THE SPIRITUAL SELF

S U P E R N AT U R A L ; B E L I E V E
IT OR NOT
A. THE CONCEPT OF SPIRITUAL AND THE
SPIRITUAL SELF
Spiritual Self
According to Villafuerte, et al. (2018), spiritual self;
- Is who we are at our core.
- Is more permanent than the material self and the social self.
- Is our subjective and most intimate self.
- Is the aspect of self which develops a certain level of spirituality which is deemed as man’s way of
seeking as well as expressing the meaning and purpose of his life.
- Is concerned with the higher things in life such as the Sacred or the Divine.

According to Alata, et al. (2018), spiritual self,

- Is who we are at our core.
- Is more permanent than the material self and the social self.
Spirituality
- Is specified more concretely in
deepening the faith.
- Leads man to deeper communion
with the Divine.
- Is a path of direct and personal
connection with the Divine.
- Embraces all faiths, social and
political ideologies
B. THE SPIRIT AND THE SOUL
SPIRIT
• “ruach” in Hebrew
• “pneuma” in Greek
• Which (the breath of life)
• “espirito”, “ispiritu”,
• The disposition of an individual – A
person’s habitual attitudes
• Man’s supernatural power which
comes from God
• It is the part of us through which all
life and power of God flow.
• The life-giving part of man (James
2:26)
SOUL
•“nephesh” in Hebrew which means “living” or “life”
•“psyche” in ancient Greek
•“psyche” in Greek and originally meaning “throat” or
“neck” which means “human life”.
•“kaluluwa” (Tagalogs)
•“kalag” (Visayan, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a)
•The animating principle of human nature
•In modern psychology, described as the:
Will
Mind
The set of emotion
Conscience
Here is the Hebrew concept of the spiritual nature of man:
•Man is viewed as holistic, one totality
•Man is an integrated unit of physical, mental and spiritual components that are inseparable to
make a whole person.
•Genesis 2:7- “And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

On the other hand, here is the Greek concept of the spiritual nature of man:
•Man is viewed dualistic in nature.
•The dualistic view is started by ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates and Plato.
•Pagan Greek philosophy taught that the soul is immortal and that it can live separately from the
body.
C. THE FILIPINO TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING
OF SOUL

Here is the Filipino understanding of what the soul is:

•Is equivalent to “Kaluluwa” (Filipino), “kadkadduwa” or
“kararwa” (Ilokanos), all come from the root word “duwa”,
which means “two”. This is because of the belief that the soul
has two existences: physical (connected to the body) and
spiritual (it exists on its own).
•The Ilocano “kadkadduwa” further derived from kadduwa,
meaning “companion”.
•For the Ilonggos and Antiqueños, “kalag” or “dungan” (but
“dungan” has a secondary meaning which is “willpower”)
•The notion of multiplicity of souls is common among Filipinos
(Villafuerte, et al., 2018).
D. “LOOB” AND PERSONHOOD

“LOOB” or “KALOOBAN” is defined as:

•the inner self or inner being.
•the core of one’s personhood and where the true worth of the person lies.
•What makes one what he is and who he is as a person.
• A term used to describe a person in relationship with others, e.g.. magandang loob or mabuting loob
and masamang loob.

On the other hand, PERSONHOOD,

•Manifests the unity of the spiritual and the material or physical nature in human existence.
•Gives to the human individual a universal worth and an exceptional standing.
•is a foundational concept for all that we are and all that we do (White, 2013).
GOD’S KAGANDAHANG-LOOB
-The Filipino concept and value, kagandahang-loob
(kindness, generosity, benevolence, helpfulness) can very
appropriate description of who God is for Filipinos.

PRAYER
- is the Christian’s acknowledgment and awareness of the
true nature of the “loob” and the richness or weakness of
this “loob” as exposed by the light of faith.
- Is our conscious personal communion with God. 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.
E. 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 and deep
spirituality.
•In life, there is an Existential Vacuum which means that life
empty. Meaningless, purposeless, aimless, and adrift and so on.
• Because of this vacuum, we tend to fill our lives with pleasure
or power and so on.
THREE WAYS OF DISCOVERING MEANING
IN LIFE
• Experiential Values – is an approach that involves experiencing something or someone we
value and the love we feel towards another, e.g., family, relatives, friends and workmates.

• Creative Values – 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, e. g., creativity
and passion.

• Attitudinal Values – include practicing virtues such as compassion, bravery, a good sense of
humor, and the like. Frank’s most famous example: Achieving meaning by way of suffering.
Ultimate goal: Self-transcendence. It is the reference to God, a reference to religion.
F. THE PRACTICE RELIGION

The people’s way of connecting themselves to God as they search for meaning in life.
Religion
•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.
RITUALS

•Are patterned form of behaviors that have something to do with the supernatural realm.
•Are performed in a repetitive nature. – can be religious or secular.
MAGIC
• Commonly referred to as “tricks” and “illusions” that make impossible things to happen,
usually performed as entertainment.
WITCHCRAFT
•Commonly understood as “kulam”.
•Refers to the idea that certain people have an inborn power to harness spirits or energies for
specific purposes.
G. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MAGIC,
RITUALS AND WITCHCRAFT
•Since Filipinos are predominantly Christians, we have the Bible as our guide in the
practice of religion (Villafuerte, et al., 2018). Specifically, passages from the book of
Deuteronomy say that,

•“Don’t sacrifice your children 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 mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirit of the
dead. Anyone who does this is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other
nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them
out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God” (Deut.
18:10-13).
 REFERENCE
Alata, E. J., Caslib, B., Serafica, J. P., & Pawilen, R. (2018). Understanding the Self.
Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Brawner, D., & Arcega, A. (2018). Understanding the self. Quezon City: C & E Publishing,
Inc.

Villafuerte, S., Quillope, A., Tunac, R., & Borja, E. (2018). Understanding the self. Quezon
City: Nieme Publishing House Co.
• White F. J. (2013), Personhood: An essential characteristic of the human species. The
Linacre Quarterly, 80(1), 74-97 https://doi.org/10.1179/00243639122.00000000010