More Magic

Magic is definitely in the air lately. A work colleague of mine, an Indonesian of Javanese ethnicity, confided in me this morning that his house is haunted. He has recently purchased a new house but he and his family have not moved in yet. They are still living in their previously rented accommodation for a little while longer. However, my colleague has slept alone in the new house on a couple of occasions, without his wife and daughter.

During these sleep-overs he heard a baby crying and heard someone running around outside and inside the house. My colleague visits a sufi master every week and when he talked about these events, his master explained that his house was occupied by a gondoruwo, a cruel, Yeti-like ghost who has two ghost children, a baby and a teenager. They were apparently there before the house was built. This particular gondoruwo has the capacity to cause a lot of mischief and disruption to the future residents unless it can be removed.

Apparently ghost-busting remedies are available but they do not come cheaply. What is required is an apelgin, a term that translates as ghost apple, and it costs about US$200. I'm a little unclear about what it actually looks like or how it is used, because our conversation was disrupted prematurely. The device is imported from the Middle East and contains special fragrances that can effect the exorcism. I'll certainly report back on my colleagues ghost-busting progress.

In the meantime, it's fascinating to realise that there is not only a recognition of distinct categories of ghosts but also clearly defined methods of dealing with the pesky things. A few months ago, I was introduced to a particular category of ghost known as a tuyul. This type of spirit takes the form of an unseen small child and obtains wealth for its human master. It can enter people's houses and steal wallets and other valuables. In return, the tuyul is afforded a special bed in the master's house and may be breast-fed by the woman of the house.

I had been in Indonesia six years and I'd never heard mention of a tuyul, but of course I'd never asked. Once I did, every Indonesian I talked to knew about this type of ghost and was happy to share stories he or she had heard about them. No one ever scoffed at the idea and it was quite clear that such creatures were simply regarded as a fact of life. It was about this time that I realised I had no idea what was going on here. I was and still am a stranger in a strange land.

Magic in the Air

As you live in Indonesia, it slowly dawns on you that magic colours every Indonesian view of the surrounding world. Some regions of the country have a reputation for magic that is particularly potent and every region has its own distinctive type of magic. The Dayaks, native inhabitants of Kalimantan for example, are famed for the power that their women's love magic works on hapless males whom they meet. The dukun or magic man can be found in every corner of the country and people visit him when deciding on a course of action, trying to woo a lover, seeking a job or just wanting some good luck to come their way.

This drives the followers of the strict and supposedly pure Islam of the Arabian Peninsula to absolute distraction but there is nothing they can do about it because the traditions are so entrenched and they themselves are in a decided minority. Some of the magic is black in that it seeks to harm others or sway them in some way. For example, it might be used to make someone fall in love with a person whom they might normally not have been interested in.

Most people feel a very real connection with relatives who have passed on and often seek their advice or feel their presence in certain situations. They often feel that a grandmother or grandfather is protecting them and looking out for their best interests. What the objective truth of all this is I can't say but it permeates everyday life in Indonesia and, rightly or wrongly, people believe in its reality. The more educated and cosmopolitan an Indonesian is, the less involvement he or she will have in this magic business but a deep-seated belief in its reality will always remain.

Whatever the truth, if this magic business continues to cause apoplexy in those Moslems who are pushing for a Saudi Arabian type of Wannabi-Islam in Indonesia, then it can't be a bad thing. The reason Islam took root in Indonesia in the first place was that it was accommodating of local traditions and fortunately the majority of Indonesian Moslems continue to embrace an interesting and syncretic form of the religion. God bless magic.

Truckies

Apropos the psychic consequences of my twin prime days, all I'll say is that I've had some very strange dreams and quickly move on to something much more concrete, namely truckies. Whereas truckies in Australia are apt to display paintings of semi-naked women on the mudflaps of their trucks' rear tyres, their counterparts in Indonesia have transcended such low carnal urges and taken a more spiritual approach.

The figure on the left is praying, her hands held up in supplication, and the caption says "DOA IBU" which I'd translate as "a praying mother". The figure on the right is holding some Muslim prayer beads and the caption says "MEMBAWA BERKAT" which I'd translate as "brings blessings". I assume there is a connection between the two paintings and that the overall meaning is "a praying mother brings blessings". I should check that translation with Desy but she's asleep now (it's after midnight).

Currently, there is a dangdut concert raging on the other side of the wall of our house, so I don't know how much sleep I'll get tonight. Tomorrow is another prime day, number 21323, and I can probably expect more strange dreams tonight. Desy's biological clock continues to tick as well and this coming Thursday, August 23rd, she'll turn 43. This is the day that the Sun enters Virgo.

Twin Primes

Blame my recent drought of postings on "blogger's block" and let's move on. Today is a prime day and by that I mean that a prime number of days has elapsed since I hatched. 21317 days to be precise. It turns out that the next odd numbered day (21319) is also prime, thus forming a set of twin primes and engendering within the psyche, for a time at least, a sense of stability, foundation and centredness.

As for the silly photograph, well I've been teaching image editing lately and have been tinkering with photographs. The words are from the first line of Brian Eno's song "Spider and I" which I was listening to while manipulating the image using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program).

Tomorrow, which is almost upon me, will be a tween day: a day sandwiched between two prime days and thus a day to be savoured. Looking ahead, the next odd numbered day is not prime, because 21321 is divisible by 3, but the next odd number (21323) is. Such a concentration of primes is unusual and may have interesting psychic consequences. Watch this space.