THE PENGIWA
HOW TO BECOME A LEYAK

The learned, those possessing a highly trained mystic power, often become " infected in their heart " and misuse their knowledge to transform themselves into werewolves who revel in crime and blood, reverting to the wicked instincts of demons. They instruct pupils in the secret magic and become chiefs of legions of leyaks. when I first became interested in magic, my Balinese friends tried to dissuade me, claiming that unending calamities would befall me if I persisted. None would admit. he knew anything about bow to become a leyak and 'in general the subject was delicate as a matter of conversation. Eventually someone brought me a manuscript for sale, probably stolen, obviously be longing to the magic lore. The very sight of it frightened them, and it was with certain difficulty that I induced my usually skeptical teacher of Balinese to help me translate the text. Even be deliberately distorted the order of the syllables and I bad to correct them afterwards, checking and rechecking individual words. Later on I obtained another palm-leaf book which was considerably more accessible because it contained magic of the "right," and from the two I tried to procure a general cross section of magic procedures.

So much for the simple leyaks that turn into birds, pigs, monkeys, snakes, or even tigers. There are more powerful and dangerous transformations for the later stages of training, for more defined demons and " rangdas," able to cause all sorts of supernatural phenomena. In my manuscript for black magic there
were forty-eight sorts of transformations, each more powerful than the last, but also more difficult to attain, often with minute instructions for the favorable conditions in which to try them safely and with repeated warnings that they were not to be attempted by the unprepared. The offerings required were elaborate and expensive; the amounts of money specified often mount into the many thousands of kepengs. In these the formula becomes a forceful prayer of self-exaltation:

" ONG My will is [to become] Sang Kundewidjaya-murti. Fire from my immaculate abdomen, ONG! White fire from my heart, red fire from my liver, yellow fire from my kidneys, black fire from my lungs, fire from my navel, fire from the crown of my bead - ang ang ang ang ang, fire from my bead flare up to heaven, fire of five colours rise as high as a mountain. All you witches (leyak, desti, telu'h, trangyana), all devils of the universe, collapse! Fearfully they all pay homage to me, the whole world reverences me. ONG Nothing can outshine my brilliance,- go on [the power of the formula], go on, go on! "

(ONG, idepaku' rumawak Sang Kundewidjaya-murti, midjilaken geni ring serira sasti. ONG, geni putih ring pepusuh, geni abang ring hati, geni kuning ring ungsilan, gen" ireng ring amper', geni perebuta ring nabi, metu' ring siwedwaranku', ang ang ang ang ang, diernidid genfring siwedwarank', murub dumilak ring akasa, rnan tiewarna rupanira miber aku ring akasa, dumilak tedjanku' ring diagat, murub kadigeni- segunung, sarwa leyak, destf, teluh, trangyana, sarwa buta pisatja, dengen, sarwa mambekan ring djagat, rep sirep, pada nembah ring aku', ONG, sidi swasti bawaniku", ser, ser, ser.)

The release of this magic fire that comes from the lower interior being is an important factor in the transformation. It is sent off to go and cause the destruction of the victim. In the manuscripts often appear phrases like this to drive this force:
"…fly through the air, soar in the sky, ascend, ascend, ascend fly in circles, go on, go on, go on, go and burn so-and-so [the victim's name], launch my invincible formula."