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Supernaturals: Believe It or Not!

MODULE 7

OVERVIEW
Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the self-according to William James in his book The
Principles of Psychology (1890). The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self. It is
the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction experience when one thinks of one's
ability to argue and discriminate, of one's moral sensibility and conscience, of our unconquerable will is
more pure than all other sentiments of satisfaction. (Green, 1997)

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 what
people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the Spiritual Self is on.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Identify various religious practices and beliefs;

2. Understand self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. Explain ways of finding meaning of life.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES & SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA)

ACTIVITY
Art Recall

Recall:
When was the first time you realized that there is a higher being than
Yourself? How old are you then?
What made you believe that there is a higher being?

Draw:
Make a poster about the instance or situation that made you believe
in the existence of higher being.

ANALYSIS
Discuss the following questions:

a. How is the belief on higher being related to your Self?

b. Do you consider having a Spiritual Self? Why or Why not?

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ABSTRACTION
Religion
Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion "as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that
usually includes some or all of basic characteristics. These characteristics are:

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

2. A focus the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling or 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; and
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a community;
provides explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals.

An individual lives in a society where there are many practice of religion. The choice of religious belief lies
within the Spiritual Self. Although the choice may be influenced by the society and its culture.

Ritual
Ritual is the performance of ceremonials acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law (Penner 2017). Ritual is a
specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. Thus, it is possible to view ritual as a way
of defining or describing humans.

There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Penner 2017): Ritual has the
characteristics of:

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; and
3. is symbolic in relation to its reference.

The self, can be describe as a ritual being who exhibit a striking parallel between their ritual and verbal behavior.
Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be viewed as a system of
symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is expressions of religious beliefs.

Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices

There are different religions with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world religions are
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Excerpt of some religious belief and practices are found
in the University of London's Religion and Belief Guide 2017:

Buddhism

Beliefs
Buddhism teaches that life is unsatisfactory. Life can be experienced as painful and frustrating, impermanent and
fleeting, or insubstantial. When we experience life as unsatisfying, we tend to crave pleasant experiences and
avoid disappointing ones. We do this more or less habitually. Our habits tie us into a reactive cycle of craving and

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aversion. This exhausting cycle can be broken, when our experience is fully aligned with reality. The Buddha
taught that a way to break this cycle is to practice ethics and meditation, and to cultivate wisdom, which is a deep
understanding and acceptance of things as they are.

Customs and Practices

Meditation practices can be divided into samatha and vipassana practices. Samatha practices develop calm,
concentration and positive emotion and are practised as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving
kindness (Metta Bhavana). Vipassana practices aim at developing insight into reality. Developing and cultivating
wisdom happens through studying and reflecting the Dharma, the Buddha's teaching. Through study and
reflection we deepen our understanding of what reality is and how we can best live our lives according to that
understanding. Buddhist ethics is an ethics of intention in which the key principle is non-violence.

Buddhists celebrate a number of festivals timed to the full moon: parinitvana Day in February, Buddha Day
(Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in July, Padmasambhava Day in October and Sangha Day in November. All are
important events to celebrate together and to contemplate key teachings of the Buddha.

Christianity

Beliefs
Christians believe that God became fully present in (he of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. A Jew himself, he
summarized the law and neighbour, But he extended the message of God's redemption. Christians believe that
Jesus Christ's dying on the cross, made I lint to reconcile all humanity with their Creator. They believe he the
dead and has sent the Spirit of God to renew and inspire people in the world today Consequently, Christians have
a distinctive understanding of God a trinity: (Creator), Son (Redeemer), and Holy Spirit (Sustainer), while still
emphasizing the unity of God. Their scriptures consist of four different accounts of the light of Jesus (gospels), an
account of life among the earliest disciples, a prophecy about the future, and a number of letters to early Christian
communities, Many of these a letters were written by Saint Paul, a former opponent of Jesus' early followers who
had a powerful conversion experience and went on to expound much of Christian thought and practice. These
different books comprise the New Testament which Christians add to the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures of
the Jewish faith. The old Testament and The New Testament is called the Holy Bible.

Customs and Practices

One becomes a Christian through the Sacrament of Baptism (water ceremony) that symbolizes a sharing in the
death and resurrection of Jesus. This is an initiation into the life of the Church which Christians believe to be the
body of Christ in the world today. Christians pray, worship, and read and study the Bible together. They also
follow Jesus' instruction of taking bread and wine, and declaring these as his body and blood offered in sacrifice
for all through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus identified himself with the poor and homeless, and was
criticized for associating himself with others who were socially outcast so Christians believe that aside from
teaching others about Jesus, they should for peace and social justice.

The principal Christian festivals are Christmas (celebrated on 25 December by most Christians), when the birth of
Jesus is remembered, and Easter (Which varies according to the lunar calendar) when Jesus' resurrection from the
dead is celebrated.

Hinduism

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Beliefs
The term "Hinduism" was coined as recently as the 19th century to cover a wide range of ancient creeds, textual
traditions, and religious groups. Thus, Hinduism has no single founder, doctrine, or religious authority. Hinduism
is best understood as a complete way of life, a path of sanctification, and discipline that leads to a higher level of
consciousness. This path is known as Dharma, the ancient law. Hindus are often thought to be polytheists but
most claim to believe in one supreme god who is incarnated in many forms.

Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred scriptures known as the Vedas. Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning
knowledge and many of these scriptures are concerned with Dharma. Other important texts include the great epics
of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita (part of the Mahabharata) is very popular in the West.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed by Karma, a concept whereby
beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of
successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.

Customs and Practices

Hindus follow the lunar calendar and particular days are set aside during the week and month or particular
manifestations of God. The main festivals are celebrated in different ways by different communities. The most
commonly celebrated festivals are Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and Navratri, nine nights which celebrate the
triumph of good over evil. This takes place twice a year.

Islam

Beliefs
Islam is an Arabic word which means willing submission to God. The root of the word Islam comes from a word
meaning peace and Muslims believe it is the way of peace as laid down in the Quran. The Arabic word Allah
means One God, and at the heart of the Muslim faith is belief in the unity and universality of God. Muslims also
believe in the unity of mankind, under one father, Adam, and have a strong sense of the Muslim community or
Ummah and an awareness of their solidarity with all Muslims worldwide. Muslims believe that God has sent a
succession of prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and see Mohammed as the last and
final prophet. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from God through the Angel
Gabriel over a period of 23 years. These were recorded in Islam's Holy Book known as the Quran, which is
regarded as the literal word of God. Muslims are taught to recite the Quran in Arabic as any translation of the
Holy Book is seen as inadequate.

Customs and Practices

Islam has five pillars that represent the foundation of Islamic worship and practice:

Shahada: "There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his messenger."
Salat : Prayer five times a day at given times.
Zakat: Two and a half percent of a Muslim's assets over a given specified amount is given in welfare tax to benefit
the poor.
Hajj: An annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a requirement at least once in a lifetime for those who can afford
it.
Sawm: During the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar), Muslims are required to
abstain from food, drink, and sexual acts from dawn until sunset.

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The end of Ramadan marks the beginning of the festival of Eid'l Fitr when Muslims visit the Mosque, give charity,
exchange presents and cards, and celebrate with family and friends. Eid'l Fitr coincides with the completion of the
Hajj and unites the whole Islamic community.

Judaism

Beliefs

The Jewish people believe themselves to be descended from a Semitic tribe that originated in the land of Canaan
in the Middle East. Their early history is told in the Hebrew scriptures which recount how God promised to
Abraham, a trader and leader of a nomadic tribe, that his descendants would be the father of a great nation.
Abraham's grandson Jacob had twelve sons who became ancestors of the twelve tribes Of Israel. They were
enslaved in Egypt and the book of Exodus tells how they were liberated under the leadership of Moses. For many
years, they wandered in the wilderness, during which time God revealed to Moses the Torah, or Law, which
constitutes the Jewish way of life. After Moses' death the tribes eventually conquered the Promised Land with the
help of God. Jews believes of the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. Study and interpretation of the Torah is an
integral part of Jewish life. It covers family relationships, social interaction and good commercial practice, as well
as setting out the religious rituals that are still celebrated today.

Customs and Practices

The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time when families gather for the
Shabbat meal. There are five festivals on which observant Jews are forbidden to work. The New Year (Rosh
Hashanah) falls in the autumn and followed ten days later by the most solemn day of the year, the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur). The other major festivals are known as the three pilgrim festivals: Passover (Pesach) in
the spring, Pentecost (Shavuot) that occurs seven weeks later, and Tabernacles (Sukkot) that takes place in the
autumn. Jewish food laws are highly complicated, prohibiting certain animals and shellfish. Acceptable animals
must be slaughtered in such a way as renders them kosher.

Religious beliefs, rituals, practices, and customs are all part of the expression of the Spiritual Self. What to
believe and how to manifest the belief is entirely dependent to the individual, to the Self. A person might believe
that there is a higher being, a supernatural being, usually termed as God. But not necessarily wants to be affiliated
or identified with a certain religious group. Others may have their own religious practices, which are perceived to
be contrary to the practices of other groups. Religious beliefs and practices therefore are formed relative to its
context and culture.

Finding and Creating Meaning of Life

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. The Viktor Frankl' Institute in
Vienna was created in 1992. The Institute has a website where there is a synopsis of his life and works and
present programs. Below are the excerpts (Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherphy):

The Psychiatrist
Viktor E. Frankl was born in Vienna, Austria on March 26, 1905. He died in 1997 in Vienna, Austria, due to heart
failure. Frankl grew up in Vienna, the birthplace of modern psychiatry and home of the renowned psychiatrists

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Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. A brilliant student, Frankl was involved in Socialist youth organizations and
became interested in psychiatry. At age 16, he began writing to Freud and on one occasion, he sent him a short
paper, which was published three years later, Frankl earned a medical degree from the University of Vienna in
1930 and was put in charge of a Vienna hospital ward for the treatment of females who had attempted suicide.
When Germany seized control of Austria eight years later, the Nazis made Frankl head of the Rothschild Hospital.

In 1942, Frankl married his first wife, Tilly Grosser. Nine months later, Frankl, his wife, and his parents were
deported to the Theresienstadt camp near Prague. Even though he was in four Nazi camps, Frankl survived the
Holocaust, including Auschwitz in Poland from 1942—1945. Those in the line moving left were to go to the gas
chambers, while those in the line moving right were to be spared. Frankl was directed to join the line moving left,
but managed to save his life by slipping into the other line without being noticed. Other members of his family
were not so fortunate. Frankl's wife, his parents, and other members of his family died in the concentration camps.

On returning to Vienna after Germany's defeat in 1945, Frankl, who had secretly been keeping a record of his
observations in the camps on scraps of paper, published a book in German setting out his ideas on logotherapy.
This was translated into English in 1959, and in a revised and enlarged edition appeared as The Doctor and the
Soul: An Introduction to Logotherapy in 1963. By the time of his death, Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning,
had been translated into 24 languages and reprinted 73 times and had long been used as a standard text in high
school and university courses in psychology, philosophy, and theology.

Logotherapy
Viktor E. Frankl validated a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of this
theory is the belief that man's primary motivational force is search for meaning and the work of the logotherapist
centers on helping the patient find personal meaning in life, however dismal the circumstances maybe. He is the
father of the logotherapy, an existential analysis. Logotherapy, has become known as the "Third Viennese School
of Psychotherapy," after that of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. He gives a brief synopsis of the theory in his
book, Man's Search for Meaning. It is a theory Frankl used not only in his professional life, but also in his private
one. Logos is a Greek word translated as "Logotherapy focuses on the future."

According to logotherapy, meaning can be discovered in three ways:

1. By creating a work or doing a deed.

2. By experiencing something or encountering someone.
3. By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.
4. The existential aspect of Frankl's psychotherapy maintains man always has the ability to choose; no matter the
biological or environmental forces.

An important aspect of this therapy is known as the "tragic triad," pain, guilt, and death. Frankl's "Caseffor a
Tragic Optimism" uses this philosophy to demonstrate. "optimism in the face of tragedy and in view of the human
potential, which at its best always allows for"

1. Turning suffering into human achievement and accomplishment.

2. Deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better.
3. Deriving from life's transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.

Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology

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1. Life has meaning under all circumstances.

2. Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
3. Freedom to find meaning.

Assumptions of Franklian Psychology

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.

Aims of Franklian Psychotherapy

1. Become aware of spiritual resources.
2. Make conscious spiritual resources.
3. Use "defiant power of the human spirit" and stand up against adversity.

Logotherapy Assumptions

All psychotherapies make philosophical assumptions about the human persons that cannot be proved with
certainty. The assumptions of Logotherapy include (Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotheraphy n.d.): :

1. The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit. This first assumption deals with the body
(soma), mind (psyche), and spirit (noos). According to Frankl, the body and mind are what we have and the spirit
is what we are.

2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable. Assumption two is "ultimate meaning".
This is difficult to grasp but it is something everyone experiences and it represents an order in a world with laws
that go beyond human laws.

3. People have a will to meaning. The third assumption is seen as our main motivation for living and acting. When
we see meaning, we are ready for any type of suffering. This is considered to be different than our will to achieve
power and pleasure.

4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning. Assumption four is that we
are free to activate our will to find meaning and this can be done under any circumstances. This deals with change
of attitudes about unavoidable fate. Frankl was able to test the first four assumptions when he was confined in the
concentration camps.

5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful. The fifth
assumption, the meaning of the moment, is more practical in daily living than ultimate meaning. Unlike ultimate
meaning, this meaning can be found and fulfilled. This can be done by following the values of society or by
following the voice of our conscience.

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6. The individual is unique. The sixth assumption deals with one's sense of meaning. This is enhanced by the
realization that we are irreplaceable.

In essence, all humans are unique with an entity of body, mind, and spirit, We go through unique situations and
are constantly looking to find meaning. We are free to do these at all times in response to certain demands.

Frankl's Sources of Meaning

Popovo 2017 discussed Viktor Frankl's work. There are three possible sources of meaning of life: purposeful
work, courage in the face of difficulty, and love.

Purposeful work
Frankl found that the single most important factor in cultivating the kind of "inner hold" that allowed men to
survive was teaching them to hold in the mind's grip some future goal. Life ultimately means taking the
responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfil the tasks, which it constantly sets for each
individual. These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment.
Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way. Questions about the meaning of life can never
be answered by sweeping statements. "Life" does not mean something vague, but something very real and
concrete, just as life's tasks are also very real and concrete.

Courage in the face of difficulty

Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of
psychic and physical stress. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms —
to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. Frankl recognizes suffering
as an essential piece not only of existence but of the meaningful life: If there is a meaning in life at all, then there
must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering
and death, human life cannot be complete.

Love
In examining the "intensification of inner life" that helped prisoners stay alive, he considers the transcendental
power of love: "Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his
spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases
somehow to be of importance.
Frankl illustrates this with a stirring example of how his feelings for his
wife—who was eventually killed in the camps—gave him a sense of meaning:

"We were at work in a trench... I was again conversing silently with my wife, or perhaps I was struggling to find
the reason for my sufferings, my slow dying. In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I
sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and
from somewhere I heard a victorious, "Yes," in answer to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose. At
that moment a light was lit in a distant farmhouse, which stood on the horizon as if painted there, in the midst of
the miserable grey of a dawning morning in Bavaria. 'Et lux in tenebris/ucet, and the light shineth in the darkness.

For hours I stood hacking at the icy ground. The guard passed by, insulting me, and once again I communed with
my beloved. More and more I felt that she was present, that she was with me; I had the feeling that I was able to
touch her, able to stretch out my hand and grasp hers. The feeling was very strong: she was there. Then, at that

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very moment, a bird flew down silently and perched just in front of me, on the heap of soil which I had dug up
from the ditch, and looked steadily at me."

Frankl contributes to history's richest definitions of love:

Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become
fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love, he is enabled to see the
essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is
not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved
person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he
makes these potentialities come true. Costello (2015) captured Viktor Frankl's message. The "ultimate secret on
the spiritual foundation of life is that Love is salvation and joy eternity."

APPLICATION
Reflection Paper:
Reflect on Viktor Frankl’s sources of meaning of life. Write it on the boxes provided on the SAA sheet.

SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA) SHEET

ACTIVITY
RECALL:
1.

2.

DRAW:

ANALYSIS

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ANALYSIS
a.

b.

APPLICATION

END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT

Now that you have finished the review of the various concepts outlined above, it is now time for an assessment to
see how far you have improved. On every module’s “End of Module Assessment” (this part), write your answers
on separate sheet/s provided. (See separate sheets for the questions.)

LOOKING AHEAD
Congratulations for making it till the end of this module! If you aced the assessments, I am happy for you. If you
have not reached your desired level of competence, just keep going! Remember that an expert was once a
beginner. The next topic will deal on The Political Self and Being Filipino! Happy learning!

REFERENCES
Understanding the Self
Eden Joy Pastor Alata, Bernardo Nicolas Caslib, Jr., Janice Patria Javier Serafica, R.A. Pawilen pp. 73-91

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SELF AND MODULE EVALUATION

This part requires you to rate the quality of the module to help you continuously improve the development of this
learning module. This also asks you to rate your learning experience for each of the modules.
Rate the module using the following:
1- Strongly disagree
2- Disagree
3- Agree
4- Strongly agree

The learning module: 1 2 3 4

Please check appropriate column

was engaging
allowed for self-checking (SAAs)
developed in gradual, manageable steps
provided independent, self-paced learning
contained relevant information I needed

SELF-EVALUATION
Rate the extent of your learning in this module using the scale below. Check the column corresponding to your
rating in the space provided. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.
4- I’m an expert. I understand and can teach a friend about it.
3-I’m a Practioner. I understand and can cite examples on the topics given.
2- I’m an apprentice. I understand if I get help or look at more examples.
1- I’m a novice. I do not understand the topic.

My learning: 1 2 3 4
I can now

Please check appropriate column

1. Identify various religious practices and beliefs;
2. Understand self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. Explain ways of finding meaning of life.

END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT (AnSwer Sheet)

(Please do not forget to provide information on this part)
Name: Course& Year:
Module Number and Title:
Contact number & email (if any):
Date accomplished:

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Make a reflection on any of the following topics:

1. Filipino rituals and ceremonies covering all regions of the Philippines
2. Filipino indigenous religious practices featuring five tribes from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao
3. Modern-day expression of spiritual being

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