Healing Our Roots: Hilot Binabaylan’s Journey Through Filipino American History

As we celebrate Filipino American History Month, we honor the stories of resilience, identity, and cultural revival that define the Filipino diaspora. Among these stories is the growing movement of Hilot Binabaylan, a sacred healing tradition rooted in Indigenous Filipino spirituality, now flourishing across the Pacific.

In August 2024, I had the privilege of conducting the first Hilot Binabaylan Training in California, a transformative experience that reconnected Filipino Americans to their ancestral healing arts. A year later, in August 2025, we continued this journey in Honolulu, Hawaii, through the event “Healing Our Roots: A Return to Hilot Binabaylan” at the Philippine Consulate General, in partnership with the Laʻakea Healing Center.

These two events—held in the heart of Filipino American communities—are more than milestones. They are living contributions to Filipino American History, affirming that our Indigenous wisdom is not lost, but alive and evolving.

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🌿 California 2024: Reawakening the Binabaylan Spirit

The California training introduced participants to the sacred touch therapies of Hilot—haplos, hagod, pindot, and hilot sa lamig at init—while grounding them in the cosmology of the Diwata and the spiritual path of the Binabaylan. For many, it was a homecoming to ancestral identity, a healing of intergenerational wounds, and a reclaiming of cultural pride.

This training empowered Filipino Americans to become healers and cultural ambassadors, forming a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern wellness.

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🌺 Hawaii 2025: Honoring Ancestry in Sacred Space

In Hawaii, Hilot Binabaylan was honored in a public and diplomatic setting, affirming its place in the broader narrative of Filipino American heritage. The event brought together healers, cultural workers, and spiritual seekers in a shared space of remembrance and renewal.

Through demonstrations, storytelling, and spiritual invocation, we celebrated Hilot not just as a healing art, but as a cultural legacy—one that connects us to our ancestors and guides us toward collective well-being.

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📜 A Contribution to Filipino American History

These efforts reflect the mission of the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan: to preserve and propagate Indigenous Filipino healing arts and spirituality. By conducting trainings and rituals in California and Hawaii, we:

• Reaffirmed the value of ancestral knowledge in the diaspora.
• Expanded the Hilot Binabaylan Network internationally.
• Contributed to the cultural and spiritual history of Filipino Americans.

As we observe Filipino American History Month, let us remember that history is not only written in books—it is lived in rituals, passed through healing hands, and carried in the hearts of those who remember.

From the Philippines to the United States, Hilot Binabaylan is a living tradition, healing our roots and guiding our future.