Spiritual Self: The Spiritual Self Supernaturals: Believe It or Not!

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THE SPIRITUAL SELF

Supernaturals: Believe It or Not!


Spiritual Self
 The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self.
 The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of religion,
its beliefs and practices. In the same manner, cultural rituals and ceremonies are some manifestations
of what people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the spiritual self is
on.

Religion
It is a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all of the basic characteristics
below:

1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods

2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe

3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as physical
beings and objects

4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to communicate to
supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events

5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means

6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals

An individual lives in a society where there are many practices of religion. The choice of religious
belief lies within the spiritual self. Although the choice maybe influenced by the society and its culture.

Ritual
Ritual is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law. Ritual is a
specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a
way of defining or describing humans.

There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals:


1. a feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred
2. dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of
myth
3. symbolic in relation to its reference

Some World Religious Beliefs


1. Christianity
- It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who was born in Palestine.
-

- The Christian Bible includes the Jewish Old Testament and Christ’s teachings, as recorded in the
New Testament.

2. Islam
- It was founded in Arabia by the prophet Muhammad.
- The Muslims’ (followers of Islam) most sacred book is the Koran, which is the direct
word of the one God, Allah.
- Islamic life is based on a set of rules called the five pillars of Islam. By following these
rules Muslims believe they will reach heaven.

3. Hinduism
- It is the major religion of India.
- Hindus worship many gods. The three most important are called Shiva, Vishnu, and
Brahma.
- They believe in reincarnation (rebirth) of the soul after death and are born into
castes (ranks in society).

4. Buddhism
- It is based on the teachings of an Indian prince, Gautama Siddharta.
- He became known as Buddha, which means Enlightened One.
- Buddhists share the Hindu belief in rebirth and aim to achieve Nirvana (absolute
peace).
- Meditation is used to achieve enlightenment.

5. Confucianism and Taoism


- Confucianism has no gods or belief in life after death but stresses good behavior
and duty to society. It follows the teachings of Confucius.
- Taoism is based on the teachings of Lao-Tzu. Its many gods are taken from folk
religions.

6. Judaism
- It was the first religion to teach that there is one God.
- Its main laws come from the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
- According to tradition, the ancient religion of the Jews was founded by Abraham.
He was a Hebrew who lived in Canaan.

7. Sikhism
- It was founded in India in the late 1400s by Guru Nanak, who had been a Hindu.
- The Sikhs believe in only one God who is the true guru.
- Sikh men have five “k” symbols that they wear. They are kesh (uncut hair), kangha
(comb), kara (bracelet), kaccha (breeches), and kirpan (dagger).
8. Shintoism
- It worships the spirits of animals, rocks, trees, springs, and other elements of nature.
- Shinto is Japan’s oldest surviving religion and developed from early folk beliefs.

Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Logotherapy
- It is a psychotherapy introduced by Viktor Frankl, who is considered as the father of
Logotherapy.
- The main belief of Logotherapy is that “man’s primary motivational force is search for
meaning”.
- It uses the philosophy of optimism in the face of tragedy, where people are capable of “turning
suffering into human achievement and accomplishment; deriving from guilt the opportunity to
change oneself for the better; and deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take
responsible action.”

Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology


The Franklian Psychology has basic concepts. These are the following:
 Life has meaning under all circumstance.
 Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
 Freedom to find meaning.

Logotherapy Assumptions
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit.
2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable.
3. People have a will to meaning.
4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning.
5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful.
6. The individual is unique.

Frankl’s Sources of Meaning


1. Purposeful Work
2. Courage in the Face of Difficulty
3. Love

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