Kamusta mga Kalahi!

How is life going on? How is your relationship with the Diwata that have called you? Is everything doing fine? I know that working out a relationship with our Diwata is very challenging. When the time I started to embrace them it was to challenging as well for me. Do you know what kind of challenges I face at that time?

1. There are no established Churches that would help me to know and understand the Diwata

2. There is no Bible to read about the works of the Diwata so that we could worship them.

3. There are no live person who worship the Diwata even the Indigenous people who used to worship them are hiding or now becomes a Christian by force.

But I am still grateful that some of their names can be found in the library as part of anthropological, sociological research as well as fiction literature. But how did I do in working with the Diwata. Is our Idea is to build a church for the Diwata? 

Well to answer that is no. We do not have a plan to build a Church for the Diwata that is the Same with Christianity. Christian Churches is like a Fence where a Pastor put all their sheep in it. That was exactly how Jesus described it in their Bible. And that what happened literally in Colonization. The priest and missionary converts people to become Christian and when they do, they imprisoned them into the Church. and every day, every week, the bread of life (which for them is the Gospel is being read to them so that the Priest, Pastor, Missionary would influence the mind of the people on what to believe in such as in brain washing or mind control in a form of homily or sermon)

But our Diwata want us to be free from slavery and colonization. As the Diwata does not dwell in the Church or outside us but the Diwata is always within us with our soul. 

The Diwata have revealed themselves to us as DIWA ng TAo or the Mind of Mankind. So that means, every individual that has mind, the Diwata lives with them. And everyone of us, whether Nabansagan or not have their own Diwata just waiting for that person to be awakened that the Diwata may workout again in your life. You as a person or individual who received name from the Diwata is the Church of the Diwata. This church is not lead by other person who will claim as a Priest, nor Bishop nor Cardinal nor Pope. It is you who have personal connection to your own Diwata and all your actions and movement in life is the Ritual Ceremony for your Diwata. Even me that you call as Apu has no power over your relationship with the Diwata. What i can only do is share my personal experiences in working with my personal Diwata and pray for you to my Diwata. 

In  terms of having a Bible or compendium of books that give instructions and information about the Diwata, we do not have that, but the good news is, we have you and we can write down our experiences in working with our Diwata. Since the bible is also a collection of peoples experiences who used to worship Middle Eastern Diwata named Yahweh and Jesus Christ,that they write it in a book which they call either as Torah, Bible and Quran. So as we who are working now with the Diwata can write our own experiences with the Diwata.

So how we could do that? Do you need to attend all the webinars and Trainings provided by Apu Adman and Luntiang Aghama? No! not necessary though what we provide could help you gain skills and strengthen your faith to the Diwata, but we encourage that you develop your own means how you can strengthen your relationship with the Diwata. There should be no third party in this relationship. It is like I just introduce you to a new person and after that Im gone in the scene, and what happens next is up to you, which is you can be a good friend at first then later on it will develop into a romantic relationship then you become a life time partner in marriage. 

So the question now, How we could know and understand our Diwata? You can do that by having a devotion.

So let me share to you our By Laws and Constitution regarding Devotion:

ARTICLE 3 SECTION 10 MEMBERSHIP DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 1. Individual members of the Shrine who was Nabansagan or received their Indigenous Filipino Name are responsible to their own Spiritual Growth with the Doctrinal Guidance of the Shrine.

Section 2. Each Nabansagan have received the name of the Diwata that have reclaimed them. The name of the Diwata has been revealed unto them, so that the Nabansagan may call them in their Daily Devotion to develop relationship with their personal Diwata.

Section 3. Daily devotion to the Diwata consist of Prayer either in spoken words or written address to the Diwata, Atang either food offering, water/ wine, tobacco, song, dance and whatever that comes to the mind of the Devotee as being told by the Diwata.

Section 4.   Atang in food, water/wine and tobacco must be consumed by the Devotee during their Devotion as they utter their spoken words or read their written prayers. Song, Dance or Playing Musical instrument can be done as a form of prayer offering.

Section 5.  In Prayer, you call upon the name of the Diwata, mention your legal birth name and your nabansagan name indicating Luntiang Aghama for example:

“ Diwatang Mayari! I am Rolando Gomez Comon that is now known as Apu Adman of Luntiang Aghama….”  Then say the Good Things that you want to thank the Diwata for, and after that say the bad things and all other things that you want the Diwata will help you with. After you said your desires and wishes, make a promise to the Diwata of the things you will do as the Diwata works out in manifesting all your desires and wishes. Then seal your prayer with the name of the Diwata such as Mayari Na or May all these things happen through you my Diwata.

Section 6. Prayer should come naturally to all members of Luntiang Aghama with continues practice. You may start composing prayers by writing it and as you recite it you may recite it with spoken words or by singing. As time pass by, your prayer moment will advance and you will notice aside from praying you are already dancing.

Section 7. The essence of true devotion is based on Knowledge, Understanding, Trust, Love and Faithfulness.

7.1. Knowledge comes during the time of your Bansagan Naming Ceremony at that time the name of the Diwata have been revealed to you;

7.2. So, your duty now is to understand the nature of the Diwata by calling them through prayer and making research about the Diwata through books, written article in the Internet.

7.3. If you do not find any information about the Diwata in books or internet, then ask directly the Diwata to reveal themselves to you. I’ll give you simple ritual that you can do in asking Diwata to reveal themselves.

Prepare all materials you will need in this simple ritual. You will need candle and incense. Match or lighter. Glass of Water and Pen and Paper. You may perform this in front of your altar while sitting, if you do not have yet an altar it is okay in any place where you can sit and light candles and incense on which you will not be disturbed. And if everything is prepared, you may begin.

Take a deep breath. Set your mind that you are going to call and meet the Diwata. Continue breathing and relax your mind and all parts of your body. When you are ready. Light the Candle and say: “I am Lighting this Candle in the name of my Diwata (state the name of your Diwata you are Calling)”. After you light the candle make it stand on the table. Then, now light the incense stick and Say: “With this incense I call the Presence of My Diwata (state the name of the Diwata)”. Then place the incense stick on its holder and make it stand beside the candle. Then sit back, take a deep breath and call the Diwata.

As you inhale, imagine that you are going into your self to find the Diwata, then as you breath out in your mind imagine that you are calling the name of the Diwata. Or you may just call the name of the Diwata repeatedly by chanting their names such as: Mayari, Mayari, Mayari, Mayari…..  for 5 minutes or longer, chant the name of your Diwata. As you do this, observe how you feel and the flow of thoughts in your mind. Record that experience in your notebook/journal. Continue doing this and familiarize the energies of your Diwata. As you continue this practice, you may ask question to the Diwata and observe the flow of your thoughts so as your emotion as from there the Diwata will answer you.

7.4.  As understanding of the Diwata comes to you through Prayer and Meditation, developing trust is your next job which is in doing simple spell or petition. Do the same procedure as described in Article 3 Section 7.3 but this time you talk to the Diwata and will ask some favor. So before doing this, you have to make a representation of your wish for example You need Financial Success as your wish so an example representation of that wish could be a Wallet or coin purse. In your prayer you will say to the Diwata, I am offering you this wallet or coin purse in exchange for my financial success then tell to your Diwata why you need this In your life. But be open also to the response of the Diwata as you pray the Diwata may reveal to you, other important things by making it flash in your mind.

7.5. Upon the Diwata manifesting your wish, Trust has been established so as Love develop. Now this will be your personal workings on how will you show your love to the Diwata this means a Big work for you. Such as how do we show love to our parents? To our partner? To our Children? The Diwata now becomes part of your life so share your love to the Diwata as the Diwata have always loved you.

7.6 Lastly, Faithfulness is asked from you. As time pass by, we as human change so as our relationship with the Diwata change and faithfulness challenge us to remain in the love of the Diwata. So in order to become faithful, we have to start again everyday to know, understand, trust and love the Diwata that we may become faithful to them.

Section 8.  The Shrine provides each member to grow their Spiritual Life through our Bi Monthly meeting through our New Moon and Full Moon Gathering.

            8.1. New Moon Gathering are solely exclusive gathering for the Nabansagan Members of the Shrine.

            8.2. Full Moon Gathering is inclusive and open to the Public Gathering which we held online for people to gain information and experience of what we do in the Shrine which mostly is the Ritual Aralan.

Section 9. Each member may accelerate their rank by enrolling to our Paid Ministerial Skills Development Courses.

            9.1 Hilot Binabaylan Certification & Ordination. A ministerial skills development course that aims to initiate an individual in healing works specializing in Philippine Indigenous Traditional Medicine. This includes the Tawas Filipino Traditional Diagnosis & Divination and Kilubansa Elemental Name Energetic Balance Analysis.

            9.2. Sibulan Adlaw Tala Baybayin Mystic Oracle Certification.

            9.3 Vedavica Tarot Divinatory Certification

Section 10. Our Aghamic Divinity and Ministry Course are initially free of charge as it aims to initiate the individual in getting to know the Divine and develop their own skills in Ministering to the People. This will take a course of time until all subjects in the curriculum by the individual.

Section 11. Giving monetary to support the Shrine is not required but we welcome each member in making pledges financially to support our Shrine and Honor it as sacred.

Section 12. Like any other organization, the Shrine is incorporated by Trust among its members to one another in sharing one’s knowledge and in exhortations towards the spiritual advancement and development in order to attain each individual goal of achieving enlightenment and in serving each individual purpose in life.

Section 13. The Shrine, on its capacity and authority has the right to refuse, revoke, disown, and terminate any member who do not conform and cause disruption, defamation and deliberately violate these by-laws