Sanghyang – Trancedance on the island of the Gods

 

Sanghyang – Trancetanz auf der Götterinsel

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have had the opportunity to see a village-style fullmoon trance-ritual in Bali, that was made of two groups of men singing themselves into trance through an ancient technique of rhythmic spell. The two opposite groups of half-naked young men were demonstrating the complementing and opposing primordial forces and how they interact in a spiral dance of changing patterns according to the change of the stars, here the fullmoon-celebration. The two groups form a kind of uploading their collective energy into the point, when the one group is that full of sheer + energy and the other group that up to sheer - , that at the point of the highest momentum of trigger, the one group changes from + to – and – to + …the spiralling circle of the two groups changing direction into the falling of the light to the rise of dark moon, the hidden and perhaps more female side of the moon. Both groups have a young warrior on their shoulders, at the trance-dance comes closer to the outcome, the more ecstatic the ritual fight becomes on the shoulders of the two parties, before they altogether get into first the clock- and after the point of changing pattern to counter-clockwise motion of the whole thing. The whole ceremony has the character of a fire-ceremony as well, a monkey-shaman (a real monkey-shaman, I could not really say, is he human or monkey) being a kind of chief of the whole thing…

 

The ancient Sanghyang-rites seem to have aboriginal roots of the local animistic traditions, that were later mixed with the Indian Ramayana epos. In Daoism as well as eventually in Indo-European local cults, we might assume, that the changing patterns on the communal collective rites level, are quite similar – perhaps the Totem being a Tiger, Snake, Dragon or Deer, but the basic structure to celebrate unity with human, terrestrial and celestial realms are close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Getting into Trance, leaving the everyday habits, sorrows and thoughts by rhythm and dance

 

2. Confrontation of opposing forces in a ritual fight, be it inside oneself person, with otherworld realms

 

3. Integration and Unification – Purification

 

In Bali the momentum of purification at the end is close, when the Giant has overcome the Devil, was going through fire or even through death.

 

In Celtic ritual fight-dances the warriors were/are singing themselves into trance as well in very special step-combinations, as we might observe still today in Muay-Thai (thai boxing). The Celtic warrior even had a special dance-step combination to come to his sword, which is part of his personality.

 

In Bali, the Pencak Silat is a kind of martial art, that still combines kind of Indo-European patterns: doing movements in patterns of Swastikas or flowers, prayers to the Three Hindu Primes e.al. and as a lineage-holder of a Pencak Silat family-style told me, would be very close to chinese spontaneous martial arts as he saw it in one of my demonstrations at a martial arts gala in Germany.

 

The ancient symbols and rhythms, that underlie the ritual traditions or ancient martial arts, which in their heart are healing arts and rites as well (of course), with passing history included various conceptions and cultural flavours. But the very basic of these real and authentic ancient arts are perhaps not really same but in nature close to each other.

 

As the Sanghyang rites with its Kechak spelling rhythms included the Brahman epos of the Ramayana, martial and healing arts of the island, that are from indigenous roots included and assimilated Vedic influences. Same eventually happens everywhere with everything, perpetual change with one untouchable flame in it…

 

 

Following first German than English version of an introduction from Sahadewa – Tari Kecak & Sanghyang Stage Chandra Budaya, Jalan Smiki Batabulan, Bali:

 

 

 

 

 

Der Kechak – oder Affentanz

 

Im Gegensatz zum volkstümlichen Glauben ist der Kechak-Tanz nicht sehr alt, er wurde wahrscheinlich in den Dreissigerjahren zum ersten Mal aufgeführt, obwohl der Chor seinen Ursprung in einem sehr alten Ritus hat, dem Sanghyang (Trance) Tanz, der noch heute von Zeit zu Zeit in den Dörfern aufgeführt wird. Im Sanhyang nimmt eine Person im Trancezustand Verbindung zu den Göttern oder Vorfahren auf, um deren Wünsche dann dem Volk mitzuteilen.

 

Einer der Begleitchöre besteht nur aus Männern, deren Singen eine hypnotisierende Wirkung hat Kechak-Kechak-chak. Im Kechak-Tanz wird eine Geschichte dargestellt, deren Aufführung den inneren Zirkel des Männerchores (traditionellerweise) nicht verlässt. Das Libretto kommt aus dem indischen Hindu-Epos, dem Ramayana. Die Geschichte ist folgende:

 

Der göttliche Prinz Rama, Erbe des Trones von Ayodya, lebt ausgestossen im Wald mit seiner Frau Sita und seinem jungen Bruder Laksamana. Der Riese Rawana, König der Dämonen und eine Ausgeburt des Bösen, möchte die wunderschöne Sita besitzen und ersinnt einen Plan, sie zu stehlen. Sein Premierminister Meritja nimmt die Gestalt eines goldenen Hirsches an und lockt so Rama und Laksamana von Sita weg, die entführt und zu Rawanas Königreich gebracht wird. Als er den Betrug merkt, macht sich auf, Sita aus den Fängen des Dämonenkönigs zu befreien. Eine riesige Armee von Affen steht im dabei in den vielen Kämpfen zur Seite, die dem Tod Ramanas und der Rettung Sitas vorausgehen.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Akt

 

Sita hat ihren Ehemann Rama ausgesandt, um den goldenen Hirsch zu fangen. Sie weiss nicht, dass Rawanas Premierminister in den goldenen Hirsch verwandelt hat, um sie zu überlisten. Bald hört man einen Hilfeschrei, und Sita, die glaubt, Rama sei in Not, schickt Laksamana aus, um nach ihm zu sehen. Überzeugt, dass der göttliche Rama nicht wirklich zu Schaden kommen kann, weigert sich Laksamana anfangs, Sitas Bitte zu entsprechen. Als Sita ihm jedoch vorwirft, er wünsche sich den Tod seines Bruders, um sie heiraten zu können, ist er zornentflammt und macht sich auf, Rama zu suchen. Sita bleibt allein und unbewacht zurück.

 

2. Akt

 

Rawana entführt die entsetzte Sita und bringt sie in sein Königreich.

 

3. Akt

 

Sie sitzt in Rawanas Palast in Gesellschaft von Rawanas Nichte. Sie ist einsam und unglücklich. Plötzlich erscheint der Affengeneral Hanuman. Er ist heimlich in den Palast eingedrungen und bringt Sita einen Ring von Rama als Erkennungszeichen, dass er ein Freund ist, der helfen möchte. Sita gibt Hanuman ein Beweisstück für Rama mit der Botschaft, dass sie lebt und wohlauf ist, seiner Hilfe jedoch sehr bedarf.

 

4. Akt

 

Auf dem Schlachtfeld wird Rama von Rawanas Sohn Meganada angegriffen, dessen Pfeil sich in eine Schlange verwandelt, die Rama wie Seil umschlingt. Im Tanz wird diese Szene durch die inneren Zirkel des Männerchores versinnbildlicht, der sich vom Rest des Chores löst und Rama dicht umringt. In seiner Verzweiflung ruft Rama seinen Verbündeten, den Garuda-Vogel, der augenblicklich erscheint und ihn von der Schlange des Todes befreit.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Akt

 

Sugriwa, der König der Affen, bietet sich an, seine Armee gegen Meganda zu führen. Er fordert Meganada dazu auf, den Schutz der Wolken zu verlassen und mit ihm zu kämpfen. Der Chor teilt sich in zwei Teile. Eine Hälfte stellt die Affenarmee dar und macht Affengeräusche, während die andere Hälfte zur Dämonenarmee wird mit lautem cak-cak-cak. Die Affen gewinnen die Schlacht. Es gelingt Rama, Rawana zu töten und er kann endlich glücklich mit seiner Frau in sein Königreich zurückkehren.

 

 

 

Medien der Götter

 

Die Trancetänze und Trancerituale sind religiösen Ritualen gleichzusetzen und können Opferzeremonie, Gebet oder Austreibungszeremonie sein. Sie werden unter der Leitung des Pemangku, des einfachen Tempelpriesters, veranstaltet und in einem Tempel abgehalten. Der Sanghyang beginnt stets im Tempel, wo die Tänzer in Trance gebracht werden. Dann formiert sich eine Prozession, welche die Medien zum nahen Tanzplatz bringt. In Bona sehen sie heute abend den Sanghyang Dedari, den Tanz der „verehrungswürdigen Engel".

 

Im Tempel knien zwei junge Mädchen (noch vor dem Pubertätsalter), vor einer Schale mit stark duftendem Räucherwerk. Der Pemangku bringt den Göttern des Tempels ein Opfer dar, bittet um besonderen Schutz für das Dorf während der Trancezeremonie. Hinter den Mädchen sitzen Frauen, die die Sanghyang-Melodie singen, in der himmlische Nymphen angerufen werden, herabzusteigen, um in der Gestalt der beiden Mädchen vor ihnen zu tanzen :

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duftend ist der schale Rauch himmelwärts als Bote du, steig, o steig nach altem Brauch den Drei erhabenen Göttern zu. Wir sind rein und voll Verlangen, eure Engel schön und hold, die göttlichen Nymphen zu empfangen, in ihren feinen Gewändern, aus Gold.

 

Mit geschlossenen Lidern wiegen sich die Mädchen zur Melodie vor und zurück, bis sie in den weissen Weihrauchschwaden in Trance versinken. Die Frauen setzen ihnen Blumenkronen auf und heben sie auf die Schultern zweier junger Männer, die sie zum Tanzplatz bringen. Sobald sie die anmutigen Geschöpfe zwischen dem männlichen und dem weiblichen Chor niedergesetzt haben, bewegen sich diese mit geschlossenen Augen und dennoch völlig übereinstimmend und fast schwerelos in einem geträumten Legong-Tanz. Sobald der Gesang abbricht, stürzen die Mädchen wie tot zu Boden. Durch besprengen mit Weihwasser und durch Gebete erweckt sie der Priester wieder einmal zum Leben.

 

Im Sanghyang Djaran wird ein Knabe, Mann oder Priester, in Trance gebracht. Er reitet auf einem Strohpferd tanzend um ein Feuer aus Kokosnusschalen und reitet sodann hindurch, ohne sich zu verbrennen. Die Jungen und Mädchen sind zu Sanghyang-Tänzern ausgewählt. Aus den Leistungen, die sie während dem Tanz vollbringen, spricht das göttliche Wesen, das ihnen nach ihrem Glauben während der Trance innewohnt. Sanghyang Dedari Tänzerinnen haben (traditionellerweise) keine Tanzschule besucht. Im normalen Dasein können sie sich werde erinnern, noch wiederholen, was sie im Zustand der Trance vollbracht haben. Schon gar nicht kann der Sanghyang Djaran Tänzer normalerweise über glühende Kohlen laufen. Durch Trance kann Verbindung mit der Welt des Göttlichen aufgenommen werden. Obgleich früher mehr Arten des Sanghyang aufgeführt wurden als heute, ist der Trancetanz weiterhin von grosser Bedeutung.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kecak is the most unique balinese dance which is not accompanied by any orchestra/gamelan but by a choir of hundred men. It has its origin in an ancient ritual dance, Sanghyang or Trance dance. In the dancer as a medium, the deities or ancestors convey their wishes. In the 1930’s the old Indian epic Ramayana was included into the dance. Briefly the story runs as follows:

 

Due to an evil trick prince Rama the legal heir to the throne of Ayodya was exiled the realm of his father Dasarata. Accompanied by his wife Sita and his younger brother Laksamana, they went into a forest Dandaka. While they were in the forest, the demon king Rahwana found them and lusted after the beautiful Sita. Accompanied by his prime minister Meritja, they made a trick to steal Sita. Using his magic power Meritja transformed himself into a golden Deer. Disguised as golden Deer they succeded in luring Rama and Laksamana away from Sita. Rahwana making use of his opportunity, kidnapped Sita and took her to his palace. Discovering the deception Rama and Laksamana set out to rescue Sita from the clutches of the demon king destroying Rahwana’s army under the command of his son Megananda. Finally Rama succeded in getting his wife back safe and sound.

 

Some episodes of this epic are represented in the following acts:

 

Act 1 Rama, Sita and golden deer

 

Rama, Sita and Laksamana enter the arene : Then a golden deer appears. Sita asks to catch the deer for her. Rama leaves Sita under Laksamana’s protection. Soon a cry for help is heard. Sita thinks this is the voice of Rama. She asks Laksamana to help him. At first, Laksamana refuses to leave her alone. He thinks, Rama could not be harmed. Sita says, Laksamana would hope Rama to die, to marry her after. In rage Laksama goes to look for his brother.

 

Act 2 Sita and Rahwana

 

Rahwana kidnappes Sita and brings her to his palace in his kingdom.

 

Act 3 Sita, Trijata and Hanoman

 

Accompanied by Trijata, Rahwana’s niece, Sita is bemoaning her misfortune in the garden of Rahwana’s palace. Hanoman, the white monkey general, appears. He tells her that he is Rama’s envoy and shows her Rama’s ring. Sita gives him a hairpin to be taken to Rama with a message that she is waiting for Rama’s rescue.

 

Act 4 Rama, Meganada and Garuda

 

It represents Rama in the battle facing Meganada, Rahwana’s son. Meganada shoots Rama with his magic arrow which turns into a dragon and ties Rama up as with a rope. In his desperation he calls for Garuda, his ally. Garuda appears and releases Rama from the dragon.

 

Act 5 Rama, Sugriwa and Meganada

 

Sugriwa a king of the monkeys appears. He asks Meganada, to leave the protecting clouds. Soon a fight between Sugriwa and Meganada ensues. The choir splits into two halfs. One half representing the spelling rhythm of the white monkey army and at the other side the choir spelling cak-cak-cak. Battle of ecstatic spells. The performance is ended by the victory of Rama’s side. Finally, Rama and his wife Sita return home into their kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mediums of the gods

 

Sanghyang Dedari Dance

 

Sanghyang dance developed from the essential religious function maintaining the health and well-being of the village. They are performed to drive evil spirit away and stop them infesting the community in the form of sickness or death. Described here is Sanghyang Dedari, a ritual dance where it is believed a diving spirit temporarily descends to a village and reveals itself through the entranced dancer . Sanghyang is the title of a diving spirit and means "holiness" and dedari means "angels" and describes the trance ceremony. It is a dance of two little girls who are always underage. For a virgin child is considered holy. In the Sanghyang, the dancers are put into trance prior to dancing. The ceremony begins in the temple and a procession is formed to march to the place where the trance dance will take place. The celestial angels are called from the heavens into the two girls. In deep trance, they are set upon the ground between the female choir and the male chorus. The little dancers freely dwell away in a dream version of the Legong. When the chanting stops, the girls immediately fall to the ground. They are brought back to live again by the Pemangku priest who prays beside them and blesses them with holy water.

 

Traditionally, the girls and boys, who are choosed to perform Sanghyang, are not necessarily formed in dance schools. Traditionally, they do not remember any movement of the dream dance.

 

In the Sanhyang Jaran Dance, an entranced boy dances on a grass-horse (jaran). Behaving like a horse, he dances around a bonfire made from coconut busks. When the Sanghyang song in trance leads him to fire, then he will dance on and through the fire.

 

 

 

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Celtic rights and laws

 

 

The presently remaining documents of Celtic law are the Irish Brehon-Codes and the Welsh Hywel Dda. Both systems tip to the ancient codex of the Druid nobility of sincerity toward the world. There exist traces to the documents of Molmutine Law in Cornwall, that shall help to save the weak and poor of suppression. In old Celtoi, everybody, poor or rich, had the right to be treated by the Druid doctors, when doctors made obvious mistakes they took the responsibility for reparation. Dolmnuil I. of Alba (old name of Scotland) between 858-862 announced the old the ancient order and law of Dàl Riad, a specified version of the Brehon Codes. Especially in Alba even in the times of Christian influences remained a lot of the ancient Codex of the matriarchal traces of the Pictes. But in Eriu as well, until the English-Men invaded the Irish Island and suppressed the indigenous high culture, the high standard of equality of gender and the balancing social tools of the Druid wisdom survived.

 

There still exists another text of the 11th century of Britain, the Leges inter Bretones et Scotos that shows to the same ancient source of Codex as the Brehon and the Hywel Dda laws. There are not only very amazing similarities between Celtic and ancient Indian lyrics and religious intonations, also the Brahman and the Druid cosmology, astrology/astronomy, medicine and law codes of proper conduct show to the same Indo-European source.

 

The ancient Druids negotiated in conflicts between the countless Celtic tribes but also between Celtic and foreign peoples. Such was the case, when female Druids negotiated a contract between the Celtic Volcae and Hannibal of Carthago. Female Druids seemed to specialize on the rights and sacrifices as traces of ancient Ireland show.

 

Was the woman in a family bringing more wealth from her side, and her husband nothing, from the point of view of the rights she had the say. In cases of divorce, that was a simple and usual event, she had the right on her part of material, that she was bringing in from her side: the Celts in their regulations originally made sure, to protect the rights of their mothers, daughters and wifes. In the cases, when a man wanted a second or third wife, the concubines were protected by a contract of one year, that could be renewed.

 

Despite many invasions to suppress Irish Celtic culture by the Anglo-Saxons or English-men, the Brehon-Codex survived as the basic law until the 17th century. The Druids gathered regularly at the sacred place of Tara (close to Dublin) to discuss the regulations and laws and to see how they could balance the current situations. Ollham (highest authority, that could tell/sing over 350 canons/songs of Druid culture) King Fodla was looking to unite the tribes and their regulations and created the Feis Temhrach, the feast of Tara in a triadic cycle of every three years, starting at his time at 714 B.C.

 

The similarities of the Vedic and the Celtic wisdom are really amazing: The Manavadharmasastra of the sacred Manu and the Brehon-Codex. (For that subject see the books of P. Berresford Ellis).

 

The countries, that apply the Indo-European wisdom in the present time perhaps in a most effective way regarding the balance of human with nature – with its innerself perhaps are Ireland and Bali. Both are rather small islands, where the ancient wisdom could survive into the modern world respecting the need to balance economy and ecology. In Ireland the past years educational programs were started, where the children planted trees all over the country, that were cut due to economical development whilst the past 30 years or so. The state sponsored all these many trees, to benefit the future generations and give the land its hairs back.

 

When the Muslim-dominated Indonesian state became independent in the middle of the 20th century, there happened misconceptions of organization that came together with difficult weather conditions which resulted in very poor harvests. When the central government in Jakarta was looking for solutions for these hundreds of ethnic cultures on hundreds of islands and did a long way to manage the problem, the Balinese remembered the social structures of the temple associations that include everyone in a framework of support and helping to the needy and could with the Vedic wisdom find back to its dynamic interplay of heaven, earth and humanity quite quick and handled the calamities. Today almost everyone in Bali in school already learns dancing and singing the old myths, everywhere people offering flowers and incense to the unity the triple principle.

 

The bhur-bhuwah-swah triptych is found everywhere in Bali. Every temple has a stone or brick, or today sometimes concrete, padmasana, a shrine that represents the macrocosmos, with turtle and dragons below, the empty seat of surya, the sun, on top, and the world of man in between. Many Balinese cremation ceremonies feature gaudily decorated towers, wadah, with the same symbolism. The details of the wadah may be clearly, and sometimes colourfully, depicted: leafy forests, mountains, and a kind of house representing buwah in the middle; a series of tiered roofs representing mahameru, the holy world-mountain, on top; and the world-turtle, the nagas entwined about him, representing bhur below.

 

The cycle of life has three divisions: birth, live and death. A newborn baby whose spirit has just arrived from heaven is treated like a god. Similarly, a very old person, whose spirit will shortly return again to heaven, is shown the greatest respect – like that accorded holy people. Everywhere one finds triple shrines, triple niches, and triple platforms of lotus leaves made of stone, brick or wood to accommodate the Hindu triad.

 

The structure of man, the microcosmos, is divided into three parts corresponding to those of the macrocosmos. In fact, the same Sanskrit word, bhuana, is used to describe both man’s body and the universe. …(Bali – Sekala & Niksala; F.B. Eisenmann jr.)

 

 

The whole life, language and habit on Bali is shaped by the Triad principle, that Triad : expression of the creation of nature and its unity. At every corner are temples, but these are never "empty", these temples are the expression of the religious heart of a culture, everywhere people coming or going to these temples, the temple in the hearts of the people being the flower, that are offered everywhere.

 

 

But the Triad shows itself in a spiralling motion, the spiralling motion which stands for renewal – the periodic rebirth of the old in a new body …

 

 

 

Also in ancient Europe, the same as in Bali or India, ancient China: people were offering flowers to the waters, to the sacred mountains, to the ancestors....    dancing into trance - opening the gates to the heavens

 

 

 

shaping cosmologies in Triads