SPIRITUAL SELF

• 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
• Filipino adolescents' view of a spiritual person

  • Has faith in God
  • Strong sense of morality
  • Positive personal qualities
  • Positive sense of self
  • Well-being
  • Spiritual connectedness
  • Transcendent and relational sources of happiness
  • Ability to solve problems
• Three main themes of spirituality as viewed by Filipinos

  • Connectedness with the sacred
  • Sense of meaning or purpose
  • Expressions of spirituality
• Soul/spirit


  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)
• Meaning of soul/spirit


  Has two existences: (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.
• Ibanag view of soul

  Mekararuanan is a state in which, because of shock, the soul leaves the body. The body is alive but it is without sense. The role of the soul is to give direction and wholeness to a person, while the body can stay alive independently of the soul.
• Ilonggo/Bisaya view of soul

  Dungan is not normally seen by the human eye. But sometimes, it comes out of the body and takes on a visible form such as that of an insect or a small animal. Sickness is the temporary loss of the soul, permanent loss is death. The soul can be lured back by a skillful shaman.
• Bukidnon view of soul

  The makatu already exists before a child's birth but that it is separate from its body. In a pregnancy ritual, a miniature cradle is hung over the place where the pregnant mother sleeps. This is where the soul of the unborn baby is supposed to sleep before it joins the infant at birth.
• Tagbanwa view of soul


  The Tagbanwa of Palawan believes that he has one true soul (kiyaraluwa), which is given to each infant by the god Magindusa as the nose of the child emerges from the vulva. There are five secondary souls which are located in the extremities of both hands and feet and in the head just below the hair whorl.
• Mangyan view of soul

  Besides the karaduwa tawu (the human soul), a person may have two to five other souls: a karaduwa manok (chicken soul), karaduwa baboy (pig soul), karaduwa kuti (cat soul), and karaduwa hipon (shrimp soul). Any of these animal souls can temporarily wander away from the body.
• Ilokano view of soul

  The kararuwa (the soul proper) is the vital element of man. It can leave only after death. The Karkarma (second soul) can leave the body when one is frightened or it can be stolen from the body when the person goes to isolated places. The aniwaas (third soul) can leave the body during sleep and visit places which the person who owns it frequents when awake. The araria (fourth soul) is the liberated soul of the dead.
• Cordillera view of soul

  Kabuniyan, the creator god, is found in all regions of the Cordillera except Apayao. Kabuniyan is the supreme teacher who taught man many things like fire-making, rice cultivation, and marriage rituals.
• Ifugao view of soul

  The soul (linnawa) of a child floats around in the heavens, awaiting its entry into the human world. During sexual intercourse the soul/spirit enters the female through the male, resulting in pregnancy.
• Ibaloi view of afterlife


  The Ibaloi afterlife is populated by ancestral spirits and explains animal sacrifices. In that spiritual world, when the soul arrives with physical treasures, it receives a great welcome. An empty-handed soul finds himself the object of scorn.
• Kabuniyan


  Sky god, culture heroes, ultimate power, lowest level of the skyworld
• Ifugao (Linnawa)


  Soul (linnawa) of a child floats around in the heavens, awaiting its entry into the human world. During sexual intercourse the soul/spirit enters the female through the male, resulting in pregnancy. If a woman cannot conceive, shamans conduct sacrifices to see if the couple is compatible. If they are, shamans offer other sacrifices to enhance fertility.
• Ibaloi afterlife


  Populated by ancestral spirits. When the soul arrives with physical treasures, it receives a great welcome. An empty-handed soul finds himself the object of scorn, unwelcome and unaccepted in his new world, which may cause the spirit to bring evil, disease, and even death among his relatives. Relatives of the dead bring donation of cash or animals.
• Kankana-ey (Ab-abiik or Kadkadwa)


  Ab-abiik is the spiritual self as opposed to the physical self (Awak). It can also apply to inanimate objects such as mountains, trees, or rivers, and can mean inspiration in some contexts.
• Tagalog (Kaluluwa and Kakambal)


  Kaluluwa is the Tagalog soul, which can leave the body involuntarily and refers more to the soul of the deceased. Kakambal is the soul of the living, which may travel around at night and cause nightmares.
• Bathala Maykapal or Lumikha

  The Tagalog supreme god, an enormous being who could not straighten up due to the lowerness of the sky and the sun burning brightly near him. He pierced one of the sun's eyes so that it could generate just enough heat to sustain life, and pushed the cooler sky to its present level.
• Bagobo (Gimokud)


  Each individual is inhabited by two souls called gimokud. The right hand gimokud is the good soul associated with health, activity, and joy. The left hand gimokud is the bad soul, the cause of sluggishness, pain, and sickness, which leaves the body at night and becomes a busaw or demon ghost. Large animals have two souls, while small animals have only one.
• Ritual


  A sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects, performed in a sequestered place, and performed according to set sequence. Rituals are believed to be highly efficacious and often viewed as a sincere religious series of actions.
• 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
• Life-cycle Rituals


  Rites of passage signifying a status change from one vital life stage to another, with 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. The presence of a Supreme being is often invoked for guidance and blessing.
• Pilgrimage


  A trip to a place viewed sacred for the purpose of devotion, often with hardships meant to achieve spiritual change.
• Rituals of Reversal


  Require that usual social roles be momentarily reversed, allowing for a social "blowing off of steam" and going against certain social norms.
• Sacrifice


  The offering of something valuable to a supernatural being, often done to please or appease deities as a sign of gratitude, humility, worship, and/or devotion.
• Logotherapy


  Finding meaning in life through: (1) creating a work or doing a deed; (2) experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering. The most important is the third avenue, as even the helpless victim of a hopeless situation can rise above himself and change himself.
• Philosophical assumptions of Logotherapy

  • Human being is an entity consisting of body, mind and spirit
  • Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable
  • 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
  • Existence has a mandate characteristic to which individuals feel must acknowledge
  • Each individual is unique, heightened by the understanding that we are irreplaceable