At the close of July, many of us became deeply concerned about the condition of our nation's water supply. Reports regarding the water levels of Angat Dam, Ipo Dam, and Pantabangan Dam reminded us of how vulnerable our communities are to drought and water shortages. Water is life, and when the reservoirs that sustain millions … Continue reading From Prayer for Rain to Service for the People: The Continuing Call of the Binabaylan
Aghamic Teachings
From Mystic Outlaw to Spiritual Sovereign: The Modern Blueprint of Papa Isio and the Babaylan Legacy
In an era defined by severe climate crises, unchecked deforestation of sacred spaces like the Sierra Madre and Sibuyan Island, and a deep public yearning for systemic accountability, many find themselves asking: Where do we turn when the systems meant to protect us fail? To find the answer, we must look to the rugged peaks … Continue reading From Mystic Outlaw to Spiritual Sovereign: The Modern Blueprint of Papa Isio and the Babaylan Legacy
The Spirit of the Whirlwind: The Historical Rebellion of Dios Buhawi and His Legacy for Modern Anituhan
History is not merely a record of the past; it is a landscape of living spirits, continuous struggles, and ancestral resilience. In the 1880s, amidst the sweeping sugar plantations and heavily policed coastal towns of Negros Oriental, the colonial authorities enforced an absolute monopoly of the mind and body. Under the union of the Spanish … Continue reading The Spirit of the Whirlwind: The Historical Rebellion of Dios Buhawi and His Legacy for Modern Anituhan
Reclaiming the Sacred Touch: How the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan is Reconnecting the Filipino Diaspora to Their Ancestral Roots
When I was younger, I walked from door to door looking for work as a traditional Manghihilot (Filipino traditional healer). Every door slammed shut. The modern world dismissed my calling as "unscientific" and "not evidence-based." In a society deeply colonized by Western medical and religious systems, our indigenous ways of healing were marginalized, misunderstood, and … Continue reading Reclaiming the Sacred Touch: How the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan is Reconnecting the Filipino Diaspora to Their Ancestral Roots
Reclaiming the Altar at Your Feet: How Hermano Pule Pioneer-Mapped Modern Anituhan and Indigenous Sovereignty
In the landscape of modern spiritual tourism, we are often told that the divine is a destination. We pack our bags for Mount Banahaw or buy tickets to Siquijor, implicitly accepting a corporate, commercialized narrative: that holiness is a monopoly hoarded by specific geographic check-points. But what if the ground you currently stand on—your apartment … Continue reading Reclaiming the Altar at Your Feet: How Hermano Pule Pioneer-Mapped Modern Anituhan and Indigenous Sovereignty
The Myth of Cosmic Guilt: Why Indigenous Spiritualities Have No Concept of “Sin”
When European explorers and Christian missionaries first sailed to the shores of the Americas, Africa, and the Philippine archipelago, they carried with them a specific spiritual vocabulary. Central to their worldview were the concepts of inherent human fallenness, divine judgment, and a burning underworld reserved for the damned. For centuries, colonizers tried to translate these … Continue reading The Myth of Cosmic Guilt: Why Indigenous Spiritualities Have No Concept of “Sin”
The Bornean Prince of the Tagalogs: How Don Pedro Ladia’s Sovereign Legacy Links Templong Anituhan Inc. to the Broad Fabric of Southeast Asian Spiritual Liberty
History is often reduced to artificial borders, but the ancient spirits of maritime Southeast Asia have always recognized a borderless world. In 1643, a powerful political and spiritual storm erupted in Malolos, Bulacan. It was spearheaded by a man whose true nationality and royal lineage defied the colonial mapping of the Spanish Empire. His name … Continue reading The Bornean Prince of the Tagalogs: How Don Pedro Ladia’s Sovereign Legacy Links Templong Anituhan Inc. to the Broad Fabric of Southeast Asian Spiritual Liberty
The Unbroken Thread: How the Triumvirate of Panay Defied the Cross and Echoes into the Modern Altar
History is written by the conquerors, but the soul of a people is preserved by its vessels. In the late 16th century, between 1580 and 1590, the lush interior of Panay Island became the battlefield for one of the earliest, most sophisticated spiritual counter-offensives against European colonization. As Spanish Dominican and Catholic authorities aggressively rolled … Continue reading The Unbroken Thread: How the Triumvirate of Panay Defied the Cross and Echoes into the Modern Altar
The Guardian of the Animist Cosmology: Reclaiming the Landas ng Lahi with Babaylan Estrella Bangotbanwa
In the modern world of concrete, screens, and constant noise, a quiet but powerful longing is stirring in the hearts of many Filipinos. It is a yearning to reconnect with the soil, to speak to the ancestors, and to remember a time when the world was alive with spirit. To find our way back, we … Continue reading The Guardian of the Animist Cosmology: Reclaiming the Landas ng Lahi with Babaylan Estrella Bangotbanwa
The Forgotten Pillars of the Tamblot Uprising: How Five Babaylan Weaponized Pre-Colonial Spirituality Against Spain
Mainstream Philippine history textbooks often paint the Tamblot Uprising (1621–1622) as the singular act of one charismatic Boholano shaman. But behind Tamblot’s prophetic declarations was a highly organized, regional network of spiritual leaders who turned the rugged interior of Bohol into a fortress of native resistance. When Jesuit missionaries began forcing the indigenous population into … Continue reading The Forgotten Pillars of the Tamblot Uprising: How Five Babaylan Weaponized Pre-Colonial Spirituality Against Spain