One of Petulu’s Sacred Heron
The following is an excerpt from my memoir:
“A period of mass murder blighted the islands of Indonesia in 1965, when more than 5% of the population of Bali were massacred. The small village of Petulu, located a few miles north of Ubud is home to mass graves from this terrible period in the island’s history.
In the last week of October 1965, the villagers decided to hold a cleansing ceremony, and on November 7 large numbers of herons arrived in Petulu for the first time. A welcome ceremony followed for the herons, during which the officiating priest fell into a trance, and learned that the birds were there to guard the village. It is believed that they are the lost souls of those who died in the massacres.
Herons return to Petulu at dusk
When I heard the story of Petulu, I put a village visit at the top of my holiday wish list. I learned that the herons forage for food (mainly eels), from dawn till dusk, so I hired a local taxi driver – Erick- to collect me in time for their evening return to the village. As we arrived, the trees were filling with birds, many of them nesting. It was a truly wondrous sight.
Nesting in the trees
“There is a warung (cafe) over there, where you can sit and watch,” Erick suggested.
The warung among the paddy fields
So I tentatively stepped along a little path through the paddy fields, and joined half a dozen others watching the heron spectacle. A little later, I gazed in wonder through a pair of complementary binoculars and marvelled at such a beautiful miracle, after the atrocities of the past.
Each and every day of my visits to Bali in 2013 and 2014 were blessed with beauty. In my next post I will share my experiences of a royal cremation ceremony.”
My memoir includes many stories of my time in Bali, together with journeys to India, Rome, Morocco, Lourdes…
If you enjoyed this post you might like my other posts on Bali The Balinese Priests Bell and A Balinese Royal Cremation Ceremony
Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.
Beautiful post and memories. It is a shame humans destroy so much , to realise we should treasure and respect later.
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Thanks Bella. Yes such a shame. The herons were quite special. X
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Hello Brigid,
I’m glad to see the Herons are returning. You’ve documented a lovely piece of writing from your adventures.
💐
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Thank you. It was such a special experience. 😍
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Herons are such beautiful creatures. Such a sad history, though for Bali. Humans are the cruellest creatures on this earth. Lovely post 🙂
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Thank you Judith. It is hard to believe they have come through so much. The herons were so special. 😊
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What a sacred sight to witness.
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Yes Bernadette. It was quite special. Bali is such a spiritual place. I hope to return…
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What a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing your heron story—they always captivate me.
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Thank you. Yes they are quiete special.
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Wonderful post. As someone put it so accurately, humans are the most cruelest species on the planet.
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Yes Ron. I guess you have witnessed some of it too. Take care.
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Bali is so full of beauty and a magic all its own! Thank you for sharing your story.
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Thank you Catie. Congratulations on your exam results. Awesome. 🤗
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This is so timely, I am planning a trip to Bali for the end of the year. I need to go read your other posts now. Thanks for sharing.
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You will love it. Every day is special.
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The Great Blue Heron is my favorite local bird (here on Long Island, NY), but your herons are intriguing. How amazing to have seen them appear in the circumstances you described. I am envious of your trip to Bali and your heron event. Thanks so much for sharing the specialness of that moment.
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Thank you. You are blessed to have herons on your doorstep. 😊
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Nice to know more on Bali, Enjoyed the read. Thanks Brigid.
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Thank you Sumith. One more post next week. 😊
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Looking forward for that
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Cutest post ❤️ Your photos are breathtaking
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Thank you. Bali is a very special place. 😊
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Finally posted your minion recycled tires photo!!!!
Much needed respite from the stresses of the times – thanks again for permission to use the photo!
http://laurabrunolilly.com/minions-always-make-me-smile-especially-when-theyre-recycling-buddies/
peace
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You are welcome Laura. It is such a simple idea. They really made me smile. 😊
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Amazing that something so beautiful could come out of something so horrific. I Googled Petulu and learned some more interesting facts about the bird’s behaviors and how when they first came to the island people would capture them for food but then later freed them because the folks who took part supposedly saw spirits.
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Goodness I did not know that Steph. It was such an amazing story to think that those who died returned as herons. 😊
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Wow! Simply amazing! What a wonderful share, fabulous pics and incredible story. Thinking of them as souls of lost ones, incredible. Thank you for such a vivid gift. Kind Regards -K
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Thanks K. Such an amazing way for these souls to return. I have a Balinese royal funeral post next week. X
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I hope you’re feeling a bit better Brigid? This is a beautiful story and truly amazing to think they are the ‘lost souls’ standing guard.. wow! x
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Thanks Wendy. I am sleeping again three good nights in a row so getting back my mojo 😊The herons were amazing and such a beautiful inspiration. 😍
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Oh that’s lovely to hear Brigid.. I’m glad to say I can’t imagine what it’s like.. and I’m now touching wood! I’m so glad you’re on the ‘better side’…
I can imagine however what a wonderful experience seeing those herons was! xx
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Thanks Wendy. Yes Bali was filled with beautiful memories. Every day something special crossed my path. Lots of synchronicity that mostly cost nothing but were priceless. How is life with you? Are you happy with self hosting? X
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It’s a place that I would love to go to one day.. definitely on my bucket list!
The ‘self hosting’ transfer went relatively smoothly.. I’m working my way through a few hiccups and ‘technology ‘ issues and hope I’m not driving everybody away in the meantime.. Generally speaking, so far so good overall and it will definitely enable me to move it forward better in the longer term.. The only issue has been that trying to get the set up right has meant a bit less time for witing and reading posts but I’m trying to catch up on reading and then I can get back to writing more regularly too… Thanks for asking Brigid.. much appreciated xx
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Your welcome Wendy. I am glad it has gone well for you. I am looking forward to reading your new posts.xx
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Thanks Brigid – I really do appreciate your support! xxx
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The feeling is mutual Wendy xx
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Brilliant – blogging teamwork! x
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I feel bad for tragic history… I really can’t understand how humans could mass murder their own specie… thank you for sharing to us stories of your travel Brigid. I love the pictures! My cousin will marry his indonesian fiance in Indonesia next month. It will be my first time to visit the country. 😊 I hope your book is doing great! ☺
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Yes I agree. You will have a wonderful time Nina. My book is doing good but I am waiting on my paperback copy to check before I can sell direct. It will arrive any day now…
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Wow! That is one of the exciting parts. 😊
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A sad and amazing story. What a sight, though. 🙂
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Yes. Isn’t it a wonderful concept to return as a beautiful bird. 😊
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The thought of the herons being the souls of those who died gives me chills. What a beautiful idea. They are such elegant, breathtaking birds. A past that is defined in tragedy can often times start to heal when time and renewal allows.❤️ Lovely story. ~Anne
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Thank you Anne. It is sad that tragedy still prevails around the world. I hope for change…
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Me too!☮️☯️❤️
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