HEALING PRACTICES OF THE SPIRITUAL FOLK HEALERS OF TANDAG: A CONSTRUCT OF THEIR SOCIAL REALITY AND MYSTICISM

The paper discusses the rituals performed by the diviner or spiritual healer in curing the clients. It involves prayers, chants and elaborate ceremonies addressed to the supreme deity. It combines animistic beliefs with Folk Christian beliefs which had been handed by generations of diviners or healers. A descriptive qualitative method was used aided by the participant and non-participant observations. It can be deduced from the study that Spiritual folk healing practices had been robustly practiced by the healers or diviners with spiritual themes but it is also tented with the mysticism of animism. The diviner or healer is the main officiating person in the curing rituals which is usually assisted by the assistant curer or diviner.