Mooh Hood has embraced many traditions on her spiritual journey, and for 38 years has been working with the artisans of Bali. She has been leading tours to this spiritually rich country for over 15 years.
MOREWomen’s Spiritual Art Journey is a rare opportunity to participate with a small group of women to tap into your creative process while being fully immersed in Balinese culture.
Explore the lush landscapes, pray at the Mother Temple, immerse in the Holy Springs and tap into your creative process and create a daily art journal (no experience needed). Our daily activities are geared to open up all of our senses so we are truly present in the moment. On this sacred journey, we will gather in a morning circle each day, enjoy excursions to temples, visit a local village for lunch, spend time at the beach, and learn more about the local culture. We will also participate in 24 hours of silence for the Balinese New Year festival of Nyepi. READ MORE
Mooh Hood has embraced many traditions on her spiritual journey, and for 38 years has been working with the artisans of Bali. She has been leading tours to this spiritually rich country for over 15 years.
MORE
Lori Goldberg is an artist and educator whose paintings have been exhibited in Canada and Europe. She loves to share her work and teaches at universities and workshops througout the world.
MORE
I loved the immersion experience in Balinese culture. I feel I learned far more than I could have ever learned on my own exploring the country in just 2 weeks. Brenda Worden, White Rock, BC
TESTIMONIALS
Tour Description
Women’s Spiritual Art Journey is a rare opportunity to participate with a small group of women to engage with the local Balinese, explore the lush landscapes, pray at the Mother Temple, immerse in the Holy Springs and tap into your creative process and create a daily art journal (no experience needed).
Our daily activities are geared to open up all of our senses so we are truly present in the moment.
We begin every morning with a morning circle. As women we wear many different hats in daily life and don’t often get a chance to sit together with a group of likeminded women and have the opportunity to share from our heart and have our voices heard in a safe, respectful way.
Communication comes in many different forms from speaking to song, drawing, painting or movement. We embrace it all with joy and love. As our time together deepens, we will be readying ourselves for a meaningful visit to the largest and most sacred temple in Bali, the "Mother Temple". This breathtaking temple complex rests on the slopes of Mount Agung and is built on different levels with impressive gateway and courtyard architecture. In Bali, temples are the dwelling places of the Gods and Goddesses. The Balinese believe in animism meaning everything has a life force. When we enter these sacred places, you can sense this uplifting vibration that in turn can inspire one to engage in self-reflection and offer a deeper, more meaningful experience.
Each day of our journey will be filled with wonderful discoveries: as simple as a gorgeous nature walk through the rice paddies led by a knowledgeable local guide (including a traditional lunch in his village); or engage in learning how to play Balinese Gamelan music and daring to try out some of the dance moves that go along with it.
There will be time spent at a beautiful beach and ecological reserve as well as a captivating visit with a Balinese elder who will enlighten us on the 100 uses of coconut!
One of the most important Island-wide holidays for the Balinese is their New Year, Nyepi. You will witness an evening of incredible processions of larger than life mythical creatures that mark the beginning of 24 hours of silence. This is a time for introspection and connection to self, to each other and to nature. This gives us an invaluable opportunity to experience the world in balance and tranquility and a time for us to take out our art materials and get into our creative process.
Days start together in circle/sharing where we make our group decisions collectively. This is one of the times Lori will bring her teaching skills to the group.
Our daily schedule is gentle and well paced with quiet time allotted.
Experiences and activities will be rich in culture and connections.
Most participants choose to come a few days early to decompress and are fully ready to immerse themselves into our Bali adventure! Mooh can advise a great reasonable pre-trip hotel in Sanur (near the airport and the beach) - please ask at time of booking for recommendations! We can also provide sound advice re your post-trip time!
Some women stay later to deepen their experience ... some meet up with friends or family reconnecting in a new and enriched state.
After our time together you will return home refreshed, renewed and soul connected.
It will indeed be a magical life changing experience.
This is a unique journey limited to a small group of women so we suggest you book by December 15th to ensure your place. Please also note that there will be walking and other physical activities during this journey - if you have any concerns about your level of mobility please discuss them with us prior to booking.
The beautiful video on our Overview page was made by Kris Steinnes, a participant on the 2013 Spiritual Art Journey to Bali with Mooh Hood. Steinnes is a best-selling author and creator of Seattle-based "Women of Wisdom".
You will be picked up at Sanur Airport, or from your pre-trip hotel as required, and taken to our hotel in Ubud for check-in and time to refresh after your flight. We will then meet for our first delicious lunch together, followed by an orientation and welcome session and our first circle time. We will then indulge in a much-appreciated spa session to rejuvenate our minds and bodies in readiness for the transformative experiences that lie ahead.
This evening we will enjoy a special Welcome Dinner together with some free time afterwards where we can bring focus to our artistic intentions for the trip.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
We start our day with a healthy and delicious breakfast at our hotel, followed by our morning Circle time to share our thoughts and intentions from the heart. Lori will then guide us as we make our decisions about the direction our art adventures will take, and teach us new skills and techniques to expand our artistic horizons.
We will then take a trip to the vibrant, colourful Ubud Market where we can shop for souvenirs or local foods, or simply take in the brilliant surroundings – be sure to have your notebook or sketchbook with you in case inspiration strikes!
This afternoon we will have the honour of spending time with a traditional Balinese Healer for a one-on-one session. Healers in Bali are revered and respected, and are experts at uniting the conscious world (sekala) and unseen world (niskala) to offer truly holistic treatments for many physical and mental illnesses. You can choose to pay for further sessions with your Healer if desired.
After some free time, we will come together again for dinner and then watch a very special Dance Performance. Traditional Balinese dance is an expression of both spirituality and art and is mesmerizing to watch with intricate hand, body, and head gestures and spectacular costumes and make-up.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
We begin our day with a wholesome breakfast and our Circle session, followed by an art focus. We will then take a morning excursion to the Gunung Kawi Temple in Tampaksiring – an impressive eleventh century complex flanked by rice fields and adorned with carved rock shrines.
After lunch we will have time to explore Tampaksiring under the trusty guidance of Mooh who will share her extensive knowledge of the area with us. We will then have some free time before dinner to work on our art or relax in the hotel.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
After our breakfast and morning Circle time today we have a very special treat lined up. We will visit a local village to learn about Gamelan music and traditional dance, and then try our hand (and bodies!) at both. There are no performance expectations here – this is a fun, enriching experience with much laughter, joy, and lifelong memories to be made!
After a well-deserved lunch, we will visit a traditional woodcarvers co-op and silversmiths to witness these artisan crafts and maybe purchase some handmade souvenirs to take home with us. There will then be time for a session with a healer before our dinner together, followed by free time for our artwork or simple relaxation.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
We start our morning with our breakfast and Circle time before meeting for a walk through the lush rice paddy fields with a Naturalist guide. Our guide will share with us the mysteries of our beautiful surroundings and the significance of many natural phenomena as we walk through this abundant land.
Today we have a delicious lunch in our guide’s traditional painting village with free time afterwards for visits to a healer, the spa or the local market. We come together again for dinner and an optional dance performance afterwards.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
Today we enjoy one last breakfast at our hotel followed by our Circle time and art focus before checking out and preparing for the next stage of our journey at the beach in Pemuteran.
We will stop at Lake Bratan and also Bedugal market en route to Pemuteran to enjoy the beautifully kept surroundings and the impressive water temple. Be sure to have your cameras at the ready as this is the perfect spot for photos!
We will stop for lunch in nearby Munduk before making our way to our hotel to check in and get settled in this enchanting beachside resort.
(Overnight in Pemuteran at the Taman Sari resort or similar)
We will start our day as a group with breakfast and a longer Circle time and art focus. The remainder of the day will be spent at our leisure – you can try snorkelling or swimming in the pristine waters, or you can bring your book and curl up in a shady spot on the beach for a few hours of reading or sketching. The warm sands and breathtaking scenery are yours to cherish however you choose.
This evening we will gather for our dinner together and share our day’s adventures
(Overnight in Pemuteran at the Taman Sari resort or similar)
After breakfast today we check out of our beach resort, ready for our return trip to Ubud and the latter stages of our amazing journey together. We will stop at a Buddhist Temple on the way back to Ubud to garner a deeper understanding of the importance of religion in Bali. Today we will enjoy a fresh-caught fish lunch at a beachside restaurant before checking into our Ubud hotel.
This evening after our dinner we will be making offerings in the traditional Balinese manner. Offerings are part of everyday life in Bali, and we will learn more about their spiritual significance and understand how we can participate in this act of daily devotion.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
After breakfast this morning we visit the Mother Temple of Besakih, or Pura Besakih. This temple complex is the largest and holiest Hindu temple, and it is a true honour to visit here in preparation for the important feast of the Balinese New Year. (Note: we will need to wear sarongs or Temple dress for our visit here.)
After lunch today we will have the opportunity to see traditional Balinese weavers at work, before spending some free time exploring.
This evening after dinner we will experience the Procession of Ogohogohs in Ubud – a prelude to Nyepi, the “Day of Silence”, to celebrate the New Year. The procession is a visual feast, with fabulous, giant-sized “ogoh-ogohs” being marched around to the backdrop of traditional Gamelan music, representing the demons and evil spirits that are to be expelled in order to start the New Year afresh.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
Today we celebrate Balinese New Year with 24 hours of silence. This is time for quiet meditation and to take out our artwork and realize the ideas that have been simmering over the past few days. No-one will leave the hotel premises today as we honour this sacred and special time in the traditional fashion.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
Today we return to sharing using our voices, and enjoy a delicious breakfast together followed by our inspiring Circle time. We then come together for an intriguing workshop: “100 Uses of Coconut Workshop”. As the name suggests, this workshop will teach you all you need to know about the humble, health-giving coconut; knowledge which you can take home with you and enjoy for years to come.
After our lunch today, there will be another opportunity to visit a healer, followed by free time for any last-minute shopping, sketching, or strolling. We will then enjoy our final Farewell Dinner together and share in our memories of this charming journey and our creative intentions for our return home.
(Overnight in Ubud at the Alam Shanti hotel or similar)
After our final breakfast this morning we enjoy one last Circle time together. This will be a chance to look back over the past 11 days we have spent in this incredible land with the new friends we have met, and reflect on the creative leaps forward we have made thanks to the wise tutelage of Lori and Mooh. We can set our artistic intentions for when we return to our regular lives back home, safe in the knowledge that we still have one follow-up session to enjoy with Lori at her studio in Vancouver.
Transfer to airport for flights home.
