Shamanism :: essays papers

Shamanism To say the sacred trances of Bali and Java was an inspirational film would be an understatement. The power of the people Bali originating from their faith and belief in their religious convictions was truly amazing. The closest thing in this country to that type of mental state is the state of hypnosis. There religious ceremonies stem from their cultures and the merging of two different worlds. This imergance created a truly remarkable civilization. The film "Sacred Trances of Bali and Java" was just one portion of this society. Once seeing this film I wanted to research a little more into the world of the Balinese. Families are so close in Bali that each member, be it brother/brother-in-law, sister/sister-in-law, mother and father, uncle and aunt all reside in the same compels. The family dwellings are surrounded by a boundary wall and inside these walls are contained the family temple, commune area, sleeping quarters, gardens and live stock. Each stage of Balinese life is marked by a series of ceremonies and rituals known as Manusa Yadnya. The first ceremony of Balinese life takes place even before the birth of the child. Another ceremony takes place soon after the birth, during which the afterbirth is buried with appropriate offerings. The first major ceremony takes place halfway through the baby's first Balinese year of 210 days. The Balinese cremation can be an amazing, spectacular, colorful, noisy and exciting event. In fact it often takes so long to organize a cremation that years have passed since the death. During that time the body is temporarily buried while an auspicious day is chosen for the creation. Since a big cremation can be very expensive, less wealthy people may take the opportunity of joining in at a larger cremation, sending their own dead. These concepts were important for me to realize after watching the film and I returned and watched the film another time after doing some research on this fascinating people. The trance states and the way in which the people of Bali was the topic of this film. It showed much symbolism as well as ceremonies. The film centered on the Horse Ritual. To fully understand the ritual and the symbolic meaning of this ritual we must look at the history of these people especially the origin of their modern day religion.