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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 9

CHAPTER II: UNPACKING THE SELF

A. THE SPIRITUAL SELF
MODULE OVERVIEW

Spirituality influences the individual through acts of faith. This module provides a view on spirituality
and religion. The concept of soul based on the different ethnolinguistic groups and the rituals and
ceremonies as part of religion.
The search for meaning of life and the ways of discovering its meaning as presented by Victor Frankl
is also discussed in this module.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Explain the practice of religion and the belief in supernatural.

2. Differentiate Spirituality from Religiosity
3. Examine the different concepts of the soul
4. Define one’s own meaning of life.

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

The song “Who Am I” by the Casting Crowns states “… not because of who I am, but because of
who you are.” Who is greater than us in reference to our identity as a person? Is there really a God,
the Ultimate and Sacred? Cam we not understand our human being apart from God? Who is God?
Who is the self in relation to God? What is the spiritual self? What is spirituality? Why are there many
religions? Are the religious practices necessary to define our spiritual self?

These are some of the questions that a man has in relation to the Spiritual Self.

Revelation is God’s manifestation of His love for us. He takes the initiative of revealing his existence.
We experience Him in so many ways. We see God as the source of life, faith, hope and love. We
experience God in creation. Whenever we witness the beauty of nature around us, we feel God’s
greatness. We experience God through the love of people who are parts of our life. We are beings
by, with, in and for others. The love of our parents, siblings, special relationships are signs of presence
of God who truly loves. We call this mediated love. We experience God’s love because God makes
use of others to reach out to us.

We see God in positive and negative experiences. We see God in our victories, successes, joys,
laughter and achievements and all other forms of goodness. Even when we experience pain, defeats,
failures, illnesses and even death, God is present.

SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

Religion and Spirituality are both paths to God. However, they have different approaches. A religious
person is someone who believes in a god or group of gods and consciously adheres to the beliefs of
his or her religion. A spiritual person on the other hand places little importance on beliefs and traditions

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and is more concerned with growing and experiencing the Divine.

The root meaning of spirituality is taken from the Latin word spiritus, meaning breath or life force.
Spirituality can be understood as the search for the sacred, a process which people seek to discover,
hold on to, and when necessary transform whatever they hold sacred in their lives (hill & Pargamet,
2003) Spirituality generally refers to the meaning and purpose of one’s life, a search for wholeness,
and a relationship with a transcendent being. The sacred transcendence can be referred to as a
higher being. In addition, through acts of faith, hope and love, man is able to encounter God and
understand God’s words of salvation.

The term “spirituality” originally developed in early Christianity. Christians use the term “spirit” to
describe the Holy Spirit.

In Christian ethics, Peschke (1994) describes the experience of the sacred is characterized by
reverence, faith, fear, trust, love, and admiration which are intimately connected to God. Worship is
regarded as essential act to realize the ultimate meaning of transcendence and human life. Acts of
worship may include prayer., reading the Bible, attending sacraments, and doing sacrifices.

Religion as defined by Emile Durkheim, is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred
things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single
moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them. Meanwhile Giddens (2006) sees
religion as a cultural system of commonly shared beliefs and rituals that provide a sense of ultimate
meaning by creating an idea of reality that is sacred, all-encompassing and supernatural. He
identified key elements of religion such as :a. religion is a form of culture-shares all characteristics of
culture such as shared beliefs, values that create an identity; b. religions involve beliefs that take the
form of ritualized practices, all members engage in behaviors that identify them as members of the
community and; c. religion provide a sense of purpose-feeling that life is ultimately meaningful .

Spirituality is connected with religion. All religions recognize the importance of spirituality in one’s life.
One’s spirituality may be expressed through religion and participation in religious rituals and
ceremonies.

Spirituality and Religion fulfill numerous social and psychological needs, such as the need to explain
human sufferings and death. Through the practices of religious activities such as prayers, people may
find comfort, security, and stability in times of sufferings, loss, insecurities and uncertainties.
Spirituality and Religion may also be a source of love, hope and affection.

THE CONCEPT OF SPIRIT OR SOUL

Filipino culture is diverse yet colorful. One of the Filipino beliefs is the belief in soul. According to
Mercado(1991) Filipinos believe that the soul of the person leaves the body and wanders around. He
pointed out the different names of souls indifferent provinces and tribes.

The Soul According to the Ethnolinguistic Groups of the Philippines

Ifugao – ‘Linnawa’

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.
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.

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The soul is believed to continue in existence in the world of its

ancestors. In time the soul of the new-dead becomes one of
the callading or ancestral spirits. The callading are considered
man’s benefactors.

In some sources (The Soul Book) the Ifugao believe there are
two souls, one in the eyes and one in the breath. Illness is the
withdrawal of the soul in the eyes. Death is the withdrawal of the
soul in the breath.

Ibaloi

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. He is unwelcome
and unaccepted in his new world and this feeling of insecurity
may cause the spirit to bring evil, disease and even death
among his relatives. In the light of all those beliefs, relatives of
the dead person bring donation of cash or animals.

Isneg – ‘Kaduwa’

The Isneg believed that dead exist in other world, the Aglalanawan, where the earthly tasks of
planting, harvesting and communal living are functions common to them. The kaduwa, soul, is
believed to cross the pond in a ferry piloted by the spirit, Kutaw(A psychopomp). In a bid to please
kutaw, who could facilitate the spirit’s entry to aglalanawan, the appropriate customary death rituals
would be the key.

Kankana-ey – ‘Ab-abiik’

Ab-Abiik is the spiritual self as oppsed to the physical self (Awak). The Ab-abiik can also apply to
inanimate objects such as mountains, trees or rivers. It can also mean ‘inspiration’ in some contexts.

Bikol

No one should miss their dinner and go to bed hungry or their spirit will roam for food. If a pot of food
is covered while the spirit is eating inside, the person who is sleeping will now wake up until the lid is
lifted.

Tagalog – ‘Kaluluwa and Kakambal’

The Tagalog soul, the kaluluwa can leave the body involuntarily. The kaluluwa refers more to the soul
of the deceased. The soul of a living person is called kakambal (meaning twin or double). The
kakambal may travel around at night and some particularly bad encounters are the cause of
nightmares (bangungut). The kakambal becomes a kaluluwa after death.

Ilokano – ‘Kararua, Karkarma, Aniwaas and Araria’

The first soul of the Ilokanos is called the kararua, or the soul proper. This is the term used for the
equivalent of the Christian soul that can only leave after death.

The Ilokano have a four soul system. In addition to the kararua there are three other souls.

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Karkarma is the name of the second soul. It can leave the physical body when one is frightened, or
may be stolen. If this soul fails to return the owner becomes insane, sacrificial ceremonies may be
held to lure back a lost karkarma. Karkarma stands for natural vigor, mind and reason.

Aniwaas is the name of the third soul. It can leave the body during sleep and visits places familiar to
the body. If one wakes up while the aniwaas is visiting these places, they may lose the aniwaas and
become insane.

Araria is the name of the fourth soul. This is the liberated soul of the dead, the soul that visits relatives
and friends in the earthworld asking them to pray for it or perform a duty it failed to do in life. Its
presence can be heralded by the howling of dogs. This soul can make sounds and manipulate
physical objects usually relating to what it did in life.

Ibanag – ‘Ikaruruwa’

The Ibanag have a distinction between body (baggi) and soul (ikaruruwa). Ikarurua means ‘a
companion of the body’. Mekararuanan (me + kararua – to be rid of the soul) is a phenomenon where
the soul can leave the body but it is without sense. The ritual Mangagaggako invites the soul to return
to the body

The Ibanag believe that the soul has physical characteristics. The soul may have color and the souls
of dead babies can reach adulthood in the spirit realm. The role of the soul is to give direction and
wholeness to the man, but the body can survive without the soul, and even without the body the soul
experiences material wants and needs.

Mangyan – ‘Karaduwa’

The Hanunoo Mangyan believe in a plurality of souls. Karaduwa tawu/tawo (human soul), karaduwa
manok (Chicken soul) Karaduwa Baboy (pig soul) karaduwa kuti (cat soul) and karaduwa
hipon (shrimp soul). An individual may possess 2-5 other souls. These other souls are explanations
for miraculous recoveries from near fatal experiences, their dream life or natural reactions to startling
sounds or movement.

A soul can also separate itself from the physical body. If a person is scared, his soul leaves his body
causing sickness. When a person dreams the karaduwa walks around. The dream that a person has
is caused by this walk.

Sulod – ‘Umalagad’

Dying among the Sulod is said to be like passing through a narrow door. The experience is horrible,
as if the person has to pull hard to get in the door. Once one departs they simply disappear. No trace
of them is left behind.

This soul is watched over by three brother gods Mangganghaw, Manglaegas and Patag’aes.
Mangganghaw keeps track over man’s affairs immediately after marriage. He keeps track of
pregnancy. He is also the first to come to the house of a laboring mother, peeps in the house and
sees the child being born, after which he reports to Manglaegas. Manglaegas, after being reported to
by Mangganghaw, enters the house to look for the child to make sure the child was born alive, then
reports to Patag’aes who waits until midnight then enters the house to have a conversation with the
infant. If Patag’aes discovers anyone eavesdropping on their conversation, he chokes the child to
death. The conversation is on how long the child wants to live and how the child will eventually die.

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The child gets to choose. After the child has chosen, Patag’aes takes out his measuring stick and
computes the child’s life span, and then he departs.

Tagbanwa – ‘Kiyaraluwa’ and others

A Tagbanwa has one ‘true soul’ the kiyaraluwa and five secondary souls. The kiyaraluwa is given to
each infant by the god Magindusa as the nose of the child emerges from the vulva.

The secondary souls are located in the extremities of both hands and feet and in the head just below
the air whorl (puyo). The souls of the feet protect one while walking and from injuries to the feet, the
same functions to those in the hands. The secondary soul located by the puyo is not fixed in young
children and may cause illness if not properly aligned, some shamans specialize in realigning the soul
to its proper place. This soul is said to have a material form like a round white stone.

Bukidnon – ‘Makatu’ and ‘Pipitu ha makatu’

The makatu, their world for soul, exists before a child’s birth but it is separate from the body. There is
a ritual in which a miniature cradle is hung over the pregnant mother in a place where the mother
sleeps. The small cradle is where the soul of the unborn baby will sleep before it joins the infant at
birth. The makatu is breathed into man at birth by Miyaw-Biyaw. If all are present in an individual, they
are healthy, if one or more wanders away from the body then Illness, irritability and sadness follow. If
all makatu leave the body at the same time, the individual dies.

The Bukidnon also believe in seven souls called the ‘pipitu ha makatu’. One jumps off the cliff, one
swims in the water, one puts its hand in snake holes, one sits under a tree, one is always walking
around, one is awake in the day and one is awake at night.

Bagobo – ‘Gimokud’

There are two souls called gimokud. Right hand gimokud is the good soul that manifests as a shadow
on the right hand side of the path while the left hand gimokud is the bad soul that manifests as a
shadow on the left side of the path.

The right hand is associated with life, health, activity and joy, remaining in the body throughout life.
When death causes the right hand gimokud to leave the body, it gives notice by visiting in the form of
an insect.

The left hand soul is the cause of lethargy, pain and illness. The left hand soul also leaves the body
at night and risks various dangers, if it visits the sea the sleeping person feels shivers, the behavior it
engages in leaves a physical effect on the body. After death the gimokud becomes a busaw (digging
up dead bodies).

Dungan

Dungan or the souls according to the Ilonggos (Magos 1986) is not normally seen by the human eye.
Sometimes, however, it comes out of the body and takes a visible form such as that of an insect or a
small animal like lizard. That is why elderlies are always telling the young children “to eat even just
little before going to bed,” for if the child’s Dungan “gets hungry at night, it might go to the pot of rice
in the kitchen and be mistaken for an insect, and be killed.

The Dungan may leave the body voluntarily as when the person is asleep, according to the Visayan.
When a person see himself in a dream, it means his “other self” has left the physical body. Among
the ancient Filipinos, it was deeply impressed that a person who was asleep should not be awakened

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abruptly. Thus a slumbering person is first called softly and gradually louder and louder to give the
soul a chance to return to the body.

The Dungan’s travel outside the body should be free from accidents. It could get trapped in a jar or
be poured out with liquid in a vessel. Only when the soul has freely returned home would the owner
be able to wake up. Whatever happens to the Dungan happens to the physical body as well. It is also
believed that another cause for the voluntary withdrawal of the soul is when the body is maltreated.

The Dungan is ethereal, something light and airy since it travels

with the air or the wind. Prior to its entry and habitation of a
human body or Dungan is believed to inhabit the region above
the surface of the earth together with other Dungan. It awaits
the time when it can enter the body. The Dungan then takes the
special interest in the unborn being which it has chosen to
inhabit.

The Visayans, believe the soul or Dungan is not located in any

specific part of the body. It is believed to grow proportionately
with the person’s body. It is normally weak at the baby’s birth,
that is why attractive babies are said to be susceptible to
“usog”, that is the unintentional transfer of disturbing vapors of
a strong body to a weak one by holding, talking or looking at
the weaker one.

For this reason, the Dungan needs protection and nurture. Soul
nature, the folk believe, means the performance of age-old
spirit rituals many of which are still followed in the provinces today. An adult person with a healthy
Dungan properly lodged in his physical body should have bodily health and well-being, intelligence
and good sense.

The dunagn is also referred to as “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 a strong Dungan”. Constant companionship of two people may lead to a spiritual
competition between the two Dungan and the defeat of one with the weaker Dungan.

At death, the Dungan leaves the body via the nose, eyes, ears and other orifices and eventually goes
with the air or the wind towards the upper regions. That is where it waits until it can find another body
to enter.

The belief of the Filipinos did not end on soul and spirit. They also believe in the ancient healing –
through faith healer or ispiritista, albularyo, manghihila, mangluluop, and magtatawas. According to
Aping (201^0, faith healers come from either spiritist groups, diviners (a group that practice divination)
or from persons who were previously saved from illness or death and have encountered epiphanies
or mystical experiences who became convinced that they were destined to help sick people after
receiving their healing powers bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit or other supernatural beings.

According to Apostol and Baet (2007), albularyo is referred as the “general practitioner” and the
primary dispensers of health care. They usually come from family of healers, which considered
healing as its vocation or calling. Their ability is commonly attributed to Holy Spirit. Additionally, their
healing prowess is developed through years of apprenticeship. “Medico” is the pharmacist of the
traditional Filipinos who are albularyos who combine folkloric therapies with modern medicine.

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The manghihila laso uses various paraphernalia especially coconut oil which is applied to the affected
area. If the strip of material sticks to the surface, resisting the pull, this area is assumed to be the area
of affliction, usually a pulled muscle or a sprain. A massage of the area will follow thereafter.

The mangluluop will conduct a ritual called “luop”to diagnose the illness. He is said to be the specialist
to determine what really happens to the person. The mangluluop uses the ritual paraphernalia such
as “kalanghuga” (a kind of saltwater or freshwater shell, salt, (to weaken the supernatural spirits),
benditang palaspas (piece of blessed palm, leaves of Palm Sunday) charcoal made from coconut
shell, a coconut midrib and a tin plate. With a concoction of these materials, a diagnosis of the illness
can be based on the pappearance of the kalanghuga. The mangtatawas is best known for the use
of tawas or alum for diagnosis.

From simple headache to exorcism, those said healers can help the Filipinos experiencing illness and
body sufferings. Dungan or the belief of energy of the human body to inflict pain to another body can
also be treated by these healers. (Dela Pena, 2008) Filipinos believe in Usog, Bati, Balis or evil eye.
It is the infliction of pain to another person that may cause headache, nausea, fever, or stomach ache.
Infants are prone to experience usog or especially when infants are fat, cute or healthy. Tagalogs say
“pwera usog” and Visayas and Mindanao say “purya buyag” or “purya buyaw”.

To heal the person, they will look for albularyo, medico or person who has strong balis or the person
that caused the patient to besick, He or she will put saliva on the patient’s forehead or will use ginger
while performing the ritual. The control the usog, bati, balis or evil eye, it is believed that wearing of
red bracelet, or pin some chili leaves on the infant’s clothes and keeping ginger and garlic in the
pocket for adults will prevent these. Some people castigate or scold the person who gaze them
harshly through their mind to avoid usog, bati or balis.

RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

Rituals are repeated physical gestures or activities, such as prayers and mantras used to reinforce
religious teachings, elicit spiritual feelings and connect worshippers with a higher power.

Rituals are best understood in terms of their intentions. At the core of any ritual, balance between
man and nature, and the spirit world is very important. Rituals is an attempt to enhance and maintain
balance. This is evident in some village which performs ritual to restore the state of affairs when the
balance is lost.

Rituals have several functions such as in asking for a good harvest, asking for guidance and
protection from unforeseen forces, to heal the sick, to bring good luck and conceive. Dance and
chants are also essential part of rituals.

Classification of Rituals:

1. Imitative Ritual. Its meaning is based on some belief system such as myths. The ritual usually
repeats the myths or aspects of the myths. Example is the noise that people make at the strike
of twelve during New Year. The practice is based on Chinese myth which drove away a
monster which was about to come to a village but was frightened by the cracking noise of the
bamboo made by the villagers to keep themselves warm. As time passed, the burning bamboo
was replaced by firecrackers.

2. Positive and Negative Ritual. Positive rituals are mostly concerned with giving blessings to
an object or individual while Negative Ritual focus on the rules of prohibition.

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3. Sacrificial Ritual. This is often seen in the earliest form of religion. The distinct feature of this
is the total destruction of the sacrifice as an offering to a higher being. The sacrifice can be a
human being, an animal, crops or objects.

4. Life Crisis Ritual. The transition of one mode or stage of life into another. This ritual usually
defines the life of the individual. Example of this is the burying of placenta right after birth.

FINDING AND CREATING MEANING

Viktor Frankl published “Man’s Search for Meaning“in 1945 .The meaning of life according to Viktor
Frankl lies in finding a purpose and taking responsibility for ourselves and other human beings. By
having a clear “why” we can face all the “how” questions of life. Only by feeling free and sure of the
objective that motivates us will we be able to make the world a better place.

That said, we know there is no question as complicated as what the “meaning of life” is. Such
questions sometimes have philosophical, transcendental and moral nuances, so often we stick to
classic sayings, like “be happy and make others happy“, “be content“, “do good“.

However, many ask the question and feel a deep existential void. What is the meaning of life for me
if all I do is work, if all my days are the same and if I do not find meaning in anything around me?
Humans don’t have an obligation to define the meaning of life in universal terms. Each of us will do it
our way, starting with ourselves, with our potential and experiences, discovering ourselves every day.
Moreover, the meaning of life may not only differ from one person to another, but we ourselves may
have a different life purpose at each stage of life. The important thing is for each goal to give us
satisfaction and encouragement to get up in the morning and fight for what we want.

DISCOVERING THE MEANING IN LIFE

1. Live with decision

We’ve all seen before: people who handle very tough circumstances with positivity and
motivation. How do they do that? We all share the same biological structures, but what sets
us apart from these people is their determination. Being determined to achieve something,
overcome all obstacles and fight for what we want, however small, will help us clarify our
purpose in each stage of our life.

2. Even if you suffer, have your purpose clear and you will find strength
Viktor Frankl explained in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” that there is nothing worse
than perceiving that our suffering is useless. However, if you can find a purpose, you won’t
just endure your suffering; you’ll see it as a challenge.

3. Change your attitude to find a higher meaning in life

Sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes we work to exhaustion and invest all our time, energy,
emotions and heart… yet fate only hands us setbacks. Every dream we have falls apart.
Backing down is more than logical and understandable, but when this happens, we have two
options.
o First, to assume that we cannot change what happens to us and be prisoners of
circumstance.
o Second, to accept that we cannot change what has happened to us but that we can
change our attitude towards it.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Watch the Bollywood movie PK (2014) and make a movie critique. Be guided by this article
on how to write your paper https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Movie-Review

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

My Encounter with God

Recall and narrate an incident in your life where you were able to feel a special connection
with the Divine Creator.

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SUMMARY

We have a spiritual self that is connected to the Spirit of a God, of a Sacred or Divine. We may have
different beliefs and practices and we use different paths to connect with the Ultimate. Our experience
with God is revealed in many ways. The most challenging one is when we are confronted with the
reality of pain and suffering. Viktor Frankl explains that we can find meaning in life even in the midst
of miseries by creating a work or doing a deed, by experiencing something or encountering someone,
and by our attitude toward an unavoidable experience. Even in the modern times we are still
influenced by the early worldview about the spirit or soul. This explains the various rituals and
ceremonies that is shared within the community.

REFERENCES

Villafuerte, S., Quillope, A., Tunac, R., Borja, E., Understanding the Self. Nieme Publishing House, 2018.
Monilla, MJ. Ramirez, N. Understanding the Self. C&E Publishing Inc. 2018.
https://www.aswangproject.com/soul-according-ethnolinguistic-groups-philippines/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl
https://exploringyourmind.com/the-meaning-of-life-according-to-viktor-frankl/

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