UNiVERSiTY OF MAKATi

COLLEGE OF SCiENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Und!standing
"e Self
MODULE 8
At the end of the chapter, students are expected to explore different aspects of
self and identity, demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the various
aspects of self and identity, identify the different forces and institutions that impact
the development of various aspects of self and identity and examine one’s self
against the different aspects of self discussed in class.
In Module 8 - The Spiritual Self, students will be able to understand the practice of
religion, belief in supernatural being and power, the concept of “dungan”- spirit or
soul, rituals and ceremonies, the function of rituals, rituals and ceremonies,
religion, magic and witchcraft and three ways of discovering meaning in life

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LESSON 1

Spiritual Self
The Practice of Religion: Belief in Supernatural
Being and Power

The Philippines proudly boasts to be the only

Christian nation in Asia. More than 86 percent of the
population is Roman Catholic, 6 percent belong to
various nationalized Christian cults, and another 2
percent belong to well over 100 Protestant
denominations. In addition to the Christian majority,
there is a vigorous 4 percent Muslim minority,
concentrated on the southern islands of Mindanao,
Sulu, and Palawan. Scattered in isolated
mountainous regions, the remaining 2 percent follow
non-Western, indigenous beliefs and practices. The
Chinese minority, although statistically insignificant,
has been culturally influential in coloring Filipino
Catholicism with many of the beliefs and practices of
Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Spiritual Self
The pre-Hispanic belief system of Filipinos consisted of a
pantheon of gods, spirits, creatures, and men that guarded the
streams, fields, trees, mountains, forests, and houses. Bathala,
who created earth and man, was superior to these other gods and
spirits. Regular sacrifices and prayers were offered to placate
these deities and spirits--some of which were benevolent, some
malevolent. Wood and metal images represented ancestral spirits,
and no distinction was made between the spirits and their physical
symbol. Reward or punishment after death was dependent upon
behavior in this life.

Anyone who had reputed power over the supernatural and natural
was automatically elevated to a position of prominence. Every
village had its share of shamans and priests who competitively
plied their talents and carried on ritual curing. Many gained
renown for their ability to develop anting-anting, a charm
guaranteed to make a person invincible in the face of human
enemies. Other sorcerers concocted love potions or produced
amulets that made their owners invisible.

Spiritual Self
Anitism, Animism and Bathalism

Many natives of the archipelago also engaged in ancestor worship

—the reverence for the “anito” or spirits of their ancestors, whom
they believed ascended to godhood in “langit,” literally the
Skyworld, where a pantheon of deities lived. The pantheons and
practices, as well as localized iterations on these basic beliefs in
gods, goddesses and good and bad spirits varied from community
to community. In Luzon, one can still find many pagan tribes who
practice this animism in the Cordilleras and Central Luzon—the
Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao, Aeta, Ivatan and Ibanag among them.
Ancestor worship being what it was, idolatry wasn’t far behind:
The natives made representations of their revered and deceased
ancestors in the form of anito statues, also called bulol, carved of
local hardwood. These figures of squatting or sitting humanoids
could be small enough to wear as amulets, or life-sized and hefty
enough to be left to guard granary entrances and homes. It was
common to leave offerings of flowers and food before these
statues to ensure prosperity and protection for the community or
family to which they belonged. These bulol were so called for their
absence of mouths, for the dead no longer speak.
Spiritual Self
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “animism” as “the belief that
all plants, animals, and objects have spirits.” Animism may also be
defined as the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and
animates the material universe. Just like any believer in any of the
world’s religions, animists believe in the existence of The Almighty.

It is worthwhile to note that the term “babaylan” is used in the

Visayas and parts of Mindanao to refer to women who are healers,
intercessors with the local deities, and keepers of herb-lore, as well as
valued spiritual advisers to the communities’ top echelons and political
leaders. The males who practiced the same rituals and had the same
functions as the babaylans were called bayot, or binabae, and they
donned feminine garb when exercising the functions of their office. In
Luzon, they people who filled these capacities as spiritual leader and
healer were called catalonan, whatever gender they may be.

Eventually, the Catholic friars demonized the animism and ancestor

worship of the indios they had been sent to convert, making malignos
(evil spirits) of their mythical creatures, reducing the powerful diwata
(mountain guardians or goddesses) to small fairy creatures like
Tinkerbell of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, and forced the animist
priestesses and priests to resort to dark magics: Kulam (hexes) and
barang (killing curses). Spiritual Self
The Concept of Dungan and Ginhawa, Spirit or Soul

Animate or inanimate creatures have “souls” or “life force.” (Forget

your religious belief first.) Our ancestors believed in the spirit beings
in the environment, deceased ancestral souls, and to forces in nature
(wind, moon, stars) which are invoked for help. (That could be seen in
my “Legend of Kansilay”.) This makes it clear that central to the
tradition of our ancestors, there is that belief for “soul” that is a “life
force” and we would like to believe that the belief still persists today.

From the point of view of the “babaylan,” inside the body of a living
person dwells the “dungan” (a companion that co-exists). This
“dungan” gives life, animation, and sensibilities to a person. It can
temporarily leave the body at will (during sleep). It is dangerous for
“dungan” to leave the body when the person is awake. The body
would become like a robot that runs out of battery.

There is another spirit that resides in a person (same person). We call

it “ginhawa” ( breath of life). It is the vital force. If “ginhawa” leaves the
person, the body dies. There is no more vital force that would be
responsible for the throbbing of the heart and the beating of the pulse.
(If you bring the person to the hospital, the doctor will examine him
thoroughly and later would say, “Sorry, he is dead.”) Spiritual Self
“Ginhawa” and “dungan” should be together. “Ginhawa” provides the vital life
force while “dungan” provides the intellect, emotion, and consciousness. We
will make it clear. The two entities are there together lodged in one person.
“Dungan” can temporarily leave and the person becomes unconscious or semi-
conscious as in fainting or dreaming. If “dungan” returns to a person, he
becomes fully conscious again.

Is there a possibility that “dungan” cannot return to the body anymore? Yes, if
“dungan” is ambushed or harmed by other spirits. If “dungan” does not return,
the person dies. “Ginhawa” cannot sustain life without “dungan.” Here is the
funny question, “Do the two spirit entities leave the body separately or do they
fuse together and depart for their journey in the upper or next world?”

The “babaylan” does not have the specific answer. I would like to believe that
they fuse together and leave. That could be the reason why we need the
“babaylan” to do ritual for “dungan” to return. A person who has a weak
“dungan” should ask the “babaylan” to give him a “batak-dungan” (upgrading).
The “dungan” that does not return (and the body dies) is known as “kalag” (has
separated or disentangled). The “babaylan” can help “kalag” in a “patulod,” a
rite where a “babaylan’ would usher the soul to proceed to the world of the
dead so that the soul will no longer come back and disturb the living as “murto”
(ghost).

If the family insists that the soul will be awakened because the wife and the
children would want to know where did the father hide his money, a “babaylan”
who specializes on “pukaw” (to awaken) rite could be done. The Catholic
Church does not approve of this practice. Spiritual Self
 RESEARCH TIME
Research the following terms.

1. Rituals
2. Ceremonies
3. Religion
4. Magic
5. Witchcraft
Note: This will definitely be part of your examination soon.
Spiritual Self
In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl reflected on his time living in four different concentration camps
during World War II. He said there are three ways we find meaning in our lives:

Through our actions. Frankl noted we often find meaning through our actions, or the things we do. For example, Frankl was
passionate about helping and psychotherapy. He wanted to write a book on logotherapy, which described his theory and
techniques for how to help people experience healing from emotional problems. When he was put into his first concentration
camp, the guards forced him to throw away all his possessions, including an initial copy of his book manuscript. But during his
time in the concentration camps, Frankl never stopped thinking about his book, and writing his book in his mind. These actions
helped give his life meaning.

Through our connections. In addition to what we do, Frankl said we also find meaning through our connections, or who we
love. These connections can involve our relationships with a spouse, family, or friends. It can also involve our relationship with
God or the sacred. When Frankl was in the concentration camp, his memories of his wife, as well as his connection to God,
helped him experience a sense of meaning.

Through our suffering. Sometimes people find themselves in situations in which they are unable to engage in
much meaningful action. Or they might find themselves separated from the ones they love. This was part of Frankl’s
experience in the concentration camp, as he found himself unable to practice psychiatry and separated from his loved ones. In
these situations, Frankl argued that humans can still find meaning in the midst of suffering. During his time in the concentration
camps, Frankl observed that some people would give up (and soon die), whereas others bore their suffering with courage and
grace. How a person lives their life in the midst of suffering can instill a sense of meaning.
Spiritual Self
GRADED ACTIVITIES/ASSIGNMENT
1. Journal 8.
Use the template you downloaded where you have written your Journals 1-7.

2. I-KMJS NA YAN!
Use 8.5 x 11 MS Word document with Arial 12 font, justified margin and double space. Write your name and year/section/course
on the upper left portion of the document. The title of your essay must be at the center. The title is “’I-KMJS NA YAN!?”. Answer
the following questions:
1. Based on what you have watched on KMJS, what lesson/s from this module can the episodes be anchored from. Explain.
2. Share any of your own personal experience that you can relate from any topic in this module.
3. How do you find meaning in life? What do you think about Frankl’s model for how people can find meaning through actions,
connections, and suffering? How can you work to increase your meaningful actions, meaningful connections, and courage in
the face of suffering?

Note: Your answer must include supporting statements from the theories/concepts/ideas from what you have read from this
module and from your research. Copy-pasted output will not be graded.

File names:
Activity 1: LastName_Firstname (Journal 8) ex: Villanueva_Ryan (Journal 8)
Activity 2: LastName_Firstname (i-KMJS NA YAN! 1) ex: Villanueva_Ryan (i-KMJS NA YAN! 1)
References
https://joshuanhook.com/2017/03/09/3-ways-find-meaning-life/
https://blogs.bcm.edu/2018/10/26/why-do-people-see-ghosts/
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Indigenous_Philippine_folk_religions
https://alethinosblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/animism-and-spiritual-warfare/
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170827/religion-culture-astral-travel-journey-towards-intuition-and-creativity
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/12/19/1654920/simbang-gabi-wont-grant-wishes-bishop

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 UNiVERSiTY OF MAKATi
COLLEGE OF SCiENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Thank You!