Lesson 4: The Spiritual Self

Religion

According to Santrock (2014), _________ is an organized set of beliefs, practices, rituals and symbols that increases an individual's connection to a sacred or transcendent other (God, higher power, ultimate truth).

the practice of religion

Belief in Supernatural Being and Power

Mangkukulam

Is a person who uses black magic or spells on a victim. After the spell is cast, the victim will experience a form modern medicine, misfortunes to himself and loved ones, inability to concentrate, lack of sleep, loss of appetite, freak accidents, and other unexplained events.

Kulam

Is the Tagalog word for 'voodoo' or 'withcraft.' lt is one of the most well- known aspects of Philippine folklore. The fear of kulam usually has an effect on how a person conducts himself in the community and on how people treat each other in a community.

Constant companionship

It is (sometimes under the same roof) of two people may lead to a spiritual competition between the two dungans and the defeat (causing illness) to the one with the weaker dungan (Magos 1986).

The "soul" or spirit in the different regions of the Philippines

Kaluluwa by the Tagalogs Gimokud by the Bagobos Makatu by the Bukidnons Dungan by the llonggos when the person is alive; "kalag" or "detached," "free", when he is dead Ikararuwa by the lbanags Kadkadduwa by the llokanos when the soul is in the physical body and it is seen as a constant companion; karuruwa when it departs

Three Basic Principles on Discovering Meaning in Life

Meaning in life Will to meaning Freedom to will

Philippine Folklore

Most Filipinos aside from being a superstitious people believe in the mythical creatures of local folklore.

Freedom to will

People are given the freedom to make life choices which includes how they respond to life events. People can discover meaning through the values that they attach to things connected with their lives. lt is important to know that people are still capable of optimism despite all adversities in life.

willpower

Secondary meaning of dungan by bisayans

Soul

The _________ according to the indigenous Filipino is known as kaluluwa, ikararuwa or kararuwa. lt is taken from the root word duwa which means two. The ________ has two parts - one is the physical part, where it is connected to the body and its life, and the other spiritual, where it exists on its own.

For the bisayans

The dungan may leave the body voluntarily while the person is asleep according to the ________. Among the ancient Filipinos, when the person is asleep he/she should not be awakened quickly in order to give ample time for the dungan to return to the body. When the soul has safely returned home to the body of its owner, he/she could then be awakened. lt is believed that whatever happens to the dungan happens to the physical body as well. It is also believed that another reason for the voluntary withdrawal of the soul is when the body is maltreated. The__________ believe that the soul or dungan is not located in any specific part of the body. Rather, it is belleved to grow proportionately with the person's body.

Will to meaning

The meaning that one attaches to experience is not obvious. The meaning given to one's life may also vary at any given moment.

For the ibanags

The soul is the principle of life in man. Body is the matter; soul is the form. As long as body and soul are one unit, man is alive. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. The body cannot stay alive without the soul but the soul can live without the body.

The spiritual self

This lesson focuses on beliefs and includes the functions of rituals and ceremonies. One of its objectives is to appreciate the role of religion to individuals and societies. The topics will help students gain a better understanding of the allure of magic and witchcraft and how they are portrayed in the Filipino setting. The lesson also gives an overview of the soul and how it may impact beliefs about the afterlife. ln the end, it discusses a deeper look into this aspect of the self transcends in everyday experiences that influence how people give meaning to their lives.

Function of rituals

a symbolic expression of actual social, relations, status, or roles of individuals in a society a transcendent, numinous (spiritual) reality that shows the ultimate values of a community a set of behaviours and beliefs that are symbolic of social, psychological, or numinous realities (non-rational function)

Function of rituals

according to Van Gennup (1929), may involve activities that can be both secular and/or spiritual as well as healing and/or destructive. Rituals show people's commitment to culture and family.

Religion

an interest, a belief, or an activity deemed to be of utmost importance to a person or group

Rituals

are inevitable components of culture for they reflect the full diversity of the human experience.

Rituals

have long been a cornerstone of anthropological thought and a universal feature of human social existence. They are both sacred and secular and have existed from the primitive to the contemporary society.

supernatural or above natural

includes all that cannot be explained by the laws of nature, including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts, gods, or other types of spirits and other non-material beings, or to things beyond nature.

Spiritual

involves experiencing something beyond oneself in a transcendent manner and living in a way that benefits others and society. It could also be related to a search for the sacred; The term 'sacred' may signify a person, an object, a principle, or a concept that transcends the self. The sacred can include a divine being or a divine object that is 'set apart' and considered as holy or beyond the ordinary.

Albulario/mananambal

is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine; he is also a medicine man who is also capable of performing sorcery. ____________ is a Filipino witchdoctor, folk healer or medicine man. When the person feels that his ailments and misfortunes are caused by kulam, he consults an albulario who performs rituals (e.g. reciting incantations and using special herbs and oils) in order to defeat the spells of the mangkukulam and bring the person back to normalcy.

Mambabarang

is a person who practices this specific type oi sorcery or witchcratt.

Rituals

is a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. lt consists of a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects, performed in a specific place, according to a set sequence. ___________ are formalized behaviors that is set aside from everyday life that allow communities to explore their religious and/or cultural worlds through action.

Logotherapy

is a term coined by Victor Frankl, (1905-1997), an existential philosopher. 'Logos' is a Greek word which stands for meaning. _____________, aims to help the person search for the meaning of his existence. The task of a logotherapist is to assist and guide the client in finding meaning to his life.

Belief in supernatural being

is one of the basic characteristics of religion. A supernatural being is a being that is better, and more powerful than any creature in the natural world.

Animism

is one of the oldest beliefs which is taken from the Latin word anima meaning breath or soul.

Necromancer

is one who is seeking unto the dead. lt is a term that includes all forms of attempt to make contact with departed spirits.

Wizard

is one who is thought to be acquainted with the secrets of the non-material or unseen world.

Barang

is the Filipino term for a sorcerer. lt is used to describe malignant sorcery or familiar spirits (usually a swarm of destructive insects, specifically carnivorous beetles). ln the Philippines, it means small invisible insects residing in bamboos that enter the body through open space causing the intestine, stomach, lungs and liver to swell during high tides and shrink during low tides.

Animism

is the belief that everything in nature - living things like trees, plants and even non-living rocks or streams - have their own spirit or divinity. Animistic beliefs are still present. accepted and never entirely disappeared.

Religiousness

is the degree by which one is affiliated with an organized religion in terms of the person's participation in the prescribed rituals and practices, connection with its beliefs, and involvement with its community of believers (Santrock, 2014).

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.

Spiritual identity

is the persistent sense of self that addresses ultimate questions about the nature, purpose, and meaning of life. lt results in behaviours that are consonant with the individual's core values. The definition of a sense of spiritual identity focuses on the individual's construction of a relationship to the sacred and ultimate meaning.

Magic

is the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. lt is the ability to use supernatural forces to make impossible things happen, such as making people disappear or controlling events in nature. A magician is the one who performs the magic like casting spells and summoning spirits.

Binarang

is the target (usually a person) of the sorcery or witchcraft.

Sorcerer

is translated from the Greek word "pharmakos", and carries with it the idea of medicine, magic potions, drugs, and poison

Meaning in life

ln logotherapy, man should see existence as experiencing life's ups and downs. Finding _______ ___ ______ does not mean that people should strive to become perfect.

Usug

lt is normally weak at birth, that is why babies are said to be susceptible to _______ that is the unintentional transfer of disturbing vapors of a strong body to a weak one by holding, talking or just looking at the weaker one (Magos 1986).

Religion

lt is the belief in a god or in a group of gods. lt may also be referred to as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god.

Rites

refer to the 'spoken word' used in a ritual to convey meaning and value, to evoke an image through the use of metaphor, or elicit commitment or loyalty to a cause, set of beliefs, community or person/s.

Ceremony

refers to movements or gestures expressing feelings or beliefs beyond the limitations of speech. lt can be elaborate or simple, formal or intimate. lt is also a set of formal actions performed as prescribed by a ritual or a custom such as in a wedding ceremony. lt may also be a conventional social gesture or act of courtesy.

At death

the dungan leaves the body through the nose, eyes, ears and other body orifices and eventually goes with the air or the wind towards the upper regions. There it waits until it can find another body to enter.

For the ilonggos

they call the soul, which cannot be seen by the human eye. Sometimes, the dungan may show itself in form of insects (a housefly or a moth) or a small animal like a lizard.