UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

THE
Spiritual
SELF
 THIS CHAPTER WILL DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT WORLD
RELIGIONS, THE BELIEFS OF EARLY FILIPINOS ON
DIFFERENT GODS AND GODDESSES, SUPERSTITIOUS
BELIEFS, BELIEFS IN FAITH HEALER, SOUL AND SPIRIT
AND HOW THOSE BELIEFS WERE CHANGED SINCE THE
SPANISH AND AMERICAN COLONIZATION. IT WILL ALSO
DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT RITUALS, CEREMONIES, THE
PRACTICE OF RELIGION, MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT AND
ALSO FINDING AND CREATING THE MEANING OF LIFE.
THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION: BELIEF IN SUPERNATURAL
BEING AND POWER
According to Giddens (2006), religion is a cultural system of
commonly shared beliefs and rituals that provide a sense of
ultimate meaning by creating an idea of reality that is sacred,
all-encompassing and supernatural.

He identified the key elements of religion such as

religion is a form of culture-shares all characteristics of
culture such as shared beliefs, values that create an identity,
religion involves beliefs that take the form of ritualized
practices - all members engage in behaviors that identify
them as members of the community,
religion provides a sense of purpose-feeling that life is
ultimately meaningful.
In addition, Durkheim (1912) defined religion as a unified system of
beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, things set-apart and
forbidden beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral
community called a Church, all those who adhere to them.

Statistics indicate Christianity

as the world’s largest religion
with a 33% population. It is
followed by Islam with a 21%
population, Hinduism with a
14% population, Buddhism with
6% population, Chinese
Traditionalism at around 6%
and Judaism at only about
0.22%.
Philippines is the only Christian country in the South East Asia.
Filipinos show their religiosity through participating on different
religious practices such as baptism, fiestas, “sinakulo,” prayer,
fellowship, communion, and other activities related to church.

Before the Spanish colonization, Filipinos believed in animism, a belief

that all objects have spirits. They also believed in supernatural being.
According to McClenon (1991), the concept of supernatural has been
shaped by the Western notion of nature and causality and it is
culturally specific.

Filipinos praised the trees, plants, sun, moon, stars and other living and non-
living things. They also praised the spirit of their ancestors, which is called
“cult of the dead.” They believed on the immortality of the soul. An evidence
of this is the Manunggul Jar where the remains of the dead were kept. This
image shows the belief of life after death by early Filipinos.
THE MEMORIES OF THE DEAD ARE REMAINED THROUGH CARVING
THEIR IMAGE USING GOLD AND STONE. THIS IS CALLED “LARAWAN” OR
“LIKHA” IN TAGALOG, “DIWATA” IN BISAYA AND “BUL-OL” IN IFUGAO.
THEY ALSO OFFERED SACRIFICES AND PRAYERS FOR GUIDANCE,
SYMPATHY AND BESEECH. NOT ALL “ANITOS” ARE GOOD, THERE ARE
FEW WHO ARE EVIL.

THE PRIESTESS WHICH IS ALSO CALLED AS “BAYLAN,” “BABAYLAN,”

OR “KATALONA” DOES THE RITUAL OR OFFERING. EARLY FILIPINOS
PRACTICED POLYTHEISM, A BELIEF IN MANY GODS, WHICH WAS
BROUGHT BY THE EARLY CHINESE AND INDIAN MERCHANTS. SOME
OF THEIR GODS ARE BATHALA, THE ALMIGHTY GOD, AGNI, GOD OF
FIRE, MANDARANGAN, GOD O WAR, SIDAPA, GOD OF DEATH,
LALAHON, GOD OF HARVEST, AND SIGINARUGAN, GOD OF HELL.
THESE BELIEFS ARE PASSED ORALLY TO THE NEXT GENERATION.
HOWEVER, THERE WERE SOME CHANGES ON THE BELIEFS OF THE
EARLY FILIPINOS WHEN THE SPANIARDS BROUGHT
CHRISTIANITY IN THE ARCHIPELAGO. THE CHANGES WERE NOT
IMMEDIATE BECAUSE EARLY BELIEFS ARE ALREADY PRACTICED
IN THE COUNTRY. WHAT THE SPANIARDS DID WAS, THEY
ADOPTED THE CHRISTIANITY IN THE BELIEF OF FILIPINOS ON
ANIMISM. MONOTHEISM WAS INTRODUCED BY SPANIARDS, A
BELIEF IN ONLY GOD, WHICH HAS THREE PERSONAS, GOD THE
FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
ACCORDING TO THE HOLY BIBLE, GOD THE
FATHER SENT HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST TO SAVE
HUMANITY, WHICH WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM
SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE AN ETERNAL
LIFE. WHEN JESUS CHRIST DIED AND ROSE
AFTER THREE DAYS, THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS
LEFT IN HUMANITY WHICH SERVES AS THE
CONSCIENCE THAT GUIDES THE HUMAN
BEINGS IN DOING RIGHT THINGS AND
AVOIDING COMMITTING SINS.
 NOT ALL TRIBES ARE CONVERTED INTO
CHRISTIANITY, SOME OF THEM REMAINED IN
THEIR ANIMISM BELIEFS. AT PRESENT, WHERE
MODERN TECHNOLOGY IS PART OF THE LIVES
OF FILIPINOS, THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE
STILL FOLLOWING AND PRACTICING THE
SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS.
ACCORDING TO DASKEO
(2012), MANY FILIPINOS
STILL SPICE THEIR LIFE
WITH SUPERSTITIOUS
BELIEFS THAT THEY
STRONGLY BELIEVE
COULD HELP THEM COPE
WITH DAY TO DAY
ACTIVITIES ESPECIALLY
MOST IMPORTANT
EVENTS IN LIFE SUCH AS Can you give me some
MARRIAGE, FINDING A
examples of
JOB, AND MOVING TO A
NEW HOUSE. superstitious beliefs?
The Concept of
"Dungan"
SPIRIT OR SOUL
The term animism is one of the oldest beliefs which is taken from the
Latin word Anima meaning breath or soul. Animism is the belief that
everything in nature – living things like trees, plants, and even non-
living rocks or streams – have their own spirit or divinity. Animism
beliefs are still present, accepted and never entirely disappeared.

The soul according to the indigenous Filipinos is known as Kaluluwa,

Ikararuwa or kararuwa. It is taken from the root word duwa which means
two. The soul has two parts – one is the physical part, where it is
connected to the body and its life, and other spiritual, where it
exists on its own.
For Ibanags, the soul is the principle of life in man.
Body is the matter; soul is the form. As long as the
body and soul are one unit, man is alive.

Death is the separation of the soul from the body.

The body cannot stay alive without the soul. But
the soul can live without the body. Freed from the
body, it ceases to experience thirst and hunger,
cold and heat. As spirit, the soul is the opposite of
the body which is matter
The Dungan may leave the body voluntarily while the
person is asleep according to Bisayans. Among the
ancient Filipinos, when the person is asleep they should
not be awakened quickly in order to give ample time
for the Dungan to return to the body.

While the Dungan is travelling outside of the body it

should be free from accidents because there is a
possibility that it might be trapped in a jar or be
poured out with liquid from a vessel. When the soul
has safety returned home to the body of its owner, they
could then be awakened.
 RELIGION,
SPIRITUALITY,
MAGIC,
WITCHCRAFT,
AND IDENTITY
Ritual traditions of Filipinos are best
understood in terms of their intentions. At
the core of any ritual, balance between
man and nature, and the spirit world is very
important. Rituals is an attempt to enhance
and maintain this balance.
This is evident in some villages which
The
perform rituals to restore the state of
affairs when the balance is lost. Human
Function
nature are innumerable reasons for
causing a shift in this balance. There are
of Rituals
equally innumerable rituals that can be
done to correct the imbalance. This is the
reason for having a broad range of ritual
practices in the Philippines (Obusan,
2015).
Rituals have several functions. There are
rituals to have a good harvest, ask for the
guidance and protection from their
ancestors and unseen forces, to heal the
sick, to bring good luck and to conceive.
Like in the case of Ifugao. They have
rituals for marriage. If the two couples The
are planning to tie the knot, they will ask
guidance from their ancestors. The Function
butcher opens the body of a sacrificial
pig and they examine if the internal of Rituals
organs of the pig are healthy or not. If it
is healthy, they have the approval to tie
the knot this year, if not, they may try
again in the following year. The purpose
of this ritual is to study the carcass for
omens that guides them in their decision
like marriage.
 Dance and chants are a very essential part of their ritual.
Rituals are usually accompanied by dances. It is the higher
symbolic form for the Filipino. It represents the distillation of
collective memory, affect, religious piety, humility, and purity
of intention. Even a complex message can be articulated or
maybe understood through dance (Obusan 2015).
 Magos (1997), discussed the mara-it or dangerous zone
of Panay Island. According to her, Panaynon believes
in spirit beings in the sea like siokoy (half-man, half
fish sea monster) and the mangingilaw (half man, half
monkey man eating monster) forest which are very
harmful. They also believe that the earth and the
universe has a layered structure with spirit beings live
in each layer.
Rituals & Lupan-on are spirits beings who live on land, the idalmunon
Ceremonies are spirit beings who live underneath the surface of the
earth and the tubignon are spirit beings who live in water.
These folks remind them that the earth is sacred, inhabited
by the spirit and thus dangerous. If Panaynon uses the
earth's resources with discourtesy or greed, they will make
the spirits angry. There are necessary fishing and farming
rites to be performed regularly to gain the favor from spirits
such as daga (bloodletting) and the samba (communal
fishing rite).
 People of Zambales also conduct a ritual in building
their house. According to the official website of the
Provincial Government of Zambales, residents of this
province perform rituals before building a house. The
ritual starts with choosing which day is specified in the
Pilaton as a good day to start the project.
According to Ms. Cristeta Acebes, principal of Uyugan
Elementary School (2012), “pilaton,” refers to a list of dates,
Rituals & including the phases of the moon, that would ensure the
Ceremonies success of any major undertaking or activity of residents in
the province. The second step is burying coins in the first
hole during laying of foundation. Fresh animal blood is
allowed to be dropped in the same place. On the day set to
roof the house, relatives, neighbours and friends usually
come to help. Those who cannot perform actual
construction work normally offer akhad (anything that can
be served or cooked as food) or tudung (drinks, usually
wine) (Provincial Government of Zambales).
What is
Religion?
Religion came from the Latin word religio means
to respect or care for. It is generally defined as;
“belief in, worship of, or obedience to a
supernatural power or powers considered to be
divine or to have control of human destiny."
According to Santrock (2014), religion is an
organized set of beliefs, practices, rituals and
symbols that increases an individual’s connection
to a sacred or transcendent other (God, higher
power, ultimate truth)
Religiousness is the degree by which one is
affiliated with an organized religion in terms of
the person’s participation in the prescribed
rituals and practices, connection with its beliefs
and involvement with its community of believers.
Spiritual identity is the
persistent sense of self that
addresses ultimate questions
about the nature, purpose and
meaning of life. It results in
behavior that are consonant
with the individual’s core
values. The definition of a sense
of spiritual identity focuses on
the individual construction of a
relationship to the sacred and
ultimate meaning.
What is
Magic?
Magic is the power apparently influencing
the course of events by using mysterious
or supernatural forces. It is the ability
to use supernatural forces to make
impossible things happen, such as making
people disappear or controlling events in
nature.
A magician is usually a worker in the
kind of magic that is on the whole public
and good, whereas a sorcerer is generally
considered an evil figure, one who deals
in matters that his or her clients would
rather keep secret and one whose work may
be downright antisocial (Frankle and
Stein, 2005)
Balang is the Filipino term for a sorcerer. It is used to describe
malignant sorcery or familiar spirits (usually a swarm of
destructive insects, specially carnivorous beetles). In the
Philippines, it swarms small invisible insects residing in bamboos
that enter the body through open space causing the intestine,
stomach, lungs, and liver to swell during high tides and shrink
during low tides. Mambabarang is a person who practices this
specific type of sorcery or witchcraft. Binarang is the target
(usually a person) of sorcery or witchcraft.
Kulam is the Tagalog word for “voodoo”
or “witchcraft”. It is one of the most
well-known aspects of Philippine
folklore. The fear of kulam usually has
an effect on how a person conducts
himself in the community and on how
people treat each other in a community.
A mangkukulam is a person who uses
black magic or spells on a victim. After
the spell is cast, the victim will
experience a form of illness which
cannot be cured by modern medicine,
misfortunes to himself and loved ones,
inability to concentrate, lack of sleep,
loss of appetite, freak accidents, and
other unexplained events.
Albulario/mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional
medicine; he is also a medicine man who is also capable of
performing sorcery. Albulario is a Filipino witch doctor, folk
healer or medicine man. When the person feels that his ailments
and misfortunes are caused by kulam, he consults an albulario
who performs rituals in order to defeat the spells of the
mangkukulan and bring the person back to normalcy.
Most Filipinos aside from being a superstitious people believe in the
mythical creatures of local folklore which includes the aswang,
manananggal, kapre, dwende, sirena, syokoy, engkanto, sigbin,
tikbalang, tianak and many others. According to local folklore such
creatures inhabit dark forest and unexplored regions of barrios in the
provinces. Each region has their own mythical creature which usually
comes out in the night looking for food in the form: fresh blood,
pregnant mothers (they target the fetus), and human organs like the
liver or for victims to take them into the other world.
FINDING &
CREATING
MEANING
Life presents unique challenges and issues to
everyone. Some share issues, but not all. Some
use various approaches to the same issues. Some
people are skilled at hiding their troubles. Some
may believe their difficulties are greater than
others. They will realize their error when they ask
others or have an open forum. Others have
bigger and more harder difficulties.
Viktor Frankl an Austrian neurologist and
psychologist founded Logotherapy. Logotherapy is
based on the premise that the human person is
motivated by a “will to meaning,” an inner pull to
find a meaning in life (Frankl 1988). Finding and
creating meaning in life is what Viktor Frankl would
like to teach to everybody.
 LIFE HAS MEANING
UNDER ALL
CIRCUMSTANCES, EVEN
THE MOST MISERABLE
ONES.
OUR MAIN MOTIVATION
FOR LIVING IS OUR WILL
TO FIND MEANING IN
LIFE.
 WE HAVE FREEDOM TO FIND
MEANING IN WHAT WE DO,
AND WHAT WE EXPERIENCE,
OR AT LEAST IN THE
STAND WE TAKE WHEN
FACED WITH A SITUATION OF
UNCHANGEABLE SUFFERING.