Was I Attacked by a Ghost in Bali? You decide.

Tall and short tales in the island of God's and Spirits.

The Battle between Rangda and the Barong

In Bali, Rangda is the queen of black magic and is described as having, “a flaming tongue, pendulous breasts, long, trembling fingernails and human entrails around her neck.” The Barong, on the other hand, represents the forces of good and protects the village from harmful influences. He is part lion “ with big eyes, and clacking jaw.” The Balinese reenact the battle between the Barong and Rangda by performing a dance. The Barong kills evil Rangda, but she returns to fight again. Hence,“The battle between good and evil is everlasting,” and the Barong must be prepared to fight again to restore the balance.

A Witch Attack

So the day after halloween I may have been attacked by a witch ghost. Let me tell you the story. I was still in bed healing my leg, and I experienced a spells of dizziness, un accompanied by a fever. (The only pill I had popped was a vitamin C.) I would look up at the ceiling and feel as if the roof was spinning. My emotions were spinning too—my daughter asked me why I was so irresponsible about groceries. I burst into tears and drowned in the puddle, “What am I doing with my life? What do I have to look forward to?” and the room kept spinning.

Help from an Exorcist.

So while I’m researching the symptoms of dengue fever, my husband told me of a friend in India who looks like a British librarian but actually is an exorcist who clears ghosts. Frankly, I wasn’t ready to add witches and woohoo to my list of worries. But my husband took a picture of me and sent it to his friend. “Let’s see what he has to say.” This is the picture he took.

Cleansing, the Evil Spirit

The next day, My husband popped his head into the room, “he says you were attacked by a Pishacha last night.” And of course I wondered what that was. He explained that Pishacha is a witch in India that gains energy by draining vitality from your subtle body—thus creating dizziness and crazy emotions. I had never even heard of a Pishacha. “But my friend says he just cleared away the entity from you.” Thank you friend. My brain fired all kinds of questions. What did he see? How did he clear it? Why was I being attacked? Is this friend total woo woo?

I looked at my phone and received a text from my co-host for an airbnb I run. “Call immediately. House has been broken into.” I was no longer dizzy. I didn’t panic. On the contrary, I felt calm. I got this. Was being cleared of the ghost what gave me a renewed sense of focus, despite the obvious challenges ahead?

Ferocious half-lion Avatar

In the Vedas, similar to the Barong, there is a half-lion incarnation of Visnu that protects people from dark forces. His name is Narasimha dev. You can call on his protection by chanting the Narasimha mantras.  Whenever I feel a swirl of darkness in my spirit, I love the soothing sound of Sanskrit mantras recited by sages centuries ago. Here is a link to the Narasimha mantra, a prayer for protection. It’s magical.

Had Rangda been chasing me with her spear or did a Pishacha witch fly over to wreck havoc. Is the fight between the Barong and Rangda really a symbol of the struggle between the forces within ourselves or with life’s unexpected challenges. We are all striving to balance darkness and light in our lives, sometimes in drama, or theater, and sometimes in real life. Was I attacked by a Pishacha witch spirit? I’m curious what you think?

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Post Halloween Party in the Jungle.

Turns out on Halloween, Dengue fever, Rangda and Pishacha were actually prowling the neighborhood. (You gotta hand it to Vara’s friend for creating her own dengue mosquito costume. That’s hilarious.)

And another sweet little halloween spirit.

Bibliography

Secrets of Bali, Jonathan Copeland, pg 329