Spirituality Guide

Plato’s Phaedo records Socrates last moments. Socrates explains that death is just the separation of the soul from the body. He further explains that a philosopher seeks understanding and refrains from bodily pleasures. The ultimate purification of the philosopher’s soul would be attained at the time when the soul separates from the body or in death. This is the reason why Socrates is not afraid of death or complains about it.

When Cebes asks Socrates why he believes that the soul is immortal and retains the wisdom gain in this life, Socrates explains this by recalling the principle of paired opposites. That is, “whatever comes to be comes out of its opposite or a cycle”.

Based on the paired opposites theory, it therefore follows that life ends in death and death must give way to life. Another theory Socrates in support of the immortality of the soul is the theory of Recollection. This theory is about deja vu or a feeling that we experience something before in the past life, recalled by our senses as ideas or forms. The forms are gained from experiences in the past life. They are not part of us because these ideas manifest on certain occasions. Forms serve as the basis of the doctrine of Reincarnation.

Therefore, the soul does not simply dissolve upon death. Like ideas or form it is indestructible and immortal. The ideas or Forms prove the immortality of the soul and the fact that the soul always implies life , as Socrates would have it.

There is a moment I long for
A moment my soul has craved
A stillness -
Buried deep in my heart
Unperturbed, undeclared.

Be still my restless heart
Listen and be still
For all of your deep longings
There is no cure but
A breathe of peace…

I search for peace
Wrench me from melancholy!
Be still my restless heart,
My soul won’t rest
Til I found peace in Thee.

I was scanning thru my old files when I stumbled on a song I wrote sometime in 2002. I just wanna share it here with you.
Hope you like it.

Whole Again

I

Feeling so lost, adrift
Looking without seeing
As the dawn breaks
My mind’s cloud with worries
Wondering what fate awaits
And in these moments of uncertainties
I close my eyes
And my thoughts turn to you….

Refrain or Chorus:

Coz you are my world, my everything
The reason my heart is beating
There’s joy in living since I found you
With you there’s nothing I can’t do
And if I could make one dream come true
I just wanna go on loving you……

II

The future still looks uncertain
The road’s full of twists and turns
I don’t have all the answers
And things may not turn out right
But one thing I’m sure of
As long as you’re by my side
As long as you’re in my heart
The emptiness will subside
(Repeat Chorus)

Coda:

In my darkest hours
It’s good to know
That there’s someone I can cljng on to
Jesus- I only have to utter your name
And I will be made whole again
You heal all my pains
And make me whole again….

I find Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown a truly haunting tale.
It spoke of a young man named Goodman out on the forest with the devil.

Through the covenant Goodman has made with the Devil, he has agreed to leave his wife, Faith, and walk through the forest with the Devil for one night as the Devil attempts to convert Goodman from Christianity.

Goodman enters into this task with great resolve that his survival and test of faith will not change, but the depth of his faith is fairly easily uprooted.

As Goodman and the Devil are walking, Goodman comes upon his old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, who is headed to the Devil’s meeting that Goodman is being led to. Goodman is stunned at the sight of her, as he had considered her his moral and spiritual guide.

This is the beginning of where Goodman’s faith fails. As Goodman continues on, he sees many of the townspeople he had respected and admired so much for their devout faith in God.

Goodman’s faith begins to crumble because his Achilles heel was the pride he had in believing he was a pious man. His faith was never based on an internal relationship with God; instead, his faith was mirrored and reflected by the community he revered. As those around him showed their true following, Goodman lost all faith, and became empty.

He did not actually convert to a non-believer as others had done. But still, he chooses an equally dangerous path. By losing his faith in everything even in his loved ones, Goodman merely exists and not lives. He believes that faith has failed him and he turns his anger to the world. He sees everything as evil and not worthy of his trust even his new bride.

The Bible tells us that it isn’t enough to have faith to be able to live life. Hope and love are necessary ingredients in a fulfilled, happy life.

Goodman Brown lives on his fragile faith alone. And his lack of faith quashes what little hope he has. His biggest loss is his inability to love. Because he distances himself from others and judges them, he fails to see them as individuals worthy of his love.

Love the sinner, hate their sins. That is the core of Christian religion. And because Goodman Brown fails to grasp the importance of love above all, he fails to live meaningfully. He ends up a failure. He dies lonely and alone. Goodman Brown was buried with “no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.”

One day, the wind and sun had a debate on which of them was the stronger.

To stop the debate, they decided to conduct a test that would settle the matter once and for all.

Along came a man who was wearing a thick coat. The wind suggested that the one who can make the man remove the coat will be judged the stronger.

The sun agreed.

It was the wind’s turn first. So he blew and blew to force the man to undo his jacket. But the opposite happened. The man only held on tighter to his coat.

Not wanting to quit, the wind blew with all his might. Much to his dismay, the man seemed bent on holding on to his coat much tighter, if possible, than before!

The wind gave up. And told the sun to do his stuff.

The sun said to the wind, “I just smile at the man. If he won’t take his coat off then I smile and smile some more.”

The sun did as he said.

The man took off his coat in no time at all(!), to the wind’s utter amazement.

Morale: The use of force is never fruitful. More can be accomplished with a smile!

We had a tour in a furniture factory when the guide called our attention. He said, “Take a look at this oak.” We all gathered to observe the piece of wood.

“This oak is the finest timber of its kind. You know why?” He asked. “The secret to its perfect graining is just this: it grew up in a place where it constantly struggle against storms.”

What an evocative statement! It speaks volumes about life.

Life inevitably exposes us to constant conflicts. Sometimes, it seems as if there is no end in sight. But just like the oak, the more we struggle and overcome; the stronger and more beautiful we become.

God uses us for a greater purpose. A purpose which is beyond our minds can possibly fathom. All we have to do is trust Him. Just like the finest oak wood reserved only for the finest furniture, God will harness us only for His finest undertaking.

Most people in our place are Chanteus. That is, people who love to sing. Being a local, I hate to be on the ‘outside’. So, even though I could not carry a tune at first, I forced myself to belt out a song. To remain true to my identity, so to speak.

It didn’t take long before I realize that singing takes a lot of discipline. And no matter how much I love singing, at some point, I concede that singing does not love me. So why bother?

But my months of toil finally paid off. My voice can finally give justice to a song. Of course I’m no Celine Dione. ….. but I did my best. Just goes to show that what you cannot reap with sheer talent, you reap with sheer force! I mean determination….

(A toast to the Newlyweds)

Look back to this day and know –
that love is here, today, in our midst.

Enveloping us. With its binding force as we tread the path of uncertainty.
Uniting us. Two hearts beating as one. Two bodies yet one soul.
Unveiling us. As we discover little things about each other day by day.

Love is faith as we shrug off doubts, discouragements and impossibilities.
It is hope as we hold on to the possibility of true love.
It is recognition of our hearts as we find each other amidst the sea of nameless people.
It is a choice. Vows broken; vows renewed over and over again.
It is a ban from oblivion of the unspoken promises made long ago in the deepest, most sacred recesses of our hearts.

For today merely confirms what we already know all along. That, love made us for each other; and you and I are made for love!

I received a post from a friend based in US yesterday. She thanked me for the time we spent together while she was here. And for the long talks we had regarding some problems. Another friend from UK wrote me an email detailing her woes and asking for my opinion. Still, another friend from Canada chatted with me to ask for advice on his love problems.

I do not really consider myself good at dishing advices. But they needed help. I could not just turn a blind eye to my friends’ plight.

What I learned from my friends though is that in life we have Inconveniences - and then we have Problems.

When your loved one is very sick and you have no money for the hospital- that is a problem.

When you have no food on the table and you have a family to feed- that too is a problem.

When you see your loved ones deteriorating due to their vices then you have a problem.

Problems are obstacles that demand a lot from you. That do not go away with the passing of time. That you need to ACT ON in order to solve.

The rest are inconveniences.

I’ve read somewhere that the secret to a happy life is knowing what ‘to overlook’. The secret is in choosing your battles carefully. You do not act and feel deflated on every inconvenience that come your way.

In short, you do not sweat out the small stuff. Reserve your energy for the things that truly matter. And you will be better able to tackle them.

So when faced with an obstacle next time, try to figure out if this is just an inconvenience or it is truly a problem. This way you know what to prioritize. And you will not squander your energies on the small stuffs leaving you drained to face the REAL problems.

It’s that time of the year.
No I’m not talking about Christmas but our colorful local celebration called Fiesta.
Fiesta is Spanish for feast. Being a Spanish colony for 333 years, Philippines imbibed some of its colorful customs which we practice up to now.
Every November 21 of the year, our city celebrates the Feast Day in Honor of the Virgin of the Rule. It is interesting to note that despite its pagan connotations, the fiesta is actually in veneration of the Mama Mary.

Like any typical Filipino fiesta (and this is really typical here), our city is filled with pilgrims from all places and all walks of life. Even relatives from as far as the North America, Europe, Australia, etc. would come home just to partake in the celebration!

Roasted pig or the lechon would be the centerpiece at the buffet table. Hundreds of guests ranging from acquaintances to close family friends to total strangers would flock to our house. It is akin to the Americans’ Thanksgiving Day only to much grander, more elaborate scale.

I attended the nine-day novena from Nov. 12 to Nov. 20. A novena consists of daily prayers and holy mass. During the novena, we made our petitions. Petitions are the prayers that you hope to be granted.

Petitions may not be granted all the time. But, it is baby steps towards spiritual renewal and transformation. If you become a renewed person, then all your petitions will come true.

How do I know this? Because by then, you will only want what God wants for you. You become so attuned to Him that you only crave to do His will. And that’s how prayers do its seeming magic!

I read an article a few days ago about the “Children of the Light” phenomenon. Very interesting piece!

It talks about people who were proclaimed clinically dead for several minutes. Then they resurrected from the ‘dead’. The term ‘Children of the Light’ was coined because when these people recount their experiences all of them recall seeing a bright light that seemed to guide them.

I personally know a person that experienced such phenomenon. Let’s call him Alex. Alex had both asthma and allergy attack. When he got to the hospital, he was proclaimed DOA. He was clinically dead for 10 minutes.

During the 10mins. that he was supposed to be dead, he saw himself walking inside a dark tunnel. There was a huge, bright light at the end. When he got near the light, he saw his long-time dead friend telling Alex to follow him. So Alex did. But before he could do so, a huge television screen appeared before him. He saw himself in the screen from the time he was little until old age. All the sins that he committed was played on the giant tv. Before the movie of his life ended, he fell down from a seemingly huge mountain. The next thing he knew he was back in his body and was gasping for air.

He was so thirsty that he drank a pitcher of water. Recovery was very speedy. He was out of the hospital in a few days. And to think that he was declared dead for a few minutes!

There did not seem to be any scientific explanation at all for this ‘Children of the Light’ phenomena. But the number of people who came back after being proclaimed clinically dead is too large to be ignored.

Whatever this phenomenon is, it only serves to awaken whatever latent questions we have concerning the after-life. Maybe it offers us a glimpse of what the real afterlife experience will be.

Once in a while, it is good to look back at the folly of yesteryears and be amazed at the grip it still holds on you, despite the distance that gulfed thru time.

I was in Grade 4 when I crossed path with a girl who later on become a dear friend. It was a ‘bond’ at first sight. It was so easy to tell that she had the makings of a best friend. We looked alike, talked alike even dressed alike. And what’s more we think alike! Or so, I thought.

I remember distinctly a discussion we had about things in general. The one thing that stood out in my mind was when I asked her how she coped with bothersome things, she simply said, “I pray.”

My brows furrowed. For a while, I was speechless. She what? I asked myself repeatedly - with disbelief. She prayed? My young mind could not fathom then how prayers could solve problems.

I mean seriously - I act, I decide, I plan, I overcome, etc. These are the most obvious courses of action when faced with problems. Right?

But pray? Where’s the fun in praying? It’s the antithesis of action.
How can being passive like praying solve problems?

These questions and more somehow served as the impetus that marked the beginning of probably the longest and most arduous journey of my life - to learn to pray!

Yup! To pray- as simple as that. But the journey thru the years made me realized that prayer is anything but simple. It’s one of intricacies of human nature - easily said but difficult to assimilate. To some, it is just a perfunctory endeavor. To others, it is a way of life.

My journey progressed from uttering mere formula prayers to formulating own prayers to finally praying from the heart. The most difficult part in praying I discovered is not in learning to pray sincerely. It is in the waiting for an answer to the prayer.

Patience is not exactly one of my strong points. I found it hard to remain still and listen to God’s little voice sometimes. And occasionally, when I finally hear His voice, I struggled against it. But in the end, I realized that His will is always perfect. That no matter how hurt and uncooperative I was at the beginning, everything always turned out for the best if I put everything in His hands in the first place.

Prayer is not just communicating to God. It is more like God communicating to us. How we act on the wisdom He entrusted to us will spell the difference between mere prayer and praying from the heart.

A man secured a license to operate the first strip club in town.
This, of course, incurred the ire of the pious, church people.
The church people remonstrated against the move. They opposed the strip club vehemently. They brought their complaint to the town hall who merely shrugged off their concerns.
Their voice went unheeded which, more than anything else; only served to fan their antagonism further.
So they gathered in prayer rallies, lit candles, begged on their knees and turned to God for help.
Divine intervention came in the form of lightning.
A few days before the strip club opened, the edifice was hit by lightning and it burned to the ground.
The church people rejoiced.
But their jubilation was short-lived.
The strip club owner did not find the whole thing amusing.
He sued the church people for arson saying their prayers caused his building to burn down.
The church people denied the charge intensely saying there was no proof that their prayers were responsible for the fire.
On the first day of hearing, the ensuing debate over ‘who was responsible for what’ became ugly as both parties traded accusations.

At the end of the hearing the judge has this to say, “I don’t know what to rule. It seems ironic but evidently the strip club owner believes in the power of prayer and the church people don’t.”

I found the song ‘Angels Brought Me Here’ by Guy Sebastian truly memorable. It was the final song Carrie Underwood sang that sealed her fate. It put the last nail in Bo Bice’s coffin, so to speak. And earned Carrie the undisputed American Idol’s grand plum.

I downloaded the song and hum it quietly, even loudly at times. Then I realized that what made the song memorable for me is the fact that it actually spoke glimmers of truth which we often overlooked.

Angels are indeed everywhere. They are miracles in life. They lead us to the right path when we are too blind to see it. And they help us make our dreams come true.

The angels I am referring to may not necessarily be those winged celestial beings we often see in white garb complete with halos around their heads.
Nope.
I believe Angels abound because ALL of US, at one time or another, have played Angel’s role to someone else’s.

We become angels when we would rather give people a lift instead of another load. When we uphold righteousness when it would have been easier to succumb to wrongdoing. When we decide to take a positive outlook and not wallow in negativity. These and a thousand other little things define our idea of angels.

‘Angels Brought Me Here’ is a fitting tribute to every little act of kindness people bestow on each other. And it goes to all angels in our midst ……….. to all of us!

Angel is my thirteen-year-old niece. I saw her blossomed from a little girl playing with dolls to a prim, pretty young lady.

She was always full of vitality. That, at times, I wonder where she got all that energy.

But one day, instead of the usual smile there was a frown on her pretty face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, deeply concerned.

Angel was watching television and she turned it off when I approached.

“Nothing.” She quickly replied.

Not wanting to let the matter rest, I pressed further for answers- gently. “You look…..disturb. What’s the matter? Come on, I’m your auntie, you can tell me anything.”

I sensed some hesitation but later she acquiesced.

“Promise you won’t tell?” Angel asked.

“Yup. I promise.”

“Well…..” She started rather hesitantly, “you see…. I have a huge crush on this really cute guy. But … I found out just today that he has a girlfriend already.” She paused and a hurt expression crossed her face then added, “It makes me feel…so bad.” Angel’s voice cracked.

My face lit as comprehension dawned.

Ah! Young love.

So that’s what this is all about. My niece has just experienced her first heartbreak. Perhaps one of the many she would experience later on.

I could still recall my first love. I sighed at the memories.
But that was another story.
Obviously, she needed my advice.

“Well…” It was my turn to stammer as I groped for the right words to say. I had a feeling that whatever I say now would probably have a lasting effect on her. So I chose my words carefully. “Does he know you like him?”

My niece shook her head.

“Well… see, he must have really meant something for you to feel this way.”

“Yes.”

“I know that you feel rotten right now. And that is okay. He was your first love. But, as long as you won’t let it affect your studies. …. Love isn’t always about heartbreak though. One day you will meet a guy who will truly love you and will make you happy. Your crush is probably not the right guy for you yet.”

“It doesn’t feel that way now.”

“Yeah. I know. Sooner or later you’ll forget him and move on and find another. The right guy is the one who will finally stay. And the sooner you accept the fact that he wasn’t the right guy for you, the sooner you can move on.”

“You think so auntie? Will I really find someone I will like and who will like me in return?”

“Are you kidding? Of course you will!” I said resolutely as I tried to soothe her wounded ego with words. “When I was your age, I used to think that way too. But as I grew older I learned that love will always find you - if you believe it will.”

Angel smiled quite tentatively. I was glad to see her smile.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes.” She replied. “A bit. Thanks Auntie.”

“By the way, who is this mysterious guy who broke your heart? Do I know him?”

“Of course you do. Everybody does.”

“Why? Is he a classmate? I think I know all your classmates.”

“No Auntie. He’s not a classmate.”

“A neighbor then?”

Angel shook her head and smiled.

I racked my brains for a name but nothing came to mind so I raised my arms in capitulation. “I give up. Who is he?”

“His name is Leo.”

“Leo? I don’t know any Leo.”

“Yes you do.” My niece firmly insisted. “His full name is Leonardo DiCaprio.”