had not even the slightest inkling of this underbelly. I hate being clueless.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party by a German expatriate. In attendance was an Australian women that had been living here for over five years. She had quite a tale to tell.
At one point during her sojourn she suffered a terrible injury as a result of a motorbike crash. She veered off a bridge and crashed into the water below breaking her back in the process. Ouchie. While convalescing she enlisted the help of a local woman to assist in her recovery at home.
One night she claims to have witnessed the supernatural possession of her home aide in a manner fit for The Exorcist. After some Hollywood style contortions and a complete change in demeanor a 'new' woman emerged claiming to be a completely different person. So disturbing was this sequence that her husband was summoned to assist but upon seeing his 'wife' subsequently broke down into tears.
After the woman recovered a couple hours later (with no memory of the incident) she claimed to know exactly who had done this to her. No question about it. Her possession was orchestrated by an adversary and she knew who it was responsible. Payback time. (Duuum-duh-dum-duuum....duuuuuuummm!)
