Mysticism in FMA

Please Spare the Fairy Tales

Some of the stories here remind me of the fairy/horror tales my grandma used to tell me when I was a kid. It was a way to keep me behaved. I am a big boy now. I just want to tell you guys it is embarrasing to hear the stories told as if they were real.

 

hey... if everyone was serious all the time ... the world would be a miserable and boring place...!

What is embarassing is the 'sip-sip' of foreigners going on (subservient/colonial mentality)... I heard in the USA we are stereo-typed as a nation of housemaids by the mainstream so anyone doing it... quit it..have some pride! :bang:

...though i suppose money has to be made... coz bills have to be paid (that rhymed)

On a 'Serious note' no-one has discussed the Free mason connection with FMA mysticism. After all Rizal used his membership to lobby for freedom (before being executed).

The triangle and masonic 'gliff' eye feature prominently on most of our Kali symbols. So our anting-anting may originate from them as medievil masonry witchcraft is the oldest of 'all known' witchcraft.

Why is this i hear you ask...this is because Masonary witchcraft does not originate from Europe... but instead from one of the first civilisations...ancient Egypt (dating so far back that it was before the Egyptians converted to Islam). Hence the Pyramid symbol and all seeing 'gliff' eye.

You see when the ancient Jews escaped from slavery or were freed (under Islamic decree when the Egyptians converted), they settled in medievil Europe, bringing with them the ancient Egyptian black arts having learnt by observing their practises over many centuries - the ancient Egyptians heavily practised black magic prior to converting to Islam.

When the Jewish settlers integrated with society, many Europeans adopted the black arts (witchcraft).. indeed witchcraft was at its pinnacle in medievil times.

Then masons (nobility brotherhood formed in medievil Europe) brought it into the hands of the Filipino people, after metizos such as Rizal were permitted to join the masonary brotherhood.

In fact he used his masonary membership to lobby the Masons of other countries in Europe for Philippine freedom from Spanish oppression.

Later he was involved in the Spanish revolution and taught FMA, fencing and the black arts of the masons to the resistance hence the Katipunan revolutionary symbol featuring the triangle (pyramid) and 'gliff' eye (later adopted as a Kail symbol).

After all, Anting-Anting is unlikely to have originated from our Chinese, Malay or Indo ancestors, as they mainly practised buddism or Islam in ancient times prior to settling in Philippines.

 

hahahaha!!! yes, he might, hahaha, that's cute! yes, he's one of our highest ranking seniors, all right. anyway, i won't tell, and i can't. so we'd just keep anonymous ok? hahaha, if you know me, i won't be able to post honest opinions... you know.

 

I forgot to mention that the triangle not also symbolises the Pyramid but is commonly acknowledged to symbolise the triangular footwork so prevailent in our art...but of course most of you would already know that.

 

Sayang!!!

Nice insight.

I've talked with some old Ilonggos... they're a firm believer in the existence of Aswangs and Mangkukulams. But I've heard there are a lot of beautiful Manananggals in Lexus, hehehe. And by the way, it's funny because there was a rumor once that there's this great big sawa (python) lurking inside Robinson's.

 

Yeah i guess you're right. What i meant to say was, some sort of use "mysticism" to explain what they cannot in FMA. What would be alright for me is when a practitioner really has authentic knowledge in these matters and therefore practice these rituals and stuff. I just hate it when i catch some masters "inventing" stuff up, just so they would seem to be infallible and all-knowing.

And i, for one, want an anting anting to make my debts go away... now how's that!

 

here it is... in the spirit of not being serious all the time, here goes a joke about Anting-Anting, Chinese, and sex-appeal. (my apologies, the joke is for Tagalog/Filipino-speaking people only)

A CHINESE PEDDLER WAS TRYING TO SELL AN ANTING-ANTING TOOTHBRUSH, TO INCREASE SEX-DRIVE AND SEX-APPEAL. HE SAID, "ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH THIS TOOTHBRUSH, KASI PAK IKAW WALA IPEN, WALA KAN-TOOTH!"

Sorry, cannot translate... sensored by the MTRCB.

 

And if you want to have a deeper understanding of this connection, take a glimpse of Jewish Kabbalah and how this greatly influenced Freemasonry.

I think to lump masonry and witchcraft in one sentence to mean that they are interconnected or the same reflects the bias (prejudice?) of mainstream Christianity. Why do you call masonry witchcraft?
Witchcraft comes from the Wicca religion that was once common in Europe before the Christian religion stamped out the other religions and drove others underground. Wicca as originally practised, was a Nature Worship religion whose symbols were turned into symbols of evil by the European Church. Wicca had both black and white sides. The same can be said of the Church - the corruption, Inquisition, burning of so-called witches, persecution of non-Christians, etc.

Yes, but there was already a tradition of mysticism existing in the Philippines. The babaylan were shamans but many guys don't know that this is also mysticism.

Why do you think this?

Anting-anting is derived from an Arabic term and this term can also be found in other parts of South-East Asia. The majority of pre-Hispanic Filipinos were neither Buddhists nor Muslims. Jewish mysticism, influenced by Babylonian and Egyptian magic, also lend influence to mystical Christian and Islamic traditions. The Crusaders brought back some of this knowledge, set up orders like the Templars that later organizations such as the Freemasons claim to have come from. The ancient Kaballah can be found in modern mysticism, although not recognized as such.
In the Philippines, these have fused with our own pre-Hispanic traditions. The word Kabal (which probably came from the term Kaballah) means a mystical power of invulnerability. A person who can withstand a hack from a bolo is said to have Kabal. In Indonesia, such a person is called Orang Kebal. Such powers are said to come from God.

 

Hi Red

I also share this belief regarding christianity and its use to instil subservance of the Filipino people with their 'christian' colonial masters... as to call masonary withcraft... no I think you misunderstood me... to clarify Masonary is a brotherhood whom in medievil times practised the black and white arts which i called witchcraft (black & white magic) - black donominates that it can be used evil (to harm people) and white donominates that it can be used for good (to help people).

You see, Witchcraft is just the most recognised term for white and black magic here in Europe. Practises of black and white magic are coined as witchcraft regardless of originating from the wicca religion or not.

This is interesting, the reason I came to this conclusion was becxause i have heard and have oraysons and they are not tagalog and not spanish but seem to be a fusion of Latin sounds with an old Filipino dialect. My family say that this was once a language long forgotten.

 

and if the naughty ladies let their hands wander again... they'll be another rumour that there is a big sawa lurking in Lexus. sorry couldn't help myself

 

…I used to believe in Anting Anting but ever since I moved to the city my strong belief was gone…the thing is my family in the province still practice it.

 

do orayasons require the amulet to function?

I spoke to my cousin and she told me that two of my titas who always accompanied my Lola when she travelled wrote down some of her orayasons, but they do not know where she put her amulet.

Will the orayaons work without it?

If they do, then I can finally find out if, what i saw on the BBC's Bas Ass Kick Ass Moves, works

 

...nope....it should be together.....thats why you can buy amulet anywhere in manila area but without oracion....i think the real one are usuaLLY NOT FOR SALE.....thou im not a big believer in it anymore.....most of my relatives still practise it.....

 

In Cavite, amulets of different kinds are popular. Every year during Holy Week when I was a kid, we go to this certain beach resort. And every Good Friday, before 3pm, there's this guy who walks along the beach front picking up stones. The locals tell us of how that guy is looking for an Anting-Anting. So I guess that most amulets require some sort of orasyon or ritual of some kind.

It's lucky for Darna that she just needs to shout her magic word, hahaha.

 

...yeah Shes very HOT too....lucky stone indeed!

 

My two cents....

Mysticism in the martial arts is probably the result of our DESIRE to be Stronger, More powerful and even Invincible. Hence, there are a lot of AMULETS which makes the Bearers 'Super Humans'.

The Human Mind is really a wonderful machine. The things that we 'truly believe' can have a lot of effect even on our physique. Hence, a lot of materials had been written about 'positive thinking' and matters pertaining of the mind. It shows that the Mind can convince and even control our bodies and even the environs.

I ask one of my teacher in the FMA if he believes in Anting-Anting and Agimat? He said YES! I asked him if he had one. He said NO. He only relies on his TRAINING, which all throughout time had proven to be on his side.

I once spoke with a guy who claims that blade won't cut through his body (he even did some demos). I ask him if he would get hurt If I HIT him with my stick? He said Yes. Well, it is a good thing that I am a BASTONERO.

And YES, I also believe in ANTING-ANTING, Agimat, etc. I believe that these things are not just being passed, but more importantly they should be developed. I also think the power has something to do with the person's 'NATURALESA'.

Oh BTW, I also believe that I have some 'Powers' (hehehe) which I inherited from my family who are 'healers'.

 

It saddens me to hear that Anting-Anting is not being passed on through the generations coz of the common christian myth in Philippines that you'd go to hell if you practise it.

What should be organised is an Anting-Anting organisation to preserve, exchange and perhaps develop such capability. I for one would love to combine this into my Arnis, like the Chinese do with Chi in their martial arts of 'Tai Chi' or 'Shaolin Gung Fu'.

 

...interesting!

 

Unlike Darna, I can't swallow the stick and shout "Arnis"! Maybe I can do it "Captain Barbell" style, just lift the stick high above the head and shout "Captain Arnis"! Hehehe, just kidding.

Seriously, I think you're right... this may further enrich our FMA.

 

... all we need now is a human sacrifice...

A virgin preferably... so I guess getting a girl from airforce one is out of the question...