MY GURU: THE MEDICINE MAN BALI

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.  You flight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.  You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.  And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.

Meeting Ketut

The Tootless Medicine Man,

Fate - the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

Well, fate had a way of making itself very apparent to Anthony and I (I don't think it could have been any more obvious). After a long and exciting day, we decided it was time to go back to our perfect villa (God's gift to a happy and peaceful mindset) in order to get ourselves rejuvenated for the evening. So we began our walk back; the sun was shining bright, the temperature was easily 96 degrees Fahrenheit, and the green appeared to be greener than ever. Today was simply pure bliss.

That being said, our legs were sore from our much needed daily sunrise yoga classes- pure relaxation but a major workout! So we listened to that little voice that repeatedly said, "get a taxi," and sure enough within the next two minutes we were in the small SUV of a local Balian- driving people around for a living. Sadly I must admit it was a two mile car ride, a walk we could have easily done, but fate now bursted into the picture. I still get the chills.

We were now about 700 meters away from arriving to our little 'slice of heaven' (our villa). When all of a sudden our driver asked us a question, " if you make a right at this next street and then make a left you will see where The Medicine Man lives, you know from that movie? " I thought he said, there was a medicine man LIKE the one from Eat Pray Love not THE Medicine Man! So when he saw the calmness on my face he repeated, " have you seen the movie? " At first I began to laugh (who hasn't seen the movie?), and then I quickly explained how it is actually one of my favorite books. Then he asked if we would like him to take us to him, The Medicine Man of the movie. With absolutely no hesitation, I am embarrassed to say, I screamed YES!

Anthony and I exchanged a look, was this guy serious? At first we were skeptical, there is NO way this is THE Medicine Man. Oh, but were we greatly mistaken. This was surely The Medicine Man, and I was standing in the entrance to his house - the exact place I so vividly remember from reading the book and watching the movie. I knew instantly this was really happening- I have found my Guru (I had to cancel the appointment with the one I made for the next day). Fate found me in Bali, He found me in Bali. 

So as I stood in the exact entrance way of the movie, I have watched too many times, I waited for the Medicine Man to present himself to me. 

Within minutes, he was there. He bowed down to me. He looked me in eyes and said "Bali brought you to me, please take off your shoes, we have a lot of talking to do."

He took me to the mat, located on the outside of the worship room, and made me sit down. His smile, spoke for itself when he told me how happy he was to see me. This instantly put me at ease, as I was very nervous to hear what he had to say. He started by looking at my face to simply read my eyes, checks, chin, eyebrows, and even looked into my 'third' eye. He said that even though I am twenty I have a spirit of a young child and the determination of an adult. He said that my aura radiated happiness and love.

One of the most surreal moments of this experience was when he said that he knew that I had gone though a lot, but that I have a good heart and for that I always come out strong. He looked deeply into my eyes and said, I am now a new person. 

But how was I a new person?

Now that I have had time to reflect on this encounter, I realize that my travels opened my 'third ' eye (as the Medicine Man said), and now I am able to see the world in a different light.  I have broken out of my comfort zone, emerging myself into new cultures by traveling the world.  I have tasted new foods, tried understanding new languages, conversed with locals from around the world ... I have lived in new cultures. I have been humbled, I have found peace.  Most importantly, I have found who I am as an individual and as a soul mate.   That brings me to the next part of my time with my Guru, the palm reading.

The palm reading took place, on the very same mat, the Medicine Man and I were conversing on. He began by reading the lines of my palms and my overall energy. He first started with the life line- he told me I am going to live to grow old with constant happiness and love. He then looked to my money line- he told me I am going to be very successful, despite the many obstacles I will face, due to my constant determination. He then looked to my love line- he told me I was going to marry and have three beautiful kids with my soul mate.

The Medicine Man then examined my back, knees, legs and arms. He did this examination to check my blood flow, my organs and my happiness. I was taken aback by the fact that he knew I have been an avid runner my entire life, through my knees and through the beating of my heart. He also stated that I had found a new form of exercise recently to challenge my body and mind to new heights (my new obsession for yoga).

After all of this he went on to tell me, more about what my future held. My future has both good and bad awaiting, nothing I cannot handle. While I want to share every detail of our conversation, I hold certain things he said close to my heart. For this I will continue to be myself and never stop working on who I am. My future is just beginning, and I am still in shock I had this very conversation with The Medicine Man.

Fate Found Me, He Found Me. 

 All The Way In Bali.

MY GURU

My Medicine Man,

Nicole & Anthony

- To The Future -