Sense Making and Divination in Bali - Galungan Festival

12-18 June 2026, Dwa Chandra, Pejeng, Bali

Introduction

From prayer to shamanism, from tarot to astrology, people around the world have long developed ways to make sense of the world and find ways to change it. The advent of AI has accelerated these technologies of divination, affording new opportunities for interaction and innovation.

There is no better place to explore and participate in such practices than Bali, home to one of the world’s most sophisticated cultures of divination. Combining Austronesian animism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Shaiva Tantra, sense-making rituals and celebration are woven into the fabric of daily life, shaping the landscape and lending meaning to all things.

Our gathering offers an extraordinary opportunity to participate in Galungan, among the most sacred festivals of the Balinese calendar. In the days leading up to Galungan (this year on 17 June), people across Bali gather to welcome ancestral spirits and celebrate the victory of dharma over adharma, the triumph of cosmic order and goodness over chaos and injustice.

We will join with our local friends and neighbors to create beautiful offerings, explore ancient pilgrimage sites just next door, and have a divine time in perhaps the most beautiful and tranquil village in Bali. We will also attend the opening of the Bali Arts Festival, the greatest showcase of traditional Balinese dance and music, and share and learn from each others practices of sense making and divination.

Tentative Schedule

We are arriving on Sugihan Bali, the Balinese Day of Internal Purification — the beginning of the most sacred festival sequence in the Balinese calendar. Each day of our gathering is shaped by this sequence, moving from purification through preparation, offering-making, and threshold, toward Galungan itself on June 17 — the day when ancestral spirits are believed to return to their homes. We will be witnesses to and gentle participants in this unfolding, alongside the community of Pejeng, whose village life will be the living context for everything we do.

12 June - Sugihan Bali (Day of Internal Purification)

Afternoon: Check-in,

Villa blessings,

Melukat Water Blessings.

Evening: Dinner, Opening circle.

13 June - Introduction to Pejeng and Galungan, Opening of the Bali Arts Festival

Morning: Breakfast, briefing on Galungan, explore Dwa Chandra and surrounds, including rice fields and Pejeng temples.

Afternoon: Rest, explore Pejeng, source materials for Galungan Penjor offerings.

Evening: Attend opening performances at Bali Arts Festival at Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, in Denpasar.

14 June - Tilem (New Moon) + Penyekeban (Incubation/reflection)

All day: Optional Workshops/Ceremonies/Divination as offered by participants; Or rest, reflect, and explore Pejeng or nearby areas.

Evening: Optional outings (Bali Arts Festival, spas).

15 June - Penyajaan (Making Offerings)

Morning: Workshop to make Balinese offerings (jaja cakes, canang flower baskets).

Afternoon: Weave Penjor pieces.

Evening: Optional outings (Bali Arts Festival, spas).

16 June - Penampahan (Eve of Transformation)

Morning: Visit Galungan ceremonies at Pura Samuan Tiga.

Afternoon: Raise Penjor.

Evening: Optional outings (Bali Arts Festival, spas).

17 June - Galungan (Holiday)

Morning: Visit Galungan ceremonies at Pura Penataran Sasih and Pura Pusering Jagat.

Afternoon: Walk the penjor-lined village roads, visit neighbors, rest.

Evening: Feast and celebrate.

18 June - Umanis (Friends and family visits)

Morning: Closing circle, checkout.

Practical Details

Prices for double-occupancy start at US$720 per person and single-occupancy at $1280 including luxury accommodations for 6 days, breakfasts, round-trip airport transfer, a welcome massage, melukat water blessing, activities, local tours, and Galungan participation. Check in is after 3pm on 12 June and before 11am on 18 June.

Other services and activities are available at additional cost. Those who would like to arrive early or stay later may be accommodated for a reasonable price at Pohon Jiwa, a lovely sister property. This incredibly generous offer is made possible through Dwa Chandra’s commitment to community and culture.

Click here or scroll down for stunning photos and videos of villa rooms, common spaces, dining, and surrounding areas.

About the Convenor

Ian Rowen, PhD, is Associate Professor and Inamori Frontier Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University.

First drawn to Bali at the age of 15, he performed Balinese gamelan music while earning his BA degrees in mathematics and East Asian Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz, and his PhD in Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder. A Fulbright Scholar, he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, conversant in Bahasa Indonesia, and a student of the tarot, I Ching, and non-dual Shaiva tantra. His books have been published by Cornell and Columbia University Presses. The first Asia-based representative of the Burning Man Project, he has created large-scale divination-themed interactive art including Enlightenment and Taiwan Temple Market.

He is delighted to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with new and old friends.

About Pejeng

The tranquility and warmth of Pejeng belies the village’s history as the ancient spiritual and political center of Bali. The capital of the Wermadewa dynasty (914 CE - late 12th Century), Pejeng is home to one of the world’s most compact and comfortable collection of sacred sites, all of which are short walks from our venue, including Pura Pusering Jagat (the ‘navel of the world’ and the center-point temple of Bali), Pura Samuan Tiga (where Bali's diverse religious communities were unified), and Pura Penataran Sasih, which holds the Moon of Pejeng, the largest single-cast kettle drum in the world, dating back over 2000 years. The ancient caves and sacred springs of Candi Tebing Kelebutan, beside which we will hold our water blessing, are adjacent to the villa.

Dwa Chandra offers nine unique bedroom suites, as well as two family rooms that can be converted to bedrooms. A normal rental includes up to 22 guests in 17 bedding arrangements.

Shared spaces include a grand living room with cathedral ceiling, three pools, two fire pits, glass-encased yoga shala, spa area, outdoor dining, and meditation platform at the river gorge.

A delicious breakfast is included in your stay.

Additional food and beverage service is available until 11pm every night. The menu includes Indonesian dishes as well as international classics, cocktails, desserts, and shisha.

Dwa Chandra offers on-site spa services, transportation, and laundry service. The gathering will begin with a ceremonial water blessing by a Balinese priest in the river gorge, which we include with every standard booking.

See venue details on the next page.