1. What I found the most remarkable in the article was that worldviews across the board tended to be very similar. Especially now, the easier thing seems to be to find differences between each other - to be presented with a common thread of understanding of the soul among multiple schools of philosophy was refreshing and a bit comforting. We may look different to one another now, but at our cores - indeed, maybe down to our souls - we once had the same understanding of who and how we are in relation to ourselves and to others.
I was also struck by the categorization of Christianity as an Eastern model of philosophy. It has been presented as so classically Western as it's been ensconced in Western civilization, so to see it alongside philosophies that are often presented as counterpoints was very interesting.
2. This article validated and supported the way I was raised. Despite being raised in the U.S., the way I was taught to interact with others and see myself in the world was very Filipino. Fr. Mercado brought this home to me especially in discussing how the dichotomy of Western thinking can lead to angelism; it got me to thinking a lot about Catholic guilt and how that guilt can be weaponized. As a self-proclaimed 'bad Catholic' I am working on my relationship with religion aside from this guilt and I'm trying to figure out what that relationship really entails outside of strict Catholic guidelines.
3. My recent efforts outside of Catholicism to find inner peace and grounding have included yoga, crystals and more excursions out into nature. Seeing this work through the lens of the Filipino worldview of all material things having life since reading this article has made these practices feel more like home. I'm excited to further explore my relationship to the world around me now that I'm more aware and more actively putting my phone down to just be.
The concept of being a "bad Catholic" is interesting. It's regrettable that we've become so legalistic about a faith that initially was supposed to be liberating. Jesus himself challenged the authority of his time and their strange, worldly attempts to try and structure the world into something that can be controlled by humans. Much of his teachings preached humility and trust in the face of the magnitude of the universe... and today we have apologists confusing biblical text with the genuine Word of God. How very strange, noh? I hope our indigenous studies can lead not only to a transformation in our worldview, but also to a genuine form of liberation from the traps of religious guilt.
"We may look different to one another now, but at our cores - indeed, maybe down to our souls - we once had the same understanding of who and how we are in relation to ourselves and to others."
Yes! I wonder if the differences we see between East/West or modern/indigenous cultures have more to do with different cultures inhabiting different parts of cyclical time. I think a lot of the "Western" worldview stems from being stuck in a scarcity mindset from previously living in harsh environments where resources were limited and fought over. Was Jesus not teaching abundance and love to people surrounded by deserts?
This reminds me of my favorite verse: "Look at the birds of the air: they don't sow, or reap, or store in barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more than birds? Can worry add time to your life?" (Matthew 6:26-27).
1. I was struck by the structural rhymes between indigenous Filipino and ancient Chinese conceptions of spirit and dual souls. I began to question Catholicism in my early teens when I first encountered Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Through the years, I have come to understand hun and po not as two separate souls but as two poles on a continuum of vital energies.
I am also increasingly aware that many of my initial misreadings of Taoism and Zen were the result of translations by Western Christians misunderstanding Eastern epistemologies through their own ontological lenses. I can’t help but wonder how much Fr. Mercado’s descriptions are affected by the sources he relied upon and his own Catholic lens.
2. I am intrigued by the notion that my Ilocano ancestors viewed themselves as multitudes not monoliths. And, that they lived in a world of both/and instead of either/or. Those are both views that I have been uncovering in myself throughout my life.
3. In my search to connect with my ancestors and find a place of rootedness, I am understanding more and more that I am a continuation of my ancestors. That those connections are already within me, I just could not see them.
Yes, definitely, we'll be seeing how a subtle Catholic bias can influence local scholars in their studies of culture. What's interesting however is that most of the scholars who have studied spirituality, philosophy, folk psychology, and folklore are priests. What's also interesting is that they don't demonize it outright or scoff at it as mere superstition. They treat it as a local reality. And this points to the syncretism that exists not only in our folk practices but also in our way of thinking. Like you said, it's not an either/or. It's both/and. Saint and anito, Mebuyan and Mary. I'm excited to unpack with you the illusion of duality, which has dominated our mainstream (westernized, individualistic) worldview.
What struck you the most about this resource? This could be something that you’ve never heard before, something that “connects the dots,” or something that affirms previously held beliefs.
The commonalities of the conceptualizations soul and spirit between eastern philosophical models, and with the Old Testament of the bible, were new to me. I see even more of what I didn’t know before this article (we don’t know what we don’t know), and this will impact how I consider Filipino identity. The article also makes me wonder how the commonalities between eastern philosophy and the Old Testament may have affected the early days of Spanish missionary work (so much to ponder there from the Filipino and Spanish sides).
What does this resource say about the Filipino identity, particularly your identity as a Filipino?
This article helps me understand concepts and discussions about how the soul can travel (e.g., in dreams) and the perils of those travels.
How could the ideas in this resource be useful to your daily life?
No impact for my daily life, but a significant impact for my research life. This (new to me) understanding of multiple soul and spirit, and its connections with the Old Testament, will have impacts on how I consider Filipino identity in research.
Although Catholicism is a foreign/colonial religion, it's so interesting to see how much it has been absorbed into our culture. We'll talk about Catholicism soon.
1. I'm struck by the comparisons of spiritual beliefs between different Philippine ethno-linguistic groups as well as neighboring countries, such as Taiwan, etc. It confirms the general similarities of these practices throughout SE Asia. Overall, the resource begins to connect some of the dots I've witnessed among Filipinos and Filipino Americans. These indigenous beliefs have survived hundreds of years of Catholicism (albeit unevenly) through adaptation, preservation, and resistance. I may have to re-read certain parts, but I'm still unsure how multiple souls/spirits operate in daily life and the afterlife.
2. My family has been in Metro Manila for generations, hence very urbanized. My wife, however, is Ilocana and comes from a rural community. I began to understand the stark differences in spiritual beliefs the more I interacted with my wife's family. The belief of spirits traversing the living and supernatural worlds, the use of "atang," the multiple practices of "superstitions" - these were all new to me. I grew up Catholic in the US. I saw how my family practiced Catholicism slightly different than white or Mexicans who were a part of the parish. However, seeing my wife's family's Catholic practices opened my eyes to the idea of folk Catholicism or rather, Christianized animism. It made it easier to read scholarly articles on the subject and both confirmed and challenged some of the different beliefs I grew up with.
3. I'm starting to view the world and the afterlife through this Philippine animist lens - I suppose it was always there, but shrouded in Catholic symbols. I'd like to unpack the text a bit more to get a clearer understanding of how things operate in daily life.
I like what you said, that, "These indigenous beliefs have survived hundreds of years of Catholicism (albeit unevenly) through adaptation, preservation, and resistance." They absolutely did. Soon, we'll talk more directly about Catholicism in the Philippines, but this is a good thought to keep in mind. Despite colonization, our animist beliefs and practices persisted--only now we also use Catholic symbols.
The concept of multiple souls is also somewhat foreign to me, since I was raised with the Christian concept of "body and soul." But it does make sense, in a strangely intuitive way, once I let go of the notion that all these souls have to be inside me. If, rather, they are just fluid aspects of what makes "me," then maybe they're just like flowing wind that passes through me now, and then to the trees...
I was also confused by Fr. Mercado's descriptions of the various types of souls. My current interpretations are as follows:
There are parts of you that can become lost due to some distressing event, causing mental and/or physical illness that can only be cured by retrieving the lost parts of you.
The parts of you that inhabit dreams are different from the parts of you that inhabit wakefulness.
The parts of you that visit friends and families after death are different from the parts of you that you carried within you your whole life.
The way I understand it is that it's the same soul, but with different names. It's like the word "rice." In agricultural countries, like the Philippines, we have many words for rice in its various stages: palay, bigas, kanin, tutong, bahaw, etc...
Although, if we're following mythology to the letter, then there are literally different souls, residing in different parts of the body. The Tagbanuwa (Palawan) believe in 1 main soul and 5 secondary souls, located in various parts of the body (like the feet and the puyo). The Ifugao believe in two souls: one in the eyes, and one in the breath. (Source: Demetrio, Cordero-Fernando, & Zialcita, "The Soul Book," 1991)
Another reading, from psychology, shows how "consciousness" and "soul" are connected. Kaluluwa is connected to konsensya (conscience), diwa (spirit/vitality/essence), budhi/loob (inner self), ulirat/malay (waking awareness), ginhawa (stability and peace), unawa (understanding), bait (goodness/reason). (Source: Zeus Salazar)
I may have to read this again but it sound as if Fr Mercado makes a connection between inspiration, longing and intuition? That reconnecting to our culture is the longing of the spirit wanting to go home?
1. What struck me most about this resource was the indigenous Filipino view of the soul/spirit as on a continuum, as well as being quite rooted in the physical and natural world (with the exception of the soul that can leave the body in dreams or sickness). In terms of my own cultural experience, my grandparents did see food as medicine and though my Lolo was Ilocano, I don't know if he was familiar with the concepts of al-alia (spirit/breath) and karkarma (soul/vitality). He said that we had ancestors from Taiwan, which I would think it's likely that he and my ancestors had similar notions of soul/spirit.
As other's have said, I did find it interesting that the Old Testament/Semitic ideas of the soul were grouped with near-East philosophies. Often times Judeo-Christian religions and world views are described as Western in relation to Eastern thought.
2. I appreciated the connection of the idea of soul/spirit with those similar cultural ideas from other Southeast Asia regions. I also identify as Buddhist, so those notions of the soul/spirit that are connected to nature really resonate with me. I remember when I first read about anitos and diwatas in Filipino cultural anthropology books (unfortunately not written by Filipinos) and the idea that the natural world is imbued with spirits, goddesses/gods, and ancestors really resonated with me.
I also appreciated the idea that dualism or the separation from mind/soul from body/nature leads to sickness in the indigenous Filipino worldview. As Mercado also notes, there have been so many criticisms of the problematic mind/body dualism worldview in Western thought. Arguably, we could look at the illusion of spirit/body separateness on a more global scale, for example, the illusions of post-modern late-stage capitalism that keeps us feeling separate from the natural world. This illusion of separateness and control of the natural world and natural resources has, arguably, lead to sickness on a global scale in the form of climate crisis and diseases. One could imagine a world where we're all more honoring and respecting of the sacred vitality of the natural world and natural "resources," rather than so separate, extractive, controlling, exploitative, consuming, polluting, etc.
3. In my daily life, I have a mediation practice that includes connecting with my breath as spirit, that elements like the air that we breath, the water that we drink, the earth that we sit upon, connects all of us to one another. I think that this resource as well as other Filipinx transpersonal world views of kapwa, and interconnectedness and interbeing, will be useful for me at times when I feel less connected to Filipinx community. My mother (now in her 70s) and my Lola (now in her 80s) are elderly and that I live about a 2 hours drive from them, I can at times feel less connected to pamilya/kapwa, which is why I've been prioritizing being involved in Fil-Am organizations, cultural events, and Fil-Am history month events (out here in California). Ideally, I'd love to be able to visit the Philippines and learn more about my direct ancestors and extended pamilya/kapwa.
1. What I found the most remarkable in the article was that worldviews across the board tended to be very similar. Especially now, the easier thing seems to be to find differences between each other - to be presented with a common thread of understanding of the soul among multiple schools of philosophy was refreshing and a bit comforting. We may look different to one another now, but at our cores - indeed, maybe down to our souls - we once had the same understanding of who and how we are in relation to ourselves and to others.
I was also struck by the categorization of Christianity as an Eastern model of philosophy. It has been presented as so classically Western as it's been ensconced in Western civilization, so to see it alongside philosophies that are often presented as counterpoints was very interesting.
2. This article validated and supported the way I was raised. Despite being raised in the U.S., the way I was taught to interact with others and see myself in the world was very Filipino. Fr. Mercado brought this home to me especially in discussing how the dichotomy of Western thinking can lead to angelism; it got me to thinking a lot about Catholic guilt and how that guilt can be weaponized. As a self-proclaimed 'bad Catholic' I am working on my relationship with religion aside from this guilt and I'm trying to figure out what that relationship really entails outside of strict Catholic guidelines.
3. My recent efforts outside of Catholicism to find inner peace and grounding have included yoga, crystals and more excursions out into nature. Seeing this work through the lens of the Filipino worldview of all material things having life since reading this article has made these practices feel more like home. I'm excited to further explore my relationship to the world around me now that I'm more aware and more actively putting my phone down to just be.
The concept of being a "bad Catholic" is interesting. It's regrettable that we've become so legalistic about a faith that initially was supposed to be liberating. Jesus himself challenged the authority of his time and their strange, worldly attempts to try and structure the world into something that can be controlled by humans. Much of his teachings preached humility and trust in the face of the magnitude of the universe... and today we have apologists confusing biblical text with the genuine Word of God. How very strange, noh? I hope our indigenous studies can lead not only to a transformation in our worldview, but also to a genuine form of liberation from the traps of religious guilt.
"We may look different to one another now, but at our cores - indeed, maybe down to our souls - we once had the same understanding of who and how we are in relation to ourselves and to others."
Yes! I wonder if the differences we see between East/West or modern/indigenous cultures have more to do with different cultures inhabiting different parts of cyclical time. I think a lot of the "Western" worldview stems from being stuck in a scarcity mindset from previously living in harsh environments where resources were limited and fought over. Was Jesus not teaching abundance and love to people surrounded by deserts?
This reminds me of my favorite verse: "Look at the birds of the air: they don't sow, or reap, or store in barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more than birds? Can worry add time to your life?" (Matthew 6:26-27).
1. I was struck by the structural rhymes between indigenous Filipino and ancient Chinese conceptions of spirit and dual souls. I began to question Catholicism in my early teens when I first encountered Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Through the years, I have come to understand hun and po not as two separate souls but as two poles on a continuum of vital energies.
I am also increasingly aware that many of my initial misreadings of Taoism and Zen were the result of translations by Western Christians misunderstanding Eastern epistemologies through their own ontological lenses. I can’t help but wonder how much Fr. Mercado’s descriptions are affected by the sources he relied upon and his own Catholic lens.
2. I am intrigued by the notion that my Ilocano ancestors viewed themselves as multitudes not monoliths. And, that they lived in a world of both/and instead of either/or. Those are both views that I have been uncovering in myself throughout my life.
3. In my search to connect with my ancestors and find a place of rootedness, I am understanding more and more that I am a continuation of my ancestors. That those connections are already within me, I just could not see them.
Yes, definitely, we'll be seeing how a subtle Catholic bias can influence local scholars in their studies of culture. What's interesting however is that most of the scholars who have studied spirituality, philosophy, folk psychology, and folklore are priests. What's also interesting is that they don't demonize it outright or scoff at it as mere superstition. They treat it as a local reality. And this points to the syncretism that exists not only in our folk practices but also in our way of thinking. Like you said, it's not an either/or. It's both/and. Saint and anito, Mebuyan and Mary. I'm excited to unpack with you the illusion of duality, which has dominated our mainstream (westernized, individualistic) worldview.
What struck you the most about this resource? This could be something that you’ve never heard before, something that “connects the dots,” or something that affirms previously held beliefs.
The commonalities of the conceptualizations soul and spirit between eastern philosophical models, and with the Old Testament of the bible, were new to me. I see even more of what I didn’t know before this article (we don’t know what we don’t know), and this will impact how I consider Filipino identity. The article also makes me wonder how the commonalities between eastern philosophy and the Old Testament may have affected the early days of Spanish missionary work (so much to ponder there from the Filipino and Spanish sides).
What does this resource say about the Filipino identity, particularly your identity as a Filipino?
This article helps me understand concepts and discussions about how the soul can travel (e.g., in dreams) and the perils of those travels.
How could the ideas in this resource be useful to your daily life?
No impact for my daily life, but a significant impact for my research life. This (new to me) understanding of multiple soul and spirit, and its connections with the Old Testament, will have impacts on how I consider Filipino identity in research.
Although Catholicism is a foreign/colonial religion, it's so interesting to see how much it has been absorbed into our culture. We'll talk about Catholicism soon.
1. I'm struck by the comparisons of spiritual beliefs between different Philippine ethno-linguistic groups as well as neighboring countries, such as Taiwan, etc. It confirms the general similarities of these practices throughout SE Asia. Overall, the resource begins to connect some of the dots I've witnessed among Filipinos and Filipino Americans. These indigenous beliefs have survived hundreds of years of Catholicism (albeit unevenly) through adaptation, preservation, and resistance. I may have to re-read certain parts, but I'm still unsure how multiple souls/spirits operate in daily life and the afterlife.
2. My family has been in Metro Manila for generations, hence very urbanized. My wife, however, is Ilocana and comes from a rural community. I began to understand the stark differences in spiritual beliefs the more I interacted with my wife's family. The belief of spirits traversing the living and supernatural worlds, the use of "atang," the multiple practices of "superstitions" - these were all new to me. I grew up Catholic in the US. I saw how my family practiced Catholicism slightly different than white or Mexicans who were a part of the parish. However, seeing my wife's family's Catholic practices opened my eyes to the idea of folk Catholicism or rather, Christianized animism. It made it easier to read scholarly articles on the subject and both confirmed and challenged some of the different beliefs I grew up with.
3. I'm starting to view the world and the afterlife through this Philippine animist lens - I suppose it was always there, but shrouded in Catholic symbols. I'd like to unpack the text a bit more to get a clearer understanding of how things operate in daily life.
I like what you said, that, "These indigenous beliefs have survived hundreds of years of Catholicism (albeit unevenly) through adaptation, preservation, and resistance." They absolutely did. Soon, we'll talk more directly about Catholicism in the Philippines, but this is a good thought to keep in mind. Despite colonization, our animist beliefs and practices persisted--only now we also use Catholic symbols.
The concept of multiple souls is also somewhat foreign to me, since I was raised with the Christian concept of "body and soul." But it does make sense, in a strangely intuitive way, once I let go of the notion that all these souls have to be inside me. If, rather, they are just fluid aspects of what makes "me," then maybe they're just like flowing wind that passes through me now, and then to the trees...
I was also confused by Fr. Mercado's descriptions of the various types of souls. My current interpretations are as follows:
There are parts of you that can become lost due to some distressing event, causing mental and/or physical illness that can only be cured by retrieving the lost parts of you.
The parts of you that inhabit dreams are different from the parts of you that inhabit wakefulness.
The parts of you that visit friends and families after death are different from the parts of you that you carried within you your whole life.
The way I understand it is that it's the same soul, but with different names. It's like the word "rice." In agricultural countries, like the Philippines, we have many words for rice in its various stages: palay, bigas, kanin, tutong, bahaw, etc...
Although, if we're following mythology to the letter, then there are literally different souls, residing in different parts of the body. The Tagbanuwa (Palawan) believe in 1 main soul and 5 secondary souls, located in various parts of the body (like the feet and the puyo). The Ifugao believe in two souls: one in the eyes, and one in the breath. (Source: Demetrio, Cordero-Fernando, & Zialcita, "The Soul Book," 1991)
Another reading, from psychology, shows how "consciousness" and "soul" are connected. Kaluluwa is connected to konsensya (conscience), diwa (spirit/vitality/essence), budhi/loob (inner self), ulirat/malay (waking awareness), ginhawa (stability and peace), unawa (understanding), bait (goodness/reason). (Source: Zeus Salazar)
I may have to read this again but it sound as if Fr Mercado makes a connection between inspiration, longing and intuition? That reconnecting to our culture is the longing of the spirit wanting to go home?
1. What struck me most about this resource was the indigenous Filipino view of the soul/spirit as on a continuum, as well as being quite rooted in the physical and natural world (with the exception of the soul that can leave the body in dreams or sickness). In terms of my own cultural experience, my grandparents did see food as medicine and though my Lolo was Ilocano, I don't know if he was familiar with the concepts of al-alia (spirit/breath) and karkarma (soul/vitality). He said that we had ancestors from Taiwan, which I would think it's likely that he and my ancestors had similar notions of soul/spirit.
As other's have said, I did find it interesting that the Old Testament/Semitic ideas of the soul were grouped with near-East philosophies. Often times Judeo-Christian religions and world views are described as Western in relation to Eastern thought.
2. I appreciated the connection of the idea of soul/spirit with those similar cultural ideas from other Southeast Asia regions. I also identify as Buddhist, so those notions of the soul/spirit that are connected to nature really resonate with me. I remember when I first read about anitos and diwatas in Filipino cultural anthropology books (unfortunately not written by Filipinos) and the idea that the natural world is imbued with spirits, goddesses/gods, and ancestors really resonated with me.
I also appreciated the idea that dualism or the separation from mind/soul from body/nature leads to sickness in the indigenous Filipino worldview. As Mercado also notes, there have been so many criticisms of the problematic mind/body dualism worldview in Western thought. Arguably, we could look at the illusion of spirit/body separateness on a more global scale, for example, the illusions of post-modern late-stage capitalism that keeps us feeling separate from the natural world. This illusion of separateness and control of the natural world and natural resources has, arguably, lead to sickness on a global scale in the form of climate crisis and diseases. One could imagine a world where we're all more honoring and respecting of the sacred vitality of the natural world and natural "resources," rather than so separate, extractive, controlling, exploitative, consuming, polluting, etc.
3. In my daily life, I have a mediation practice that includes connecting with my breath as spirit, that elements like the air that we breath, the water that we drink, the earth that we sit upon, connects all of us to one another. I think that this resource as well as other Filipinx transpersonal world views of kapwa, and interconnectedness and interbeing, will be useful for me at times when I feel less connected to Filipinx community. My mother (now in her 70s) and my Lola (now in her 80s) are elderly and that I live about a 2 hours drive from them, I can at times feel less connected to pamilya/kapwa, which is why I've been prioritizing being involved in Fil-Am organizations, cultural events, and Fil-Am history month events (out here in California). Ideally, I'd love to be able to visit the Philippines and learn more about my direct ancestors and extended pamilya/kapwa.