Yogyakarta, “Kesurupan”: "My Indonesia" Photo Series (8) - PART TWO

Parangtritis Beach. Bantul. YOGYAKARTA – 10 August 2014

Speaking of the afternoon in Bantul, on Parangtritis  beach, I want to tell you something else that happened to me. Although it is far away over the years now, but some sensations are still alive within me.

 

When it comes to the Asian world, we must relate not only to language, food, or different tonal scales of music, but also to the belief system of some peoples. And, if you frequent them for a long time, even what was previously seemed absurd and incredible can become acceptable to our evaluation parameters.

For example, although I have never been a champion of courage, I never believed in ghosts. It's not that in Italy they have followed a lot, let's say they are used more to scare children.

But after so many years with the Indonesians, and two years living in Malaysia, I think I can say that I believe it now, and some spirits seem to have a strong attraction towards me.

 

A phenomenon I've always heard of from Indonesian friends is what is called “kesurupan”, or “trance”.

In Asia, ghosts and spirits, I believe, are among the most common fearful figures, and anthropological studies on their meaning are also not few.

However, this kind of trance is typical of Indonesia: a Malaysian person does not even understand what “kesurupan” means. The term "kesurupan" comes from Javanese word "surup" which means "maghrib" or when the sun has set. It is believed that during that time many devils or jinns wandered around. So in the past in Indonesia, especially in Javanese society, when children experienced possession at that time, they named this phenomenon as "kesurupan".

It is a complex phenomenon, also linked to music, the hypnotic one of gong, gamelan, flutes and drums that is used to accompany the dance of “Kuda Lumping”, the typical Javanese dance that is done with colored bamboo wood horses, in which often the dancers themselves fall into trance, possessed, becoming capable of disturbing attitudes, such as eating glass fragments.

 

I never believed it, the first years I heard of it, but I was always interested in the phenomenon of trance, and I had also studied it during my graduation thesis, regarding shamanic healing phenomena.

And also because I'm a fan of trance and techno music, and I believe deeply in the hypnotic power of music.

 

The phenomenon of being possessed by spirits is not something strange in Indonesia. Even private national TV stations often broadcast this phenomenon clearly. Trance is a phenomenon of entry of foreign entities either in the form of jinn or other astral beings into the human body. As a result, the human body is taken over until its consciousness disappears.

The Indonesians believe that being possessed makes the possessed person wild (liar). People who are owned by spiritual entities become, in a sense, “monstrous”.

According to some studies done in Indonesia, it must be said that not all human consciousness is lost. Usually human consciousness disappears after being detected by an incoming astral creature. But for some people who have high spiritual strength they can still control their conscience: despite having been penetrated by spirits, their body can still listen, see and understand what happens.

In some cases, someone who has been possessed by spirits can still do simple things like eating, drinking or even riding a motorbike.

 

Second, it is assumed that once a human being has been possessed by an astral being, he will easily be possessed forever; as if there was an invisible hole that can be used by the creature to enter. This is confirmed: someone who are easy to penetrate will be more sensitive and if there are astral beings who have a similar aura they will be attracted to enter.

There are types of men who have an aura capable of attracting astral creatures to get closer. If the aura is opened, they will immediately approach and try to interact. If that person remains conscious and cannot be possessed by an astral creature, then the person next to him will be exposed to the interactions so that his body is penetrated, in the worst case.

There is also the case of those who are able to make themselves possessed, voluntarily, by evil spirits. Usually they do it to ask or if they want to know something, or simply as a friend to talk. It is believed that many astral beings who have lived hundreds of years are emotionally wiser to speak, and able to learn different regional dialects so that they can speak different languages.

 

The fact is that, returning from the beach, that day I saw a large group of photographers in yellow shirts nearby near the sand dunes; then I got out of the car to go and see: it was a Nikon photography class who was doing a workshop photographing various situations, and since there were some of my friends among them I joined them, the only Canon in a hundred Nikon...

 

Their teacher had hired a traditional group of “Kuda Lumping” to be photographed in action. The atmosphere was very nice, with the sun slowly descending and the sand rising in the dance.

Then the music was hypnotic at the right point.

 

“Kuda Lumping”. Parangtritis  Beach

Except that, at a certain point, I saw a boy making strange movements, and some men running to him while all the others run away. I remember I thought it was a perfect staging to be photographed. In short, a theatrical moment as a subject for the workshop.

So I went right by, while some photographers yelled at me to come away, but I just didn't listen to them because that boy's face was incredible: it looked like the movie “The Exorcist”.

“Such a good actor!” I thought.

Then, while the men held him tight, he turned and looked me straight in the eye, a few centimeters from my camera... and in that case something changed. He no longer seemed to be an actor. Rather...

It seemed to see the devil inside the eyes.

They blocked him completely, he wriggled furiously, and made him vomit first then whipped him, until he fell exhausted into the sand, then they gave him a drink of milk.

I was still petrified; it doesn't happen every day to make a portrait of the devil from a few centimeters.

Seeing me still frightened, a man from the dance group came up to me, smoking, and told me that the boy had been “kesurupan”, had fallen into a trance. These were his words, roughly:

“The spirits, the jinns, arrive when the music starts, look for the person who has an empty mind, without thoughts, more vulnerable, and enter inside him. So, he is in a trance, he becomes violent and can even chew and swallow the glass, he doesn't feel anything. But it can also lead to death if he is not helped to spit the jinn out. For this he is whipped and made to vomit. But that's the most dangerous moment, that's why they yelled at you to leave, because when the jinn comes out of a body, it usually tries to get into the closest one.”

 

“Kesurupan”. Parangtritis  Beach

I have to say that I started to believe it. It was an experience that I still remember well, and seeing these photos still makes me shiver.

In short, even if for you they are all nonsense, if you visit those places, which can be in Indonesia as in Malaysia, Thailand, or India, respect the beliefs and spirits of others.

 

The real world is unique to everyone, but the spiritual world has many different plans.

I bring some spirit with me, but as I said above, I want to believe it is to learn new things and keep me company.

The glass is still not to my liking.

 

Parangtritis  Beach. YOGYAKARTA – 10 August 2014

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