GNED 08 - UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

LESSON 9: THE SPIRITUAL SELF

BELIEF IN SUPERNATURAL BEING AND POWER

Belief in supernatural beings is one of the basic characteristics of religion. A supernatural being is a being that
is better and more powerful than any creature in the natural world. The supernatural or above natural includes all
that cannot be explained by the laws of nature, including things with characteristics of or relating to ghosts, gods, or
other types of spirits and other non-material beings, or to things beyond nature.

THE CONCEPT OF “DUNGAN” (SPIRIT OR SOUL)

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The term animism is one of the oldest beliefs which is taken from the Latin word anima, meaning breath or
soul. Animism is a belief of our ancestors that everything in nature have their own spirit or divinity, that souls are

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quasi-physical and can exist outside the body (in dreams and in vision).
Animate or inanimate creatures have “souls” or “life force.” (Forget your religious belief first.) Our ancestors

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believed in the spirit beings in the environment, deceased ancestral souls, and to forces in nature (wind, moon, stars)
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which are invoked for help. This makes it clear that central to the tradition of our ancestors, there is that belief for
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“soul” that is a “life force” and we would like to believe that the belief still persists today.
The ‘soul’ or spirit of a person is called:
 Kaluluwa by the Tagalogs
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 Gimokud by the Bagobos

 Makatu by the Bukidnons
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 Dungan by the Ilonggos when the person is alive; “kalag” or “detached”, “free”, when he is dead.
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 Ikararuwa by the Ibanags

 Kadkadduwa by the Ilokanos when the soul is in the physical body; and karuruwa when it departs

The Ibanags of the Cagayan Valley, For if the child’s dungan “gets hungry at night, it might
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according to Mariano Gatan, are aware of the go to the pot of rice in the kitchen and be mistaken for
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distinction between body (baggi) and soul (ikararuwa) an insect” and be killed.
but not in the Western way. In Western philosophy, the
soul is the principle of life in man. Body is the matter, The Bukidnons believe that the soul or
soul is the form. As long as body and soul are one unit, makatu already exists before a child’s birth but that is
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man is alive. Death is the separation of the soul from separate from its body. In a pregnancy ritual a
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the body. The body cannot stay alive without the soul.
But the soul lives without the body. Freed from the
body, it ceases to experience thirst and hunger, cold and
heat. As spirit, the soul is the opposite of the body
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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 (Unabia 1986).

which is matter.
The dungan or soul of the Ilonggos,
according to Alicia Magos (1986), is not normally seen
by the human eye. Sometimes, however, it comes out
of the body and takes on a visible form such as that of
an insect (a housefly or a moth) or a small animal like a
lizard. That is why lolas are always telling their
children “to eat even just a little before going to bed.”
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The Bisayans believe the soul or is normally
weak at the baby’s birth, that is why attractive babies
are said to be susceptible to usug, 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 (Magos 1986). For this reason the
dungan needs protection and nurture. Soul-nature, the
folk believe, means the performance of age-old spirit

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 GNED 08 - UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

rituals many of which are still followed in the
provinces today. Examples of these are birth, illness
and death rituals consisting of trances, prayers and
animal sacrifices. An adult person with a healthy
dungan properly lodged in his physical body should
have bodily health and well-being, intelligence and
good sense (Magos 1986).
The dungan may leave the body voluntarily as
when the person us asleep, according to the Bisayans.
When a person can see himself in his dreams it means
that 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
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 from a
vessel. Only when the soul has safely returned home
From the point of view of the “babaylan,”
inside the body of a living person dwells the “dungan”
(a companion that co-exists). This “dungan” gives life,
animation, and sensibilities to a person. It can
temporarily leave the body at will (during sleep). It is
dangerous for “dungan” to leave the body when the
person is awake. The body would become like a robot
that runs out of battery. There is another spirit that
resides in a person (same person). We call it
“ginhawa” (breath of life). It is the vital force. If
“ginhawa” leaves the person, the body dies. There is no
more vital force that would be responsible for the
throbbing of the heart and the beating of the pulse. (If
you bring the person to the hospital, the doctor will
examine him thoroughly and later would say, “Sorry,
he is dead.”) “Ginhawa” and “dungan” should be
together. “Ginhawa” provides the vital life force while
“dungan” provides the intellect, emotion, and
consciousness. We will make it clear. The two entities
are there together lodged in one person. “Dungan” can

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would the owner be able to wake up. Whatever temporarily leave and the person becomes unconscious
happens to the dungan happens to the physical body as or semi-conscious as in fainting or dreaming. If

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well. It is also believed that another cause for the “dungan” returns to a person, he becomes fully
voluntary withdrawal of the soul is when the body is conscious again.

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badly maltreated (Magos 1986).
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RITUALS AND CEREMONIES
A ritual is a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed
order. It consists of a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects, performed in a specific place,
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according to a set sequence. Rituals are formalized behaviours that is set aside from everyday life that allow
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communities to explore their religious and/or cultural worlds through actions. Rites refer to the ‘spoken word’ used in
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a ritual to convey meaning and value, to evoke an image through the use of metaphor, or elicit commitment or loyalty
to a cause, set of beliefs, community or person/s. The functions of rituals include:
1. A symbolic expression of actual social relations, status, or roles of individuals in a society.
2. A transcendent, numinous (spiritual) reality that shows the ultimate values of a community.
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3. A set of behaviours and beliefs that are symbolic of social, psychological, or numinous realities (non-rational
function)
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Ceremony refers to movements or gestures expressing feelings or beliefs beyond the limitations of speech. It
can be elaborate or simple, formal or intimate. It is also a set of formal actions performed as prescribed by a ritual or a
custom such as in a wedding ceremony. It may also be a conventional social gesture or act of courtesy.
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RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY AND IDENTITY

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Religion is an organized set of beliefs, practices, rituals and symbols that increases an individual’s connection
to a sacred or transcendent other (God, higher power, ultimate truth). It is the belief in a god or in a group of gods. It
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may also be referred to as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god (Santrock,
2014).
Religiousness is the degree by which one is affiliated with an organized religion in terms of the person’s
participation in the prescribed rituals and practices, connection with its beliefs, and involvement with its community of
believers (Santrock, 2014).
Spirituality involves experiencing something beyond oneself in a transcendent manner and living in a way
that benefits others and society. It could also be related to a search for the sacred. The term ‘sacred’ may signify a
person, an object, a principle, or a concept that transcends the self.

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Spiritual identity is the persistent sense of self that addresses ultimate questions about the nature, purpose and
meaning of life. It results in behaviours that are consonant with the individual’s core values. The definition of a sense
of spiritual identity focuses on the individual’s construction of a relationship to the sacred and ultimate meaning.
MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT

Magic is the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
It is the ability to use supernatural forces to make impossible things happen, such as making people disappear or
controlling events in nature. A magician is the one who performs the magic like casting spells and summoning spirits.
A sorcerer is translated from the Greek word pharmakos, and carries with it the idea of medicine, magic
potions, drugs and poison. A wizard is one who is thought to be acquainted with the secrets of the nonmaterial or
unseen world while a necromancer is one who is ‘seeking unto the dead’. It is a term that includes all forms of attempt
to make contact with departed spirits.
Barang is the Filipino term for a sorcerer. It is used to describe malignant sorcery or familiar spirits. In the
Philippines, it means small invisible insects residing in bamboos that enter the body through open space causing the
stomach, intestine, lungs and liver to swell during high tides and shrink during low tides. Mambabarang is a person
who practices this specific type of sorcery or witchcraft. Binarang is the target of the sorcery or witchcraft.
Kulam is the Tagalog word for voodoo or witchcraft. It is one of the most well-known aspects of Philippine
folklore. The fear of kulam usually has an effect on how a person conducts himself in the community and on how
people treat each other in a community. A mangkukulam is a person who uses black magic or spells on a victim.
Albulario/ mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine who is capable of doing sorcery. A

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witchdoctor, folk healer or medicine man. When the person feels that his ailments and misfortunes are caused by
kulam, he consults an alburario who performs rituals in order to defeat the spells of the mangkukulam.

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Most Filipinos aside from being a superstitious people, believe in the mythical creatures of local folklore
which includes the aswang, manananggal, kapre, dwende, sirena, syokoy, engkanto, sigbin, tikbalang, tianak, and many

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others.
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FINDING AND CREATING MEANING IN LIFE
Logotherapy is a decades-old psychotherapeutic approach developed by Viktor Frankl. ‘Logos’ is a Greek
word which stands for meaning. The main idea behind logotherapy is “that lack of meaning is the chief source of stress
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as well as anxiety, and logotherapy aids the patients to reach the meaning of life”. In other words, logotherapy is a type
of psychotherapy that believes that lack of meaning causes mental health issues, so it attempts to help people find
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meaning in order to help solve their problems.

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THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES ON DISCOVERING MEANING OF LIFE

1. Meaning in life. Frankl believed that life has meaning in all circumstances, even the most miserable ones. This
means that even when situations seem objectively terrible, there is a higher level of order that involves
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meaning.
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2. Will to meaning. Logotherapy proposes that humans have a will to meaning, which means that meaning is our
primary motivation for living and acting, and allows us to endure pain and suffering. This is viewed as
differing from the will to achieve power and pleasure.
3. Freedom to will. Frankl argues that in all circumstances, individuals have the freedom to access that will to
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find meaning. This is based on his experiences of pain and suffering and choosing his attitude in a situation
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that he could not change. People are given the freedom to make life choices which includes how they respond
to life events.
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