I started searching to know this Filipino God of Healing on 2009. I remember that on 2010 i went to a Coven Leader from Las Pinas if he know about this local God. He said that he will search his files and shared it to me until that my request for the information has been forgotten. Hilot is the only Magick that I have aside from reading Tarot as Divination and Tawas. This is my strength that i develop to my self that other see as a weak form of Magick.
From the start that I embrace Hilot, i see it as a Gift of the Divine in helping humanity as it only not provide relief but also as an art that truly heals. Since the time I use hilot, i already see the connection of our Body to the Spirit and I see that the Spirit makes the body complete in order for Life to exist to an individual. I know that Hilot is the Filipino Traditional Medicine that is connected to Spirituality of our Ancestors. It is an inseparable fact that when a body separates itself from the spirit it will die. Hilot aims to maintain and preserve life, and I know that God is the only source of life to all the lives on Earth.
So in my desire to connect Hilot to Spirituality i must search a Filipino God of Healing that from my desire I found the Diwatang Kilubansa. I even asked Baylan Alibata (who is now Lakay Magbaya Aghama) if he have information about Kilubansa, but unfortunately he doesn’t know either. So i decided to channel Kilubansa through the art of Tawas and an image appear before me. A man with a long hair that almost look like Jesus Christ but it has a rabbit in front of him.
Well Kilubansa, is that you? I ask then I sang a Chant for him so that through sounds that i make the Spirit of Kilubansa may talk to me. And i sing:
Kiiiii Lu Bansa! Kiiii Lu Baaansaaaa! Kiii Luo Baaaan Sa! Kiiii Lu Baaan Sa EeehhheeeYa!
Kilubansa Kilubansa
Kilubansa Kilubansaaaa
Kilubansa Kilubansa
Kilubansa Kilubansaaa Ahoy!!!!
Hilom Lunas Hilum Lunas
Kilubnansa Hilom Lunas
Hilom Lunas Hilom Lunas
Kilubansa Hilom Lunas
Ahoy!!!
The chant for Kilubansa
At the start, I do not know about Kilubansa as the source of this information that I found on the Internet does not tell anything about him. It just mention that Kilubansa is the God of Medicine and the Father of Dihas which is the Goddess of Herbal Medicine, and aside from it there are no more information. There are links that connects Kilubansa to one character in a Role Playing Computer Game which do the same work of healing. But other information such as what tribe he came from there are no information.
Other people might throw this info as there are no supporting document or evidence that this God exist in Philippine History. But for me since he was mentioned somewhere (specially on the internet) his name is just enough evidence that the energy of Kilubansa exist. And from that time i devote myself in raising the energy of Kilubansa that it may give it’s blessings to us today in the modern times.
On 2011 I started working out with Kilubansa. I have created a Facebook Page dedicated to this God so that people may see him and prove his existence. I have developed a Healing and Diagnostic Procedure named after him and now, Kilubansa moves and exist. From 2012 upto this date, I have taught this system to people and have used it to help people know themselves as we believe that each individual has their own ability to heal themselves as Kilubansa is within them too. I want to share here some testimony of our fellow Hilot Binabaylan as they learn the art of Kilubansa.
I can see Kilubansa as a beautiful way of re-membering Ancestors and channelling the elements to access that embodied support. Kilubansa is an accessible way to provide support for individuals and families in-person and or online. I can also see Kilubansa as a way of connecting & remembering ancestral stories through the direct counsel of the reading. The counselling or conversation allows individuals to be in relation to what they already know of their Ancestors along with the practitioner providing the diagrams and information on Ancestral Trinity, 7 Ancestral Powers, and Circle of Ancestors. It is a connective way for the medicine that is offered through this process and what wants to be known through the Elements.
From the works of Jen Maramba
Kilubansa is indeed a wonderful art. You may get know the techniques if you enroll to our Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working class which will open a new cycle on June 7, 2021.
I met this person virtually as Recommended by a Famous Advocate of Philippine Traditional Medicine and Mangaablon of California name Virgilio Apostol Mayor. And this person is Maria Haswell. At first she availed my service online then later on decided to learn Hilot with us. And now, let us get to know her here:
Who are you or what do you do before you study with us in Hilot Academy?
I have been a healer all my life and was initiated as a shaman in Peru. I offer spiritual classes & workshops, readings, sacred rituals for clients.
What makes you decide to Study Hilot?
I felt called to go to the Philippines to learn different methods of healing and connect with my ancestors.
What are the lessons you have learned in the Academy that you have treasured most and why?
I learned so much about my culture while I was in the Philippines. I had to un-learn conditioned beliefs and opened my heart to new ways of healing. I learned to read & write in Baybayin, I loved the hands-on training in Hilot, Tawas, Bentusa, Suob, learned about plants as medicine, and so much more! I treasure every moment I had while going through my own personal healing. The guidance from Apu & Lakay was instrumental to my growth and my connection with my ancestors.
How do you incorporate the lessons and skills that you have acquired in the academy to your professional skills that you already have? (such as if you do yoga, acupuncture, dancing, chiropractic, massage therapy, tarot reading, ritual tattoo, sound healing, etc.)
I have incorporated the lessons in everything I offer; Tawas, bentusa, Suob, Hilot, Tarot Reading, spiritual classes, workshops & retreats, sound healing meditation, shamanic practice, sacred ceremonies & rituals
Do you have a remarkable experience as you practice the skills in providing hilot treatment to your client either using tawas or hilot pahid/ massage? Can you share it with us?
My client received clarity from Tawas. She was suffering from chronic pain in her lower abdomen. The information I provided gave her so much clarity and realized that her mental stress was manifesting into physical pain. She made some significant changes in her life to be less stressed and learned to be more mindful of where her energy is at every moment. She is now pain free!
Get to know her more by visiting her website through the link below. Click on her picture and you will be redirected to her website.
How are you doing? I hope that you have enjoyed our Easter Break and from today April 5, 2021 we will resume our class by posting lessons in our classroom so as our weekly Video conferencing by weekends and it will happen on April 11 and 12 for me but most of you it will be April 11- Sunday either morning, afternoon or evening class. This Easter Break seems to be more busy for us here as our City has been put again into ENhanced Community Quarantine that means curfew hours have been implemented again and our movement going out has been limited. And during this break we were able to conduct private healing session and even face-to-face exorcism ritual within the premises of the shrine.
It seems that many people still believe in the Power of Hilot but the principles within their belief are clouded with Spanish Influence such as the Christian Orasyon. Well its been 500 years since Spaniards arrive in our country and have introduced Christianity unto us. Our Struggle now as Binabaylan is the reintroduction of our Indigenous Spirituality to the people by making them ReMember themselves to be part of us.
Last week I also saw a post in one of the Social Media Platform that talks about Babaylan as an umbrella term for Manghihilot, Albularyo, Magaanito and so on and so forth. Well the later is just some work of a Babaylan but not all manghihilot, albularyo, magtatawas, magaanito and so on can be a Babaylan. If we convert the term Babaylan into a modern sense, it is a Title that has many qualifications and not just one qualification alone but a multiple role. With that me and lakay are thinking to release to the public our Binabaylang Tala Initiation Course which will help an individual to reclaim their own Spiritual Lineage in accordance to the Guidance of the Ancestors. With that we assure our Students who have taken the Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan and Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working class to be pre-qualified in taking our Initiatory Course in Binabaylang Tala.
Binabaylang Tala is a path to Priesthood Course which will enable you to work with our Old Traditional Divinities. We will let you know more about this during our video conferences sessions.
Aside from this, Hilot Academy of Binabaylan want to let know everyone that we open our doors for new students every new moon so the registration for enrollment continue until we have served people that want to be reconnected into our race.
Our Next Admission Class will be opened on April 12 and new class will start by Full Moon April 27, 2021.
And to announce that we have candidates for Graduation and they are JL Umipig of New York and Lorenzo Pau of Hawaii. Our Class Graduation does not mean that their connection with us will be cut off but only it open them a new door to continue their dedication in serving the people within their community.
All of our Graduates are free to sit in to our class anytime and join our online video conferencing at their own free time.
So see you in our classroom!
Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Rolando Gomez Comon CNT-OPW
Chief Priest/ Founder
Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc.
I sent out questionnaire’s to our graduates asking them how are they and I also have expressed my desire to know their current practice of Hilot in their area and one of the earliest respondent is Jamee Pineda. Let us all read now his story:
Who are you or what do you do before you study with us in Hilot Academy?
I am a hilot binabaylan, acupuncturist, and Chinese medicine practitioner. My practice is informed by my identity as a queer, trans, non binary, Tagalog person living in the U.S. With the combination of my lived experience and training, my goal is to help individuals and communities live their fullest lives by offering a decolonizing approach to medicine rooted in traditional and ancestral practices.
What makes you decide to study Hilot?
I study hilot because I want to connect to my ancestral medicine. I am committed to decolonizing medicine and uplifting the traditions of my people.
What are the lessons you have learned in the Academy that you have treasured most and why?
There are so many lessons that I cannot write them all here. One of them was to train and trust my intuition and deepen my spiritual connections.
How do you incorporate the lessons and skills that you have acquired in the academy to your professional skills that you already have?
With hilot I am able to offer more spiritual and social help to people. The folks that have come to me for this work want to connect to their ancestors more and develop their spiritual growth.
Do you have a remarkable experience as you practice the skills in providing hilot treatment to your client either using tawas or hilot pahid/ massage? Can you share it with us?
The accuracy of doing tawas and kilubansa is always remarkable to me. I have had instances where I will describe someone’s medical condition without prior knowledge and then the person will confirm it. For example, one reading I did showed me a neck, nose, skin, chickens, and pelvis. The person then confirmed that they had nasal blockage, neck pain, rashes from eating chicken, and they had abnormal results in a pelvic exam.
As we continue our conversation, Jamee is currently doing Teleconsultation, all of his services can be found on his website which you can visit by clicking on the link: Jamee Pineda, LAc Healing Arts.
Check him out as he provides Virtual Hilot Ritual Readings on Tawas and Kilubansa. Most of Jamee’s medicine is to help individuals and communities to live their lives to the fullest by offering a decolonizing approach to medicine rooted in traditional and ancestral practices.
When we hear the word Albularyo what the common Filipino see in their mind is Mang Kepweng. Check the video trailer below.
Mang Kepweng is an Albularyo or medicine man that he gained his power to heal through his Magic Bandana worn on his head. It was given to him as a reward for his good deeds. An Alburayo is an expert on medicinal herbs as well as use of words or orasyon to affect cure. In the movie Mang Kepweng, the healer is shown to have power over the spirit world on which he communicates with spiritual beings and entities that possibly attack humanity by inflicting illness.
Now-a-days, we are seeing some resolution being drafted to call the Albularyo as Herbolaryo which the original term was derived. In this post, I will share to you our stand about the resolution of changing of the name.
Indeed it was true that the term Albularyo derives from the word Herbolaryo which means to be a person who is knowledgeable in using herbs to affect cure. But during the pre colonial times this term was not known among the common people because the name Albularyo or Herbolario are a word that been used by Spaniards to describe the person who uses plants, roots, leaves and barks with medicinal properties to affect cure to a person who has illness. And our local people doesn’t call the practitioner as Albularyo but Mananambal instead.
What is the Difference between an Albularyo/ Herbularyo to a Mananambal?
Before we talk about the difference of both terms, I want to emphasize first its similarity. Both Albularyo and Mananambal works with Herbal Medicine. The Albularyo or Herbolaryo are the Herbalist who have studied herbs and their medicinal properties and the process on which they can apply herbs to affect cure on illness of a certain individual; whereas the Mananambal are herbalist too which they learn the medicinal and magical properties of the herbs taught to them by their elders, observation to nature, and guidance by the spirits.
We can see that the name Albularyo is a name given by the Spaniards. So technically the name albularyo is unknown to our ancestors prior to the colonization of Spain to our country. The name Mananambal is older than then name Albularyo and their knowledge on herbs are most sought by our ancestors because modern medicine arrived only when the Spaniards came. The first Hospital in the Philippines was in Cebu established by the Spaniards on 1565. At that time Hospitals were called as Pamulnganan which the locals knows as house of Medicine which is derived from the local word Bulung which originally means as Medicine.
We can see here that over time, the Pamulnganan term is now unknown to us in modern time as we already have been accustomed to the words we adopt to call the house of medicine as Ospital or Hospital. And the word Bulong has changed it’s meaning which originally means as medicine but now Bulong becomes a word to describe what in English is called as Whisper. This is why we also know that Albularyo is an expert in Bulong or now they call it as Orasyon as prayer or magic words that could provide cure. Our knowledge on the Ancestral Healing Arts became complicated as the changes that been implemented during the time of colonization intentionally erase our memories so that we could embrace what they are giving to us.
But Now, this is our Mission in Luntiang Aghama through Hilot Academy of Binabaylan- we will serve as a window to bring back the memories of the past in to the present not only through information but also we make that information to animate as we can experience it today and preserve it for the future generations to come.
To make it clear, Albularyo or Herbolaryo is a Spanish name that used to describe a person who uses herbs to affect cure. They are the Herbalist who took Herbology in studying the effects of medicinal herbs. It means that in studying plants they observe academic method in accordance to the modern standards and procedures implemented by an modern educational institute. Whereas the Mananambal are a traditional herbalist who learn herbs that been passed down to them by their elders, observing the behavior of plants in nature, communicates with them and as guidance by the spirits. Mananambal are not only a herbalist but they are also a spirit medium.
So in Hilot Binabaylan, we do not just treat the body of a person but we also treat the spirit. So in using herbs- we do not just use the herbs to treat the physical body of the person but also we communicate with the herbs in order to heal also the spirit of the person.
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2021 has Gloriously arrived and Hilot Academy of Binabaylan still continues its mission in Promoting Hilot as Philippine Traditional Medicine. I thought that last year pandemic will stop our activities in sharing the Ancestral Knowledge of Healing Arts and Science as we all know that learning Hilot is through apprenticeship that requires face-to-face supervision. But through the Grace of the Diwata and with the help of the ancestors, we are being reminded that caring does not always require physical contact. We are also being reminded of the purpose of Hilot in accordance to its delivery system which are preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative. And through that, even at the midst of pandemic Hilot treatment modality can still be employed even without the Physical Touch of the Healer to the Patient/ Client.
As we open up our Door for Distant Learning- people from Canada, Singapore, Hawaii, New York, Colorado and California have been able to learn the Non Contact Hilot Technique through our Mind and Spirit Working Course. Due to the Physical Distancing implemented by the Government, our Job as Manghihilot has been limited since they do not recognize us as a Essential Health Worker. But even though we are being limited to our function, the Right for Health is on the responsibility of each individual. And the power to protect ourselves from being infected by Covid 19 is in our hands and does not merely rely on the Government Plan.
Last Year we have also witnessed how the Philippine Department of Health debunked the suggestion of Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care in employing Suob to provide relief. Aside from that initiative to conduct research on Tawa- Tawa, Lagundi and Virgin Coconut Oil has been made as it has been found to provide relief from the symptoms of Covid 19. Well let us just hope and pray that all this effort of our fellow Traditional Medicine Practitioners be recognized and let us continue to do our part to eradicate this virus in our society. Remember what our ancestors teach us, WE AS A HEALER WE DO NOT PROVIDE CURE AS EACH MAN HAS THE ABILITY TO HEAL THEMSELVES. What we do is to facilitate that healing and assist the person to achieve their optimum health and wellness through our guidance and supervision.
As we supervise and guide others in obtaining their optimum health and wellness, the society also expect more from us by always in our good health. We as Hilot Binabaylan should be an example to our people on how to live a healthy lifestyle. Though some of us may not believe on the pandemic virus, but prevention is still better than cure. Always practice safety in all that we do. When going out always keep Physical Distancing. Wear Face Mask and Face Shield. Sanitize your Hand with disinfectant. And most of all if you do not have business outside your house, just stay at home.
Since Hilot Academy of Binabaylan is now have our Distant Learning Program which you can take at the comfort of your own home and that is our Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working. This Training Program is ideal for you to take if you like the work of a Counselor.
DISCLAIMER
Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working is a non-professional, non-academic course that does not require government certification and license. This is a Specialty Course offered by Hilot Academy of Binabaylan as part of promoting Philippine Tradition, Culture, Spirituality and Healthcare. Mind and Spirit Working does not intend to replace the treatment procedures from the help of the professionals.
By taking this course, you will receive certification as Magtatawas or Spiritual Counselor that been recognized by Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. which is a religious organization established in the Philippines that focus on Philippine Traditional and Indigenous Spirituality and Healthcare.
This Year, we will start our Class on Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working this coming 24th of January 2021. And we will open our Google Meet for video conferencing on the following time schedule:
SUNDAY MORNING CHAT
NEW YORK CITY, USA- 8:00 AM
ONTARIO, CANADA 8:00 AM
WASHINGTON DC, USA 8:00 AM
SUNDAY AFTERNOON CHAT
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA 4:00 PM
SUNDAY EVENING CHAT
CALIFORNIA, USA 8:00 PM
HAWAII, USA 6:00 PM
VIRGINIA, USA 8:00 PM
TEXAS, USA 7:00 PM
All Video Chat will be held through Google Meet. But for schedule and personal consultation, you may message me through our Whats App.
I pray that everyone landed safely to the Year 2021 as we leave all the Bad Memories of 2020 and bring along the good ones. Time is really unpredictable, Isn’t it? All of us didn’t expect to have this Pandemic to happen. It is normal to have viruses around but to have a total Lock down and travel ban around the world is what we do not expect to happen. Indeed that the First Quarter of Last Year have become a blessings for us as we welcome to our Academy our newest members who took the in person, Live In Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan studies with us.
We are very grateful to have Julz Bolinayen of Hawaii, Jamee Pineda of Washington DC, then Noel Zamora and Laura Castillo of Catalan Spain, Maria Hashwell of San Francisco California and Dina Snaith of London, and our very last in person and face-to-face student who took Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan who traveled to the Philippines is Angelica Bautista of Glendale California. And after our last class with Angelica Kai, me and lakay were able to meet with Mamerto Tindungan who was a Mumbaki of Ifugao with Sir Archimedes De Leon of Tarlac to make a collaborative project with them that is supposed to be held in the beautiful Island of Camiguin (And all of this was our Before Covid 19 experience). And right after we landed down to manila from Ifugao, the news of Covid 19 and lock down has been implemented. Even there was a travel ban that affects Angelica Kai’s going back to the US. But thanks to La Union province Department of Tourism, Angelica Kai received help from them to be sent home to the states.
During the Lock Down I though that this will be the end of Hilot Academy’s operation. So what we did is we stand in front of our Altar and do the Global Healing Devotion. And through this Global Healing Devotion we have reach out people and started ministry around the world to pray for healing and assist people mental and emotional health. Indeed that the Pandemic of Coronavirus 19 is a life changing experience that it literally change how life in the world should work. All official activities are halted and even going to churches was forbidden due to the social distancing and stay-at-home policy implemented by the government locally as well as internationally. Though the Economy must continue that’s why some offices implemented work from home as well as schools do their home schooling. This was done through the help of internet, and internet providing business becomes a boom.
I never thought to bring Hilot Training online as it requires face-to-face instruction and guidance specially as it requires special attention on handling patient in providing care. But I was blinded with that thought focusing healthcare only to the Physical Body. So with the rising need in finding cure to Covid 19, we did our part by sharing what we know though it can not be consider cure as we have always taught that we do not provide cure but we prepare the individuals physical body to bring forth healing to them and affect cure. And last year during the height of the Pandemic Crisis, we were able to become a resource person to talk about Suob/Luop/Tuob as Natural Relief that been shown at Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho at GMA TV 7. You can start seeing us at the timestamp of 5:00-6:26.
As we shared our teachings to them, at the start of June 2020 we open the Academy for Online Training through our Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Training Course. We did this through the use of Google Technology using their platform Google Classroom, Google Document, Google Meet and Google Calendar. With these technology we share our reading materials, video presentation, online Quizes, and even Live Video Conferencing. This Hilot Online Training or what I call as HOT Course becomes in demand and favorable as it saves time and money in learning Hilot. The student will just learn at the comfort of their home without spending a lot of money to travel in the Philippines and pay for expensive food and accommodation. The Learning is Modular and Self Paced with 24/7 chat and call support in performing their home work studies. I did not expect that making Hilot Training Online will gain so much support from people around the world and through this training program, we have produced NCH practitioners in Ontario Canada, Singapore, Denver Colorado, Bronx New York, Hanalulu Hawaii, Kaneohe Hawaii, Cathedral City California, Palo Verde California, and soon in Oakland California and Vancouver Canada.
I did not expect that coming in to our way but there is another wave that is about to come. On the Last quarter of 2020, my former TESDA Co Trainer and Lead Assessor in the Province of Cavite called me up to inform me that a well known personality and former Government Official wanted to do a project with us. The project will be in the Province of Cavite but it will have an International Operation. But this will happen probably After Covid 19, when everything is already safe specially to travel in and out of the country.
So this year will be just little bit the same as last year but the only difference now is that we are already aware about Covid 19. We already get to use the New Normal which equip us to know the do’s and don’t to socializing and gathering. We make sure to become Covid Free by observing Basic Health Protocols. Wearing Face Mask and Face Shield when going out of our home becomes a necessary now-a-days. Hand Washing and proper body hygiene is a must. Eating Immune Boosting food to keep us healthy. And as much as possible we observe Physical Distancing.
This Year for Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we will remain as an Educational Ministry of Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. in promoting Philippine Traditional, Natural and Indigenous Healing Arts and Spirituality. As a Seminary we are about to make improvement to our Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan or Binabaylang Hilot Training Course, and that is to make the training course into 3 tiers.
MAGTATAWAS
MANGGAGAMOT
MANANAMBAL
The Qualities of Becoming a Hilot Binabaylan or Binabaylan Hilot
So from this year, we are going to implement this changes when all is ready. In order to become a Hilot Binabaylan, one must possess all the Qualifications we have set here. The First one is the Magtatawas (this name or terminology can still be modified until a good word or name is found) Course, we already are doing this and train people under the Non Contact Hilot: Mind and Spirit Working. This course will train individual to become proficient in Traditional Filipino Diagnostic Methods such as in Spiritual Diagnosis which is popularly known as Pagtatawas, Pulse Reading and other methods that we have developed such as the Kilubansa Elemental Name Energetic Balance Analysis and Sibulan Adlaw Tala Mystic Oracle Divination. In this field of Pagtatawas, the Hilot Binabaylan gathers relevant information from the patient to determine the cause of illness and in order to prepare and plan appropriate treatment in affecting cure. The Magtatawas must be able to determine if the illness of the person has physical nature or spiritual cause.
Patient Tatay Ricardo of Fairview, QC
The Next Qualification of Hilot Binabaylan is on becoming a Manggagamot. The word “Gamot” is a tagalog for Medicine thus being a Manggagamot means the one who applies medicine. The effectiveness of the Manggagamot depends on the recommendation of magtatawas as the medicine to apply by a Manggagamot relies on the findings of the cause of illness by the Magtatawas. The Manggagamot is a sort of technician who use their knowledge in affecting cure. The cure can be a Physical technique of applying Touch Manipulation such as pagpapahid, pagpupunas, hagod, pindot, pisil, piga of which common Filipino know this as the Art of Filipino Hilot Wellness Massage. Other technique can be also use such as Bentusa, Pagbibigkis, Pagsasala, Dagdagay and many other techniques which could help in recovery and affecting relief and cure to the patient.
And next to that is the Mananambal Course or the Albularyo Course which will enable the Hilot Binabaylan to become knowledgeable in the application and manufacturing of Herbal Cure. In this training course, we will share our knowledge to our Hilot Binabaylan on how to determine the healing properties of each herbs through communicating with the Plant Medicine Spirits. It will also be shared in this course the different preparation we can make and the application of herbs to affect cure.
As of this moment, we are still working this out and you might consider enrolling to our Magtatawas Course which will open this 24th of January 2021. To register, kindly click on the link for Hilot Online Training for registration. And we also have our Membership Site at BuyMeACoffee.Com where we share our knowledge about Filipino Magick. Consider becoming a member which only cost USD 50.00/ Year or USD 5.00/Month. You can also support us by donating as low as USD 1.00/post view.
Or you can always support us here by making a donation so that we could continue our work of research to develop our Philippine Traditional and Indigenous Spirituality and Healing Arts. You can make donation to our Shrine by scanning our QR Code Below.
Now-a-days, we hear the word albularyo and albularya as Filipino Traditional Healer who uses herbs and prayers in Healing. And modern institution want to change the terminology into more appropriate word and modify it’s practice into modern ways. Instead of Albularyo or Albularya (which has genderdization to pertain to male or female practitioner), they want it to be called Herbularyo to emphasize the word Herbs. Though this name is of Spanish origin and it replaced the original term of our ancestors as Tambalan.
Tambal were all plants, roots, leaves, or bark with medicinal properties, for which reason the Spaniards called the tambalan an herbolario, “one who has knowledge of plants [hierbas], their powers and properties.”
William Henry Scott, Baranggay Chapter 6: Natural Science, Treatment
Though eversince, Tambalan were known to be expert in herbal medicine but in fact they are not. Tambalan are only medium of the spirits whether be from the ancestral spirits, nature spirits or the diwata. The Knowledge of Tambalan or mananambal in herbal plants comes from the Guidance of Abyan or Gabay of the Healer. And most likely these healers are unschooled and have no formal education unlike today. The knowledge that people have comes from their family elders and instructions are being taught at home. Aside from our Family Elders, the community also recognize a wise and persuasive elder which they call as Parawali.
At this present time, the movement to revive our Philippine Traditional Medicine gets the attention of our Government officials that it is now being offered at School either through Technical Education Skills Development Authority, Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care and even at Department of Science and Technology.
Esquire Magazine have an Article posted about albularyo which you can access through this link. ALBULARYO
These modern movement in reviving our very own Traditional Medicine but modifying its practice and to exclude the spiritual aspect of the craft may affect its nature. Earlier this Year dated January 21, 2020- I have written Pitahc and have expressed my willingness to share my knowledge and expertise to them. And that is through the Art of Tawas, Pagpapahid and Herbs. But as they respond to me, the only thing that they allowed is the Massage part or pagpapahid and herbs. They have no clear response about Tawas as traditional medicine method. And that is the same thing i have received when i was working with Tesda, they exclude tawas.
On our Part, we can not exclude the practice of Pagtatawas in healing because we believe that in order to provide effective treatment plan we must also provide effective diagnostic measure and evaluation of the patient. A body without a spirit is dead; so as a treatment without a spirit is making a Zombie or Amaranhig.
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