spiritual self

• Viktor Frankl: '"He who has a why to live can bear with almost anyhow"'
• Spirituality


  A broad term with room for many perspectives
• Spirituality (definition 1)


  The aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness at the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred
• Spirituality (definition 2)


  Any experience that is thought to bring the experiencer into contact with the divine
• Spirituality (definition 3)


  Set of personal and private beliefs that transcend the material aspects of life and give a deep sense of wholeness, connectedness, and openness to the infinite
• According to a research by Mansukhani and Resurreccion (2009), Filipino adolescents describe a spiritual person as someone who has faith in God, a strong sense of morality, positive personal qualities, a positive sense of self, well-being, spiritual connectedness, transcendent and relational sources of happiness, and an ability to solve problems
• Three Main Themes of Spirituality as Viewed by Filipinos (Yabut, 2016)

  • Connectedness with the sacred - the development and maintenance of one's connection to the sacred
  • Sense of meaning or purpose - generally associated with the development of a focused sense of self, individuality, and values
  • Expressions of spirituality - manifesting values in one's relationships and activities with family, friends, and other people
• The soul or spirit of a person

  Kaluluwa (Tagalog), Gimokud (Bagobo), Makatu (Bukidnon), Dungan - alive and Kalag - dead (Ilonggo and Bisaya), Ikararuwa (Ibanag), Kadkadduwa - in the physical body and Kararuwa - departs from the body (Ilokano)
• Kaluluwa, ikararuwa, and inikaduwa


  Come from the root word duwa, which means two. It is because the soul has two existence: (a) Physical, where it is connected to the human body and its life and (b) Spiritual, where it exists on its own
• In Western Philosophy, the soul is the life source of man. They believe that the body cannot stay alive without the soul. Hence, death is the separation of the soul from the body. For Filipino groups, the soul is not considered as the source of life
• The Souls and Gods According to the Ethnolinguistic Groups of the Philippines

  • Ibanag (Mekararuanan)
  • Ilonggo (Dungan)
  • Bisaya (Dungan)
  • Bukidnon (Makatu)
  • Tagbanwa (Kiyaraluwa)
  • Mangyan (Karaduwa)
  • Ilokano (Kararuwa, Karkarma, Aniwaas, and Araria)
  • Cordillera – Kabuniyan
  • Ifugao (Linnawa)
  • Ibaloi
  • Kankana-ey (Ab-abiik or Kadkadwa)
  • Tagalog (Kaluluwa and Kakambal)
  • Bagobo (Gimokud)
• Ritual


  A sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects, performed in a sequestered place, and performed according to set sequence
• Reasons for doing rituals

  • Seeking help for a child
  • Success for the suitor
  • Fertility for the spouse
  • Smooth journey to the next world
  • Healing the sick and the dying
  • Success in fishing and hunting
  • For an abundant harvest
  • Victory over enemies
• Related ritual practices


  • Life-cycle Rituals
  • Pilgrimage
  • Rituals of Reversal
  • Sacrifice
• Life-cycle Rituals


  Often known as rites of passage as they signify a status change from one vital life stage to another. There are three stages: (a) Separation or parting from the old state; (b) Transition, which is a form of segregation; and (c) Reintegration, which is being incorporated with the society
• Pilgrimage


  A trip to a place viewed sacred for the purpose of devotion. A pilgrimage often has hardships and is meant to achieve spiritual change
• Rituals of Reversal


  These require that usual social roles be momentarily reversed. Some believe that these rituals allow for a social "blowing off of steam" and allow individuals to go against certain social norms
• Sacrifice


  The offering of something valuable to a supernatural being. This is often done to please or appease deities as a sign of gratitude, humility, worship, and/or devotion
• Logotherapy: Finding Meaning in Life (Viktor Frankl)

  Human beings are motivated by a "will to meaning," an inner pull to find a meaning in life. The meaning in life according to Viktor Frankl lies in finding a purpose and taking responsibility for oneself and others
• Philosophical assumptions of Logotherapy

  • Human being is an entity consisting of body, mind and spirit. The body and the mind are what we have and the spirit is what we are
  • Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable. As Viktor Frankl puts it: "You can find meaning in suffering"
  • People have a will to meaning. If a man finds meaning, he is ready for any type of suffering
  • People have volition under all situations to activate the will to find meaning. We do not have restrictions to look for what is sensible
  • Existence has a mandate characteristic to which individuals feel must acknowledge. The essence of the circumstance is more applied in routine life than ultimate meaning
  • Each individual is unique. This deals with one's sense of meaning. This is heightened by the understanding that we are irreplaceable
• Three ways of finding meaning in life (Viktor Frankl)


  • By creating a work or doing a deed
  • By experiencing something or encountering someone
  • By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering
• The most important way of finding meaning in life is the third avenue - even the helpless victim of a hopeless situation, facing a fate he cannot change, may rise above himself, may grow beyond himself, and by so doing change himself. Frankl also puts it as: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."