Know Your Balinese Healers
The role of Balinese healers, also known as "Balian” is deeply rooted in Balinese culture and traditions. The service of a Balian is still needed today in some rituals and rites of passage. Despite the modernization of healthcare in Bali, many Balinese people continue to seek the guidance and treatment of Balian for holistic healing, combining traditional herbal remedies, massage, energy healing, and rituals to treat various ailments. They often incorporate elements of spirituality and mysticism into their practice, such as meditation, chanting, and connecting with the spirit world.
To be a healer, just like how one is chosen to be a High Priest or a Priest, is a lineage mission that needs to be continued to serve the community and others. Could be also somebody gifted where the path will eventually bring them to be a healer. The healers carry purity in their intentions as well as in manners. That energy can be felt by the aura they radiate. They constantly engage in rituals, meditation, and prayers as a portal to strengthen their connection with a higher realm, the source of the healing power. These spiritual figures within Balinese society, especially the High Priest/ess who have completed such a long and sacredly elaborate spiritual process - possess deep knowledge about rituals and religion - are very highly respected people.
Palm Reading and numerology by Ibu Jero Rahma (right)
To understand Balinese healing, one must remember that life in Bali is multi-dimensional. The dimension of Sekala, that you can see. The dimension of Niskala, the spiritual, mystic, and energy-based. Both are
co-existing and equally honored. During the healing session with a healer, the treatment will revolve around the Sekala and Niskala philosophy. The healer will need to at all the time align their frequency with the source, to provide the right information or message and medicine to the patient during the session.
The principles of Balinese healers are:
They will need to maintain their spiritual knowledge and maintain purity of body, mind, speech, and heart.
They are humble, compassionate, and down-to-earth people. The old-fashioned healers do not promote themselves as a healer or expose themselves to the outside world. People will find them by referral based on one’s personal healing experience.
Professional. Meaning that, while doing the healing they must be truthful. No hesitations. Believe in their healing power.
When do the Balinese see the healers?
The healers in Bali are more than those who do the palm reading or bodywork for you. The service of healers will be needed on the rite of passage. Balinese strongly believe in reincarnation. When a baby reaches the age of 42 days, the parent will see a Balian. The spiritual gift of the healers connecting with the ancestral/divine realm is needed to provide information to the parent about the spirit of the ancestors who reincarnated into the baby. The service from the same healers will also be needed after one's death. To get "a clarification" from a sudden-mysterious death or a death caused by an accident. The healers will be in contact with the deceased soul or even be the medium to provide information to the grieving family.
When one feels unwell and ill for a long time, in some cases the illness cannot be explained with the logical mind, presenting odd symptoms where the pain intensifies only on certain Balinese Holy days. They have been seeing many doctors, been to many specialists, and had different diagnoses, and all the medicine prescribed did not work at all. Then they will go for another option for healing which is seeing a healer. Black magic is something that still exists today in Balinese culture. It is the dark energy sent by someone who has evil intentions toward somebody motivated either by resentment, jealousy, or heartbreak. The dark energy then later transformed into illness.
Different healers, different healing methods. The healer's specialty in this area is called Balian Usada. In performing their healing to the patients, they may chant certain mantras, they may use sound, they may do energy cleansing, they may use a healing instrument like crystals. They may be in a trance while performing healing. They may also prescribe the type of Indigenous plants to be used for loloh
(an herbal drink), boreh (herbal body mask), or even giving holy waters.
The strains or twists could also be treated by the "Balian Apun" specialized in bodywork.
Energy is the key to the healing itself. The healer's energy frequency affects the intensity of the connection between the healer and their "unseen" spiritual teacher while performing the healing.
Having a session with a Balinese healer can be a transformational healing experience for some. We are endlessly grateful for having Ibu Jero Rahma, the gifted Balinese Healer, to share her healing offering with our retreat attendees in Bali year 2024. Ibu Jero Rahma has been helping thousands of people around the world as well as within her community since she dedicated herself to the path of a healer. Her soft voice with gentle tone when giving the reading is very shooting. Those who have been lucky to have experienced her healing, also mention that in the end, the wisdom given also brings enlightenment as well as inspiration to their path. It is such a huge relief to some burdens after seeing Ibu Jero Rahma.
What Ibu Jero Rahma does is more of inner healing and realization. Her healing offering includes a spiritual energy scan, numerology, and palm reading. You are also encouraged to share any experience or story that blocking you in the hope that she could help you to let go of some of the burdens/fears/pain by providing another perspective or looking at it energy-wise. Asking about how is your loved ones doing is absolutely fine. How she does her numerology is more personal. Anybody can look at the internet and do their numerology. Ibu Jero Rahma receives and then provides the message with a number specific to that individual with a deeper explanation. Questions about health in general, finances, personal and interpersonal relationships could be found on your palm which she will tell you further.
Reinier Voorwinde - yoga pose on a bridge in Haa Valley - Bhutan
Besides continuing our spiritual and cultural offering together with Ibu Jero Rahma in Bali, we also have set the date in March 2025 to bring this high-purpose collaboration further to Bhutan - the home of the happiest people in the world. The 8-day retreat will emphasize inner exploration, all-dimensional healing (emotional/physical/energetical/mental/spiritual), ritual, workshop, ceremony while immersing yourself in stunning landscapes and the rich culture of the Kingdom of Bhutan! It truly is a unique retreat where the 2 sacred cultures unite. Find out more about your all-inclusive retreat investment in Bhutan here!