Researcher and lecturer Carl Lorenz Cervantes explores the timeless wisdom, ancestral worldviews, and spiritual tools of Filipino psychology and culture--and offers Indigenous ways of knowing for all readers, Filipino and non-Filipino alike. Drawing from folklore, language, ethnography, and personal story, Sikodiwa is a mind-opening exploration for readers of
Braiding Sweetgrass and
Fresh Banana Leaves Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa pinaroroonan: Those who do not honor their roots will never reach their destination.--Filipino proverb For centuries, Filipino lifeways were presented to outsiders through the distorted lens of colonization--and the oppression, exploitation, and denigration suffered by Filipino ancestors are well-documented. Here, Carl Lorenz Cervantez draws from Filipino folklore, language, and culture to reorient toward an Indigenous worldview: one that rejects being seen as a passive object in history. That reclaims Filipino identity, storytelling, and liberation on Filipino terms. And that embraces a powerful truth:
We are the descendants of our colonized ancestors, but we are also the grandchildren of the revolution. Rooted in Indigenous Filipino worldviews,
Sikodiwa offers a vital exploration of:
- Indigenization: reclaiming and restoring Indigenous worldviews
- Cosmic origins: Defining Indigenous through the lens of creation myths
- Filipino-ness: Navigating processes of decolonization and the vagueness of cultural identity
- Deep spirituality: Folk healing, native spirituality, and deep, mystical realities
- Cultural authenticity: navigating the complexities of identity and reconnecting with our most authentic selves
- Reclaiming values: Challenging stereotypes about Filipino cultural values
- Towards Kapwa Understanding shared identity--and learning how it manifests
- Revolution and fate Applying cultural frameworks and existential tools to self-help practices
Cervantez also shows how we can apply vital cultural frameworks to our own self-help and empowerment practices, from learning to use existential tools like
Bahala na (letting go of burden) to understanding the inherently collective meaning-making of
Kasaysayan (history). A vital contribution to a more inclusive world psychology,
Sikodiwa uplifts Indigenized ways of knowing--and offers a timely and inspired path toward collective consciousness, cultural authenticity, and embodied well-being.
