December is our Founding Anniversary month as on the 13th of December we started forming our Group as Luntiang Aghama. The whole month signifies a New Begining for us as during this month we observe the new birth of the Sun in celebrating yule so as on the 10th of December, I personally commemorate to Honor the Birth of my Maternal Grand Mother Dona Loreta Payco Vda de Gomez so as on the 12th of December the Birth of my Father Tatay Rolando Dolar Comon which my legal name was derived.
This 13th of December we are turning 22 as we continue our works in Luntiang Aghama in sharing the sacred Wisdom of our Ancestors. Indeed that Luntiang Aghama is a Wiccan Church in the Philippines but prior to being Wiccan we are Filipino, and part of the teaching of the Wiccan Tradition that we belong is to become a Nativist.
Though what makes me to be fascinated on the Religion of Wicca is the practice of Magick, but the Correllian Nativist Tradition change how I view Magick that it leads me to dig deeper on the Indigenous Spritual Tradition, Beliefs and practices of our Filipino Ancestors.
It was through the Correllian Shaman Class that made me realize the importance of our myths, legends and folktales though what I learned in this Class is about Cherokee Shamanism but the lessons that I learned from here made me ask question and look back to our very own Spiritual Tradition, Beliefs and Practices.
Though most of the myths and legend are rarely written on manuscripts and books, but we are still lucky enough that even though rare we can still find some in history books, literature and internet. And most important is that when we talk to older people and some people living in rural areas, these lost knowledge that we are seeking such as folktales and superstitions are still treasured in the memories of the common people.
And we have collected that knowledge through our Educational Ministry/Seminary which is the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan.
People might think that Hilot is not a Religion but a Health Care practices, but even though the principle of Hilot in Healing ca not be separated to Spirituality such as when the Spirit left the Physical Body it will meant death to a Person.
And I was also encouraged by my French Student as he respond to my Question, asking him What is the Traditional Indigenous Religion of France, He said that he do not know as he see that French People are not interested so much in Religion as their History Tells that religion has brought so much bloodshed in their land that the people are being traumatized for almost Generations past. He also said that we are just a young Nation and been blessed that we still remember our past compared to them that their memories of their indigenous life has been covered by blood through Colonization and Domination.
We as Filipino are still so Blessed that we still remember who we are prior to Colonization. But we still must be vigilant towards the new ideas being introduced to infiltrate on our own Culture and Tradition. Because if we do not step up and tell what is our own, the one being newly introduced will be said to be originally part of our Tradition which is not. Such as there is a new group of Manghihilot that teach that Vigan Nutrition is part of the Ancient Healing Practices of our Ancestors. Which I step up that it is not. According to Atmos, veganism as a terminology was first coined in 1944 by a British Woodworker named Donald Watson and in 1951, the first wave of veganism started by establishing The Vegan Society.
Though, we personally respect the Idea of Veganism, but infiltrating its existence to be part of Hilot Practice is very wrong. That will be very misleading and deceptive. It is the same thing that we Filipino’s are being introduced to be the Only Christian Nation in South East Asia, whereas Christianity nor Islam is not Indigenous to our land, so as Buddhism and Hinduism.
We know that Christianity arrived in our land because of Colonization of Spain. So as Islam spread in our Country because of Trade Fair. Hinduism and Buddhism reached our Land because of an Empire expansion. But prior to that Historical events, our Ancestors already have our Spiritual Beliefs and practices. And these practices is what we Enshrined in Luntiang Aghama. We are re cultivating it in this present time that we may preserve it that our Future Generation may still know and practice it.
As members of Luntiang Aghama, we practice Magick in its real sense that Magick which means wise such as the practice of Filipino Magick means the practice of the knowledge and Wisdom bestowed unto us by our Filipino Ancestors.
Dambana ng Luntiang Aghama 