Supernatural: believe it or not!

Introduction
Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the self according to William James in his book The
Principles of Psychology (1890). The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self. It is the
most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction experience when one thinks of one’s ability to argue
and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, of our unconquerable will is more pure than all
other sentiments of satisfaction. (Green, 1997)
The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of religion, its
beliefs, and practices. In the same manner, cultural rituals and ceremonies are some manifestation what people
believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the Spiritual Self is on.

Religion
Rebecca Stein (Stein, 2011) works on the definition of religion as a set of cultural beliefs and practices
that usually includes some or all of basic characteristics. These characteristics are:
1.) a belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods;
2.) a focus the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling or reverence and awe;
3.) the presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as physical
beings and objects;
4.) the performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to communicate to
supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events;
5.) the articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means; and
6.) provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provides explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals.
An individual lives in a society where there are many practice of religion. The choice of religious belief
lies within the Spiritual Self. Although the choice may be influenced by the society and its culture.

Ritual
Ritual is the performance of ceremonials acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law (Penner, 2017).
Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. Thus. It is possible to view
ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.
There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Penner, 2017): Ritual has the
characteristics of:
1. a feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred:
2. dependence upon a beliefs system that is usually expressed in the language of myth: and
3. is symbolic in relation to its reference.
The self, can be describe as a ritual being who exhibit a striking parallel between their ritual and verbal
behavior. Just as language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be viewed as a
system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is expressions of religious
beliefs.
SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
There are different religious with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world religious are
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Excerpt of some religious belief and practices are found
in the University of London’s Religion and Belief Guide 2017:

Buddhism
Beliefs
Buddhism teaches that life is unsatisfactory. Life can be experienced as painful and frustrating,
impermanent and fleeting, or insubstantial. When we experience life as unsatisfying, we tend to crave pleasant
experiences and avoid disappointing ones. We do this more or less habitually. Our habits tie us into a reactive
cycle of craving and aversion. This exhausting cycle can be broken, when our experience is fully aligned with
reality. The Buddha taught that a way to break this cycle is to practice ethics and meditation, and to cultivate
wisdom, which is a deep understanding and acceptance of things as they are.
Customs and Practices
Meditation practices can be divided into samatha and vipassana practices.
Samatha practices develop calm, concentration and positive emotion and are practiced as mindfulness of
breathing and development of loving kindness ( Metta Bhavana)
Vipassana practices aim at developing insight into reality. Developing and cultivating wisdom happens
through studying and reflecting the Dharma, the Buddha’s teaching. Through study and reflection we deepen
our understanding of what reality is and how we can best live our lives according to that understanding.
Buddhist ethics is an ethics of intention in which the key principle is non-violence.
Buddhist celebrate a number of festivals timed to the full moon: Parinirvana Day in February, Buddha
Day (Wesak) in May, Dharma Day in July. Padmasambhava Day in October and Sangha Day in November. All
are important events to celebrate together and to contemplate key teachings of the Buddha.

Christianity
Beliefs
Christians believe that God became fully present in the world in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
A Jew himself, he summarized the law as loving God and neighbor. But he extended the message of God’s
redemption to all people. Christians believe that Jesus Christ’s dying on the cross, made Him a sacrifice to
reconcile all humanity with their Creator. They believe he rose from that dead and has sent the Spirit of God to
renew and inspire people in the world today.
Consequently, Christians have a distinctive understanding of God as a trinity: Father (Creator), Son
(Redeemer), and Holy Spirit (Sustainer), while still emphasizing the unity of God.
Their scriptures consist of four different accounts of the life of Jesus (gospels), an account of life among
the earliest disciples, a prophecy about the future, and a number of letters to early Christian communities. Many
of these letters were written by Saint Paul, a former opponent of Jesus’ early followers who had a powerful
conversion experience and went on to expound much of Christian thought and practice. These different books
comprise the New Testament which Christians add to the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures of the Jewish
faith. The Old Testament and The New Testament is called Holy Bible.
Customs and Practices
One becomes a Christian through the Sacrament of Baptism (water ceremony) that symbolizes a sharing
in the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is an initiation into the life of the Church which Christians believe to
be the body of Christ in the world today. Christians pray, worship, and read and study the Bible together. They
also follow Jesus’ instruction of taking bread and wine, and declaring these as his body and blood offered in
sacrifice for all through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus identified himself with the poor and
homeless, and was criticized for associating himself with others who were socially outcast. So Christians
believe that aside from teaching others about Jesus, they should work peace and social justice.
The principal Christian festivals are Christmas (celebrated on 25 December by most Christians), when
the birth of Jesus is remembered, and Easter (which varies according to the lunar calendar) when Jesus’
resurrection from the dead is celebrated.

Hinduism
Beliefs
The term “Hinduism” was coined as recently as the 19th century to cover a wide range of ancient creeds,
textual traditions, and religious groups. Thus Hinduism has no single founder, doctrine, or religious authority.
Hinduism is best understood as a complete way of life, a path of sanctification, and discipline that leads to a
higher level of consciousness. This path is known as Dharma, the ancient law. Hindus are often thought to be
polytheists but most claim to believe in one supreme god who is incarnated in many form. Hindus revere a
body of texts as sacred scriptures known as the Vedas. Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge and many
of these scriptures are concerned with Dharma. Other important texts include the great epics of the
Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita (part of the Mahabharata) is very popular in the west. Hindus
believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed by Karma, a concept whereby beneficial
effects are derived from past beneficial actions. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of
successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.
Customs and Practices
Hindus follow the lunar calendar and particular days are set aside during the week and month to honor
particular manifestation of God. The main festivals are celebrated in different ways by different communities.
The most commonly celebrated festivals are Diwali, the Festivals of Lights, and Navratri, nine nights which
celebrate the triumph of good over evil. This takes place twice a year.

Islam
Beliefs
Islam is an Arabic word which means willing submission to God. The root of the word Islam comes
from a word meaning peace and Muslims believe it is the way of peace as laid down in the Quran. The Arabic
word Allah means One God, and at the heart of the Muslim faith is belief in the unity and universality of God.
Muslims also believe in the unity of mankind, under one father, Adam, and have a strong sense of the Muslim
community or Ummah and an awareness of their solidarity with all Muslims worldwide.
Muslims believe that God has sent a succession of prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob,
Moses, Jesus, and see Mohammed as the last and final prophet. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and
received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. These were recorded in
Islam’s Holy Book known as the Quran, which is regarded as the literal word of God. Muslims are taught to
recite the Quran in Arabic as any translation of the Holy Book is seen as inadequate.
Customs and Practices
Islam has five pillars that represent the foundation of Islamic worship and practice:
Shahada: “There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his messenger”
Salat: Prayer five times a day at given times
Zakat: Two and a half percent of a Muslim’s assets over a given specified amount is given in welfare tax to
benefit the poor.
Hajj: An annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a requirement at least once in a lifetime for those who can
afford it.
Sawm: During the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar), Muslims are required to
abstain from food, drink, and sexual acts from dawn until sunset.
The end of Ramadan marks the beginning of the festival of Eid ul-Fitr when Muslims visit the Mosque,
give charity, exchange presents and cards, and celebrate with family and friends. Eid ul-Adha coincides with the
completion of the Hajj and unites the whole Islamic community.

Judaism
Beliefs
The Jewish people believe themselves to be descended from a Semitic tribe that originated in the land of
Canaan in the Middle East. Their early history is told in the Hebrew scriptures which recount how God
promised to Abraham, a trader and leader of a nomadic tribe, that his descendants would be the father of a great
nation. Abraham’s grandson Jacob had twelve sons who became ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. They
were enslaved in Egypt and the book of Exodus tells how they were liberated under the leadership of Moses.
For many years, they wandered in the wilderness, during which time God revealed to Moses the Torah, or Law,
which constitutes the Jewish way of life. After Moses’ death the tribes eventually conquered the Promised Land
with the help of God. Jews believes of the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. Study and interpretation of the
Torah is an integral part of Jewish life. It covers family relationships, social interaction and good commercial
practice, as well as setting out the religious rituals that are still celebrated today.
Customs and Practices
The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time when families gather
for the Shabbat meal.
There are festivals on which observant Jews are forbidden to work. The New Five Year (Rosh
Hashanah) falls in the autumn and followed ten days later by the most solemn day of the year, the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur). The other major festivals are known as the three pilgrim festivals: Passover(Pesach)
in the spring, Pentecost(Shavuot) that occurs seven weeks later, and Tabernacles(Sukkot) that takes place in the
autumn. Jewish food laws are highly complicated, prohibiting certain animals and shellfish. Acceptable animals
must be slaughtered in such a way as renders them kosher.

Religious beliefs, rituals, practices, and customs are all part of the expression of the Spiritual Self. What
to believe and how to manifest the belief is entirely dependent to the individual, to the self. A person might
believe that there is a higher being, a supernatural being, usually termed as God. But not necessarily wants to be
affiliated or identified with a certain religious group. Others may have their own religious practices, which are
perceived to be contrary to the practices of other groups. Religious beliefs and practices therefore are formed
relatives to its context and culture.

Finding and creating meaning of life

Another extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. The Viktor Frankl
Institute in Vienna was created in 1992. The Institute has a website where there is a synopsis of his life and
works and present programs.

The Psychiatrist
Viktor E. Frankl was born in Vienna, Austria on March 26, 1905. He died in 1997 in Vienna, Austria,
due to heart failure. Frankl grew up in Vienna, the birthplace of modern psychiatry and home of the renowned
psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler.
A brilliant student, Frankl was involved in Socialist youth organizations and became interested in
psychiatry. At age 16, he began writing to Freud and on one occasion, he sent him a short paper, which was
published three years later, Frankl earned a medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1930 and was put
in charge of a Vienna hospital ward for the treatment of females who had attempted suicide. When Germany
seized control of Austria eight years later, the Nazis made Frankl head of the Rothschild Hospital.
In 1942, Frankl married his first wife, Tilly Grosser. Nine months later, Frankl, his wife, and his parents
were deported to the Theresienstadt camp near Prague. Even though he was in four Nazi camps, Frankl survived
the Holocaust, including Auschwitz in Poland from 1942-1945. Those in the line moving left were to go to the
gas chambers, while those in the line moving right were to be spared. Frankl was directed to join the line
moving left, but managed to save his life by slipping into the other line without being noticed. Other members
of his family were not so fortunate. Frankl’s wife, his parents, and other members of his family died in the
concentration camps.
On returning to Vienna after Germany’s defeat in 1945, Frankl, who had secretly been keeping a record
of his observations in the camps on scarps of paper, published a book in German setting out his ideas on
logotherapy. This was translated into English in 1959, and in a revised and enlarged edition appeared as The
Doctor and the Soul: An Introduction to Logotherapy in 1963. By the time of his death, Frankl’s book, Man’s
Search for Meaning, had been translated into 24 languages and reprinted 73 times and had long been used as a
standard text in high school and university courses in psychology, philosophy, and theology.

Logotherapy
Viktor E. Frankl validated a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core
of this theory is the belief that man’s primary motivational force is search for meaning and the work of the
logotherapist centers on helping the patient find personal meaning in life, however dismal the circumstances
maybe. He is the father of the logotherapy, an existential analysis.
Logotherapy, has become known as the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy”, after that of
Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. He gives a brief synopsis of the theory in his book, Man’s Search for
Meaning. It is a theory Frankl used not only in his professional life, but also in his private one. Logos is a Greek
word translated as “Logotherapy focuses on the futute”.
According to logotherapy, meaning can be discovered in three ways:
 • By creating a work or doing a deed
• By experiencing something or encountering someone
• By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering
The existential aspect of Frankl’s psychotherapy maintains man always has the ability to choose; no
matter the biological or environmental forces.
An important aspect of this therapy is known as the “tragic triad”, pain, guilt, and death. Frankl’s “Case
for a Tragic Optimism” uses this philosophy to demonstrate “optimism in the face of tragedy and in view of the
human potential, which at its best always allows for”:
 Turning suffering into human achievement and accomplishment
 Deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better
 Deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action

Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology

 Life has meaning under all circumstances
 Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life
 Freedom to find meaning

Assumptions of Franklian Psychology

 The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit.
 Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable
 People have a will to meaning
 People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning
 Life has a demand quality which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful
 The individual is unique

Aims of Franklian Psychotherapy

 Become aware of spiritual resources
 Make conscious spiritual resources
 Use “defiant power of the human spirit” and stand up against adversity

Logotherapy Assumptions
All psychotherapies make philosophical assumptions about the human persons that cannot be proved
with certainty. The assumptions of Logotherapy include (Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy n.d.):
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit. This first assumption deals with the
body (soma), mind (psyche), and spirit (noos). According to Frankl, the body and mind are what we
have and the spirit is what we are.
 2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable. Assumption two is “ultimate
meaning”. This is difficult to grasp but it is something everyone experiences and it represents an order in
a word with laws that go beyond human laws.
3. People have a will to meaning. The third assumption is seen as our main motivation for living and
acting. When we see meaning, we are ready for any type of suffering. This is considered to be different
than our will to achieve power and pleasure.
4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning. Assumption four is
that we are free to activate our will to find meaning and this can be done under any circumstances. This
deals with change of attitudes about unavoidable fate. Frankl was able to test the first four assumption
when he was confined in the concentration camps.
5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful. The fifth
assumption, the meaning of the moment, is more practical in daily living than ultimate meaning. Unlike
ultimate meaning, this meaning can be found and fulfilled. This can be done by following the values of
society or by following the voice of our conscience
6. The individual is unique. The sixth assumption deals with one’s sense of meaning. This is enhanced by
the realization that we are irreplaceable.
In essence, all humans are unique with an entity of body, mind, and spirit. We all go through unique
situations and are constantly looking to find meaning. We are free to do these at all times in response to certain
demands.

Frankl’s sources of meaning

 Popovo 2017 discussed Viktor Frankl’s work. There are three possible sources of meaning of life:
Purposeful work, courage in the face of difficulty, and love.

Purposeful work
Frankl found that the single most important factor in cultivating the kind of “inner hold” that allowed
men to survive was teaching them to hold in the mind’s grip some future goal. Life ultimately means taking the
responsibility to find the right answer to its problem and to fulfill the tasks, which it constantly sets for each
individual. These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to
moment. Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way. Questions about the meaning of
life can never be answered by sweeping statements, “Life” does not mean something vague, but something very
real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also very real and concrete.

Courage in the face of difficulty

Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible
conditions of psychic and physical stress. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the
human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumtances, to choose one’s own way.
Frankl recognizes suffering as an essential piece not only of existence but of the meaningful life: If there
is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life,
even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.

Love
In examining the “intensification of inner life” that helped prisoners stay alive, he considers the
transcendental power of love: “Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved”. It finds its
deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is
still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance.
Frankl illustrates this with a stirring example of how his feeling for his wife- who was eventually killed
in the camps- gave him a sense of meaning:
“We were at work in a trench… I was again conversing silently with my wife, or perhaps I was
struggling to find the reason for my suffering, my slow dying. In a last violent protest against the hopelessness
of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom.
I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and from somewhere I heard a victorious, “Yes”, in answer
to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose. At that moment a light was lit in a distant farmhouse,
which stood on the horizon as if painted there, in the midst of the miserable grey of a dawning morning in
Bavaria. ‘Et lux in tenebrislucet,’ –and the light shined in the darkness.
For hours I stood hacking at the icy ground. The guard passed by, insulting me, and once again I
communed with my beloved. More and more I felt that she was present, that she was with me: I had the feeling
that I was able to touch her, able to stretch out my hand and grasp hers. The feeling was very strong: she was
there. Then, at that very moment, a bird flew down silently and perched just in front of me, on the heap of soil
which I had dug up from the ditch, and looked steadily at me.”
 Frankl contributes to history’s richest definitions of love.
Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can
become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love, he is enabled
to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in
him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Futhermore, by his love, the loving person
enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what
he should become, he makes these potentialities come true.
Costello(2015) captured Viktor Frankl’s message. The “ultimate secret on the spiritual foundation of life
is the Love is salvation and joy eternity”