The Taksu, a unique Bali hindu cultural heritage
The concept of Taksu is hard to describe and define. It involves the energy of the visible world and the blessings of the invisible.
Often it is mistaken with the Sakti, which is more of a kind of supernatural energy often attributed to healers.
The Taksu can be described as ‘talent’ that comes with lifelong training coupled with the gift that comes from the higher place.
To acquire the Taksu you have to master the physical and material aspects of your art - Bayu, learn its mental and moral aspects - Sabba, and understand its spiritual and magical aspect.
The presence of Taksu can be a teacher whose words inspire, a farmer whose products taste better because of the love he puts in growing them, a doctor whose diagnoses are accurate, an artist whose artworks reflect purity, truth, and beauty…
On one hand the Taksu comes from the mysterious, the extraordinary, and on the other hand is related to attracting the attention of others by our excellence to achieve, to complete things.
Taksu is not only a quality attributed to human beings, professionals, artists but also inhabit the land.
Commonly you hear that it is necessary to preserve the Taksu of the island of Bali.
The Taksu of the island of Bali, its magical attractive power is now decreasing due to its modernization resulting in physical changes, losing its sacred places; the mental weakening of some of the local people, shifting into an individual lifestyle instead of a communal way of life; and the erosion of the Balinese spiritual life, even so spiritually Balinese remain very strong, there is a growing tendency to turn the rituals into a show to please “tourists”, while others are scarifying their human values to earn with minimal efforts.
All of this will eventually lead to kill the magical power of Bali, of its inhabitant…
My goal is to witness the Taksu through the feet of the women and men who have trampled this land since their birth, so that their history will live and endure the magical power of Bali.
Taksu is the life and soul of Bali and cannot be accomplished without unity.
