MODULE 9

CHAPTER II: UNPACKING THE SELF

A. THE SPIRITUAL SELF
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

 Religion and Spirituality are both paths to God. However, they have different
approaches. A religious person is someone who believes in a god or group of gods and
consciously adheres to the beliefs of his or her religion. A spiritual person on the other
hand places little importance on beliefs and traditions and is more concerned with
growing and experiencing the Divine.
 The root meaning of spirituality is taken from the Latin word spiritus, meaning breath or
life force. Spirituality can be understood as the search for the sacred, a process which
people seek to discover, hold on to, and when necessary transform whatever they hold
sacred in their lives (hill & Pargamet, 2003) Spirituality generally refers to the meaning
and purpose of one’s life, a search for wholeness, and a relationship with a transcendent
being. The sacred transcendence can be referred to as a higher being. In addition,
through acts of faith, hope and love, man is able to encounter God and understand
God’s words of salvation.
 The term “spirituality” originally developed in early Christianity. Christians use the term
“spirit” to describe the Holy Spirit.
 In Christian ethics, Peschke (1994) describes the experience of the sacred is
characterized by reverence, faith, fear, trust, love, and admiration which are intimately
connected to God. Worship is regarded as essential act to realize the ultimate meaning
of transcendence and human life. Acts of worship may include prayer., reading the Bible,
attending sacraments, and doing sacrifices.
 Religion as defined by Emile Durkheim, is a unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and
practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who
adhere to them. Meanwhile Giddens (2006) sees religion as 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 key elements of religion such as :a. religion is a form of culture-shares all
characteristics of culture such as shared beliefs, values that create an identity; b.
religions involve beliefs that take the form of ritualized practices, all members engage in
behaviors that identify them as members of the community and; c. religion provide a
sense of purpose-feeling that life is ultimately meaningful .
 Spirituality is connected with religion. All religions recognize the importance of spirituality
in one’s life. One’s spirituality may be expressed through religion and participation in
religious rituals and ceremonies.
 Spirituality and Religion fulfill numerous social and psychological needs, such as the
need to explain human sufferings and death. Through the practices of religious activities
such as prayers, people may find comfort, security, and stability in times of sufferings,
loss, insecurities and uncertainties. Spirituality and Religion may also be a source of
love, hope and affection.
THE CONCEPT OF SPIRIT OR SOUL

Filipino culture is diverse yet colorful. One of the Filipino beliefs is the belief in soul. According to
Mercado(1991) Filipinos believe that the soul of the person leaves the body and wanders
around. He pointed out the different names of souls indifferent provinces and tribes.

The Soul According to the Ethnolinguistic Groups of the Philippines

 Ifugao – ‘Linnawa’
 The soul (linnawa) of a child floats around in the heavens, awaiting its entry into the
human world. During sexual intercourse the soul/spirit enters the female through the
male, resulting in pregnancy. If a woman cannot conceive, shamans conduct sacrifices
to see if the couple is compatible. If they are, shamans offer other sacrifices to enhance
fertility.
 The soul is believed to continue in existence in the world
of its ancestors. In time the soul of the new-dead
becomes one of the callading or ancestral spirits. The
callading are considered man’s benefactors.
 In some sources (The Soul Book) the Ifugao believe
there are two souls, one in the eyes and one in the
breath. Illness is the withdrawal of the soul in the eyes.
Death is the withdrawal of the soul in the breath.
 Ibaloi
 The Ibaloi afterlife is populated by ancestral spirits, and
explains animal sacrifices. In that spiritual world, when
the soul arrives with physical treasures, it receives a
great welcome. An empty-handed soul finds himself the
object of scorn. He is unwelcome and unaccepted in his
new world and this feeling of insecurity may cause the
spirit to bring evil, disease and even death among his
relatives. In the light of all those beliefs, relatives of the
dead person bring donation of cash or animals.
 Isneg – ‘Kaduwa’
 The Isneg believed that dead exist in other world, the Aglalanawan, where the earthly
tasks of planting, harvesting and communal living are functions common to them.
The kaduwa, soul, is believed to cross the pond in a ferry piloted by the spirit, Kutaw(A
psychopomp). In a bid to please kutaw, who could facilitate the spirit’s entry to
aglalanawan, the appropriate customary death rituals would be the key.
 Kankana-ey – ‘Ab-abiik’
 Ab-Abiik is the spiritual self as oppsed to the physical self (Awak). The Ab-abiik can also
apply to inanimate objects such as mountains, trees or rivers. It can also mean
‘inspiration’ in some contexts.
 Bikol
 No one should miss their dinner and go to bed hungry or their spirit will roam for food. If
a pot of food is covered while the spirit is eating inside, the person who is sleeping will
now wake up until the lid is lifted.
 Tagalog – ‘Kaluluwa and Kakambal’
 The Tagalog soul, the kaluluwa can leave the body involuntarily. The kaluluwa refers
more to the soul of the deceased. The soul of a living person is
 called kakambal (meaning twin or double). The kakambal may travel around at night and
some particularly bad encounters are the cause of nightmares (bangungut). The
kakambal becomes a kaluluwa after death.
 Ilokano – ‘Kararua, Karkarma, Aniwaas and Araria’
 The first soul of the Ilokanos is called the kararua, or the soul proper. This is the term
used for the equivalent of the Christian soul that can only leave after death.
 The Ilokano have a four soul system. In addition to the kararua there are three other
souls.

 Karkarma is the name of the second soul. It can leave the physical body when one is
frightened, or may be stolen. If this soul fails to return the owner becomes insane,
sacrificial ceremonies may be held to lure back a lost karkarma.  Karkarma stands for
natural vigor, mind and reason.
 Aniwaas is the name of the third soul. It can leave the body during sleep and visits
places familiar to the body. If one wakes up while the aniwaas is visiting these places,
they may lose the aniwaas and become insane.
 Araria is the name of the fourth soul. This is the liberated soul of the dead, the soul that
visits relatives and friends in the earthworld asking them to pray for it or perform a duty it
failed to do in life. Its presence can be heralded by the howling of dogs. This soul can
make sounds and manipulate physical objects usually relating to what it did in life.
 Ibanag –  ‘Ikaruruwa’
 The Ibanag have a distinction between body (baggi) and soul
(ikaruruwa). Ikarurua means ‘a companion of the body’. Mekararuanan (me + kararua –
to be rid of the soul) is a phenomenon where the soul can leave the body but it is without
sense. The ritual Mangagaggako invites the soul to return to the body
 The Ibanag believe that the soul has physical characteristics. The soul may have color
and the souls of dead babies can reach adulthood in the spirit realm. The role of the soul
is to give direction and wholeness to the man, but the body can survive without the soul,
and even without the body the soul experiences material wants and needs.
 Mangyan –  ‘Karaduwa’
 The Hanunoo Mangyan believe in a plurality of souls. Karaduwa tawu/tawo (human
soul), karaduwa manok (Chicken soul) Karaduwa Baboy (pig soul) karaduwa kuti (cat
soul) and karaduwa hipon (shrimp soul). An individual may possess 2-5 other souls.
These other souls are explanations for miraculous recoveries from near fatal
experiences, their dream life or natural reactions to startling sounds or movement.
 A soul can also separate itself from the physical body. If a person is scared, his soul
leaves his body causing sickness. When a person dreams the karaduwa walks around.
The dream that a person has is caused by this walk.
 Sulod –  ‘Umalagad’
 Dying among the Sulod is said to be like passing through a narrow door. The experience
is horrible, as if the person has to pull hard to get in the door. Once one departs they
simply disappear. No trace of them is left behind.
 This soul is watched over by three brother gods Mangganghaw,
Manglaegas and Patag’aes. Mangganghaw keeps track over man’s affairs immediately
after marriage. He keeps track of pregnancy. He is also the first to come to the house of
a laboring mother, peeps in the house and sees the child being born, after which he
reports to Manglaegas. Manglaegas, after being reported to by Mangganghaw, enters
the house to look for the child to make sure the child was born alive, then reports to
Patag’aes who waits until midnight then enters the house to have a conversation with
the infant. If Patag’aes discovers anyone eavesdropping on their conversation, he
 chokes the child to death. The conversation is on how long the child wants to live and
how the child will eventually die. The child gets to choose. After the child has chosen,
Patag’aes takes out his measuring stick and computes the child’s life span, and then he
departs.
 Tagbanwa – ‘Kiyaraluwa’ and others
 A Tagbanwa has one ‘true soul’ the kiyaraluwa and five secondary souls. The kiyaraluwa
is given to each infant by the god Magindusa as the nose of the child emerges from the
vulva.
 The secondary souls are located in the extremities of both hands and feet and in the
head just below the air whorl (puyo). The souls of the feet protect one while walking and
from injuries to the feet, the same functions to those in the hands. The secondary soul
located by the puyo is not fixed in young children and may cause illness if not properly
aligned, some shamans specialize in realigning the soul to its proper place. This soul is
said to have a material form like a round white stone.
 Bukidnon – ‘Makatu’ and ‘Pipitu ha makatu’
 The makatu, their world for soul, exists before a child’s birth but it is separate from the
body. There is a ritual in which a miniature cradle is hung over the pregnant mother in a
place where the mother sleeps. The small cradle is where the soul of the unborn baby
will sleep before it joins the infant at birth. The makatu is breathed into man at birth
by Miyaw-Biyaw. If all are present in an individual, they are healthy, if one or more
wanders away from the body then Illness, irritability and sadness follow. If all makatu
leave the body at the same time, the individual dies.
 The Bukidnon also believe in seven souls called the ‘pipitu ha makatu’. One jumps off
the cliff, one swims in the water, one puts its hand in snake holes, one sits under a tree,
one is always walking around, one is awake in the day and one is awake at night.
 Bagobo – ‘Gimokud’
 There are two souls called gimokud. Right hand gimokud is the good soul that manifests
as a shadow on the right hand side of the path while the left hand gimokud is the bad
soul that manifests as a shadow on the left side of the path.
 The right hand is associated with life, health, activity and joy, remaining in the body
throughout life. When death causes the right hand gimokud to leave the body, it gives
notice by visiting in the form of an insect.
 The left hand soul is the cause of lethargy, pain and illness. The left hand soul also
leaves the body at night and risks various dangers, if it visits the sea the sleeping person
feels shivers, the behavior it engages in leaves a physical effect on the body. After death
the gimokud becomes a busaw (digging up dead bodies).
 Dungan
 Dungan or the souls according to the Ilonggos (Magos 1986) is not normally seen by the
human eye. Sometimes, however, it comes out of the body and takes a visible form such
as that of an insect or a small animal like lizard. That is why elderlies are always telling
the young children “to eat even just little before going to bed,” for if the child’s Dungan
“gets hungry at night, it might go to the pot of rice in the kitchen and be mistaken for an
insect, and be killed.
 The Dungan may leave the body voluntarily as when the person is asleep, according to
the Visayan. When a person see himself in a dream, it means his “other self” has left the
physical body. Among the ancient Filipinos, it was deeply impressed that a person who
was asleep should not be awakened abruptly. Thus a slumbering person is first called
softly and gradually louder and louder to give the soul a chance to return to the body.
  The Dungan’s travel outside the body should be free from accidents. It could get trapped
in a jar or be poured out with liquid in a vessel. Only when the soul has freely returned
home would the owner be able to wake up. Whatever happens to the Dungan happens
to the physical body as well. It is also believed that
another cause for the voluntary withdrawal of the
soul is when the body is maltreated.
 The Dungan is ethereal, something light and airy
since it travels with the air or the wind. Prior to its
entry and habitation of a human body or Dungan is
believed to inhabit the region above the surface of
the earth together with other Dungan. It awaits the
time when it can enter the body. The Dungan then
takes the special interest in the unborn being
which it has chosen to inhabit.
 The Visayans, believe the soul or Dungan is not
located in any specific part of the body. It is
believed to grow proportionately with the person’s
body. It is normally weak at the baby’s birth, that is
why attractive babies are said to be susceptible to
“usog”, that is the unintentional transfer of
disturbing vapors of a strong body to a weak one
by holding, talking or looking at the weaker one.
 For this reason, the Dungan needs protection and
nurture. Soul nature, the folk believe, means the performance of age-old spirit rituals
many of which are still followed in the provinces today. An adult person with a healthy
Dungan properly lodged in his physical body should have bodily health and well-being,
intelligence and good sense.
 The dunagn is also referred to as “willpower”. A strong Dungan is the intellectual and
psychological capacity to dominate or persuade others to one’s way of thinking. A
person with a lot of willpower is said to “have a strong Dungan”. Constant
companionship of two people may lead to a spiritual competition between the two
Dungan and the defeat of one with the weaker Dungan.
 At death, the Dungan leaves the body via the nose, eyes, ears and other orifices and
eventually goes with the air or the wind towards the upper regions. That is where it waits
until it can find another body to enter.

The belief of the Filipinos did not end on soul and spirit. They also believe in the ancient healing
– through faith healer or ispiritista, albularyo, manghihila, mangluluop, and magtatawas.
According to Aping (2010), faith healers come from either spiritist groups, diviners (a group that
practice divination) or from persons who were previously saved from illness or death and have
encountered epiphanies or mystical experiences who became convinced that they were
destined to help sick people after receiving their healing powers bestowed upon them by the
Holy Spirit or other supernatural beings.

According to Apostol and Baet (2007), albularyo is referred as the “general practitioner” and the
primary dispensers of health care. They usually come from family of healers, which considered
healing as its vocation or calling. Their ability is commonly attributed to Holy Spirit. Additionally,
their healing powers is developed through years of apprenticeship. “Medico” is the pharmacist of
the traditional Filipinos who are albularyos who combine folkloric therapies with modern
medicine.

 The manghihilot also uses various paraphernalia especially coconut oil which is applied
to the affected area. If the strip of material sticks to the surface, resisting the pull, this
area is assumed to be the area of affliction, usually a pulled muscle or a sprain. A
massage of the area will follow thereafter.
 The mangluluop will conduct a ritual called “luop”to diagnose the illness. He is said to be
the specialist to determine what really happens to the person. The mangluluop uses the
ritual paraphernalia such as “kalanghuga” (a kind of saltwater or freshwater shell, salt,
(to weaken the supernatural spirits), benditang palaspas (piece of blessed palm, leaves
of Palm Sunday) charcoal made from coconut shell, a coconut midrib and a tin plate.
With a concoction of these materials, a diagnosis of the illness can be based on the
pappearance of the kalanghuga. The mangtatawas is best known for the use of tawas
or alum for diagnosis.
 From simple headache to exorcism, those said healers can help the Filipinos
experiencing illness and body sufferings. Dungan or the belief of energy of the human
body to inflict pain to another body can also be treated by these healers. (Dela Pena,
2008) Filipinos believe in Usog, Bati, Balis or evil eye. It is the infliction of pain to another
person that may cause headache, nausea, fever, or stomach ache. Infants are prone to
experience usog or especially when infants are fat, cute or healthy. Tagalogs say “pwera
usog” and Visayas and Mindanao say “purya buyag” or “purya buyaw”.
 To heal the person, they will look for albularyo, medico or person who has strong balis or
the person that caused the patient to besick, He or she will put saliva on the patient’s
forehead or will use ginger while performing the ritual. The control the usog, bati, balis or
evil eye, it is believed that wearing of red bracelet, or pin some chili leaves on the
infant’s clothes and keeping ginger and garlic in the pocket for adults will prevent these.
Some people castigate or scold the person who gaze them harshly through their mind to
avoid usog, bati or balis.

RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

 Rituals are repeated physical gestures or activities, such as prayers and mantras used
to reinforce religious teachings, elicit spiritual feelings and connect worshippers with a
higher power.
 Rituals 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 balance. This is evident in some village which performs ritual to
restore the state of affairs when the balance is lost.
 Rituals have several functions such as in asking for a good harvest, asking for guidance
and protection from unforeseen forces, to heal the sick, to bring good luck and conceive.
Dance and chants are also essential part of rituals.

Classification of Rituals:

1. Imitative Ritual. Its meaning is based on some belief system such as myths. The ritual
usually repeats the myths or aspects of the myths. Example is the noise that people
make at the strike of twelve during New Year. The practice is based on Chinese myth
 which drove away a monster which was about to come to a village but was frightened by
the cracking noise of the bamboo made by the villagers to keep themselves warm. As
time passed, the burning bamboo was replaced by firecrackers.

2. Positive and Negative Ritual. Positive rituals are mostly concerned with giving
blessings to an object or individual while Negative Ritual focus on the rules of
prohibition.

3. Sacrificial Ritual. This is often seen in the earliest form of religion. The distinct feature
of this is the total destruction of the sacrifice as an offering to a higher being. The
sacrifice can be a human being, an animal, crops or objects.

4. Life Crisis Ritual. The transition of one mode or stage of life into another. This ritual
usually defines the life of the individual. Example of this is the burying of placenta right
after birth.

FINDING AND CREATING MEANING

 Viktor Frankl published “Man’s Search for Meaning in 1945 .The meaning of life
according to Viktor Frankl lies in finding a purpose and taking responsibility for ourselves
and other human beings. By having a clear “why” we can face all the “how” questions of
life. Only by feeling free and sure of the objective that motivates us will we be able to
make the world a better place.
 That said, we know there is no question as complicated as what the “meaning of life”
is. Such questions sometimes have philosophical, transcendental and moral nuances, so
often we stick to classic sayings, like “be happy and make others happy“, “be content“,
“do good“.
 However, many ask the question and feel a deep existential void. What is the meaning
of life for me if all I do is work, if all my days are the same and if I do not find meaning in
anything around me? Humans don’t have an obligation to define the meaning of life in
universal terms. Each of us will do it our way, starting with ourselves, with our potential
and experiences, discovering ourselves every day. Moreover, the meaning of life may
not only differ from one person to another, but we ourselves may have a different life
purpose at each stage of life. The important thing is for each goal to give us satisfaction
and encouragement to get up in the morning and fight for what we want.

DISCOVERING THE MEANING IN LIFE

1. Live with decision

We’ve all seen before: people who handle very tough circumstances with positivity and
motivation. How do they do that? We all share the same biological structures, but what
sets us apart from these people is their determination. Being determined to achieve
something, overcome all obstacles and fight for what we want, however small, will help
us clarify our purpose in each stage of our life.

2. Even if you suffer, have your purpose clear and you will find strength
 Viktor Frankl explained in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” that there is nothing
worse than perceiving that our suffering is useless. However, if you can find a purpose,
you won’t just endure your suffering; you’ll see it as a challenge.

3. Change your attitude to find a higher meaning in life

Sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes we work to exhaustion and invest all our time,
energy, emotions and heart… yet fate only hands us setbacks. Every dream we have
falls apart. Backing down is more than logical and understandable, but when this
happens, we have two options.
o First, to assume that we cannot change what happens to us and be prisoners
of circumstance.
o Second, to accept that we cannot change what has happened to us but that
we can change our attitude towards it.