Some old habits never die in Indonesia. At midnight every Friday, a well-known legislative candidate from a major political party sprinkles rose water blessed by a spiritual healer in the front yard of her home, and bows to the four major wind directions seeking divine blessings.
"It's a purification process," says the businesswoman, who was educated in Britain. "It's a way to let my aura come out."
She follows the ritual with a simple morning wash, but it must involve odd numbers of splashes, preferably five or seven, her spiritual healer has told her.
For modern campaign tactics in her bid to win a seat in April 5 national elections for parliament, the candidate, who asked not to be named, relies on a public relations consultant she hired to help get her message across to the media.
"He teaches all sorts of tips, such as how to deal with journalists, how to speak to them...selecting interviews for the media and drafting the right speeches," she says, seated on the back verandah of her house on the edge of the ancient Javanese city of Yogyakarta.
She often adds a routine of fasting and meditation to her weekly outdoor ritual and the professional tips and media strategy of her Jakarta-based image consultant.
Many Indonesians still seek help from spiritual advisers to secure that magic touch in seeking fortune and power.
"It is a traditional form of psychological counselling where people seek to boost self-confidence," says Lambartos Dyson, lecturer in anthropology and sociology at the University of Airlangga.
Such habits are prevalent even among practising Muslims in Indonesia, home to the world's largest population of Muslims.
Especially on the main island of Java, mysticism runs deep, thanks to centuries of influence from Hinduism and the even earlier animism that predates Islam.
Many people practice a curious blend of Islam and Javanese mysticism known as 'Kejawen', irrespective of social and economic background, to seek spiritual contentment.
The use of charms to ensure good fortune is quite common, and many people make pilgrimages to certain mountains and rivers revered as sources of power and purity.
With blossoming democracy, 'Kejawen' ways are finding a market among candidates hoping to develop clout in a country where image and personality characterise politics.
"Politics is one area where there is a lot of uncertainty and so it is only natural to see politicians going to spiritual healers. They want some kind of instant guarantee," Dyson said.
At the same time, politicians see a need to supplement tradition with a more modern approach to image making.
"There is a Westernisation of political campaigns," Jakarta-based media practictioner Despen Omposungu told Reuters.
"Politicians, from would-be senators to presidential candidates, now know how important it is to influence the media, how to get the right media exposure," said Omposungu.
With thousands of politicians jostling for parliament seats on April 5 along with bigger political fish seeking the presidency in a July 5 vote, there is no shortage of demand.
As television airs dozens of slick ads from the 24 parties in the fray, politicians have hired public relations services, locally known as "Success Teams", to boost their standings.
Bookstores are flooded with volumes of candidates' biographies, many distributed free to journalists along with leaflets outlining political platforms.
Some politicians have also tried to hone their voice techniques. Leading singing coach Etta Herawati said many candidates asked for personal tutoring in voice skills.
"They want to sound dignified," Herawati, a former jazz singer, told Reuters.
Some have even sought singing lessons, though it is not clear whether this is for personal enjoyment or to enable them to participate in the boisterous campaigns in which candidates often serenade crowds of supporters.
But some things just cannot be learned.
"Charisma," said one self-declared spiritual healer, Tuswati, in East Java's Surabaya, Indonesia's second most populous city, who said dozens of politicians had asked for her help. "That is what they are looking for."
Seated in a consultation room resembling a regular office with no signs of traditional artefacts, Tuswati said she had been so busy she no longer took on new clients.
"Politicians want to have a certain aura...they want the aura and so the crowds will look," said Tuswati, her reddish hair glistening under a neon light.
"So, don't talk to me about money, or power. If you do, I will tell you to go away, because I can't help you to bring out the charisma if you have a corrupt mind".
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