Marnee 3.0

There is a magical, mysterious healing quality to Bali. And everything just seems to work out. Everything feels good. My nails are healthy and my hair is growing out of control. Not to mention the curls!

Through my work with Bali Institute, I learned about a healer who was supposed to be the best of the best. He is the real deal - unlike the now famous "Kutut" from Eat, Pray, Love. I knew I needed to visit him. He is known for healing your insides. Not that I have one, but I was told if you break your heart, you go to the doctor. If you have a broken heart, you go to Tjokorda Rai. I was more interested in checking on my organs. I’ve been having some issues since moving back to California and I was a bit worried because nobody could diagnose anything.

The first time I made an appointment, I jumped on my bike with a hand drawn map and headed to his “palace” with Elizabeth and Amanda. We were all very excited for our healing. But we never made it. We got lost and then realized he wasn’t even working that day.  

Map to healer #1

The second time I was in the middle of a Yoga retreat and had made an appointment for two others and myself. The day before, I came down with a terrible fever and decided to stay in bed. I tried again a few days later but I was too weak to go.

Fourth time’s a charm!

My friend Mel has been here for a month. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, having two surgeries and three weeks of daily radiation, Bali seemed like the best place to come for rest and healing. When I met up with her here, I insisted she join me.

This time, I went over my new map (drawn by Dewa, the same person who drew the map the first time) and made sure I understood it. I drew arrows on the map, specifying which lines to follow. I even translated the map into actual directions… When you ask directions from a local here, they don't tell you how to get there -- there are no street signs, only landmarks. So they draw you a map, complete with pictures of trees, coffee shops and the little details you might notice along the way. Unfortunately, when you're driving a motor bike, all that you notice is the truck heading towards you and the other bikes dodging stray dogs in the road. So I tried to make sense of it: Go toward the petrol station, turn left at the intersection with the broken light, look for a huge Banjar tree and stone carvers then turn left into the palace.  Easy enough, right?

WRONG.

Mel and I had an appointment for 10:00. That morning I had to move my stuff to her bungalow, as we would be staying together for our last 10 days in Bali. I woke up bright and early, moved my stuff and we planned on hitting the road by 9:00.  That would give us an hour. We ended up leaving around 9:30, but I was told he was just 20 minutes away.

About an hour later, my bike was almost out of gas and we’d driven in circles at least twice. We could have easily hired a car for about $10 to take us there, but I was interested in the adventure of it all. And Mel was game.

At each intersection, we would ask: Which way to Denpasar? Sometimes we were met with blank stares. Sometimes we would get, “Yes. Go this way.” As we got closer (or so we thought), we’d start asking for the village where he lived… “This way to Negari?” Yes! We would easily find him when we located that tree.

No such luck.

Finally, after making a turn to avoid angry barking dogs, we found a guy on the street who drew us a map on the sidewalk with a rock... His translation of the drawing: Go straight, look for the market on your right, you'll see a small dirt road on your left. Turn left onto a road. Easy enough. Just a few u-turns later and we had arrived at Tjokorda Rai's compound. We were only an hour late. He was busy with a French woman (her husband translated from English to French while he healed and told her to visualize she is happy) and two young women from Australia waited on the side. Both groups had a driver with them. After the second Australian was healed, walking away in tears, I was up.

He asked me why I had come to see him. I told him I had some digestion issues. He then sat me down and pushed pressure points all over my head and in my ears. He said, "Ah, stomach bad. Lay down."

Next he took a stick that looked like a small wooden pipe and jammed it in several places between my toes. Where there was a problem, I would flinch in pain. Then he would wave his hands over me, touch my body and try again. Each time, when he went back to my feet, the pain would disappear. At one point he said, “Oh. Stomach bad. You need medicine. Wait here.” He returned a few seconds later with a handful of small leaves. He put a pile on my stomach and gave me a pile to chew. The leaves were perhaps the worst thing I had ever tasted. He said, "Chew all of it and swallow." Then he counted to ten and checked my stomach point again. The pain was gone. After that, he checked all of my organs and kept saying “Good.”  Everything was good.  Including my ovaries. He said I was fertile and that was good to hear. He mentioned that I was holding something in, but didn’t have much to say about it. He said I am healthy and I should not worry. His exact words were, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” As he was healing me, he kept saying, “What can I do for you?” I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or himself. Somehow this felt more complete than a physical at the doctor's office.

After I had my turn, Mel went up. He had a lot to say to her. Right away he said, “No more cancer.” But he insisted she look into her lymph nodes. He kept telling her that she needs to think with her heart, not her head and that she has too much fear. It sounded like the two were connected to her health. If she can just cure the fear and get out of her head, she’d remain healthy. If not, who knows…

We left there in a bit of a daze. The ride back took about 15 minutes. 

Map #2

On the road

This looks more enjoyable than it was

Meds on my belly

Mel receiving her healing instructions

In the same way that Bali has a magical and mysterious quality to her, my experience with Tjokorda Rai made me feel confident in the fact that I am going to be okay.

They say, that if the world as a whole represents the inside of a human body, Bali is the heart. I don't know if this is true, or who "they" are -- but something happened to me here, especially on that day, and I am forever changed.