How Magickal Pearls are Acquired Part 2

One interesting myth related to cobra-pearls is that these cobras employ the light of the pearl that they carry in their hoods to hunt at night, as a means of brightening their pathway--this would certainly indicate a property of the pearl itself or in accord with the argument above that a symbiotic relationship is being alluded to here between the cobra and the spirit-elemental of the pearl that the snake hosts. In cases where a pearl is said to have glowing properties it is difficult to validate and affirm its authenticity or to determine whether some form of a gimmick is employed to working its magic because owners of such pearls invariably refuse testers closer inspection. In regards to fakes, we know that there are synthetic "stones" selling in Indonesia with an electronic component, the Light-Emitting Diode embedded within them; this is coupled to a tiny battery and a switch that closes the circuit and gives off light whenever the stones are immersed in water or when pressure is applied to them--this novelty item could probably be found in various countries as well--this stone is often appropriated for deception. What confuses the glowing-pearl issue of the above is that in ancient Vedic literature such as the Garuda Purana, the nature of the pearls that are said to be "brilliant" are described in terms that are open to interpretation and debate.

But to return to the subject of shamanic pearl-retrieval, there are times when the ritual fails for one reason or another or it may require extra effort to be channeled into it in which situation more ritual-sessions are repeated for consecutive days and this entails the shaman spending more days/nights in the mosquito-infested region. At times such prolonged struggles also fail and the shaman has to return empty-handed for his efforts. Generally speaking, the more difficult it is for the shaman to retrieve a pearl, the greater is its inherent powers/magickal virtues. It is a rare occurrence, but shamans do occasionally pay for their lives during psychic-struggles.

Shamans are often called to attention of unusual phenomena occurring in villages such as strange hauntings, poltergeists, possessions, etc.--subsequent psychic detection by these shamans may reveal that the haunting entities are guardians of magickal pearls who often desire for these to be given to certain individuals--rituals are then conducted to facilitate the transfer of these treasures. In other cases, haunting spirits are not predisposed of giving away pearls in their possessions but haunt as a result of the desecration or disturbances of their territory by humans. When shamans detect that these nature-spirits are protectors of pearls and wishes to acquire them, a psychic "battle" would ensue with the shaman engaging in an inner-struggle for victory over the spirit beings.

Haunting spirits such as the above are often the "siluman" class-types--the sort of jinns (genies) that manifest themselves as etheric creatures and sometimes even as physical animals that can be killed as ordinary beings. Beasts such as tigers, crocodiles and wild-boars menacing villages and killing humans are often regarded as siluman--they carry certain traits or have features that indicate that they are no ordinary animals--there is always something strange about them. To protect the community, the elders of a troubled village would typically decide to set a trap for the beast somewhere in their compound or to hunt them down. During the actual confrontation, these creatures often display extraordinary qualities of invulnerability, strength, fearlessness, and stamina; ordinary blades and weapons have almost no effect upon them--when they are finally vanquished with the assistance of shamans who casts an appropriate spell, they are found to contain pearls or stones in their bodies and these are discovered to possess the same properties displayed by their dead hosts. Normally the tribal chieftain or an elder would claim these pearls as their own. Not only pearls but every part of these unusual beasts such as their claws, fangs, teeth, horns, skin, etc., are likewise regarded as having magickal properties.

The power of invulnerability against the blade is often displayed by domestic life-stock as well, most of the time fowls--roosters, in particular; and even after the prayers conducted by the butcher which results in a successful slaughter, the decapitated chicken would still have the strength and the nerve-energy within it to run amuck albeit headless for several minutes. These roosters when later dressed and cut-open often reveal bezoar stones in their organs--Albertus Magnus and other naturalists of past centuries refer to these stones as Alectoria. At times, silumans are benevolent and they would mysteriously appear in a village as an animal, most of the time as large snakes; they find themselves an agreeable person to reach out to and who eventually adopts them as pets. After being with their new keeper and family for several months or years, these benign creatures would suddenly vanish as mysteriously as they came but not before leaving behind a pearl or two. Sometimes the keeper would notice a bulge on their pet's serpentine-head developing; this would grow and develop into a snake-crown and is the object given to their keeper during the creature's departure.

One interesting manner in which Nature offer pearls to individuals is through dreams. Villagers living adjacent to forests and jungles often have lucid-dreams in which a mysterious personage would visit them--most of the time such encounters is of an elderly person that would make contact and explain to the dreamer that a gift is being offered and that it may be found at a certain place; the nature of the gift is not always described, though, neither is the site where it is located in which case the dreamer would simply wake up before sunrise and resume his or her normal daily-routine until later in the day the gift is found unexpectedly. If the site is indicated in the dream, the dreamer in his waking-state would investigate and conduct a search which almost always yields the expected results. Sometimes dreams such as these precedes the mysterious arrival of a creature wishing to be adopted as a pet as described above.

Pawangs that sojourn in the wilds are close to Nature and are observant of the creatures that live in their natural habitat. The behavioral patterns of these animals, their place in the food-chain, their defence mechanisms, etc. are all duly noted by the studious pawangs--the latter are the non-academic "natural" naturalists who also observe the occult side of the flora and fauna in a given region. As these pawangs specialize in animal and plant pearl-acquisition it is understandable that they would mentally record the characteristics of animals and plant-life harboring pearls. From the reports that we have gathered creatures with pearls in them often have the following characteristics and traits: an advanced age, invulnerability, unusual gait/movements, immunity to venomous bites, human behaviour, etc. Serpents that often have stones within them, for instance, are observed to swim and undulate their bodies not horizontally but vertically--we can theorize that such a movement is caused by the excess weight dragging their bodies downwards and the effort of the creatures to keeping themselves afloat. In regards to tree-pearls, it is noted that trees with crystallized sap or petrified pieces are often the type that have holes in their trunk where rot has set in and where these pearls are found.

As mentioned before animals are not hunted for pearls; nonetheless, these stones on occasion do show-up in the carcasses of wild-animals slaughtered by villagers for food; pearls are thus acquired incidentally in such situations. Shamans do not employ the methods of hunting or killing animals as not only is this a fruitless effort and a waste of time but it also severs their attunement with Nature and the values and goals that they hold dearly. There is one rumour circulating that animals are triggered to developing stones by the Dayaks of Kalimantan (Borneo). The author of the online article "Bizarre Tales About Bezoar Stones" (webguru.com) states that,

"The Dayaks of Borneo have a method for producing bezoars which they call guligas. This is to shoot an animal with an unpoisoned arrow. When the wound heals, there is often a hardening of the skin, which finally results in the formation of a guliga. In some of these concretions the point of the arrow still remains. The guligas of natural formation are frequently found between the flesh and the skin of apes and porcupines."

However, the author does not mention how injured animals are supposed to have survived such shots--do the Dayaks help them to recover? Arrow-shot wounds are often fatal--especially to small animals--there would not be any opportunity for injured creatures to recover and have their wounds healed--this rumour, based on the accounts of travellers of past centuries has yet to be verified; nevertheless, contemporary unwritten information regarding the retrieval of bezoar stones, mustika, or guligas do not mention Dayaks forming pearls in such a manner. After all, there are no stories of humans forming pearls after being shot by arrows and recovering thereafter--it might be redundant to say that shamans of our acquaintances and associates do not kill or acquire pearls in such a manner.

Some mustika-pearls have the power to assist their keeper to acquire other pearls that are equally exquisite and rare--this may result in varied ways. The keeper may easily find suppliers or sources for these pearls or they would approach him without much effort on his part of seeking them out. The magickal-pearl owned would also enrich the keeper building up his finances so that other pearls may be secured if desired. Another method which is not too common is for the pearl(s) to be appropriated in magickal rites especially designed for the manifestation of mustika-pearls--most of the pawangs that conduct pearl-retrieval operations have their own special pearl to facilitate such work. By possessing a good quality magickal pearl, especially a serpentine/dragon pearl it is said that the keeper would eventually find the acquisition of other pearls and gem stones much easier. The Garuda Purana states thusly,

"Only meritorious persons will have access to the cobra-pearl. Then they can get other gems of great brilliance, wealth, kingdom and grow brilliant."

Certain spirit-communications convey the idea that mustika-pearls when placed in certain geometric-formations send out signals in the etheric realms which attract the attention of the guardian-spirits of pearls making it possible for further gifting to take place--we will not elaborate on this principle or methodology here, suffice to say that it is a tried and tested method.

We have already described how ordinary individuals are gifted mustika-pearls through lucid-dreams. Another possible manner whereby these pearls are entrusted to fortunate individuals is within the frame-work of paranormal incidents that would leave the individuals concerned dazed and amazed. Such phenomena would normally transpire amidst natural surroundings, such as in forests, sacred grounds, power-spots, etc. The external character of these incidents may vary and have outward differences but they are essentially similar in specifics in which the recipient of the pearl is approached by a mysterious person who offers a gift or points to where it may be found. While still reflecting about the matter and perhaps gazing elsewhere for a second or two, the recipient would turn once again to the stranger who is found to be no longer there nor anywhere else. The recipient would find in place of where the person was standing or in the vicinity mustika-pearls or some other object as indicated by the bestower.

It is well-known that in the ocean lives a creature called the oyster that produces pearls of various shades of color and sizes. It is not recognized, however, that the sea offer more jewels than just oyster-pearls. There are other pearls formed by the interacting forces of the elements or sea-creatures and they can be just as exquisite and unusual as the pearls produced by the mollusk. For a lack of a better word, we refer to them collectively as "sea-pearls"--they are any natural jewel found in the sea and can be of any size, shape and color. Sea-pearls are mostly in a spherical-form and may have any sort of texture. Their mineral composition are not quite known to us as there are many types to consider, though the common ones are composed of silica or of a glass-material. How such sea-pearls are developed in the sea is a mystery, though the fulgurite (Lat. Fulgur--"thunderbolt") formed out of an environmental event may probably offer us a clue as to their origin. The fulgurite, also called "petrified lightning" is a fused-quartz (Si02, melting-point 2950°F) formed as a result of a lightning-strike upon sand or rock. As a thunder-bolt hits the ground, it melts and fuses the material that it comes into contact with and normally form a root-like structure buried beneath the surface; this glass-like object is formed as the lightning traces its path in the ground and it can have a length of several feet and several centimeters in diameter. They are normally hollow and have rough outer surfaces; their inner surfaces, though, are glassy and smooth; fine globules may be found within fulgurites and the color of these objects vary in color with a greenish, grayish, whitish, blackish, or brownish tinge--they might come in other colors too depending on the composition of the material where they are formed. Sea-pearls may be fragments of these fulgurites re-shaped and re-formed by the forces of the sea.

Sea-pearls, generically, belong to the class of Lechatelierite, or naturally-fused silica; one other possibility as to their origin is that they are the matter ejected out of underwater volcanic craters; they may be crater glass (Impactite)--created out of meteorite impact events in which case they are related to tektites; these pearls are not shards or fragments of colored-bottles fallen into the sea as believed by some theorists as the form in which they appear make it quite improbable. Underwater volcanic craters are found in the seas of the Indonesian archipelago and it is not illogical to assume that the pearls may have their origin within the fiery-furnace existing deep within their bowels. These colored sea-pearls are occasionally found lying on the ocean-bed by divers and by those whose living depend very much on the sea; shamans acquire them through their unique methods along the lines that we have explained previously. After spending hundreds and thousands of years in the sea in a natural environment, sea-pearls absorb a good deal of occult energies and elemental-beings are attracted to them.

Pawangs have an uncanny knowledge related to mustika-pearls of plant-life such as those found in coconuts and in bamboos; not only do they detect the stones metaphysically, they are also familiar with the physical characteristics that indicate whether or not a coconut or a segment of a bamboo-trunk has a pearl--generally speaking, the knowledge that they possess afford them to detect the presence of pearls in almost every-type of flora. Most coconuts that have pearls within them are the "one-eyed" and "blind" coconuts--knowledgeable pawangs prior to removing the husk of a coconut can state with certainty whether it is one-eyed or the regular three-eyed types. With such specialized knowledge it is a simple matter for pawangs to extract and collect coconut or bamboo pearls without the unnecessary work of opening thousands of coconuts just for their acquisition. Coconut plantation-workers and those involved with the processing of coconuts would have lots of the pearls in their possession as a result of handling them by the hundreds and thousands on a daily basis. Probably none would admit of having them though, to avoid confiscation by their superiors or employers.

We would like to conclude this article by saying that the methods of pearl-acquisition explained herein only represent the "tip of an ice-berg"--that there are probably more ways that mustika-pearls are acquired that we have inadvertently overlooked or that we may be ignorant of. Nature cannot be constrained in any way--if she decides to offer a gift to someone she will find a way to do it--no one can prevent the giving from taking place nor should anyone try to do so as this could have catastrophic consequences. Forcing Nature to part with something which is not meant to be also has its negative effects. It is fortunate to possess a magickal mustika-pearl as one then has an object that connects oneself to Nature and her hidden spiritual forces--this has inestimable value that cannot be described with words.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

The Legend of the Dewadaru Tree

The Dewadaru tree is mostly found to the north of the island of Java, among the Sunda islands of Karimunjava, in the Java Sea, bearing the coordinates of Latitude 5° 52' S, and Longitude 110° 26' E. It has a human population of approximately 20,000 people. The Dewadaru tree had been sanctified by the local inhabitants of the island for countless generations as a result of a myth perpetuated by the elders of the society. In one of the local dialects, "daru" means "blessing from heaven," while "dewa," (derived from Sanskrit) is the Indonesian term for "god." "Dewadaru" is thus interpreted as the "gift of the gods," implying that this tree genus is a tangible symbolic gift from the gods/esses to the islanders. To the local inhabitants, the Dewadaru represents the wisdom of the gods in maintaining the harmony, stability, and peacefulness of Nature. The Dewadaru is believed to be the protective guardian of the living souls on the Karimunjava islands.

According to the legend, there was once a man living on the island of Java who was furious with his son for constant disobedience. The man, although he loved his son dearly, strove to inculcate in him a certain hard lesson. So one day he drove his son away from home with the warning that he was not to set foot on Java again.

Not willing to disobey his father again, he prepared himself for the journey. In sadness, the son left Mt. Muria where they dwelt and moved on to the open seas to the north. He sailed on a boat for many days through stormy weather and amidst huge waves, not really knowing his destination and perhaps with little will to survive. Then one day, his boat landed on the shores of a small, uninhabited island.

Meanwhile, from the peak of Mt. Muria in Java, the boy's father was secretly watching over his son clairvoyantly. But for some reason his vision was vague and unclear, and thus lost track of the whereabouts of the boy on that island. In the old Javanese language, the word "vague" is translated as kerimun. Thus the island became known as "Karimun-java."

The boy continued his journey inland bearing two wooden staffs as walking sticks to assist his journey. He retrieved these from the shore. These two short poles wounded him while his boat was capsized to shore by the sheer power of the waves. In the middle of the forest he poked the two staffs to the ground and started to rest from the tiresome journey. Miraculously, in that very instant the two staffs grew into magnificent trees. In awe of the incident, he named them "Dewadaru." In the present day, the place where he rested now stands the village of Nyamplungan.

Nowadays, although not too numerous, there is a substantial amount of Dewadaru trees growing on the islands-the descendants of the very first two. The remains of the original, fabulous Dewadaru trees may still be seen. The humps are there as if to substantiate the truth of the legend. The descendants of the magickal trees grow in hill-slopes of the islands and are not easily accessible.

In proximity to the once glorious trees is a grave that until now is still being sanctified by the locals. On certain nights-such as Jumat Kliwon (a Thursday night occurring once in 35 days) of the Javanese calendar, the grave would be visited by pilgrims desiring the blessings of the spiritual adept to whom the grave belongs. The adept was known as Sunan Nyamplungan from whence the village received its name.

For centuries, the Dewadaru tree or wood is believed by the inhabitants of Karimunjava to possess magickal powers. Tested through time, the wood is said to heal poisonous bites, and aches or illnesses in the abdominal region. Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet for personal protection against evil persons as well as a weapon against evil spirits. It is said that unlike other types of wood, the Dewadaru, even a small piece of it, sinks when placed in water.

Seventy-five kilometers away, as the crow flies, from the town of Jepara in Java, the Karimunjava islands has a scary myth related to the Dewadaru. There is supposed to be a warning by the regional spirits that the sacred Dewadaru wood or tree is not to be taken out of the islands without the concession of the spiritual guardians of the area. Whosoever violates this, even by taking a small piece of the wood, incurs the wrath of Nature and calamity befalls him or her not long after. The usual mishap is the sinking or the immobility of the vessel that the person travels on to journey back to the mainland. Sometimes it could be a fatal illness after the trip. Often the person dies a tragic death in a freak "accident." At first this myth was regarded as a superstition, but several instances of this have been recorded.

In regards to the sinking of unfortunate vessels transporting the wood, some observers have noted of unusual events beforehand. Signs and warnings are given from the invisible world. Tales of these spirit communications and unheeded warnings abound. One story in particular relates of an old woman appearing to the captain of a vessel warning that the boat or ship was carrying the sacred wood and that this was taken from the region without permission and the required ceremony. Before disappearing, she warned the captain to unload the illicitly gained item. The captain did not heed her request and as a result, the vessel that he commanded en route to the Java mainland sank to the watery depths. Before the ship sailed even the villagers of the island were given omens that the vessel was doomed. Many of them heard blasting sounds on the nearby Nyamplungan hill. Careful investigations revealed nothing that could have produced those noises. It is said that to this day these sounds still occur whenever a ship or a boat is destined to plunge into Davy Jones' locker. In 1981 a mishap was prevented from occurring. There was a ship on its way to Java from the Karimunjava islands. Somewhere in the middle of the sea its engine stalled and it became immobile. Moments later everyone on board, passengers and crew, panicked. Out of the calm sea, huge waves suddenly appeared, threatening to capsize the vessel. The captain realizing what was wrong in haste called upon the passengers to throw into the sea any Dewadaru wood that they were carrying. One person confessed that he had some of the wood in his possession. This was quickly cast into the sea with apologies to the spirit guardians of Karimunjava. Amazingly, minutes later the waves subsided.

There are always two sides to a coin. The above myth also has a different aspect: if by any chance the Dewadaru wood finds its way outside of the Karimunjava islands, the wood would double its potency and act as a powerful catalyst to awaken the dormant occult faculties within its possessor or user. The energy of the wood itself is a potent amulet against all forms of black magick and it also wards off negative entities, as mentioned previously. Dewadaru is also worn as protective amulets against the jettatore, the evil eye. From the metaphysical viewpoint, the dryads or spirits of the trees are especially empowered and their power or virtues are occultly inherent within the wood. The energy of the Dewadaru wood has a beneficent influence upon the psychosomatic system of man. The village shamans say that the Dewadaru is an exclusive gift to the people on the island, one reason why the spiritual guardians of the region do not permit the wood to be exported unless with special concession.

There are numerous strange stories related to the magickal Dewadaru tree or its wood. To the local inhabitants these are no longer a matter of belief but knowledge and conviction gained from day to day experience. Being sacred, the Dewadaru is used only for devotional and protective purposes. One hardly finds the villagers using this wood for the fashioning of furniture or as a building material; and only the courageous would use it in their spiritual activities. The trees are not too numerous on the islands nowadays and therefore they are forcefully preserved. The Dewadaru is esteemed highly for their traditional and cultural value, and regarded as the totem guardians of the island. Because the occult power of the Dewadaru is well known, many disrespectful outsiders plunder the wood seeking to possess and misuse the power within it for egoic purposes. But it is also believed that Sunan Nyamplungan, the guardian of the island, or his proxy, plays a role in protecting the place from pilferers. Some say that the Adept sometimes appear as a gigantic bat to those who carry-out their negative intentions.

In 1992, the faculty of biology of the University of Gajah Mada conducted some research on the Dewadaru and the report of their analysis states that this tree is quite rare and not easily propagated. There are two strains to be found in the Karimunjava islands: the first strain is Dewadaru Baccaurea Sumatrana from the Euphorbiaceae family. The second, Fagraea Elliptica from the Loganiaceae family.

The Dewadaru is supposed to be found solely in the Karimunjava islands. Although almost unheard of, there is at least one Dewadaru tree to be found in Java in the area of Mt. Kawi in the region of Malang, East Java. Strangely enough, those living in this area sanctify the leaves rather than the wood.

Mt. Kawi is well-known for its pilgrimage site for those seeking wealth. The tree grows nearby a grave of someone who was known as Eyang Jugo, a metaphysical practitioner of royal descent. It is said that those sitting underneath the Dewadaru tree and is fortunate enough to have a leave or two fall on their heads out of their own accord, then this is a sign that great financial blessings or wealth will be bestowed upon them. It is thus not surprising to find people sitting or even spending the night 'neath the shade of the tree hoping to catch a leaf-fall. People come from all over Java hoping to transform their fate with a simple sitting. However, even with strong winds, seldom does a leaf detach itself from the branches with the hope and expectation of the sitters. Many return to their normal lives in disappointment. At times those standing quite a distance from the tree are often blessed with a falling leaf, often blown by a non-existing wind. There are tales of those who disbelieved in the sacredness of the tree and mockingly place a leaf upon their own heads. The result was that on their way home from the mountain they encountered tragic mishaps.

The origin of the Dewadaru tree at this particular site of pilgrimage has a similar tale as the one of Karimunjava. Both were the result of the insertions of walking staffs into the grounds. According to the legend, Eyang Jugo once journeyed with a companion to his close friend R.M. Imam Soejono, who lived on Mt. Kawi. Along the way he rested in a shady area. It was there that he received intuitively from the spirit planes that his life was drawing to a close. He advised his travel companion that where he died, it was there that he was to be buried. Further along the way Eyang Jugo suddenly stabbed the ground with his staff and expired. The staff filled with the power of Eyang Jugo, suddenly grew into a tree. The Chinese people living in the precincts of Eyang Jugo's gravesite called the tree "Shian Toho," and this was translated into Javanese as "Dewadaru."

As mentioned above, the Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet. Those able to acquire a rosary fashioned from it for spiritual or devotional purposes is indeed fortunate, for it is rare that anyone is given the permission to secure this wood from the islands and to tap into its inherent magickal virtues.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

Kujang - the Talismanic Sickle

There is a unique weapon that originates in Western Java, in the Pasundan (Sundanese) region. This weapon is called "kujang," (pron. "koo-jaang.") Lacking the proper English equivalent for this we have used the term, "sickle," eventhough its form somewhat deviates from the true shape of a sickle. Neither does it resemble the "scimitar" which curves convexly. In Indonesian a sickle is actually called "chelurit."

The Javanese living in the eastern half of the Java island refers to the kujang as "kudi." To those who are uninformed, the indigenous people of the island of Java are not all "Javanese." The western part of the island is populated by a major ethnic group called "Sundanese." The kujang is the sole monument of the city of Bogor here in Indonesia.

The kujang is filled with mysteries. It is said that it carries within its form a magickal force with a mystical purpose. Embodied within its original figure lied the philosophy of the ancient Sundanese with its Hindu heritage. It is evident from the foregoing that this mystic blade was created to be more of a talisman, a symbolical objet d'art, rather than a weapon. This is especially so regarded in contemporary times.

The original creation of the kujang was actually inspired by a utensil used in farming. This utensil was widely used in the 4th to 7th centuries AD. The newly created kujang differed slightly from the tilling implements fashioned by the famed blacksmiths, Mpu Windusarpo, Mpu Ramayadi, and Mpu Mercukundo, as can be seen in the local museums. It was only in the 9th to 12th century that the form of the kujang took the shape that we are so familiar with today. In the year 1170 there was a change in the kujang. Its value as an amulet or talisman was gradually being recognized by the rulers and nobilities of the Pajajaran Makukuhan kingdom, especially during the reign of Prabu Kudo Lalean. During one of his spiritual retreats, Kudo Lalean was instructed through a psychic vision to re-design the form of the kujang to conform to the shape of the island of "Djawa Dwipa," as Java was called in those days. Immediately the sovereign king commissioned the royal blacksmith, Mpu Windu Supo, to fashion the blade seen in his vision. It was to become a weapon embodying mystical qualities and a spiritual philosophy; a magickal object, unique in its design, one that future generations would always associate with the Pajajaran Makukuhan kingdom.

After a period of meditation, Mpu Windu Supo confirmed the vision of Kudo Lalean and commenced with the fashioning of a prototype of the Kujang. It was to have two prominent characteristics: the shape of the island of Java and three holes or round notches somewhere in the blade.

Constructing the kujang blade into the shape of Java was interpreted to mean the ideal of unification of all the petty kingdoms of Java into a single empire, headed by the Makukuhan king. The three holes or round notches was to represent the Trimurti, or the three aspects of the godhead of the Hindu religion, of which Kudo Lalean was a devoted votary. The three aspects or gods referred to are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Hindu trinity was also represented by the three major kingdoms of that era, respectively, the kingdom of Pengging Wiraradya, located in the east of Java; the kingdom of Kambang Putih, located north-east of the island; and the kingdom of Pajajaran Makukuhan, located in the west.

The shape of the kunjang evolved further in later generations. Different models appeared. When the influence of Islam grew upon the masses, the kujang was re-shaped to resemble the Arabic letter "Syin." This was largely the stratagem of the sovereign of the Pasundan region, Prabu Kian Santang, who was anxious to convert the populace to Islam.

Knowing that the kujang embodied the Hindu philosophy and religion of the existing culture, the muslim rulers, imams and teachers, anxious to propagate Islam and dessiminate its doctrines, re-modeled the kujang to represent the basis of their religion. Syin is the first letter of the syahadat verse of which one testifies to the witnessing of the sole God and the Prophet Muhammad (blessed in his name) as the messenger. By reciting the syahadat verse, one is automatically converted to Islam. The modification of the kujang broadened the area of the blade which geographically corresponds to the Pasundan or western region of Java to conform to the shape of the letter Syin. The newly-designed kujang was supposed to remind the possessor of the object of his allegiance to Islam and to the obedience of its teachings. Five holes or round notches in the kujang replaced the three of the Trimurti. They represented the five pillars of Islam.

With the influence of the Islamic religion, some kujang models portray the inter-blending of the two basic styles as designed by Prabu Kudo Lalean and Prabu Kian Santang.

Nowadays, the kujang is often decorated in homes as it is believed to bring about luck, protection, honor, etc. They are displayed in pairs on walls with the inner edge facing each other. There is a taboo, however--no one is to be photographed standing in-between them as this would somehow cause the death of that person within a year. I have been assured by a senior practitioner of Kejawen the truth of this, as he had witnessed this himself. Why this occurs is not known for certain, we might shrug it off as superstition, coincidence or synchronicity but behind every phenomenon cosmic laws and intelligences are at work; we just need to discover what those laws are and the mind-set of those metaphysical intelligences directing those laws to know the reason for the anomaly.

From the occult side, like the keris, another weapon used by the indo-malayan natives, the kujang was often consecrated with magickal power and familiar spirits attached for specific purposes, such as the protection against psychic attack. Because of the inherent power of the kujang in conjunction with the presence of its spirit guardians, the well-informed natives revere them as sacred objects.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

Bulu Perindu - The Enchanted Grass

Nature produces the most intriguing life-forms. We are normally aware of the animal, insect, and plant kingdoms--these we come across and interact with in our every day life and are perceptible to the senses; other creatures are too microscopically small for us to perceive with our naked eyes, these are the bacteria, germs, etc. Other life-forms not too commonly found are the transitions between the plant and animal kingdoms: "plant-like" animals and "animal-like" plants. Zoologically, they exist as microbes and also are to be found in abundance on a larger scale in the oceans and seas such as the polyps, sea-anemones, star-fishes, etc.

Hidden in the tropical jungles of South America and Asia are many plant species with unusual animal characteristics and mobile powers not possessed by the lesser evolved plants. We know of some of the more cultivated types such as the "Venus fly-trap" and the Mimosa.

In the recesses of the tropical jungles and rain-forests of Kalimantan (Borneo) of the Indonesian archipelago, exists a strange type of grass that the local Dayak natives of the Kubu and Kaharingan tribes call "Bulu Perindu," or "hair that causes longing." It is not known whether this grass has been classified and given a Latin name by botanists even in the face of its popularity among the occultists of Indonesia. Sometimes in the hollow of bamboo stems are found strands of bamboo fibre connected to the base and top and this is called "Bamboo Perindu"--not to be confused with the Bulu Perindu. In appearance the Bulu Perindu grass resembles a black strand or string. It has a broad base and tapers-off at its other end which may be golden-brown in color.

The Bulu Perindu grass possesses strange qualities--for one, they wriggle and move when placed on the palm of the hand or when warm ashes are strewn all over them. They are evidently heat sensitive; however, cold water is also able to vivify them. Immerse them in water for a few seconds and then put them on a clean, flat surface and watch them wriggle like a bunch of worms!

The Bulu Perindu grass are used by the Kalimantan shamans as an essential ingredient in their love philters and rituals. They would immerse a grass or two into their love oils and empower them with certain occult charging techniques and mantras. Dabs of the oil, here and there, on one's person is sufficient to cause fascination to whosoever looks at one. A drop of the oil on one's fingertips before handshakes could cause a strong subliminal impression on others, potently attracting them to us. The opposite sex are especially drawn to the user of the Bulu Perindu oil. If the liquid comes into contact with someone through one's touch, someone whom we deeply wish to attract, and if this is done in conjunction with the appropriate ritual backing it up, it could cause them to constantly have us in their thoughts and to make them terribly miss or long for us when we are absent from their presence--hence the name "Bulu Perindu"--the hair that causes longing. The grass when carried as an amulet, or the oil applied to one's body also has the virtue of increasing one's charisma and attracting luck. Some occultist affirm that it also has the power to ward off psychic attacks and disturbances from malicious spirits.

One of the rituals of attracting someone specific with the use of the Bulu Perindu grass is as follows:
Immerse the grass in a glass of water for a few seconds and then place it on clean sheet of paper. When it stops moving keep the grass in your wallet or purse. While the grass is being immersed in the water recite the Al-Fateha verse 1x:

"Bismillaahir-rohmaanir-rohiim.   "Al-hamdulillahi rabbil 'aalamiin, ar-rahmaani ar-rahiim  Maaliki yaumid diin, Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta 'iin.   Ihdinash Shiraathal Mustaqiim.  Shiraathal Ladziina an'amta alaihim.  Ghairil Maghduubi Alaihim Walaadh Dhaaliin.   Amin."

Then continue with the following affirmation while visualizing the person you wish to attract:

"My soul is one with yours N . . . We are united on spiritual levels and so shall we be in the physical. So be it!" 33x

Close the ritual with the Al-Fateha verse once again.

Why does the occult virtues of the grass produce such arousals and reactions in others? We know that the power of scent works on both the conscious and subconscious levels. It is possible that the Bulu Perindu contains pheromones--one reason why the grass produces such strange instinctive reactions in people. Pheromones are described as an exotic group of hormones triggering sexual responses in animals.

We once carried out an experiment: two bottles of aromatic oil were prepared. One plain, the other with the Bulu Perindu grass immersed. After a period of about a month we put a few drops of the oil with the grass in a vessel of water and the oil in the water reacted with a ceaseless motion. The oil without the grass showed little movement on the water's surface. Many questions arose from this, but without sufficient experimentation and the qualified training we refrained from arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. On the more pragmatic and commercial side of the question, what if the molecule compounds of the chemicals in the grass were isolated and applied in cosmetics? Would this not cause a revolution in the industry because of the magnetic effects that it provides?

The tales surrounding the Bulu Perindu are mystifying. The grass is said to come from a certain haunted mountain called Mt. Bondang in the region of "Puruk Cahu" in the upper recesses of the Barito river, Central Kalimantan (the grass has also been discovered in East Kalimantan). According to one myth, whosoever goes to this region are reluctant or even forget to return to civilization. The reason is because of the joy and happiness that the region instills in one. Being too overly-focused on their ecstatic state, many are said to have died because of the forgetfulness to eat and drink. It is probable that the region is a power spot, one of the points of a ley-line that produces disorientation in the mind as a side-effect. This is supported by the locals who consider the area as filled with extraordinary magickal power. The power according to them, induces hallucinations and a strong uncontrollable attraction for the area. Those that are fortunate enough to escape its grasp find themselves a strong longing to return. Many daring explorers among the native Dayaks have found themselves being possessed by the spirits of the area.
The natural objects such as grass, pieces of bamboo, soil, etc., to be found in the area are believed to be imbued with the same power and qualities as the region itself and are utilized by occult practitioners in their "ilmu pelet," or "magical art of attraction."

Mt.Bondang is believed to be haunted with powerful elementals, nature spirits, and other unseen beings of the forests. It is said that if one were to chop off a piece of bamboo from this area, screams of pain may be heard coming from the dryad of the tree (bamboos are actually the tallest grass in the world), like the screams said to be heard from the mandragore while harvesting the root.. The existence of spirit dwellers in plants and trees throws new light on the experimentation of certain horticulturists on the sentiency of plants.

The acquisition of these natural objects such as the Bulu Perindu grass is not an easy task (attempts to cultivate the Bulu Perindu grass outside of its home territory has presently proven to be a failure), as the mountain is rather inaccessible, steep and high. Most of the natives will not go there because of the risks mentioned above. One of the creatures capable of travelling to and fro from the mountain are the hawks, and if we were to come across a hawk's nest observed to have been built in the same location (a short flying distance from the magickal territory) for seven consecutive years, we can be sure that its home is made up of the Bulu Perindu grass. To verify this the nest is submerged in the Barito river, and if any grass of the nest would float upstream in the direction of the mountain, this would be the Bulu Perindu grass from Mt. Bondang seeking to return to its place of origin, as though a magnetic or etheric attraction existed between the two.

Getting the Bulu Perindu grass out of the Kalimantan/Borneo island is another problem in itself as it is believed that taking anything sacred out of the territory of spirit beings brings about catastrophes in some form during the returning journey. Occult practitioners have found ways of overcoming this, though. One of their methods is to place the grass in a white pouch which in turn is placed inside of a fruit. The fruit itself is placed in a larger fruit, like a Chinese puzzle, and this, it is believed to be sufficient enough to keep any disgruntled spirit off the scent.

The local Dayaks of Kalimantan consider the acquisition of the Bulu Perindu as a blessing, even if it is just a grass or two. To them, while the grass may be insignificant looking, the power that they possess are immense and it is this power that they praise and tap to improve their lives in some way.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore