Of Higher Order

Spiritism, when it reached the islands, evolved into something more mysterious, the enigma lies in the fact Filipinos do not just communicate with spirits of the departed but with spirits, eventually, of a higher order. For how can necromancy go wrong if practitioners of the craft are not only in communication with the dead but rather with the living? And when they say it’s the living, they are referring to angels and saints and, are you ready for this? Even God Himself.

If spiritualism in the Philippine has indeed involved direct communication with the saints, angels and even God, would it not be accurate to claim that Spiritualism, in the archipelago had indeed reached the highest order possible. For here, ordinary men and women could speak to St. Peter or St. Michael or even God, the Father about a lot of themes from the current politics to the salvation of the soul.

But spiritualism in the Philippines has indeed involved direct communication with the saints, angels and even God, would it not be accurate to claim that Spiritualism, in the Archipelago has indeed reached the highest order possible. For here, ordinary men and women could speak to St. Peter or St. Michael or even God, the Father about a lot of themes from the current politics to the salvation of the soul.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, just as the young republic struggled to stand its ground against western domination, the santos boses (holy voice) fabricated by the elementals of the Banahaw range merged with espiritistas to bring about a stronger following that will flower in the lowlands. The flower of the fall was in toxic bloom. Using the medium, and after ritualistic prayers borrowed or in reaction to the Catholic Church, it was easy to invoke the saints, the angels and the persons of God for some counsel. The marriage of the colunmista and the spiritista has spawned a new spiritualism that would cater to the spiritual needs of the bedevilled Filipino. The Filipino has reached new spiritual heights, rather… depths!

To illustrate its operation, this writer had taken the liberty to select a few cults to serve as examples. In Lopez, Quezon, in the late sixties and early seventies, the Bakuran ng Diyos (Yard of God) established itself. As its chief medium, Reina Cassiana (the first word is used as in a sovereigb title) established her. This particular woman was used from time to time by saints, angels and even God Himself who allegedly possessed her in order to bring different mystical messages to the followers. The medium herself was clothed like a queen and treated as such and her language was allegorica Tagalog. When this researcher, questioned the proceedings and exposed some flaws of the alleged spirits, he was hunted by the followers but escaped. This writer believed that the spirits who possessed Reyna Casiana were actually the spirits which figured in the fall and the native spirit of Casiana who was very susceptible to lies such that she deserved to be possessed by lying spirits.