Dr. Kerstin Duell. A Life Shaped by Curiosity Beyond Borders is inspired by a presentation given by Dr. Kerstin Duell at Usada Bali in June 2026. It draws upon themes and stories shared during her talk. The reflections that follow are offered as a response to her work and the questions it continues to evoke. […]
Reflections on Balinese ancestral traditions from a talk by Jean Couteau at Usada Editor’s Note Kuningan: Ancestors and a Sacred Cycle article is based on a talk by Jean Couteau presented at Usada, exploring the cultural and spiritual dimensions of Galungan and Kuningan in Bali. Couteau’s reflections draw attention to the importance of ancestral relationships, […]
Reflections on Balinese ancestral traditions from a talk by Jean Couteau at Usada Editor’s Note The following article is based on a talk by Jean Couteau presented at Usada, exploring the cultural and spiritual dimensions of Galungan and Kuningan in Bali. Couteau’s reflections draw attention to the importance of ancestral relationships, ritual cycles. As well […]
Love Potions, Sacred Charms and Guna Guna with Made Surya continues a series inspired by a talk presented by Made Suryasa at Usada Bali. Through stories, cultural context, and traditional teachings, Made explored the Balinese understanding of love charms, sacred symbols, spiritual protection, and the ethical dimensions of esoteric knowledge. Rather than presenting these subjects […]
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 […]
A World on a String: Susan Tereba Comes to Usada Bali There are dragons and scarabs, chickens and eggs, frogs and dragonflies, cats, mermaids, snakes, eagles, tiger angels, green men, mamulis, and ancient feminine forms. Spread across a table, they appear less like a jewellery collection and more like the inhabitants of an imagined world. […]
