Photos grabbed from the

internet CTTO
 DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SELF :
• The Physical Self
• Sexual Self
• Material Self/Economic Self
• Spiritual Self
• Political Self
• The digital self
Unpacking Social Context
the Self
Physical self

Political self Social-

Cultural self
Political Context
Historical Context
Being
Digital self Breath Material/
Life energy
Economic Self

Cyberspace Cultural Context

Sexual self
Spiritual self Sexuality
spirituality

Cosmos
(all of creation))
Metaphysical Context
• “Ever more people today have the means to
live, but no meaning to live for.”- Victor Frankl

• We often associate substance problems with

the poor , but oftentimes rich individuals
succumb to this problem, because they may
be financially rich, but are poor in spirit. – Dr.
Miriam P. Cue
 Part 2:
Unpacking the Self - The self unfolding

THE SPIRITUAL SELF

 LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Explain the spiritual aspect of the self and identity
• Demonstrate critical, reflective thought in integrating the
spiritual self with the other selves previously discussed
• Identify the different aspects of the spiritual self
• Examine oneself in the context of the spiritual self discussed
in class
 SPIRITUAL SELF

• Search for meaning/essence

• Intuition and interconnectedness to the
metaphysical
• Basis for the practice of religion, rituals,
ceremonies, etc.
 THE SPIRITUAL SELF

Refers to the Spirituality labels that the human is longing

for a sense of meaning through morally responsible
relationships between diverse individuals, families,
communities, cultures, and religion.
 WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
• Is a belief that people can connect with something
that is beyond mind and matter
• An aspect of religious traditions, and also existential
value system
 SPIRITUALITY….
• A way of experiencing that comes about
through awareness of supreme dimension
and that is characterized by certain
identifiable values in regard to self, nature,
life, and whatever one considers ultimate

• To be spiritual is to stand in a relationship

based on matters of the soul” – Carson, 1989
 SPIRIT AND SOUL
MONIST DUALIST

• Essence of human being that which • The soul is immaterial, made of

confers individuality and humanity, different substance from the body, in
often considered to be synonymous union with body, and each one
with the mind or the self. (body & soul) acting on each other
• Inseparable mind and body • Body and soul/mind are separate

Socrates Plato St. Augustine

Maurice Merleau Ponty

Paul Churchland
 It is a search for purpose and meaning involving both transcendence
and immanence, regardless of religious affiliation.
- Decker, 1993

Transcendence – the experience of existence beyond

the physical and psychological
- refers to an idea of divinity that is wholly
separate from our universe and our
universal laws
Immanence – the discovery of the transcendent in the
physical and psychological
- refers to the idea of the divine being
present in the world we all inhabit
 According to Christian Theology, the
transcendent God, who cannot be
approached or seen in essence or being,
becomes immanent primarily in the God-
man Jesus Christ.
Among ancient peoples, both the Egyptians and the
ANCIENT BELIEFS
Chinese conceived of a dual soul

Egyptian ka (breath) survived death but remained near the

body, while the spiritual ba proceeded to the region of the
dead.
Chinese distinguished between a lower, sensitive soul, which
disappears with death, and a rational principle, the hun, which
survives the grave and is the object of ancestor worship.
Hebrews apparently had a concept of the soul but did not
separate it from the body,
Filipinos – kaluluwa, ikaruruwa or karuruwa, inikaduwa  the
soul has two existences: one physical, where it is connected to
the human body and its life, and other spiritual, where it exists on
its own.
Dungan/kalag of the Ilonggos
Christian concepts of a body-soul dichotomy originated
with the ancient Greeks and were introduced into
Christian theology at an early date by St. Gregory of
Nyssa and by St. Augustine.
Epicureans considered the soul to be made up of
atoms like the rest of the body.
Platonists, the soul was an immaterial and incorporeal
substance, akin to the gods yet part of the world of
change and becoming.
Aristotle’s conception of the soul was obscure, though
he did state that it was a form inseparable from the
body.
• St. Thomas Aquinas concept of the soul as a motivating
principle of the body, independent but requiring the
substance of the body to make an individual.

• St. Augustine - the soul as a “rider” on the body, making

clear the split between the material and the immaterial,
with the soul representing the “true” person.
- although body and soul were separate, it
was not possible to conceive of a soul
without its body.
 SOUL – RELIGION & THEOLOGY
•Part of the individual which partakes
of divinity and often is considered to
survive the death of the body.
 SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
• Religion - an organized system of ideas about the
spiritual sphere or the supernatural along with
associated ceremonial practices by which people try
to interpret and/or influence aspects of the universe
otherwise beyond their control
• Spirituality - concerned with the sacred, as
distinguished from material matters. In contrast to
religion, spirituality is often individual rather than
collective and does not require a distinctive format or
traditional organization.
 FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

• To explain things
• To establish order
• To justify things
• To provide support
• Socializes people
• satisfies social and psychological needs
 RITUAL

Ritual behavior – are established or fixed by traditional

rules, has been observed the world over and throughout
history.
• This classification is taken as a universal feature of religion.

• Belief systems, myths, and the like, are viewed as expressions of

the nature of the sacred realm in which ritual becomes the
determined conduct of the individual in a society expressing a
relation to the sacred and the profane.

• The sacred is that aspect of a community’s beliefs, myths,

and sacred objects that is set apart and forbidden.

Ceremony – a formal act or event that is a part of a social or

religious occasion
 FUNCTIONS OF RITUALS

• Rituals and ceremonial acts, are not all religious in nature,

but those that are, play a crucial role in religious activity.
• Religious ritual is the means through which people relate to
and communicate with the supernatural;
• Ritual serves to relieve social-tensions and reinforce a group's
collective bonds;
• Above all, rituals provide means of marking many important
events and lessening the social disruption and individual
suffering of crises, such as death.
 SYMBOLS
• Religious symbolism is the use of acts, artwork, and events to create a
mythos expressing the teachings of the religion

Cross Wheel of Nine- Star &

Dharma pointed Star of Torii Gate
Christianity Crescent
Buddhism Star David Shintoism
Islam
Bahá'í Judaism
 MEANINGS AND SYMBOLS
Rituals as a Means of Communication (Intangible effects)

We see, in some cultures, that rituals are conducted

as a form of communication with the spiritual world.
• The Tuareg people of ***** Republic, West Africa (Rasmussen,
2000) also believe that there are higher powers that control
and affect the lives of the living.

• Takote, meaning almsgiving, rituals are conducted in many

rites of passage but is most important in funerals.

• Funeral takote rituals are used as a means of communication

between the deceased and their descendants.
• The ritual forges connections between the present
and the past and therefore can also serve as a
means to reflect and comment about the past and
future intergenerational conducts (Rasmussen,
2000).
 Rituals as a Means to Symbolize Transitions (Tangible
effects)

• It is very common that rituals are used to symbolize

transitions. Through these rituals, people take up new
responsibilities and new roles that are acknowledged by
the society.
MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT
 HOW WIDESPREAD IS BELIEF IN MAGIC,
SORCERY, AND WITCHCRAFT?
• In Africa, it is idle to begin with the question whether
witches exist or not,” states the book African
Traditional Religion, adding that “to Africans of every
category, witchcraft is an urgent reality.”
Those who believe in magic, sorcery, and
witchcraft include both the illiterate and the highly
educated. Religious leaders of Islam are also
believers.
 ACCORDING TO POPULAR BELIEF, FROM
WHERE DO MAGICAL POWERS COME?
 Exists a mystical, spiritual power, or force.

God has control over it. Spirits and ancestors can use it.
And some humans also know how to tap it and use it,
either for good (white magic) or for bad (black magic).
 WHAT IS WHITE MAGIC, AND HOW
IS IT PRACTICED?
White magic is supposed to provide protection against
evil.
- Those who practice white magic wear magical rings or
bracelets.
- They drink protective medicine or rub it on their bodies. In
their homes or in the ground, they hide articles believed to
have protective powers.
- They trust in amulets containing texts from the Koran or the
Bible.
 FINDING AND CREATING
MEANING IN LIFE
• Meaning in life refers to the feeling that
people have that their lives and
experiences make sense and matter
(Steger, 2006)
• “Meaning in life,” and the meaning in
our own lives, results from creative
efforts on our part. It is not a prior
reality awaiting our discovery. Though
we talk about a ‘search’ for meaning,
what we are seeking is primarily a
mode of creativity that will make our
lives meaningful.” – Singer, 2009
 HOW TO FIND MEANING IN LIFE:

 According to Frankl, meaning can be

found through:
 Experiencing reality by interacting
authentically with the environment
and with others,
Giving something back to the world
through creativity and self-
expression, and
Changing our attitude when faced
with a situation or circumstance that
we cannot change.
 FINDING MEANING IN LIFE
What will you do if people say…..

“What should I do with my life?” or

“What is my life purpose?”

1: What is important to me?

2: What am I truly good at?
3: What is my potential?
 Life is full of choices.

Do you want to follow the path

that you have always known? Or
will you chart a new course?
Will you accept your life “as it is?”
Or, will you chase your potential,
knowing that you will never reach
it?
Will the search for your own
potential lead you to find
perfection in the journey?