Faith Healing and Psychic Surgery: Fact or Fallacy (2 of 2)

It is believed that this is done through the intercession of a benign spirit or saint using the healer as a channel or medium of the healing force or energy.  All faith healers are members of one spiritist group or another.

Is psychic surgery true?  Studies of foreign researchers have remained inconclusive,  some says it’s real, and others say it’s complete fakery.  The inconsistency perhaps lies in the fact that some healers  are genuine but there are others who are fakes.  And there are times when even genuine healers face an operation when they have temporarily lost powers.

Still it is a fact that these healers the genuine ones at least, have healed thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world specially those otherwise given up by their country’s medical doctors.

Despite discouragement from some foreign governments and the adverse publicity against the faith healers, there are still  thousands of foreigners, who flock to the Philippines every year in search of a miracle cure.  Some go back either completely or partially healed; others not at all.

My friend have personally observed around 33 psychic surgeons in the Philippines and one in Brazil.  She have witnessed thousands of psychic surgeries performed by them. She have also two laboratory reports of specimens taken from patients of the healers and another report from a Japanese medical specialist.  All the reports proved to be genuine.  Still we cannot openly advocate faith healing except perhaps as a last resort, because we are dealing here with a paranormal phenomenon whose results cannot be pre-determined or predicted.  A lot depends on the powers of the healer at the time,  the belief and attitudes of the patient and the people surrounding the healing process.  It is a mystery that waits further study and explanation.

For those interested in seeing a Filipino faith healer, the above points are worth considering.  Although it had seen many spectacular cures in the course of extensive research on the subject, it had also seen many spectacular failures.  The decision lied in the visitor where he should subject himself to faith healing or not..

What do you think ? . . . . . . . . . . . .  FACTS OR FALLACY ?

 

Faith Healing and Psychic Surgery: Fact or Fallacy (1 of 2)

For about half of the 24 years in the business management of my friend,  she was engaged in a very unusual hobby after office hours, doing research and writing books and articles on various paranormal and psychic phenomena.  During her offbeat hours, the presence of a fascinating hidden culture of the Philippines became evident to her – a culture that is much more fundamental, more powerful and more pervasive than the outward culture that the ordinary visitor to our country becomes easily familiar with.

This hidden aspect of our culture, which she call the esoteric cultures of the Philippines, consists of beliefs in the supernatural, in the existence of various in habitants of the spirit world and the many rituals  and practices connected with their supplication and intervention into our daily affairs.  The esoteric culture also refers to the Filipino’s persistent belief in the awesome powers of the mind to transform one’s  life and protect him from harm so long as that mind is connected with the spirit source.  The paranormal is part of the hidden culture.

The Philippine Paranormal Research Society,  a non-profit organization found in 1986, together with several business professionals and scientists, defines the paranormal as “any observable or experience able  phenomenon, object, energy, force, event or human capability for which there is yet no generally accepted scientific explanation.”

Faith healing with its sensational process of bare-handed psychic surgery is one of the  most extraordinary and controversial examples of and indigenous paranormal phenomenon in the country that many from all over the world must have heard but know little about.

Of the thousands of spiritual or faith healers scattered all over the Philippines, only around 150 to 200 can perform psychic surgery.  And only about ten percent  (10%) of these have consistent powers to practice regularly.

Bare-handed psychic surgery exists only in the Philippines.  A similar phenomenon is found in Brazil, but their healers use knives, scalpels, scissors and other instruments to perform “surgery.”  I decline psychic surgery as the process by which the healer while entranced opens up the body of the patient with his bare hands, take out diseased tissues, and closes the opening without any trace of the incision at all. 

 

The World’s Largest Living Fish is a Shark

 The whale shark, locally known as “ butanding “, is the world’s largest fish.  This gentle giant is known to grow to great lengths of up to 18 meters and can weigh up to 34 tonnes.  As a highly migratory species, whale sharks are distributed worldwide in warm and temperate seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.  They can migrate long distances through international waters to favored coastal areas in a few months of the year when the plankton they feed on is abundant. 

Food is an important factor for the growth, migration and abundance of whale sharks in time and space.  Its presence is highly associated with blooms of planktonic organism and changes in water temperature.  Unlike other species of sharks, the whale shark can neither bite nor chew.  Its thousand of teeth are so tiny that it can only eat small shrimps, fish and plankton by using its modified gift rakers as suction filter. 

Whale sharks are slow growing, maturing sexually only after so many years and with long interval between pregnancies.  Female have been found to produce as many as 300 embryos in her uterus, although it is thought that less than 10% of the young survive to adulthood.  Upon giving birth, the mother sharks leave her young to fend for themselves.  In effect, the species have low reproductive potential and low capacity for population increase.  These make the species highly vulnerable to exploitation. 

The ecological role of whale sharks is not yet fully understood but the links of these giants with other processes within an ecosystem cannot be underestimated.  Whale sharks are related to important ecological processes such as crab, fish and coral spawning.  As possible indicators of plankton-rich patches, whale sharks may be using baitfish to locate their prey.

A Time for Prayer

This spiritual linkage also nurtures forgiveness to the point that the leader learns not to blame others for his shortcomings.  Instead one discovers the wisdom to shed excess baggage and, feeding off a reservoir of positive energy, to resume his life’s journey from a fresh perspective.

At the same time, one learns the virtue of sacrifice, the ability to endure pain and suffering for a higher purpose.  He also becomes more resilient, better able to bounce back from adversity. 

Each time the leader rediscovers or reaffirms his place in the universe, he draws power from that inner spirit – what Oriented philosophers refers to as chi and what Star Wars mythology has made popular as the “Force”.  In simple terms, it is the ennobling and enabling power of love, a boundless spiritual energy that keeps him mindful and appreciative of every living moment. 

Armed with this, the leader is able to live – not just articulate – the values and principles he stands for.  From there, he has only to commit his best and trust that he will find the right way for others to follow.

 

Trust Who?

My heart pounds nowadays every time I hear my phone beep. I can’t help but think that there’s more bad news coming.  You can’t blame me though, because a recent experience made me think of something that I  have always taken for granted. I’ve always believed. I used to think that everyone else was just like me: carefree, unaffected and easily trusting. But my thoughts were proven wrong. 

I hurriedly grabbed my phone. I was surprised to find out that it was one of my close friend. What was far more surprising was her message. It was short and simple. But its impact was huge. I nearly lost my balance when I red her text in bold letters: “ I’M TWO MONTHS PRENANT. ”  For a moment I was stunned. I was replying to the text message: What happened? Did you tell anyone else?  All I got was a curt reply: “ NO ONE ELSE KNOWS. “  I felt bothered. I wanted to call her. But I didn’t know where to start.  I have always perceived her as the shy-typed and probably now ashamed to admit her condition.  I’m quite surprised that she told me, but somewhat relieved.  At least she trusted me. So I promised to never let her down. 

Sometimes the world can be so indifferent.  People can be so immature.  Sharing a part of yourself with others can be hard.  Looking for that elusive trustworthy someone then becomes a quest.  I have never put much thought on this matter, until I realized that trusting isn’t easy at all.  But do people today still have their own confidantes whom they can turn to in times of troubles? Or do they just keep it all to themselves?  I had to convinced.  So I made my own little survey. I tried to find out whom people trust and the reasons why they do so. Out of 100 respondents, my survey says: “ MOTHERS KNOW BEST. “

 

The Three of Life

Coconut Tree - The Tree of Life

You have eaten coconuts but have you seen coconut trees? 

Coconut trees grow in the lowlands and on mountainsides.  There are planted in towns by the roadside as decoration.  They grow up to thirty meters high or more.  They start bearing fruits when they are about seven years old.  They grow and live until they are about a hundred years or more. 

The coconut is often called “the tree of life” because it is very useful.  The stem may be used for building materials such as house posts.  The roots may be used as medicine, the leaves as house roofs or walls, the midrib of the leaves as brooms or baskets.  The husks can be made into doormats and the shell into buttons.

The inside shell is the coconut meat.  It contains pure water which is good to drink.  From its meat you can get milk for ginatan. 

Dried coconut meat is called copra.  Copra can be sold to other countries.  Manufacturers can get oil from copra which is needed for making soap, pomade and medicine. 

These are some of the most common uses of coconuts.  Do you see now why the tree is called “the tree of life?”

Photo courtesy:  ebible

Pollution

Pollution has bee as any significant change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of the air, water and land that many negatively affect mankind, whether directly by being harmful to people or indirectly by causing natural resources to deteriorate. 

Pollution can come from some natural processes such as volcanic eruption and erosion that accompanies heavy rains.  But nature can handle and cleanse itself from their type of pollution.  What it finds difficult to remedy in excessive pollution resulting from man’s activities. 

Air pollution comes mostly from industrial and motorized vehicles.  Water and land pollution come mostly from domestic agricultural and industrial wastes.  A major pollutant from agriculture is pesticide residues.  A major industry to pollution is the introduction of materials that do not decay (or non biodegradable materials) in the environment. 

Serious pollution problems are found in urban areas where may people live.  They also found in localities where there are highly pollution activities like tanning animals like for the manufacturing leather, hog raising, to name a few.

 

Philippine Climate

As you planned to visit the Philippines, I want to tell you the types of the Philippine climate.  We have four types of climate here in our country.  The latitude, surrounding bodies of water and mountains of the Philippines.  You will have understand why we have there types of climate.

First type:  Two pronounced season: dry from November to April, wet during the rest of the year.  All regions on the western part of the island of Luzon, Mindanao, Negros and Palawan are shielded by mountains from the northeast winds but open to the southwest winds.

Second type:  No dry with pronounced maximum rainy season from November to January in Catanduanes, Sorsogon, the eastern part of Albay, the eastern and western part of Camarinez Nortre and Camarines Sur, the eastern part of Quezon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao.  These regions are along or near the eastern coast.  They are not sheltered from the northeast winds and storms.

Third type:  Seasons are not very pronounced relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year.  Region with this type of climate are the western part of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, the eastern part of the Mountain Province, southern Quezon, Masbate, Romblon, northeast Panay, eastern Negros, central and southern Cebu, Northern Mindanao and Eastern Palawan.  These places are partly sheltered from the northeast winds but open to the Southwest winds and storms.

Fourth type:  Rainfall in more or less every evenly distributed throughout the year.  The regions with this type of climate are Batanes, Northern Luzon, Western Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, Albay, Eastern Mindanao, Marinduque, Northern Cebu and Negros, and most of Mindanao

Philippine Classical Music (5 of 5)

An unprecedented cultural renaissance in the country came with the building of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, established by the former First Lady, Imelda R. Marcos, and was formally opened to the world in 1969.  It has become the showcase for the works of Filipino artists in music, dance, drama and the visual arts.  It has presented various national and international festivals.  Celebrating its 20^th year in 1989, the Cultural Center held a year-long series of performances in retrospect for outstanding works of  Filipino composers, painters and choreographers.

Three important working agencies organized under the auspices of the Cultural Center are the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) established in 1973 to discover and nurture young musical talents through competitions in provincial, regional and national levels in piano, voice, solo instruments, chamber, family ensemble and ethnic music; the Philippine Society for Music Education (PSME) organized in 1971 to upgrade the teaching competencies of music teachers through training workshops and seminars; and the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines (PTGP) founded in 1973 to raise the teaching performance standards in piano through regional competitions and seminars.

Meanwhile the Cultural Center of the Philippines continues its functional role as the catalyzing factor in bringing cultural programs throughout the Philippines with its outreach program, promoting international cultural exchanges with foreign countries.  Its two-fold program promotes local artists and brings outstanding foreign performers to the Philippines to enhance the cultural scene.  Its resident orchestra, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of music director Oscar Yatco, carries a regular performing arts season throughout the year.

The Cultural Center places strong focus on the function of the arts in education for defining national identity, improving the quality of life of the people and the exaltation of the human spirit in the country’s development as a nation. – Dr. Lucrecia R. Kasilag

 

Philippine Classical Music (4 of 5)

One of the few music schools that were open during the war was the Philippine Conservatory of Music affiliated with the Philippine Women’s University, founded by vocal pedagogue Felicing Tirona, with select faculty from the UP Conservatory of Music in its roster.

The works of Japanese composers like Kozyak Yamada were performed in special concerts.  However, Japanese music left no imprint on the style and content of Philippine music.

Post-war/Contemporary Period (1946 to date)

After independence in 1946, Philippine music showed a marked growth in cultural consciousness and nationalism.  Music schools increased from the pre-war 12 to 33, offering Bachelor of Music courses in piano, voice, strings and wind instruments, music theory, composition and music education.  Some schools offer course for the Master of Music degree.

The League of Filipino Composers was established in 1955with 11 charter members.  Filipino composers continued writing major works using western idioms with conventional traditions utilizing folk themes and legends.  The concerto, symphony, symphonic poem, overture, suite, opera, choral, chamber, art song, ballet and incidental music were written during this period.  

Contemporary composers utilized percussive dissonance, polyrhythm, atonality, music concrete, electronic music, synthesis of East/West in fresher modes, producing works of distinct cultural personality.

The ethnomusicologist/composer Jose Maceda whose exposure to Asian music and Filipino tribal music has produced an embodiment of his advanced thinking combining sounds with 20^th century techniques in his avant-garde compositions.

Pioneering on the synthesis of East/West idioms, this writer has utilized ethnic Filipino/Asian instruments in her works.  The younger group of composers led by Ramon P. Santos and Francisco P. Feliciano and followers like Ruben Federizon have pursued Asian environmental orientation, producing avant-garde works like Santos’ Singaw for jew’s harp, takumbo, gongs, violin, and Tinig for voices and percussions;  Federizon’s Gabag-an for voices and ethnic instruments, and Tinig ng Lupa (Song of the Earth).