Spiritual Self
Man can never do away from considering his spiritual being, in
pursuit of knowing his true identity.
Man is composed of both body and soul.
Body – a man’s relationship to the material world
Soul – a man’s relationship with the spiritual world
The Concept of Spirituality
Spiritual Self
- who we are our core
- more permanent than other two selves
- our subjective and most intimate self.
- the aspect of self which develops a certain level of
spirituality which is deemed as a man’s way of seeking as
well as expressing the meaning and purpose of his life.
Spiritual Self
- speaks of the quality of one’s relationships with:
-God
-Self
-Others
-Institutions
-God’s entire Creation
marked with respect, forgiveness, generous service, and
prayer
- It is showing refinement or high level of Christian Maturity
and concern with the higher things in life such as the Sacred
or the Divine.
- Specified more concretely on deepening the faith
Spirituality
- leads man to a deeper communion with the Divine
- a path of direct and personal connection with the Divine
- embraces all faiths, social, and political ideologies.
- aids persons in:
Spiritual Distress
Emotional Distress
Physical Distress
Crisis/Discomfort
Seeking to make a significant change in their lives
through self awareness
- A healing process that leads to personal development.
The “Spirit” and the “Soul”
L. Mercado (1994) – the spirit in Hebrew language is ruach or
pneuma in Greek meaning breath
James 2:26 (As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without deeds is dead.)
- the spirit is described as the disposition of an
individual, a person’s habitual attitudes, as man’s
supernatural power which comes from God.
- It is the part of us through which all life and power
of God flow.
- It is the “life giving part of a man”
Soul - nephesh (Hebrew), psyche (Greek)
Originally meaning throat or neck which means
‘human life’, the animating principle of human nature.
Is described as the will, mind, the seat of emotions and
conscience
- Both spirit and soul means life
- But soul (nephesh-psyche) stands for natural man
- And spirit (ruach-pneuma) is the ethical factor which adds
the dimension of relationship with God.
Spirit enables man to serve God and to participate in
the supernatural order.
- Hebrew’s concept of man – “holistic” not a trichotomy of:
(a) body (flesh), (b) soul, (c) spirit.
- However, Hebrews sees the distinction between the natural
and the supernatural in respect to the soul and spirit.
Spirit – Filipino: Espirito/Espiritu, Visayan: Ginhawa, Tagalog:
Hininga, Ilocano: Anges
Soul
the nonphysical aspect of the person
the complexity of human attributes that manifests as
consciousness, thought, feeling, and will, regarded as distinct
from the physical body
It is the person’s emotional and moral nature, where the most
private thoughts and feelings are hidden.
In some systems of religious belief, the soul is the spiritual part
of a human being to future reward and punishment.
Bible – speaks of the soul as the innermost aspect of the person
which signifies the spiritual principle in him, “the breathe of
life”
The body becomes alive because of the spiritual soul.
Filipino Tradition of Understanding of Soul
Demetrio, et. Al. (The Soul According to the Indigenous
Filipino) – “kaluluwa”, “kararwa”, “kadkadduwa”, all came
from the root word duwa which means two
This is because the soul has two existences:
Physical
Spiritual
The Ilocano kadkadduwa is further derived from kadduwa,
meaning companion.
Soul
- Tagalogs – kaluluwa
- Bagobos – gimokud
- Bukidnons – makatu
- Ilokanos – kadkadduwa or kararwa (inside physical body
- Ilonggos – Dungan (alive), kalag (dead)
- Visayans – dungan (willpower)
- Cebuanos – kaluha
- Mindoro Folks – karadwa/kalag
- Kankanays of Cordillera – ab-abiiik
- Ibanag – ikarua
Ibanag’s ikarua
- has the role of giving directions and wholeness to the man.
- The body can stay alive independently of the soul while the
soul itself, even when separate from the body, experiences
material wants and needs. (Demetrio, et al)
- mangaggakao – a ritual to invite the soul back to the
body
Tagalog’s Kaluluwa
- speaks more of the soul of the deceased person than the living.
- kakambal – twin or double; malay or the tiny voice; a
consciousness which is the individual’s capacity to think, to
reason, to learn, and to have willpower.
- The kakambal at night travels and its troublesome encounters
could be the cause of nightmares/bangungut
- Double becomes kaluluwa when the person dies (Jocano,
1971)
Ilonggo’s and Cebuano’s Dungan
- Not normally seen by the human eye
- sometimes comes out of the body and takes on a visible form
such as that of an insect like a housefly or lizard
- The Dungan may leave the body voluntarily as when a person
is asleep (Visayans)
- When a person can see the self in his/her dreams, the soul has
left the body.
- Whatever happens to the Dungan, happens to the physical
body as well (Demetrio, et. Al, 2011)
Alicia Magos (1986) – indicates that another cause of soul
withdrawal from the body is maltreatment.
Arsenio Manuel – soul leaves the body involuntarily as in the
case of the child who is frightened.
 Chant: Come back, Come back soul of ______, return to your
home body.
- Another involuntary departure of the soul happens when
the bad spirits/engkanto lures or capture them.
- Sickness is the effect of temporary loss of the soul and
death is the effect of permanent loss
Ilonggo’s and Cebuano’s Dungan
Has a secondary meaning of “willpower”
Strong Dungan = intellectual and psychological capacity to
dominate or persuade others to one’s way of thinking; caused by
strong willpower; if strengthened through ritual nurturing, it can
cause illness or seriously weaken the other persons who have
weaker dungan.
Constant Companionship between 2 persons may lead to
spiritual competition between the dungans and the defeat results
to sickness of the one with the weaker dungan. (Demetrio, et. Al)
Mercado says that weak dungans has to be strengthened through
religio-magical rite to prevent/cure body illness caused by
inherent weaknes.
Well maintained dungan has a satisfactory well being (intelligent,
proper sense, willpower, good health, capacity to influence)
At death, the soul (kalag) leaves the body via the nose, ears, eyes,
and other orifices and eventually goes with the air toward the
upper regions where it waits until it can find another body to
enter.
- patulod – a rite done on the third day after the burial to assure
that the soul will go to its final destination; for the soul not to
visit and cause illness.
Multiplicity of Souls (Ilokano)
1. Kararwa (soul proper) – vital element in man; can only
leave after death; Ilokano name used for Christian soul.
2. Karkarma (second soul) – can leave the body when one is
frightened; can be stolen from the body when the person
goes to isolated places; Ilokano Karkarma stands for natural
vigor, energy, strength, or power, also stands for mind or
reason; counterpart to psyche
Multiplicity of Souls (Ilokano)
3. Aniwaas (aningaas/alingaas) – third soul; can leave the body
during sleep and visit places which the person who owns it
frequents and awake.
4. Ar-aria (al-alia) – fourth soul; the liberated soul of the dead;
the soul that comes down to earth to visit its relatives, asking
them to pray or perform a duty it failed to do in life.
Ilokanos also believe that the soul leaves the body when
frightened which results to sickness and a ritual is necessary to
invite the strayed soul back to its homebody.
LOOB and PERSONHOOD
LOOB
- The inner self or inner being, is the core of one’s personhood
and where the true worth of the person lies. It is what makes
one what he is and who he is as a person.
- According to Mercado (1994), “a purified kalooban is
supported by prayer. This loob that has been continually
purified and strengthened acquires commitment to the cause of
the individual. This happens through forms of sacrifices which
include prayers, abstinence from certain kind of foods or
comforts, and sexual abstinence.
God’s Kagandahang Loob
- The Filipino concept and value, kagandahang-loob (kindness,
generosity, benevolence, helpfulness) can be a very appropriate
description of who God is for Filipinos.
- It is a quality of BEING which has its roots in the very heart of
a person and which is given expression in the totality of one’s
life of interrelationship.
LOOB and PRAYER
- Prayer is said to be “the first expression of man’s interior
truth”.
- It is the ultimate organizing center of human reality. It is also
the very zone of creaturehood which is the substratum of ideas,
feelings and behaviors.
- Prayer becomes an active receptiveness, an active listening to
what God is revealing to one’s loob.
PERSONHOOD
The quality or condition of being an individual person.
Cognitive Criteria for Personhood
(Mary Anne Warren, 1973)
1. Consciousness
2. Reasoning
3. Self-motivated Activity
4. Capacity to communicate
5. Self-Awareness
Peter Singer
(Australian Philospher)
“The key to personhood is sentience, the ability to feel pleasure
and pain”
Gradient Theory of Personhood
Says “it’s not all or nothing, it’s more like a dimmer switch”
So, Personhood comes in degrees, and you can have more or less
of it.
FINDING AND CREATING MEANING OF LIFE
DR. VIKTOR E. FRANKL
- Born on March 26, 1905 in Vienna, Austria
- Died on September 2, 1997
- A medical doctor, psychiatrist
- Developed the LOGOTHERAPY
- A survivor of holocaust
- Author of the book, the doctor of the soul: an introduction to
Logotherapy and Man’s search for meaning, etc.
Viktor Frankl
“meaning is something to discover rather than to invent”
 believes that in life, there is an EXISTENTIAL VACUUM,
which means that life is empty, meaningless, purposeless,
aimless, adrift and so on.
 Existential vacuum: is a condition which a person doubts
that life has a meaning.
 because of existential vacuum, we fill our lives with “busy-
ness”, conformity, conventionality, anger, hatred and even
attempts to destroy what we think is hurting us.
LOGOTHERAPY
 It is a psychotherapy that the main belief is that “man’s
primary motivational force is search for meaning”.
 In logotherapy, meaning can be discovered by creating a
work or doing a deed, experincing something or
encountering someone and the attitude toward unavoidable
suffering.
BASIC CONCEPTS OF FRANKLIAN PSYCHOLOGY:
1. Life has a meaning
2. Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life
3. Freedom to find meaning
3 ways in discovering meaning in life
A. EXPERIENTIAL VALUE:
 Involves experiencing something or someone we value.
Ex. Family, relatives, friends, and workmates.
B. CREATIVE VALUE:
 The traditional existential idea of providing oneself with
meaning by becoming involved by projects, or better, in
the project of one’s own life.
Ex. The creativity and passion involved in art, music,
writing, invention and work.
C. ATTITUDINAL VALUE:
 Includes practicing virtues such as compassion, bravery, a
good sense of humor and the like. The ultimate goal is
 self-transcendence, in the spiritual realm. It is a reference
to God, a reference to religion.
Ex. Achieving meaning in a way of suffering
The Practice of Religion
Religion – people’s way of connecting themselves to God.
- “beliefs and behaviors related to supernatural beings
and powers”.
- “an organized system of ideas about the spiritual
sphere, along with ceremonial practices; our way of relating with
the supernatural or the DIVINE”.
*All cultures have religion.
Religion serves several functions to man as follows:
1. “The practice of religion has a significant effect on
happiness and an overall sense of personal well-being”.
(Stark, R., 1971)
2. “Regular religious attendance led to too much less
psychological distress.” (Williams, D. 1970)
3. “Young people see love as the central aspect of the meaning of
life; they believe that religion is still important in helping form
judgments and attitudes.” (Thomas, D.)
4. The cohabitation rate is seven times higher among persons
who seldom or never attend religious services compared to
persons who frequently attend. (Larson, D.)
“Therefore, the practice of religion is beneficial to individuals,
families, states, and the nation. It improves health, learning,
economic well-being, self-control, self-esteem, and empathy. It
reduces the incidence of social pathologies, such as out-of-
wedlock births, crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol addiction,
health problems, anxieties, and prejudice. Furthermore, religion
creates a moral community to which people experience a sense of
belonging, It provides rites of passage as in the case of
sacraments in Christianity. It provides emotional support. It
serves as a means to provide answers to ultimate questions in
life. It shapes the people’s view of the universe. Finally, it can be
a powerful agent of social change.” (Haviland, et. al., 2007)
RITUALS – patterned forms of behavior that have something to
do with the supernatural realm.
- performed in a repetitive nature.
- can be religious or secular.
- unites the people/ collective action.
- People worldwide engage in religious rituals that require a
considerable amount of time or personal sacrifice.
Example: the case of Vegans of Phuket, Thailand who perform
various acts of self-torture, including bathing in hot oil, fire
walking, and piercing themselves with sharp implements during
their annual vegetarian festival.
- a special talent or skill; an act that makes impossible
things happen through some sort of trickery or deception (Stein
and Stein, 2011)
- manipulating human perception.
- captivates the audience with expert showmanship.
Anthropologists – rituals refers to activities, usually rituals, by
which a person can compel the supernatural to behave in certain
ways.
Used for healing, keeping away evil, seeking the truth, and for
vengeful purposes.
- Stein and Stein (2011) state that magic answers our need to
have control of our lives and others.
- Haviland (2007) also explains that like religion, magic tries to
explain the unexplainable and provides comfort and a coherent
view of the world.
Witchcraft – commonly understood as ‘kulam’.
- refers to the idea that certain people have an
inborn power to harness spirits or energies for specific purposes.
- considered to be evil, used for illegal or anti-
social ends.
Witches steal food remnants, hair, nail clippings, or clothes from
the victim and use these objects to inflict harm.
- Stein and Stein (2011), Although magic is used for variety of
reasons to increase success and control the uncertainties of life,
magic can also be used in antisocial ways to interfere with
others and to bring about illness and even death.
- Haviland (2007), mentions that witchcraft serves a number of
functions in the society.
The Church doesn't support the so-called black magic because it
insists that there is an entity that is greater than humans and as
may be as powerful as God, whom we worship. With this being
said, it defies the first commandment which is "I am the Lord
your God, you shall not have any other God before me.

“Life-cycle rituals” referred as ‘rites of passage’ – mark a status

change from one important life stage to another. Ex. Christian
Sacraments (Sosis, 2010)

Sacrifice – offering of something to the supernatural beings.

- performed to ‘please’ or to ‘express gratitude’ to
such deities.
harang – practiced by the Visayan fishing villages.
- a process of purification (luob), invocation (pagtawag),
entreaty (pangamuyo), offering (bayad), feast
(kan-on) encompassing almost every aspect of the community’s
existence. (Kawada, M.,1956)

Kanyaw – Cordillera, performed as an expression of

thanksgiving as well as to appease their deities and an
expression of solidarity among the members of the community.
Buklog – Subanens in Aurora, Zamboanga.
- performed in fiestas to honor the spirits and plea for
favors.
- symbol of the Subanen’s relationship with their
fellowmen, and a spiritual journey to their creator.

Magic – ‘tricks’ and ‘illusions’, make impossible things seem to

happen.
- for entertainment.