It seems Hanuman and his cousins get all the style credits:
„Being free of all time and space – feels like I turned into SonOgong.“
K-Pop band Seventeen´s hit song „Super“ is a dedication to the Korean version of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, a master of transformation. The fascinating figure of Asian mythology is witty, fearless and doesn’t give a damn. But he is at his best as a „problem-solver“ gifted with genius, fighting skills and magic arts.
Of course you have good chances of getting immortal with this repertoire, as it is quite a time span from Buddhist tales like „The Journey To The West“ to Pop Culture.
Meanwhile at the equator you can watch Hanuman dancing with fire:
The Balinese Kecak dance is based on the Indian epic Ramayana and there again, in-between the fight of good and evil, you have Hanuman sorting things out.
If you are wise enough to bring a hat, you can enjoy both the sunset and the spectacle of the Kecak dance at the famous Uluwatu temple. A full view of the ocean completes the scenery behind its clifftop amphitheatre.
And indeed, when God Hanuman shows up, there is magic in the air. He literally dances with fire, as the dancer falls into a trance getting ready for the performance.
Now here’s an inspiration for the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one, when the shortest days make everyone longing for the light and warmth that originally only the fire element could provide:
Trace back the moments that sparked your enthusiasm and spontaneous joy.
What happened right then and what do you need to make it happen again?
Guard your inner fire and there is a good chance, the Monkey King will visit – if you let him.
If you want to dive deeper into the philosophy of the five elements and their importance in eastern medicine, there are two great books on this topic: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche´s „Healing with Form, Energy and Light“ and „The Five Elements“ by Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche.