SUPERNATURALS

THE SPIRITUAL SELF

 OBJECTIVES
OIdentify various religious
practices and beliefs
OUnderstand the self in
relation with religious
beliefs; and
OExplain ways of finding the
meaning of life.
 INTRODUCTION
According to William
James, the spiritual
self is the most
intimate, inner
subjective part of
the self.
 INTRODUCTION
The ability to use
moral sensibility and
conscience may be
seen through the
expressions of
religion, its beliefs
and practices.
 INTRODUCTION
In the same manner,
cultural rituals and
ceremonies are some
manifestations what
people believe in.
Moreover, seeking the
meaning of life is a
journey that the
1. Who and what is God
for you?
2. What made you
believe that there is
God?
3. What is the effect of
having “God” (or
“w/out God”) in your
life?
Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the
definition of religion “as a set of cultural
beliefs and practices that usually
includes some or all of basic
characteristics”:

OA belief in
anthropomorphic
supernatural being,
such as spirit and
gods
OA focus on the sacred
supernatural, where
sacred refers to a
feeling of reverence
and awe
OThe presence of
supernatural power or
energy that is found on
supernatural beings as
well as physical beings
OThe performance of
ritual activities that
involves the
manipulation of
sacred object to
communicate to
supernatural beings
and/or to influence
or control events
OThe articulation of
worldview and moral
codes through narratives
and other means
OProvide the creation and
maintenance of social
bonds and mechanism of
social control within a
community; provide
explanation for unknown
and a sense of control for
individuals.
An individual lives in
a society where there
are many practices of
religion. The choice of
religious belief lies
within the spiritual
self. Although the
choice maybe
influenced by the
Ritual is the performance of
ceremonial acts prescribed by
a tradition or sacred law
(Britannica 2017). Ritual is a
specific, observable mode of
behavior exhibited by all
known societies. It is thus
possible to view ritual as a way
of defining or describing
humans.
There are three fundamental
characteristics of rituals according to
Penner (Britannica 2017). Ritual has the
characteristics of:

OA feeling or emotion
of respect, awe,
fascination, or dread
in relation to the
sacred
ODependence upon
a belief system
that is usually
expressed in the
language of myth
OIs symbolic in
relation to its
reference
The self can be described
as a ritual being who
exhibits a striking parallel
between their ritual and
verbal behaviour. Just as
language is a system of
symbols that is based upon
arbitrary rules, ritual may
be viewed as a system of
symbolic acts that is based
upon arbitrary rules.
Participation to
rituals is
expressions of
religious beliefs.
 SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
There are different
religions with different
beliefs and practices.
Some of the major
world religions are
Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam and Judaism.
BUDDHISM
 BUDDHISM
Buddhism believes
that life is not a bed of
roses. Instead, there
are suffering, pain and
frustrations. When
people, they want to
experience the
goodness of life and
 BUDDHISM
It becomes a habit
known as the
reactive cycle of
wanting and hating,
like and dislike and
craving and
aversion.
 BUDDHISM
This reactive cycle can
be broken through the
practice of meditation,
acquiring more
wisdom and deeper
understanding and
acceptance of things
as they are.
 BUDDHISM
This reactive cycle can
be broken through the
practice of meditation,
acquiring more
wisdom and deeper
understanding and
acceptance of things
as they are.
CUSTOMS AND
PRACTICES
BUDDHISM
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
There are two types of
meditation practices:
samatha and vipassana.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Samatha is
practiced as
mindfulness of
breathing and
development of
loving kindness
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Vipassana practices
aim at developing
insight into reality.
Acquiring wisdom
is by studying
Buddha’s teaching,
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Through the
reflection of Dharma,
Buddhists can
achieve a deeper
understanding of life.
Buddhists believe in
non-violence
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Some of the Major
Buddhist celebrations are
Parinirvana Day in
February; Buddha day
(Wesak) in May; Dharma
Dy in July;
Padmasambhava Day
October; and Sangha Day
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Some of the Major
Buddhist celebrations are
Parinirvana Day in
February; Buddha day
(Wesak) in May; Dharma
Dy in July;
Padmasambhava Day
October; and Sangha Day
CHRISTIANITY
 CHRISTIANITY
This is the belief
that Jesus Christ is
the Savior of the
Humanity from the
slavery of sins.
 CHRISTIANITY
He died on the cross
for the sin of the
humanity but
resurrected from the
death, so that
anyone who believes
in Him will be saved
 CHRISTIANITY
The Holy Bible is a
selection of books,
which is divided
into two: the Old
Testament and
New Testament.
CUSTOMS AND
PRACTICES
CHRISTIANITY
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
The most common
celebration/occassion of
Christianity is Christmas
Season. Christ death and
resurrection are
commemorated by only
some Christians such as
Catholics, Aglipayans, etc.
HINDUISM
 HINDUISM
Hinduism covers a
wide range of
traditional beliefs
and religious
groups; thus there
is no single
founder or leader.
 HINDUISM
Hindus believe
that existence is a
cycle of birth,
death and rebirth,
governed by
Karma.
 HINDUISM
Karma is a
concept where the
reincarnated life
will depend on
how the past life
was spent.
 HINDUISM
Hindus believe that
the soul passes
through a cycle of
successive lives and
its next incarnation
is always dependent
on how the previous
 HINDUISM
Vedas are sacred
scriptures of Hindus.
Mahabharata &
Ramayana are two
other important
texts of the Hindus.
CUSTOMS AND
PRACTICES
BUDDHISM
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Diwali and Navrati

are the most
celebrated festivals
of the Hindus.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Diwali is the
festival of lights
while Navrati is the
festival of nine
nights, which
celebrate the
ISLAM
 ISLAM
Muslims believe in
Allah, who is their
“One God.” They
believe in the unity
and universality of
God.
 ISLAM
Muslims also have a
strong sense of
community or
“ummah” and an
awareness of their
solidaity with all
Muslims worlwide.
 ISLAM
Islam means “willing
submission to God.”
 ISLAM
Muslims believed that
Mohammed is the last
and final prophet sent by
God. Mohammed was
born in Mecca in 570 CE
and received revelations
from God through the
Angel Gabriel over a
period of 23 years.
 ISLAM
The Holy Book of
Islam is called the
Quran, which was
taught to be recited
in Arabic because of
any translation is
seen as inadequate.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Muslims believe in
the five pillars of
Islam, which are
the foundation of
Muslim life:
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
OShahadah
OSalat
OZakat
OHajj
OSawm
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Shahadah –
statement of faith:
“There is no God
but the one true
God and
Mohammed is his
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Salat – the prayer is

practiced five times
a day.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Zakat – the
monetary offering
for the benefit of
the poor. It
comprises the 2.5%
of a Muslim’s
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Hajj – the yearly
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslims who can
afford are asked to
do the pilgrimage at
least once in their
lifetime.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Sawm – the fasting.
Muslims do fasting,
from food, drink and
sexual act, during
the celebration of
Ramadan.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

Ramadan is the
ninth month of the
Islamic lunar
calendar. The fast
is from dawn to
sunset.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Two major festivals in
Islam are Eidul-Fitr and
Eidul-Adha. Eidul-Fitr is
the celebration at the
end of Ramadan, while
Eidul-Adha is
celebrated within the
completion of the
JUDAISM
 JUDAISM
The Jews believe in
God of Abraham, the
same God that
liberated the Hebrew
slaves from Egypt to
Canaan, the promised
Land through the
leadership of Moses
 JUDAISM
The Jews believe in
the coming of
Messiah, the Savior.
The sacred scripture
of the Jews is called
the Torah or the
Law.
 JUDAISM
Torah is the guide of
the Jewish living.
The study and
interpretation of
Torah is part of the
Jewish culture.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

There are five

major festivals
observed by the
Jews:
 CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
ORosh Hashanah – the
New Year
OYom Kippur – the day of
atonement
OPesach – Passover
OShavuot – Pentecost
OSukkot – tabernacles. The Jewish
Sabbath begins on Friday evening at
sunset and is an important time when
Religious beliefs, rituals,
practices and customs are
all part of the expression of
the spiritual self. What to
believe and how to manifest
the belief is entirely
dependent on the
individual, to the self.
A person might believe
that there is a higher
being, a supernatural
being, usually termed as
God, but not necessarily
wants to be affiliated or
identified with a certain
religious groups.
Others may have religious
practices which are
perceived to be contrary to
the practices of other
groups. Religious beliefs
and practices, therefore are
formed relative to its
context and culture.
FINDING AND CREATING
MEANING OF LIFE
DR. VIKTOR E. FRANKL
Dr. Viktor E. Frankl was
born on March 26, 1905 in
Vienna, Austria, where
famous pyschiatrists
Sigmund Freud and Alfred
Adler lived.
A survivor of the Holocaust,
Dr. Frankl published a book
about logotherapy.
What is Logotheraphy?
Logotheraphy is a
psychotheraphy
introduced by Dr.
Viktor Frankl, who
considered the Father
of Logotheraphy.
The main belief of
logotheraphy aids
individuals to find
personal meaning of
life, whatever life
situation they may be.
In logotheraphy, meaning
can be discovered by
creating a work or doing a
deed, experiencing
something or
encountering someone
and the attitude towad
unavoidable suffering.
According to the Victor
Frankl Institute of
Logotheraphy, it uses the
philosophy of optimism in
the face of tragedy, where
people are capable of
“turning suffering into
human achievement;
Deriving from guilt the
opportunity to change
oneself for the better; and
deriving from life’s
transitoriness an incentive
to take responsible
action.”
 BASIC CONCEPT OF
FRANKLIAN PSYCHOLOGY
OLife has meaning under
all circumstances
OMain motivation for
living is our will to find
meaning in life
OFreedom to find
meaning
FRANKLIAN PSYCHOLOGY
AIMS TO:
OBecome aware of
spiritual resources
OMake conscious
spiritual resources
OUse “defiant power of
the human spirit” and
stand up against
adversity.
LOGOTHERAPHY
ASSUMPTIONS
 The Human Being is an entity
consisting of body, mind and spirit
OThis first assumption deals
with the body (soma),
mind (psyche) and spirit
(noos). According to
Frankl, the body and mind
are what we have and the
spirit is what we are.
 Life has meaning under all
circumstances, even the most miserable

OAssumption two is “ultimate

meaning.” This is difficult to
grasp but it is something
everyone experiences and it
represents an order in a
world with laws that go
beyond human laws.
 People have a will to meaning

OThe third assumption is seen

as our main motivation for
living and acting. When we see
meaning, we are ready for any
type of suffering. This is
considered to be different than
our will to achieve power and
pleasure.
People have freedom under all circumstances
to activate the will to find meaning

OAssumption four is that we

are free to activate our will
to find meaning, and this
can be done under any
circumstances. This deals
with change of attitudes
about unavoidable fate.
Frankl was able to test the
first four assumptions when
he was confined in the
concentration camps.
 Life has a demand quality to which people
must respond if decisions are to be meaningful

OThe 5th assumption, the meaning of

the moment, is more practical in
daily living than ultimate meaning.
Unlike ultimate meaning, this
meaning can be found and
fulfilled. This can be done by
following the values of society or
by following the voice of our
conscience.
 The individual is unique

OThe sixth assumption

deals with one’s sense
of meaning. This is
enhanced by the
realization that we are
irreplaceable.
In essence, all humans are
unique with an entity of body,
mind and spirit. We all go
through unique situations and
are constantly looking to find
meaning. We are free to do
these at all times in response
to certain demands.
FRANKL’S SOURCE OF
MEANING
Popova (2017) discussed
Viktor Frankl’s work. There
are three possible sources
of the meaning of life:
purposeful work, courage in
the face of difficulty and
love.
 Purposeful Work
OTo find the meaning of life starts
with holding a future goal. Each
individual has each own future
goal to achieve or a task to
perform. That task or goal to
fulfill becomes the meaning of
their life. Therefore, meaning of
life is unique to every individual.
Courage in the face of difficulty
OA meaningful life is a life with
suffering. Suffering is
inevitable part of life. To find
meaning of life is to recognize
suffering, pain and death as
part of life and to have the
courage to face these
difficulties.
 Love
ODr. Frankl’s wife,
parents and some
relatives were victims
of gas chambers. His
love for his wife kept
him fight for his life.
 Love
OPopova (2017) also quoted
Dr. Frankl’s definition of
love: “Love is the only
way to grasp another
human being in the
innermost core of his
personality.
 Love
ONo one can become fully
aware of the very essence of
another human being unless
he loves him. By his love, he
is enabled to see the
essential traits and features
in the beloved person;
 Love
OAnd even more, he sees that which
is potential in him… furthermore,
by his love, the loving person
enables the beloved person to
actualize these potentialities. By
making him aware of what he can
be and of what he should become,
he makes these comes true.”
 Love
OCostello (2015), captured
Viktor Frankl’s message:
“The ultimate secret on
the spiritual foundation of
life is that love is
salvation and joy
eternity.”
The ultimate factor to find
the meaning of life is LOVE.