58 Puki Maanawhari: Philippine Babaylan Lineage and Indigenous Experience

In this very special episode we have Puki Maanawhari, a punong babaylan (with 11 years of experience) residing in metro manila, binabaylan mother of the coven of modern babaylan and alabays (babaylan in training) and very important resource with regards to babaylang history and experience. We cover very important and a wide range of topics with regards to babaylan terminology, initiation, their traumatic history, it’s accessibility, and it’s aesthetic appropriation in the arts and in queer terminology. This is a very candid approach with regards to having a working relationship with land spirits, rituals, and the realities of guarding a closed practice. If you are any type of healer, in the process of decolonization, and/or simply curious about the lineage/culture of magick that is held by the babaylan in the philippines and south east asia then this is a must-listen for you.

As this is an often marginalized culture, I would like to personally request listeners to come to this with an open and receptive energy, as well as to be a respectful advocate of indigenous healing practices, cultures and who and what is considered “babaylan” vis a vis terms like “shaman” “energy healer” etc.

This ep covers:

• differentiating babaylan: indigenous practitioners, women shamans
• the marginalization
• panawag tawag session, sapi ng ancestral fore fathers and fore mothers
• puki’s series of strokes as shamanic initiation, her “tupadan”
• spirit guide = gabay, abyan, gabyan
• dianmasalanta, maria makiling bundok at diety
• skipping generations and baon: a physical stone of heritage (like darna)
• knowing names like estrella, tagsagod kalibutan, guide of the universe
• preparation for panawag tawag sessions and other requirements
• very specific direct relationship with a lineage and not just a symbol/archetype
• how does spirit/babaylan lineage see us now? fall and rise of babaylan population
• protection protocols of earning wisdom, and indigenous knowledge, this research is for you not for us?
• spirits need our help too! some of em depressed af, the broken nerve in metro manila area lineage of babaylan
• culture that is rooted in place, international lineages, are you the “power”, spirits choosing locations
• everyone can be babaylan: primary and secondary babaylans, proper use of the word
• divine feminine practice, history of male babaylans (decoys) and trans, queer baylans
• akashic records /taga-alam access, lgbt icons “asog”/katalonan, ambaling lagi/lagun, masculine female trans-masc
• local myths and elementals being misrepresented, humans colonizing a spiritual world?, speaking for the land and to genuinely ground a “colonized” body
• co-existing with spirit and it’s not make-believe
• closing invitations!

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References

Babaylan Sing Back by Grace nono

Multiple soul ep: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3fSJywVxzxpgpBi5Nh2g5l?si=e54adce1177d4fee

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