Rangda and Barong

                        Reuben L. Rutledge, Ph.D abd

     The conflict between Rangda and Barong is an important part of Balinese culture. Rangda is the dark, liminal Goddess. She is a manifestation of Durga the Goddess of Death. She is the Queen of the Leyaks. Her armies of bhutas, kalas, and leyaks (types of demons) cause malice, illness, misfortune, and the destruction of crops. She is Mahendratta the Widow Queen. According to Margaret Mead, Rangda is a mother figure, the expression of parent/child relationship in Bali. Rangda is the personification of fear. She is a hairy elderly woman with pendulous breasts. Her eyes bulge. From Her mouth huge fangs and a lolling flaming tongue appear. Her hands are equipped with long nails. She is a resident of cemeteries were She feasts on corpses. She has an appetite for children.   She is associated with black magic.  Her main disciples are Raroeng, Lendi, and Waksisia. When Rangda departs, Raroeng then becomes the ruler. Barong is the personification of white magic. He is the powerful protector clearing away the demonic that crosses His path. Barong is the kaya polarity. He is also associated with King Erlanga. There are various forms of Barong. Barong Matjan is a tiger. Barong Bangkal is a boar. Barong Gadjah is an elephant. Barong Singa is a lion. Barong Lemboe is a cow. The most common and important form of him is Barong Keket, a fantastical abstract beast. Barong is a tantric manifestation of Rangda. He is the propitiated form of Rangda, converted from being a destroyer into a protector. [1] Barong’s appearance is not unlike a Chinese dragon or lion. He is portrayed in a two-person costume. Barong Keket’s face strongly resembles a Chinese lion. This costume is covered with golden hair. The masker’s behavior is not unlike that of Chinese lion dancers. Chinese traders probably introduced this image.  In their battles, neither of them wins. The battles are always a draw.

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Much of the world’s best music – jazz, blues, rock – can credit the traditional songs of one or more cultures as an inspiration. Now, many world music performers are exploring these cultural traditions, bringing local music onto an international stage.

Fresh and centered from the afternoon yoga class she teaches, Ramana Viera shared from her heart and imagination about the creative process of writing and performing Portuguese songs together with a group of other innovative musicians.

Here’s a paraphrased excerpt from my conversation with Viera – but first, she would like to thank her very supportive production company, Pacific Coast Music, for the work they put in producing her latest album, Lagrimas del Rainha.

You may visit their website, and listen to and buy the music, here: http://ramanavieira.net/

Ramana Viera (RV): People are more aware of traditional music nowadays…we’ve heard of Gypsy, or Roma, music, and Spanish flamenco. And Portuguese music has a style all its own. We have a kind of music, fado, which is more sedate, usually has three guitar players, and serves a cultural function like American blues. Fado deals with themes such as lost love, grief, and nostalgia.

Cristina Deptula (CD): So, do you perform traditional fado, or do you mix things up a bit?

RV: Our band loves the traditional pieces, and the history of that music. We do innovate when it comes to fado: we’ve used electric guitars and incorporated Latin rhythms. When we experiment with something different, that’s not at all because we don’t like the traditional way. Often, it can be hard to find very traditional fado performers in this area, so we make do with what we have. 

From what I’ve seen, the Portuguese community’s great at performing music at our festas and parties, but I’d love to see people take the music to the larger world.

There are some wonderful traditional musicians around, though – Ana Moura, Mariza, Dulce Pontes, Helder Carvalhiera, for example – and we’ve learned from them.

CD: So you have a lot of influences…how exactly does one musician influence another? Is it conscious or unconscious? Does a new musician set out to emulate a person or play in a certain style, or does it just happen?
RV: Sometimes someone’s music just takes hold of you! I’m most inspired by Portuguese musician Amalia Rodrigues, along with Kate Bush and Tori Amos. I admire people such as these three, who can combine various art forms, who write and perform their own songs. Musicians who aren’t just front people for a band, but who really help create and embody the characters they present in their songs.

CD: Your new song Lagrimas de Rainha (Tears of a Queen) certainly presents many powerful emotions. Would you like to share the story behind that piece?

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I went to the Farmer’s Market one Saturday, deliriously happy that we had a break in the rain, and that the sun and the clouds were high overhead. I was sampling the cheese when she passed me….A lady in a wheelchair, without a leg.

“Lord have mercy,” I whispered, and prayed I would have a chance to meet her and tell her I would pray. As I rounded a corner and then stopped by the kettle corn vendor, there she was. She was right in front of me. Her name was Linda, she was missing one of her arms and one of her legs and she had a motorized wheelchair. Her other arm was burned as if she had been in a fire.

I prayed and asked her a few questions about herself. She stays at a county hospital. She has a roommate. I told her to have a good day and that I would be praying for her. As I walked away, I do what I always do. I cried and aked the Lord to please take this burden from me, for it was too much to bear.

Then I heard his still, small voice….”I know all about it,” He seemed to say. I knew the matter was ended and I could leave it in His all-powerful hands. We have so much and others often have so little, yet if they have the creator of the universe on their side, there is no limit as to what can be done in and through them.

Patsy Ledbetter may be reached at patsyled@sbcglobal.net and is also a classically trained violinist!

Waiting for the Phone to Ring

by Jean Wong

Waiting for the phone to ring

Such a small little thing

For my 33 year old self to not 

Be in the moment about.

Would his fingers touch the phone

His voice caress my ear

Ask me to go for a walk

Have a coffee, see a movie

Have dinner, marry me,

Give me children

Connect his heart to love me

Or not love me or be indifferent

Or disagree, fight,

make me leave him, or have him

leave me.

Whatever,

I don’t care what happens…

Just pick up the

goddamn phone

And

call.

Doesn’t Want my Friendly Heart

by Jean Wong

Poised on grid

Moved midst

 metal hulks,

scanning ceaselessly

Mutual  anonymity

Wrapped in steel

Protected by horn and laws

Red to Green

A lengthy pause

Creates my blunder

Am invaded by curses

Unforgiving hatred

 glaring

 through sunlit glass.

He can’t hear my apologies

Nor reasons for my

day dreaming

slow reflexes

poor  judgment

Doesn’t want any of my

goodwill

peace making

friendly heart

His hard carapace

becomes my own

My mind leaks out loud

“Screw that wing nut.”

Metal hulks

carry away

strangers passing

wrapped in steel

protected by horn and  laws

Jean Wong may be reached at marcjeanhw@comcast.net – she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys writing poetry as well as autobiographical short stories.

I am an artist who combines all the art forms in my work:costumes being my main discipline. I turn people into nature nymphs, fairy spirits, etc and I take all my own photographs.

Alisha Fisher may be reached at goddessphotography@yahoo.ca and would love to hear of professional opportunities using her skills and talents.

Would like to let you know that Synchronized Chaos Magazine is starting two new local spinoff writers’ critique groups, one in Castro Valley/East Bay and another in San Francisco, along with the group we already host in San Jose. Anyone and everyone is invited to the drop-in group sessions, and anyone from anywhere around the world may submit writing via email and we will discuss it live and send you feedback.

Also, our groups will partner with Jenny Ruedi, organizer of a yoga fundraiser in Castro Valley, to raise cash for Haiti relief and a library construction project in Ethiopia. Ruedi has spent time in the village where the library will be located, and is familiar with the community and knows they’ll be excited about the books! All the writers’ groups are, and will always be, free – but if people wish to donate to Ruedi’s international projects, they may bring cash and do so privately.

Info on the writers’ groups here:

Castro Valley:

Peet’s Coffee on 20439 Redwood Road, near the Safeway.
Second and fourth Monday nights, 7-9 pm drop-in.
Starts February 22nd, open to all genres and styles.
Walking distance from CV BART.
Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/cedeptula?ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=281753154565&ref=mf

San Francisco:

La Boheme Coffee Shop, 3318 24th Street.
In the Mission, directly across from 24th St. BART
Second and fourth Fridays, 5-8 pm drop-in.
Starts Friday the 26th, open to all genres and styles.
Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/cedeptula?ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=282370192669&ref=mf

San Jose:

Caffe Trieste, 315 South 1st Street, downtown.
Walking distance from the 180 bus line, accessible from Fremont BART. Second and Santa Clara stop.
Second and fourth Wednesdays, 5-9 pm drop-in.
Next meeting February 24th, open to all genres and styles.
Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/cedeptula?ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=110924937469&ref=ts

Everyone, if you’re interested in a writing mentorship opportunity which takes place at your own schedule through the postal mail and costs nothing other than the price of a few stamps, please comment or email me, Cristina Deptula (editor–in-chief) at cedeptula@sbcglobal.net

Over the past several years I’ve become pen pals with several women incarcerated in California’s prisons who are survivors of domestic violence and determined to educate themselves and rebuild their lives. These women are part of the organization Free Battered Women, (www.freebatteredwomen.org) which works with and looks into the stories of women incarcerated for crimes they committed to some extent as a result of the abuse they endured at home. Many of them would receive lighter sentences nowadays for the same actions, now that there is more awareness of the problem of domestic abuse, and also nowadays more shelters and resources exist to protect people in these situations – resources the women might not have had at the time of their crimes.

I acknowledge that anyone of any gender identity can experience domestic violence and support all survivors’ ability to live in safety and to receive education and help rebuilding their lives – this organization, which I’m already familiar with, happens to serve female survivors.

Quite a few of the Free Battered Women ladies take part in volunteer groups and pursue art, therapy, work and job-skills training, etc…one lady I remember was a gardener and raised a collection of plants from her cell as part of a vocational program, another created elegant stationery and holiday charity stockings for others while earning a college degree, another served as a volunteer with the Forest Service’s firefighting program, another works towards a career in journalism to help tell others’ compelling stories.

Many of them write and would love to learn from and be in contact with other writers…some want to create and sell memoirs and give profits to charity, others would like to put together poetry or stories or magazine articles, or are interested in a head start on their education while they wait for room and textbooks to become available in the overcrowded prison education system in California. There are correspondence school programs available to them, however, they cost money – and prisoners here work full time, but only make cents per hour to use for hygiene supplies, stationery, stamps, and maybe education if they can afford it. They often end up receiving parole at some point, and it serves them and society better if they go back into the world with some more education…also many of them have gifts to develop and nurture and writing is a way for them to give back to society.

I, or the organization’s leaders, would love to put you in touch with a person or two who would love to receive encouragement and advice/critical feedback on her writing, and/or suggestions for publication. Please let us know if you would be interested!

California’s inmates don’t have Internet access and are not always able to make phone calls regularly, so the regular mail is the best way to stay in contact. Again, please comment or email me if you are interested, and I will ask one of my pen pals for permission to give you her address!

By the way – as a former Slam poet, I’m very excited and honored to see slam poetry incorporated into Vancouver’s Olympic opening ceremony!