Photo by johnstanmeyer | Feeling tired after a ceremony for the village's ancestral spirits, Dominikus Weu, a mystic known as a Musaluki Puu, takes a rest among wafting incense, in the village of Woloara on the Indonesian island of Flores. For a story on volcano mysticism, I spent two days with Dominikus and his fellow shamans, who live near the top of Mount Kelimutu, an ancient, sacred volcano. I recall how Dominikus described his culture's connection to my favorite number, 7—how only seven shamans at one time are granted their powers, selected through an elaborate hand and finger counting process only found within the Lio tribe of Flores. Sometimes I wonder whether he's still alive and if he passed on his knowledge to others—the sacred rituals and healings through nature that, once we forget, are lost forever. To see more of my work, please follow johnstanmeyer. #indonesia #flores #offering #spirituality #mysticism #sacred #shaman #liotribe #kelimutu #volcano