“Arriving for this interview, I find a gentleman with an effervescent one-toothed smile sitting on his porch reading the future challenges and compatibility of a Japanese couple. An interpreter gesticulates and alternates between Balinese, Indonesian and Japanese in aid of their communication. Occasionally, Liyer makes a shortcut into Japanese – the few phrases he knows are delivered impeccably.
Ketut Liyer considers healing, first and foremost, his lifelong calling. Death came knocking at his door when he tried to deny the ancestral gift passed down to him. He was due for a life-saving amputation for burns to his arms when his late grandfather instructed him in a dream to concoct a traditional remedy based on saffron and sandalwood. It did the trick.
Individually, Liyer does a comprehensive reading of fortunes, fates and work prospects. He does not merely read the palm of the hand, but also the tread of the feet, lie of legs, fall of collarbone and lines of the face. An intuitive sense and knowledge of aksara holy letters that manifest in different body parts aids his reading.
Our host believes simplicity is a great virtue, especially later in life. He may not read the future in any detail, but he reassures his visitors of the qualities they already possess that can help them live a long, peaceful life. Instead of reading too much into it, he chooses to bless their future and calm their anxieties. In this way, he acts as a healer of fates.”
Excerpt from The Jakarta Post.
P.S. Thank you, Elizabeth Gilbert, for introducing me to his existence.
