We don’t wear costumes and go trick or treating here.  Here, the locals leave offerings/treats for the spirits every day.

Bali culture is rich in light and dark.

In truth, Halloween originated from an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.  As a child, growing up in the States, I used to dress up in my Halloween costume and go door to door for treats.  My mother would dress as a witch. She would stand over a big black caldron with dry ice in it, stirring what appeared to be a foggy brew. My father would dress as a spirit of duality, his face painted half white, half black.  Together they would hand out candy and frighten the children. When my parents presented this Halloween spectacle, people would come from far and wide to see.

That was pretty much the extent of dark spirits for me in the States.  Here in Bali, spirits are a part of daily life.  Hence my reference to Halloween.

Originally when I landed in Bali, I was enamored by the beauty and the good-natured people that live here.  Mother Bali seemed to nurture and care for all.  However, I soon  realized there was more going on under the surface, as I experienced the feelings and knowings of dark and light on the island.

The Balinese lay offerings out daily that consist of flowers with a little rice/candy/cake or even a cigarette or coffee.  These are put out to appease the spirits.  The Balinese  also have many ceremonies and each house and village has a temple.

Think what you will. I have personally experienced enough to know that the dark truly does exist alongside the light.  There are a few areas that are known in Bali for Black Magic.  Interestingly enough, these places also tend to attract foreigners.  I’ve had a few discussions with those who live in these areas and they have told me that 1) they don’t feel the darkness, 2) they only attract light and so they don’t feel or witness the dark,  3) a local mentioned some of them may be using the magic, tapping into it.

A word of caution, Bali is a land of light and dark, where spirituality has rules.  But the rules are different for those who visit.  The locals have a full set of beliefs and practices that they have worked with for many lifetimes.  Foreigners delving into the mysteries should likely proceed with caution.

In Ubud there is an area called Penestanan.  I had some strange experiences running into dark eyed people, a local who wanted to show me a book and have me meet his master (as he also chanted in tongues), and a winged beast in my bathroom.  Needless to say, I did not stay in this area long.  I later found out that one of the more famous practitioners of Black Magic on the Island had lived in Penestanan, before he passed a few years ago, and that his followers still live in the area.  The locals also know this area as one where Black Magic is practiced.  It is believed that when the most powerful practioners fight, their energy becomes fire balls and they fight as fire balls.  A local told me that fire balls have been known in the past to have been seen over the rice fields of Penestanan.

Sanur used to be considered the home of Black Magic on the island.  Nusa Penida, a small island off of Bali, is considered to be the Black Magic island.  At least once in their lifetime, every Balinese Hindu is to  take a pilgrimage to Nusa Penida and visit a temple whose energy gives negative balance to the positive side of divinity.  It is said that at one time the island was inhabited by ghouls, demons and dark spirits.

There is more on the types of spirits that are known to visit and on the dark magic practiced, including curses leading up to the death of another.  It is all very shamanic in nature. The Balinese spiritual belief system is a mixture of Buddhism, Hinduism and animism.  The universe is seen in terms of balance, respecting both good and evil as equally necessary.

There is also light on the island.  That is what I gravitate towards.  Our world is comprised of light and dark.  The Balinese have their own customs to keep these energies balanced.  Like Halloween in the States, many visitors to Bali go door to door, or village to village, looking not for candy, but for something more: healing, meaning to life, something sweet perhaps?    It would heed all to proceed with discernment, so as to not end up with a trick, not a treat.

Sara currently lives in Bali and just finished a Spiritual Paranormal Fiction Novel.

Beyond Light and Dark, Vacation in Bali

(Available on Amazon)

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