SPIRITU

AL SELF
* Man is composed of body and soul.
The body points to his relationship with
the material world and the soul. It is
the relationship with the spiritual
world. Which is the transcendental
dimension of life.
1.1 The Concept of Spirituality

Spiritual self- it is our subjective and most intimate

self. It speaks of the quality of one’s relationship with
God. Self, others, institutions and God’s entire
creation, marked by respect, forgiveness, generous
service and prayer.
- It leads man to a deeper communion with the
divine. it is a path of direct and personel connection
1.1 The Spirit and the Soul:

Spirit- it describe as the desposition of an

individual, a person’s habitual attitudes, as man’s
supernatural power which comes from God.

L. Mercado (1994), mentioned that “The spirit in the

Hebrew language is ruach or pneuma.
- in greek word it means, breathe. (the breathe of
 Soul - in the other hand is in hebrew nephesh or in
greek, psyche, originally meaning throat or neck,
which means human life.
- “nonphysical aspects of the person. “The breathe of
life”

“Both soul and spirit means life.”

*but soul (nephesh-psyche) stands for natural man.
*while spirit (ruach pneuma) is the ethichal factor which
adds the new dimension of relationship with God.
* the term used by the filipinos for spirit is a loan
word, “espirito” or “espiritu”.

* which is in Visayan term, “ginhawa”. And in

Tagalog, “hininga” and in Ilocano “anges”.
1.2 The Filipinos Rraditional Understanding of Soul

* According to practice Demetrio, “the soul accoding to

Indigenous Filipino, “kaluluwa, kararua, kadkadwa, are all
came from the root word “Duwa” whih means two.

* This is because the soul has two existence-one

physical that is connected to human body and its
life, and other spiritual where it exists on its own.
Tagalog- Kaluluwa
Bagolos- Gimokud
Bukidnous- Makatu
Ilokano’s- Kakadduwa or Kararua
Ilonggos- Dungan (if the person is alive)
Kalag (if the person is dead)
Visayas- dungan
Cebuanos- Kaluha
Mindoro- Karadwa or kalag
Kankaney of Cordillera- Ab-abiik
* For the Tagalogs, the Kaluluwa speaks more of the
soul of deceased person that that of the living. Iloco
refers to the soul of a living person as his kakambal
(twin or doubles) which is thought of as the “malay”
or “tiny verse at night” the kakambal may travel
around and its trouble some encounters could be
the cause of nightmares (bangungut). the double
becomes kaluluwa after the person dies”
( Jocano 1971).
“The dungan (not normally seen by the human eye)
for the Ilonggos and Cebuanos sometimes comes out
of the body and takes on a visible from such as that
of an insect like a housefly or even a lizard. The
dungan may leave the body voluntarily as when a
person is asleep, according to the Visayans. When a
person can see himself in his dreams, it means that
is “other self” has left the physical body.
The dungan’s travel outside the body should be free
from acciddents. Only when the soul has safely
returned home would the owner be able to wake up.
whatever happens to the dungan happens to the
physical body as well”

- (Demetrio, et. al., 2011)

Alicia Magos (1986) as cited by Demetrio, et. al.(2011), also
indicates that another cause of the withdrawal of the soul from the
body is when the body is badly maltreated. The soul then voluntarily
leaves the body. Similarly, Arsenio Manuel, as cited by Demetrio, et.
al., speaks of the soul, leaving the body involuntarily as in the case
of a child who is frightened. The kaluluwa or dungan departs from
the body and so there’s a need to call the soul back by saying.
“Come back, come back soul of ___, return to your home body.”
The child becomes normal again the moment the kaluluwa or
dungan rejoins the body. Another involuntary departure of the sou
happens when it is lured or captured by bad spirit or ‘engkantu’.
“Sickness is the effect of temporay loss of the soul and the death is
the effect of permanent loss.
“Furthermore, Magos says that the Visayan dungan has a
secondary meaning of ‘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 strong dungan. By itself, if
strong due to ritual nurturing, it is capable of causing
illness or seriously weaken the other rsons who have
weaker dungan. Constant companionship (sometimes under
the same roof) of two persons may lead to a spiritual
competition between the two dungan and the defeat results
to sickness of the one with the weaker dungan”
2. 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. It
is a term used to describe a person in relationship with
others.
*Contemporary psychology has defined the person by his relationship and such
is done by describing what sort of loob he has such as magandang loob or
mabuting loob and masamang loob. A person is said to be of magandang loob or
mabuting loob if he relates well and positively with others. On the contrary, a
person is said to be of masamang loob if he is of bad character. This loob is
manifested through external behavior, and behavior in an authentic person
stem from loob.
*According to Mercado [1994], ‘’a purified kalooban is supported by
prayer. This loob that has been continually purified and
strengthened acquire commitment to the cause of the individual.
This happens through forms of sacrifices which includes prayers,
abstinence from certain kinds of food, or comforts, and sexual
abstinence. Constant prayers and religious exercises are ways to
purify the loob. One of the most popular sacrifices done by some
Filipino Catholics is the ‘’penitensia’’ during good Friday. The
penitents reenact the suffering of Jesus Christ, from the flagellation
to the crucifixion. Penitents whip themselves on the back, using
whips made of bamboo or paddles to draw blood. To complete the
rites some devotes willingly allow themselves to be nailed to the
cross, reenacting Jesus crucifixion. Despite the pain, loss of blood,
the penitents emerge a ‘’new man’’ whose loob has been renewed,
ready to face squarely the challenges of this world.
God’s Kagandahang-loob
- The Filipino concept and value, kagandahang loob [kindness, generosity,
benevolence and helpfulness] can be a very appropriate description of who God
is for Filipinos. It connotes all that is good in person which is the ideal among
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. This reminds us of Jesus in whom words and deeds are true
manifestations of His kagandahang loob.

Loob and Prayer

- Prayer is said to be ‘’the first expression of man’s interior truth’’. Interior
truth refers to the core of one’s personhood, his loob, which is closely related to
man’s spirit. It is also the very zone of creaturehood which is the substratum of
ideas, feelings and behaviors. Those whose loob is pure, serene, and controlled
have ‘’special powers’’ granted to them by Christ such as the ability to control
elements, cure the sick, speak in different tongues,and interpret signs, among
others.
* Prayer is the Christian’s acknowledgement and awareness of the
true nature of the loob, and the richness or weakness of this loob as
exposed by the light of faith.. This loob is made ‘’in the image and
likeness’’ of God; hence, it is constituted by being related to God.
With this, prayer becomes an active receptiveness and an active
listening to what God is revealing through one’s loob.
Christians prayer is our conscious personal communion with God,
our Father, in Christ Jesus.
It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts, enabling
us to turn to God and with confidence to call Him our Father.
Prayer is always a free gift of God, which leads us back to Him,
pagbabalik loob [conversion] when astray, restoring the original
goodness of one’s kalooban.
3. Finding and Creating meaning – Viktor Emil Frankl
According to Viktor Frankl, ‘’meaning is something to discover rather than to
invent.’’ It has the same concept with inner happiness, life satisfaction, self-
actualization, deep spirituality. He believes that in life, there is an existential
vacuum which means that life is empty, meaningless, purposeless, aimless,
adrift and so on. Because of this existential vacuum, we fill our lives with
pleasure, eating beyond all necessity, or even having a promiscuous sex.

We might seek power, specially the power represented by monetary success.

Because of this existential vacuum, Frankl says that we fill our lives with ‘’busy-
ness,’’ conformity, conventionality, anger, hatred and even attempts to destroy
what we think is hurting us, a neurotic ‘’vicious cycle, such as obsession with
germs and cleanliness, or fear-driven obsession with a phobic object.
3. Three Ways of Discovering Meaning in Life

Viktor Frankl,indicates three broad approaches namely:

- Experiental values, creative values, & Attitudinal values.

1. Experiental values- this approach involves experiencing

something or someone we value. the most imporatnt
example of experiental values is the love we feel towards
another- family, relatives, friends, and workmates.
2. Creative Values- This is the traditional existential
idea of providing oneself with meaning by becoming
involved in one’s projects, or, better, in the project of
one’s own life.

3. Attitudinal Values- it includes practicing virtues

such as compassion, bravery, a good sense of humor,
and the like. But Frankl’s most famous example is
achieving meaning by way of suffering.
3.2 The Practice of Religion
Religion- is a way of connecting themselves to God as they
search for meaning in life.

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 much less
psychological distress. (Williams, D. 1970).

3. Young people see loves as the central aspect of the

meaning of life; they believe that religion is still important in
helping from judgements and attitudes (Thomas, D.).

4. The cohabitation rate is seven times higher among

persons who seldom or never attend religious services to
persons who frequently and (Larson, D).
3.2a Rituals
Rituals- are patterned forms of behavior that have
something to do with the supernatural realm. They
performed in a repitive nature.

* In many cases, sacrifice as the offering of something to the

supernatural beings is performed to please or to express
gratitude to such deities. An examp of this is the ofering
ritual called “Harang”, practices by the Visayan fishing
villages.
Kanyaw- In the cordillera, which is performed as an
expression of thanksgiving to their deities as well as
a means appease them is also noteworthy.

Buklog- the Subanens in Aurora, Zamboanga is

performed in their fiesta to honor the spirits and plea
for favors. it is also a symbol of the Subanens
relationship with theri fellowmen, and a spiritual
journey to their creator.
Kanyaw- In the cordillera, which is performed as an
expression of thanksgiving to their deities as well as
a means appease them is also noteworthy.

Buklog- the Subanens in Aurora, Zamboanga is

performed in their fiesta to honor the spirits and plea
for favors. it is also a symbol of the Subanens
relationship with theri fellowmen, and a spiritual
journey to their creator.
3.2b Magic
Magic- is commonly reffered to as “tricks and illusions” that
make impossie things seem to happen, ususally performed
as entertainment.

* Stein & Stein (2011) state that magic answers our need to
have some cotrol of our lives and also of others with the
ability to control the supernatural forces.
3.2b Witchcraft
Witchcraft- commonly understood as “kulam” refers tot he
idea that certain people have an inborn power to harness
for specific puposes.

* Here, it is closely understood closely with sorcery.

Witchcraft is widely considered evil. Like sorcery, it is seen
as magic or special power that is worked for illegal or
antisocial ends.
3.3 What the Bible Says about Magic, Ritual and
Witchcraft
* As Filipinos of today, predominantly Christians, we have
the Bible as our guide in the practice of our religion.
Specifically, the Book of Deuterenomy states:

“Don’t sacrifice your chidren in the fires on your altars, and do not let your
people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in
witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mehiums or psychics, or call forth the
spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detedtable to the Lord. It is
becasue the other nations have done hese detestable things that the Lord yoyr