Belief in Objects Having Strange Powers
Article by Angel Lingzhibelle Jasmin
It will be seen at the first glance that they are idolaters. But this is not true. The idolaters have their supreme power in the idol. It is their All. But in the fetish belief, they
describe powers to objects but these powers may be counteracted by human.
The flower of a banana which has not yet opened in a zest of anting-anting. If one goes out in the middle of the night and stands beneath a banana flower beginning to open, he can invoke the spirits living in the flower. With a certain formula, he can call the spirit which falls in the form of a fire. The person must catch it with his mouth and swallow it instantly. After that, he can become invisible and can transport from place to place through the air.
An egg which is almost to hatch as a source of string spirit. If one desires to perform miracles such as making his enemies sick or become invisible, he must take one of these eggs in the middle of the night from the nest and then go under the house. At eleven o'clock, he must put the egg under his armpit and remain standing. He must continually recite the form of incantation and must not move whatever he feels. At twelve o'clock, the egg will become hotter than a burning iron but the performer must bear it. By and by, the chicken inside the egg will come out and enter the body of the person through his armpit. As soon as the chicken enters the body, it will turn the eyes of the person which are now called manounoulsa, you will find the image of a chicken inside of the image of a man. These people can trouble you by making you sick. They have the second self which binds you. Once a man traveling in the country came to a house where every body was mourning. He found out that the reason for such out-crying was the death of the master of the house. The corpse was already in the coffin and was to be carried to the grave. But the stranger who was a connoisseur in such matters said that the man was not dead. He said that the body was only bewitched. He ordered a nail and a hammer to be given to him. He bore the nail into the head of the corpse. The dead man came to life again. The stranger then said, “ Count three houses from here and at the last one you will find a dead man.” They did so and found that Pedro, the laborer of the first dead man who had resurrected, was dead. This Pedro was the same man whom the former had kicked out of the house for asking him again and again for money and food.
When one wants to have a body bullet-proof he must make a wound in his leg and plant in there quicksilver. After this performance, a bullet or knife will not harm him. He can also jump rivers twenty meters wide. The way to kill this kind of a man is to strike the bolo on the earth saying “from the earth didst thou come and unto the earth thou shalt return.” Immediately after saying this, strike him any place in his body but the best place on his chin. In the latter case, he will not agonize but die at once.
Lovers who are spurned by their sweethearts have one recourse. They catch lizards and flies, and mix them in a bottle of coconut oil with ginger. In the preparation of this ingredient they must recite some formula. If it is performed well they put this in their cigarette. If the girls smell the smoke, they will be attracted and will go with the lovers even though they do not want to go. There is something in them which seems to push them and they fall in love with their formerly rejected suitors.
The ant-hill is the home of what we call, “matanda sa punso.” In passing near this, one must always ask permission from the ant-hill by saying this “May I be allowed to pass here?” He must set his foot very carefully and he must walk slowly.
This is because the spirit may be sleeping on the path and if anybody happens to thread upon him, the aggressor will have to pay dearly. Sometimes this fact will be turned toward his back during the rest of his life. Some people who have been punished like this obtained pardon by imploring the mercy of the spirit. This is done by putting some good food on the ant-hill.
A six months old baby in the womb of the mother. If the baby comes out in the sixth month, it is sometimes stolen. This is crucified on a cross and baptized secretly by the theft with holy water. This is then dried and care must be taken that no one sees the charm. When it is thoroughly dried on its cross, it is fastened on the neck with a string. As long as this charm is not wet, the owner will be bullet-proof and can jump over very wide rivers.
References
https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/OB01/NLPOBMN0037003146/bs/datejpg.htm