The Seen and Unseen. Concepts of Power in Bali. This article is inspired by a talk presented by Made Suryasa at Usada Bali. Drawing on Balinese cultural traditions, oral histories, and spiritual philosophy, Made shared insights into the complex relationship between sacred knowledge, ethics, and the use of power within Balinese society. The reflections presented here are intended to introduce these themes to a wider audience while honouring the depth and nuance of the traditions from which they arise. This was first published in http://www.usada.com.
When conversations turn to black magic in Bali, images of Rangda masks, mysterious rituals, haunted cemeteries, and whispered stories often come to mind. For many visitors, these stories sit somewhere between folklore and fascination, feeding a long-standing Western appetite for the exotic and unexplained. Yet as cultural educator Made Suryasa recently shared during a captivating evening at Usada Bali, the reality is far more nuanced.
What Balinese people describe as “black magic” cannot be fully understood through Western concepts of good versus evil. Instead, it exists within a much larger framework of sacred knowledge, spiritual responsibility, and the ethical use of power.
Knowledge Is Not Inherently Good or Evil
Made explained that Balinese traditions often distinguish between two pathways of knowledge. Drawing on terminology borrowed from Indian traditions, practitioners speak of dharma sadhu and dharma weci—the right-hand and left-hand applications of spiritual knowledge. Both belong to the realm of dharma. Both require discipline, study, and understanding. The difference lies not in the knowledge itself, but in the intention behind its use.
The same understanding of energy, mantra, ritual, and symbolism can be applied to healing, protection, and service, or it can be directed toward manipulation, control, and personal gain. “The only difference is intention,” Made explained. This distinction echoes concepts found in many spiritual traditions around the world, including the ideas of right-hand and left-hand tantra. Power itself remains neutral. Human intention determines how it manifests.
Why Priests Study Both Paths
One of the more surprising insights from the evening was that Balinese priests and priestesses traditionally study both forms of knowledge. This is not because they intend to practice harmful rituals, but because understanding the darker aspects of spiritual practice enables them to recognize, neutralize, and protect against them. Knowledge becomes a form of defense.
To understand the shadow is also to understand how to navigate it. This approach reflects a broader Balinese worldview, where opposites are not denied or suppressed. Instead, they are acknowledged as part of a larger cosmic balance.
The Geography of Sacred Stories
Throughout Bali, certain regions have become associated with stories of powerful practitioners, mystical encounters, and esoteric traditions. Sanur, parts of Gianyar, the eastern coast around Padang Bai and Klungkung, and areas of North Bali all appear in local narratives about spiritual power and hidden knowledge. These stories have circulated for generations through oral tradition, family histories, and community memory.
Made himself grew up hearing such stories in Denpasar during a very different Bali. Bbefore dense traffic, bright streetlights, and rapid development transformed the landscape. Many of these accounts speak of shape-shifting practitioners, mysterious sightings, and gatherings in spiritually charged places. Whether understood literally, symbolically, or somewhere in between, these stories continue to form part of Bali’s cultural imagination.
The Living Library of Bali
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the discussion was not the stories themselves, but the vast body of knowledge that preserves them. For centuries, Balinese wisdom was recorded on lontar manuscripts. Carefully inscribed palm-leaf texts that contain teachings on medicine, architecture, ritual practice, calendars, philosophy, genealogy, folklore, and spiritual disciplines.
These manuscripts remain one of Bali’s greatest cultural treasures. Many teachings associated with healing, protection, and esoteric practices survive through these texts, often encoded through metaphor, symbolism, and multiple layers of meaning. A single phrase may contain references that only become clear when studied alongside other manuscripts and oral teachings.
As Made explained, reading one manuscript is rarely enough. Meanings unfold through context, lineage, and lived understanding. This complexity helps explain why many traditional teachings resist simple translation into modern language.
The Seen and Unseen. Concepts of Power in Bali encompasses also the Power of Symbol and Sacred Script
Another dimension of Balinese spiritual practice lies in rerajahan—sacred diagrams, symbolic drawings, and ritual inscriptions. To an untrained eye, these images may appear decorative or mysterious. Yet practitioners understand them as vehicles for intention and spiritual focus. Often incorporating sacred syllables and Balinese script, these diagrams function alongside mantra, ritual, and prayer. Their power does not come solely from the image itself.
Its effectiveness arises through a combination of intention, ritual preparation and the focused attention of the practitioner creating them. In this sense, a sacred diagram is less an object and more a relationship between knowledge, ritual, and consciousness.
A Culture Rooted in Relationship
Perhaps the most important lesson from the evening was that Balinese spiritual traditions are fundamentally relational. Relationships exist not only between people, but between ancestors and descendants, humans and nature, the visible and invisible worlds, and the forces that sustain life itself.
Many forms of spiritual protection begin not with magical objects or secret rituals, but with strengthening these relationships. When asked how one might protect themselves from harmful influences, Made’s answer was strikingly simple: connect with your ancestors, honour your parents, and remember the spiritual forces that accompanied your birth. Such advice reflects a worldview in which protection emerges through belonging rather than fear.
Looking Beyond the Exotic
For outsiders, it can be tempting to approach subjects such as black magic and love potions as curiosities. Yet doing so risks missing the deeper cultural context that gives these traditions meaning. What emerges from conversations like this is not a portrait of superstition, but a sophisticated system of ethics, symbolism, psychology, ritual practice, and spiritual philosophy that has evolved over centuries. The stories may be captivating, but the worldview behind them is even more remarkable.
In Part Two, we will explore the cultural origins of Balinese love potions, protective practices, sacred amulets, and the enduring stories that continue to shape the island’s understanding of power and human desire.
