Links to available writings, both online and in print — This is a list of my own writing, all accessible through the links provided. I have listed them using the format of the American Psychological Association, categorized according to type. Books Cervantes, C.L. (2022). Deep roots: Essays on the psychic and spiritual in Philippine culture. KamitHiraya Corporation. Journal Articles Cervantes, C.L. (2023). Deep…

On astrology and national identity — This is a transcript of a conversation I had with Thea Lizardo-Custodio, a shamanic astrologer. Please remember that although astrology can give us guidance as to how we might be able to understand ourselves and other people, our fate is not in the stars, but in our own hands. Consider…

Some assumptions of an indigenous, transpersonal Filipino psychology — This essay was also released as a podcast episode. Listen here. The Filipino Transpersonal Mind We’re used to the idea that the mind comes from the brain. But that is like looking for time in a clock. You can take apart the pieces of the clock, you can name them and understand how they…

A manifesto and some suggested articles. — About Carl Lorenz Cervantes is a writer and researcher with an interest in the psycho-spiritual aspects of Philippine culture. His writings have been published in academic and literary journals, as well as in magazines. His book, Deep Roots: Essays on the Psychic and Spiritual in Philippine Culture, has been distributed around…

Reflections on some social issues. — The Shadow is the part of us we’d rather avoid. As we grew up, we were taught what the ideal self should look like, and thus we suppressed those traits that were inappropriate. The Shadow can be a manifestation of the traits suppressed by entire societies. This is called the…

Where culture and spirituality intersect. — Well-documented cases of true paranormal phenomena imply that consciousness goes beyond the brain, rather than emerge from it (Beauregard et al., 2018). For example, it has been proven that mediums can indeed receive accurate information about deceased individuals (Sarraf et al., 2020). The founder of Ateneo de Manila University’s psychology…

Using Filipino sayings as incantations. — The Filipino folk magicians believe that if you know the right words, you could command all kinds of magic. They believe that in the beginning was the word, and these words were spells, and if we knew the spells of God, we could create our own reality. These salawikain, or…

We are part of a divine family. — Some time ago, someone educated me on something about spirituality that, at the time, I found to be truly ridiculous. He was a well-read Filipino occultist, acquainted with local folk Christian traditions. He said that if there is a “God the Father” and a “God the Son”, then it follows…

How do you capture an elemental spirit? — Mainstream thought seems to be biased towards a materialist perspective. In other words, many of us are used to thinking that for something to be real, it has to be measurable. But so many things can’t be measured! Functions of consciousness, especially spiritual experiences, are hard to capture. Nevertheless, they…