Religion - The Stations of Mt. Banahaw
PAMUMUWESTO
The Jordan River
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| A replica of the river in which Christ was baptized, this Jordan River is the first station at Mt. Banahaw. |
The River is the first station in the journey of pamumuwesto. It is meant to represent the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, which was held at the Jordan River. What was considered as a cleansing and a reawakening, it was also a form of cleansing for us. Being the very last station, regardless of the fact that it ought to be first in the traditional way of performing pamumuwesto, we went into the river after several hours of heavy trekking, cave exploring, and step-walking. It was a form of clearing out our souls and awakening us. It was almost as if it was meant to reawaken us; it certainly did, the water was freezing cold.
Just like the first step in the ministry of Jesus, our bath gave us a brand new form of enlightenment. We weren't able to hear this because we were pressed for time, but the other sections told us that dipping yourself into the river was a sign of prayer. It was something that symbolized divine intervention, much like what God showed the people in the form of a dove that rose upon Jesus. After we went through the river, we eventually went up the stairs; almost as if we rose up from the bottom, thanks to the life and energy that the river gave to us. It was very meaningful.
ENTRANCE
The Book of Life
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| The Book of Life is said to be a stone formation which ensures your entrance into God's Kingdom. |
The Book of Life is a stone formation, which we were not able to encounter, but we mentioned it in passing. It is a stone shaped very similarly to a book, which is said to transport the souls of those who sign on it immediately into heaven once they die, as if the writings on the rock immediately etch onto the book of St. Peter. Those who truly believe in its power are said to be blessed. It is a very strange, yet interesting belief. It is meant to symbolize the proclamation of the kingdom: those who love and believe will be brought to the kingdom; those who do not will not receive their entrance.
JUDGEMENT
The Husgado Cave
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| The Husgado Cave is filled with candles placed by devotees inside and outside of the cave. They light the way when inside. |
The Husgado Cave was, surprisingly enough, our very first stop on the journey. It's pretty odd for it to be our first stop, we expected it to be our very last. The Husgado Cave is the spot that represents judgement: in biblical context, it represents the judgement of God on his people. It is an invitation to face all of the challenges in live and come out much better at the point where it ends. We were amazed because unlike most other sections, our section had everyone in the classroom went in. Everyone decided to face the challenges at the cave. No one had large problems, and everyone was able to get out smoothly. It was astounding.
According to some accounts, the cave represents recovery from sin. If a person goes into the cave and comes out with no scratches, a full seven year's worth of sins shall be forgiven. It was difficult to not get scratches, but those who tried their very best and traveled as carefully and as specifically as possible were all able to get back out well and in good condition. It was a very memorable experience for all of us. Coming out fine felt like defeating all of the present challenges that you have in your life right now. It was a wondrous feeling.
SACRIFICE
The Calvary and The Cross
The cavalry came immediately after the cave. It was excruciating, both going up and going down. The journey going up was immensely tiring; everyone kept slowing down, stopping at some points, sitting down and resting. Every so often, it looked like the top, but it was not. The cavalry is meant to recreate, even just slightly, the tiredness and exhaustion that Jesus overcame. The cavalry at Banahaw, according to our guide, was barely even a fraction of what Jesus had to overcome, all while carrying the cross. That is why we persisted in trying to continue on despite our problems.
The peak of the hill was quite a sight. The view was glorious, however, this is not the most fascinating thing about the top. It had a large cross, meant to symbolize the cross that Jesus was placed on and suffered on. It was meant to symbolize the final stage in his passion. His suffering, then death on the cross, is seen very clearly in these symbols. You almost get the sense that as you stand on top of the hill, looking down at all the world, that Jesus is standing with you and speaking right in your ear. You can feel his strong and timely presence through the view of the world.
The way down was treacherous. It may have been meant to symbolize the difficult journey of coming down from the top and sending the message to others, done by the apostles of Jesus. This is what it must have felt for them, going down and risking all to spread the word of God. It was liberating to finish safely, and end on a truly spiritual note.
The Calvary and The Cross
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| The journey upwards was tiring, meant to give us a glimpse of Jesus' physical exhaustion and willpower. |
The cavalry came immediately after the cave. It was excruciating, both going up and going down. The journey going up was immensely tiring; everyone kept slowing down, stopping at some points, sitting down and resting. Every so often, it looked like the top, but it was not. The cavalry is meant to recreate, even just slightly, the tiredness and exhaustion that Jesus overcame. The cavalry at Banahaw, according to our guide, was barely even a fraction of what Jesus had to overcome, all while carrying the cross. That is why we persisted in trying to continue on despite our problems.
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| The cross symbolizes how Christ suffered and died for the salvation of all mankind. |
The peak of the hill was quite a sight. The view was glorious, however, this is not the most fascinating thing about the top. It had a large cross, meant to symbolize the cross that Jesus was placed on and suffered on. It was meant to symbolize the final stage in his passion. His suffering, then death on the cross, is seen very clearly in these symbols. You almost get the sense that as you stand on top of the hill, looking down at all the world, that Jesus is standing with you and speaking right in your ear. You can feel his strong and timely presence through the view of the world.
The way down was treacherous. It may have been meant to symbolize the difficult journey of coming down from the top and sending the message to others, done by the apostles of Jesus. This is what it must have felt for them, going down and risking all to spread the word of God. It was liberating to finish safely, and end on a truly spiritual note.
DISCUSSION
THE TWO BELIEFS
The Modern and the Folk (Q# 1 - 2 & A.)
The two different belief systems around Mt. Banahaw and their puwestos are both interesting in their own way. They have their own way of believing in the holiness of the mountain.
Modern religious people know Mt. Banahaw to be a period of a singular spiritual experience, one that they will find enlightenment, however, will not revere the sacredness of the mountain. We view it as reminiscent of elements of our own religion, such as the stations of the cross or the mysteries of the rosary, which is why we recognize the similarities of Mt. Banahaw's pamumuwesto from what we believe in today.
The folk religion, that which mixes elements of old religion and Christianity, is prominent around Mt. Banahaw. They revere elements of Filipino history: they view Jose Rizal and several other heroes as reverent: they are called prophets of the Lord. They also mix old religious elements, such as the reverence of nature and respect for life, into their beliefs. They view "pamumuwesto" as a purely sacred journey. It is seen as almost somewhat of a spiritual trip, where one is able to find their soul. They take the spiritual journey much more often than most people would. They heavily revere the area and treat it with utmost care. Thus, the journey through the mountain of holiness is of greater importance to them than to any other people.
MORALITY & GROUP REFLECTION
Reverence for All: Self, Nature, Others, and God
We learned a lot about morality and spirituality from the outbound trip. Going through the journey and facing many challenges and difficulties along the way meant that we needed to become more persevering and brave, yet retaining a sense of care for oneself. It is also important to remain calm and steady because it is the only way to retain balance, especially when you're put in a tight spot or a problematic situation. It is necessary to believe in yourself also, in order to get through everything.
It is also important to respect. By being quiet and respecting the beliefs of the indigenous religions at the bottom of the mountain, we learned to respect other's right to believe in their own religion. It is important to not offend or hurt others by whatever we say. We also learned to revere the sanctity of nature. We must be very careful not to harm nature because of it's overwhelming beauty, which we saw all the way up until the very peak of the hill. We saw nothing but an exasperating display of beauty.
It was a fulfilling experience, spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially, for us, and we felt that it was something that was definitely worth doing. It was enlightening in every sense of the word.
The Modern and the Folk (Q# 1 - 2 & A.)
The two different belief systems around Mt. Banahaw and their puwestos are both interesting in their own way. They have their own way of believing in the holiness of the mountain.
 |
| A map of Mt Banahaw and the puwestos. |
Modern religious people know Mt. Banahaw to be a period of a singular spiritual experience, one that they will find enlightenment, however, will not revere the sacredness of the mountain. We view it as reminiscent of elements of our own religion, such as the stations of the cross or the mysteries of the rosary, which is why we recognize the similarities of Mt. Banahaw's pamumuwesto from what we believe in today.
The folk religion, that which mixes elements of old religion and Christianity, is prominent around Mt. Banahaw. They revere elements of Filipino history: they view Jose Rizal and several other heroes as reverent: they are called prophets of the Lord. They also mix old religious elements, such as the reverence of nature and respect for life, into their beliefs. They view "pamumuwesto" as a purely sacred journey. It is seen as almost somewhat of a spiritual trip, where one is able to find their soul. They take the spiritual journey much more often than most people would. They heavily revere the area and treat it with utmost care. Thus, the journey through the mountain of holiness is of greater importance to them than to any other people.
MORALITY & GROUP REFLECTION
Reverence for All: Self, Nature, Others, and God
We learned a lot about morality and spirituality from the outbound trip. Going through the journey and facing many challenges and difficulties along the way meant that we needed to become more persevering and brave, yet retaining a sense of care for oneself. It is also important to remain calm and steady because it is the only way to retain balance, especially when you're put in a tight spot or a problematic situation. It is necessary to believe in yourself also, in order to get through everything.
It is also important to respect. By being quiet and respecting the beliefs of the indigenous religions at the bottom of the mountain, we learned to respect other's right to believe in their own religion. It is important to not offend or hurt others by whatever we say. We also learned to revere the sanctity of nature. We must be very careful not to harm nature because of it's overwhelming beauty, which we saw all the way up until the very peak of the hill. We saw nothing but an exasperating display of beauty.
It was a fulfilling experience, spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially, for us, and we felt that it was something that was definitely worth doing. It was enlightening in every sense of the word.
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