GEC 1 Understanding the Self (Module 7: The Spiritual Self)
1. GEC 1 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Module 7 (Week 11 - 12)
The Spiritual Self
Prepared by: Nancy Jane D. Victorino, RPm, LPT
2. DISCUSSION
CILO (Course Intended Learning Outcome/s):
Discuss the different meanings of “spirituality”.
Identify and appreciate the importance of the various
rituals and ceremonies practiced by different groups in the
Philippines.
Determine the importance of a core belief system in the
development of the Self.
Apply the concept of Logotherapy in order to get a clearer
understanding of the purpose of life.
3. I. What is the meaning of “Spirituality”?
Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many
perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of
connection to something bigger than
ourselves, and it typically involves a search for
meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human
experience—something that touches us all. People
may describe a spiritual experience as sacred or
transcendent or simply a deep sense of aliveness
and interconnectedness.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/0e/c6/1f0ec6a0116a62
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Spirituality involves exploring certain universal themes –
love, compassion, altruism, life after death, wisdom and
truth, with the knowledge that some people such as saints or
enlightened individuals have achieved and manifested higher
levels of development than the ordinary person.
4. I. What is the meaning of “Spirituality”?
Spiritual development requires
successive degrees of freedom based on
the realization that thoughts are not facts
but simply transient mental phenomena,
as indeed are our emotions.
Neuroscientific research is showing that
with the practice of mindfulness, the
cortex of the brain literally grows, with an
increase in grey matter and more
gyrification.
https://www.livehappy.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_featured/public/main/articles/S
pirituality_Header-2.jpg?itok=1u89ZZhm
5. II. The SOUL
Soul, in religion and philosophy, the
immaterial aspect or essence of a
human being, that which confers
individuality and humanity, often
considered to be synonymous with
the mind or the self. In theology, the
soul is further defined as that part of
the individual which partakes of
divinity and often is considered to
survive the death of the body.
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6. III. Rituals and Ceremonies
A ritual is a ceremony or action
performed in a customary way. Your
family might have a Saturday night
ritual of eating a big spaghetti dinner
and then taking a long walk to the ice
cream shop.
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As an adjective, ritual means
"conforming to religious rites," which
are the sacred, customary ways of
celebrating a religion or culture.
Although it comes from religious
ceremonies, ritual can also be used
for any time-honored tradition.
7. IV. Religion, Cult, Magic, and Witchcraft
Religion and spirituality are both rooted in
trying to understand the meaning of life and, in
some cases, how a relationship with a higher
power may influence that meaning. While
religion and spirituality are similar in
foundation, they are very different in practice.
Religion is an organized, community-based
system of beliefs, while spirituality resides
within the individual and what they personally
believe. “The idea of religion and spirituality is
like a rectangle versus a square. Within
religion there is spirituality, but if you have
spirituality, it doesn’t necessarily mean you
have religion,” says someone who practices
both religion and spirituality.
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/sites/default/files/images/inline/religion%20spiritualit
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8. IV. Religion, Cult, Magic, and Witchcraft
In modern English, a cult is a social
group that is defined by its unusual
religious, spiritual, or philosophical
beliefs, or by its common interest in
a particular personality, object, or
goal.
The concept is to gain a target's
trust by making them feel loved and
accepted to essentially disguising
any sign of manipulation in order to
be able to influence them and the
way they behave without raising
suspicion.
https://snworksceo.imgix.net/tsn/dd2b0575-2637-4d1c-a395-698e02538c81.sized-
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9. IV. Religion, Cult, Magic, and Witchcraft
Witchcraft is the practice of what the practitioner ("witch") believes to be magical skills and abilities,
and activities such as spells, incantations, and magical rituals.
In the Philippines, as in many of these cultures, witches are viewed as those opposed to the sacred. In
contrast, anthropologists writing about the healers in Indigenous Philippine folk religions either use the
traditional terminology of these cultures, or broad anthropological terms like "shaman".
Wicca, a predominantly Western movement whose followers practice witchcraft and nature worship and
who see it as a religion based on pre-Christian traditions of northern and western Europe.
10. V. Viktor Frankl: Logotherapy
Frankl believed that humans are
motivated by something called a
"will to meaning," which equates to
a desire to find meaning in life. He
argued that life can have meaning
even in the most miserable of
circumstances and that the
motivation for living comes from
finding that meaning.
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/logotherapy-190128080155/95/logotherapyppt-6-
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11. V. Viktor Frankl: Logotherapy
https://cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/320/320814/meaning-of-life-
Frankl believed in three core properties
on which his theory and therapy were
based:
Each person has a healthy core.
One's primary focus is to enlighten
others to their own internal resources
and provide the tools to use their inner
core.
Life offers purpose and meaning but
does not promise fulfillment or
happiness.
Going a step further, logotherapy proposes that
meaning in life can be discovered in three
distinct ways:
By creating a work or doing a deed.
By experiencing something or encountering
someone.
By the attitude that we take toward unavoidable
12. V. Viktor Frankl: Logotherapy
Logotherapy consists of six basic assumptions that
overlap with the fundamental constructs and ways of
seeking meaning listed above:
Body, Mind, and Spirit
Life has Meaning in all Circumstances
Humans have a Will to Meaning
Freedom to Find Meaning
Meaning of the Moment
Individuals are Unique
Three techniques used in logotherapy include
dereflection, paradoxical intention, and Socratic
dialogue.
Dereflection is aimed at helping someone focus away
from themselves and toward other people
Paradoxical intention is a technique that has the person
wish for the thing that is feared most.
Socratic dialogue would be used in logotherapy as a tool
to help a patient through the process of self-discovery
through his or her own words.
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