ASWANG OR NOT ASWANG ?

Oui les Philippins sont tous superstitieux, je le sais je suis moi-même un Philippin. Mais en ce qui me concerne je n’y crois pas, je ne crois pas à ces superstitions, je ne crois pas à ces sornettes !

Ceci, c’est ce que va vous dire tout Philippin que vous allez interroger au sujet des superstitions locales. Il n’y croit pas, cela est réservé aux autres, aux personnes peu éduquées, aux personnes qui vivent en province, à celles qui vivent dans des endroits reculés.

Et pourtant, quand le soleil disparait à l’ouest et que la nuit étend son lourd manteau, la peur ancestrale remonte à la surface et envahit insidieusement la pensée du ‘’Pinoy’’.

Many people brush off the aswang as a mere figment of the imagination. But when night time comes, people somehow lose their rationality.

The deepening darkness of the night seems to have a strange power over people to make their imagination run wild.

When people, for instance, wake up in the dead silence of the night to the high-pitched “tiktik” sounds heard outside their windows, the instant belief is that an aswang is trying to come into their room to prey on them.

Aswangs from as far back as 1200s

Historically, the belief about aswangs is known to have existed among tribal Filipinos as early as the 1200s.

The word “aswang” is presumed to be a shortened version of “aso-wang” since aswangs could shape-shift into various animals such as dogs.

When Spanish missionaries began colonizing the Philippines, their immediate task was to convert Filipinos to Catholicism. To extinguish the existing tribal religions, a strategy they used was to accuse babaylans (tribal healers and spiritual leaders) of being aswangs.

Vampires vs. aswangs

In modern times, Filipinos use the word “aswang” in general reference to anyone they don’t like, such as their husband’s mistress perhaps, or a terror boss, or any bitchy person for that matter.

To understand the psychology of the aswang, we first have to differentiate it from its western counterpart—the vampire.

The vampire is mythically depicted as an un-dead person who “sleeps” in a coffin by day, wakes up at the stroke of midnight, and whose nocturnal activities consist of sucking the blood of human prey so that they continue to survive as the living dead.

On the other hand, the aswang of Filipino folklore is portrayed as a simple and ordinary person by day who transforms into a nightmarish creature at night.

Two kinds of aswangs

The manananggal is symbolic of a deeply disturbed person. 

Aswangs usually come in two forms:

As a demonoid, the aswang is typically a male creature with a long slithering tongue. The tongue can be used for siphoning foetuses, in the same way that a person would use a straw to suck up their bubble tea. Their tongue can also be used for snaring a foetus out of a pregnant woman’s vagina, after which the aswang would eat the foetus in the same manner people would eat balut.

The manananggal is typically female and divides itself at the level of the torso. Night time is "thriller” time as a horrifying transformation takes place. The manananggal's upper body starts to grow giant bat-like wings, leaving its lower torso on the ground and its upper torso flying off to eat the hearts and livers of their human prey.

Symbolic of deeply disturbed persons

Psychologically speaking, the aswang as a manananggal is symbolic of a severely disturbed person. It is an individual tormented by a multitude of inner conflicts:

The ordinary person it is by day represents innocence, while the aswang it becomes at night symbolizes evil.

The ordinary person represents integration or wholeness, while the manananggal cut in half symbolizes brokenness and disintegration.

The ordinary person it is by day can also represent contentment, while the hungry manananggal at night symbolizes greed and craving.

The lower torso represents groundedness or stability of being, while the upper torso represents a flightiness or wildness of character.

With its guts all exposed and spilled out, the lower torso represents vulnerability, while the upper torso symbolizes predatorship as it searches for human prey.

What the aswang represents

The aswang is violently ripped apart at the very core of its own being. (Photo from the Facebook page of the movie …

According to the myth, the manananggal separates its body at the middle of its body where its guts are located.

The aswang, therefore, is an individual who is violently ripped apart at the very core of its own being.

And as an emotionally-torn individual, the manananggal feeds on the emotional centers (the heart and liver) of their prey, thus draining the life energy out of them.

Who are the symbolic aswangs among us?

True, the aswang is a mythical creature of Filipino folklore.

But a psychological analysis of the aswang begs the question: who are the symbolic aswangs among us?

And lest we exempt ourselves, the more important question to ask is: how are we an aswang to others, preying on other people's vulnerabilities out of our own brokenness and greed?

Dr. Randy Dellosa, popularly known as the "celebrity shrink," is a life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist,physician, osteopath, clinical massage therapist, acupuncturist, qigong teacher and energy healer. To contact Doc Randy, visit his blog.

Read more stories from Doc Randy:

Yes, real-life vampires, werewolves and zombies do exist!

Why Freddie Aguilar fell for a very young girl

Premature ejaculation: when guys come sooner than later

Why people abuse animals

The stigma of rehab: when celebs refuse to treat their drug addiction

Suicide: understanding the urge to end it all

Is there such a thing as battered husbands?

Avis, critiques et commentaires, comme d’habitude sont les bienvenus.

Les articles de ce blog sont © Copyright protected. Leur reproduction, mise en réseau public ou privé, sous quelque forme sont interdites sans l'accord préalable de l'auteur.

Retrouvez moi sur :

<  http://www.expatauxphilippines.blogspot.com  > 

pour plus d'information.

Forum en français sur :

< http://www.maretraiteauxphilippines.blogspot.com >

“Épouser une Femme Philippine”

sous titré, 

Chercher Trouver et Marier une Pinay,

S’adresse à tous les hommes occidentaux  qui souhaitent trouver aux pays des 7.107 îles celle qui deviendra la compagne de leur vie.

Un livre complet qui aborde tous les sujets sans tabous.

Plus d’information sur la page ‘’livres’’

Mon petit livre 

“101 façons de Générer des Revenus aux Philippines, pour y vivre’’ est maintenant disponible. 

Vous trouverez plus d’information sur la page ‘’Livres’’