Princess Marianne of Bali recently visited Ireland to conduct workshops in the sacred oriental arts of Semara Tantra and Trance Dancing, a method of ‘exotic beauty, refinement and healing’ originated by ancient Buddhist rulers. It’s not a tradition into which she was born – the British model and art student was introduced to the teachings upon her marriage to Prince Ratu of Bali five years ago.

The prince is a Buddhist lama, held to be the divine reincarnation of his country’s first spiritual leader, and his princess was born Marianne Roy of part-Irish, part-Scottish extraction. She grew up in England, spent some time in Cork as a child, and embarked on a career in modelling before attending the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Having won a scholarship to study at the Chicago Art Institute, she was travelling through the US when she met her prince in a bar in Santa Fe.

She says the two felt an almost instant connection, but Ratu didn’t reveal his royal roots straight away. “We spent about a week together. Marriage was mentioned in that time, but Ratu didn’t actually propose.” Marianne completed her studies before joining him in Indonesia several months later where they wed.

“Ratu is respected as an incarnation of Lama, the royalty aspect is secondary,” says the serene 26-year-old. “I was well travelled, but I didn’t know much about his culture, although Ratu has lived in the West on and off for years.”

In Bali she encountered a new way of life.

“There are several ancient and beautiful palaces where members of the Indonesian royal family live. Ratu and I visit these places from time to time, but we choose not to live there as it’s very formal. We prefer to have our own lives.”

Although based in Australia at present (where Marianne still does a lot of modelling work), the pair also run a retreat centre in Bali, where they teach the art of Semara Tantra.

The practice is mostly taught within the royal family, but, according to Marianne, the essence of it permeates all of Balinese culture.

Marianne has become devoted to spreading Semara Tantra to the wider public and visited Ireland to deliver a series of talks offering an introduction to the art, followed by three more in-depth weekend workshops. This is the first time these teachings have been brought to the West.

Marianne describes what they offer.

“A chance to achieve health and healing through dancing and meditation, also lessons in walking, poise and dress as a means to beautify oneself inside and out. The meditation allows one to realise what emotions or past experiences are blocking you from being happy. Whether you’ve had any traumatic experiences such as rape, child abuse, relationship difficulties or low self-esteem, it teaches you to find innocence again, reawakening a childlike quality and creativity.”

She emphasises that people shouldn’t be confused about the concept of ‘tantric sex.’

“Western people have a lot of judgement on sex – when they hear the word ‘tantric,’ they go, ‘Ooh!’ but it’s the Western perception of it that’s iffy, not the tradition itself, which is very clean. Most Eastern people don’t have the same hang-ups about sex, it’s seen as a normal way of life. Sexuality will improve if you’re happy within yourself, if you understand the meaning of desire and love. Western people come from a Christian tradition and think freedom from desire means cutting off or suppressing our desires. In order to be free from desire, we first have to accept and admit them.”

Marianne found that embracing Semara Tantra helped her to come to terms with her own problems. “I’d been raped as a teenager and suffered from depression and eating disorders. Conventional therapies hadn’t worked for me. I’ve been studying Tantra for five years now and I’ve used it to heal myself, so I teach it from the point of view of my own experiences and people can relate to that. It’s about having compassion for yourself and others and letting go of the past.”

Princess Marianne and her husband plan to return to Ireland next year to run further courses in Semara Tantra. “Even after one weekend course people tend to get a lot out of it, but it’s something that’s a continual process,” Princess Marianne advises. She certainly doesn’t believe she herself has achieved true enlightenment yet.

“You must be joking!” she smiles. “I’ve still got a long way to go.”

The shattered peace

Princess Marianne was shocked by the terrorist bombing in Bali, which occurred while she was in Ireland, and she acknowledges that the tragedy has had a profound resonance in both her adopted home countries of Bali and Australia.

“It’s very sad. Obviously those who did it were trying to make some kind of point by bombing Bali, as it’s reknowned for being a very peaceful place,” she comments. “The people there are very open and compassionate, very accepting of other cultures, and of course a lot of Australian and British tourists go there. It’s a terrible shock for everyone.”