Dealing with the Unseen
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 by Sidarta WijayaIn every part of their daily life Balinese deal not just with the mortal but also with the inhabitants of supernatural realm which in the eye of the visitors always complicate even a very simple activity of a Balinese. The inhabitants of supernatural realm range from deified ancestors to evil spirit, from gods to demons have always to be taken into consideration on every activity of a Balinese, since Balinese believe they contribute a great deal to the success and failure of an activity.
Prior to every important ceremony, a matur piuning (informing) ceremony is hold to inform the inhabitants of supernatural realm that an important ceremony will take place and ask for their support. When a Balinese want to build a house, the spirits which dwell on the spot where the house is going to be build have to be informed about the project and have to be appeased with a certain offering.
Though all inhabitants of the supernatural world affect the life of a Balinese in one way or another but the spirits of ancestors or deified ancestors give the most significant effect. Like the living member of the family the ancestors’ spirit have to be consulted when making an important decision or holding a great ceremony, sometimes their words are laws that Balinese are reluctance to break since it can incite divine rage which always end up with misfortunes and sicknesses. When there is a serious problem or sickness in the family, the living members of the family will seek help from a Balian Taksu (Shaman) to enable them to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors, asking for solution of the problem or remedy for the sickness.





