Virgil J. Mayor Apostol, author of the upcoming North Atlantic Books release, Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philipine Ancestral Traditions, will be speaking at the First International Babaylan Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area in April 2010.
About the Babaylan Conference:
Filipinos have a very rich spiritual and cultural heritage carried forward by babaylans, culture-bearers, and artists. To honor those who continue the rich legacy of Filipino indigenous knowledge systems and practices, the Center for Babaylan Studies (CfBS) hosts the First International Babaylan Conference on April 17 and 18 at Sonoma State University.
Key speakers Grace Nono, Katrin de Guia, and Virgil Apostol will present aspects of the Filipino indigenous culture seldom taught outside the Philippines. In addition, Dr. Katrin de Guia will lecture on “The ‘Cross’ in Cultural Marriage: How to Avoid Cultural Misunderstandings in Crosscultural/Interracial Marriage” on March 24 from 2-4 p.m. in Salazar 2020. The public is invited.
The Babaylan in Filipino culture represents the figure of the indigenous healer. This sacred gathering of healers, artists, scholars, activists, performers, and other culture-bearers will share Babaylan-inspired work through ritual, ceremony, dance, poetry, film, academic panels, conversations, and workshops.
Artist/scholar Grace Nono spent many years with primary babaylans learning sacred chants and oral narratives. Her research from the last fifteen years on Filipino oral traditions is documented in her book The Shared Voice: Chanted and Spoken Narratives from the Philippines. Katrin de Guia, founder of Heritage and Arts Academies of the Philippines and author of Kapwa: The Self in the Other, will speak about the Filipino indigenous psychology concepts of Kapwa and the Babaylan. Virgil Apostol, a recognized healer in the Ilocano Ablon tradition, will discuss his healing practice in the context of Western medicine. Other artists, scholars, community workers, and healing arts practitioners will share how their work is inspired by the Babaylan practice.
Leny Strobel, CfBS Director and an Associate Professor of American Multicultural Studies at Sonoma State University, is coordinator of the conferemce and believes it is timely and relevant. “There is a growing realization in mainstream society,” Strobel explains, “that indigenous knowledge and practices carry the ancient wisdom that enabled people to survive the genocide and holocausts brought by modern civilizations.”
Stories of physical, spiritual, and emotional healing by a babaylan run strong in Filipino and Filipino American families and communities. Also known as an arbularyo, hilot, mombaki, bailan/beliyan/babaylan, catalonan, dawac, or ma-aram, these women and men received knowledge passed down by ancestors about healing herbs and massage techniques, while others were respected for their ability to speak with spirits and ask for the release of the soul of a loved one.
These women and men provide advice and healing for the community. Their practices are part of the Filipino Babaylan Tradition and incorporate Filipino indigenous knowledge systems that continue to be followed today both in the Philippines and in the diaspora.
The Center for Babaylan Studies was created to continue the exploration and illumination of Babaylan indigenous wisdom and spirit as it facilitates our ongoing process of decolonization and indigenization – towards Pagbabalikloob (Turning Towards Home) and PagkaPilipino (Being Filipino). This year’s conference is the Center’s first project. After many years of research and conversation, we offer the global community a glimpse of the sweet nectar of the Babaylan spirit that this growing community has experienced in a connection with each other over the years. More can be found at http://www.babaylan.net.
More about North Atlantic Books author Virgil J. Mayor Apostol:
Virgil J. Mayor Apostol has dedicated himself to the research, development, and promotion of Filipino cultural and healing traditions. He descends from a paternal and maternal bloodline of healers and from the teachings of respected elders. Through clinical practice, he continues to refine Ablon as a science and spiritual practice. His background in the Filipino martial arts also enhances his intuitive knowledge as a healer.
Apostol is a certified Holistic Health Practitioner, author of the upcoming book Way of the Ancient Healer, co-author of The Healing Hands of Hilot, and completed a three-volume manuscript, the first volume to be published. His association with the Chopra Center for Well Being, where he refined, systemized, and discreetly incorporated the intricacies of Filipino Ablon along with the Indian Ayurvedic therapies offered, earned him a favorable reputation, not to mention the most demanded therapist and healer. This inspired Deepak Chopra and the center’s medical director, David Simon, to encourage Apostol to promote his teachings through workshops.
Wanting to pursue the clinical application of his practice, Apostol joined Neurologist Norman Narchi, MD, founder of Radiance Health and Wellbeing, in Westlake Village CA. His solo stint led him to open a clinic where he collaborated with Brett Davis Nutrition, Inc. in Chula Vista, CA. Eventually, Apostol held practice with the Integrative Health Care Center in Grand Terrace, CA.
He also collaborated with Lobsang Dhondup, physician of traditional Tibetan medicine, at the Tibetan Healing Center, increasing the affectivity of Tibetan herbal medicines to their patients through the introduction of Ablon. Apostol is associated with Jeff Cohen and his Hilot Therapy Clinic in the Bay Area where, on occasion, is invited to provide Ablon to members of the San Francisco Ballet for injuries sustained in the course of their practice.
Apostol was personally encouraged by Alfonso T. Lagaya, MD, MDM, who was then the Executive Director of the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC – Philippine Department of Health) to promote Ablon and other Filipino healing practices in the United States. He has become a selected featured speaker at the Hawai’i Healing Garden, a statewide festival held on Kaua’i, Maui, O’ahu, and Hawai’i; sponsored by Hawai’i Health Guide and the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
Please see more about Virgil and his work at his website: www.rumsua.org.
First International Babaylan Conference
April 17 – 18, 2010
Sonoma State University, CA
CLICK HERE for more info about the Babaylan Conference.
CLICK HERE to watch a video about the issues addressed by the conference.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Virgil J. Mayor Apostol’s upcoming book, Way of the Ancient Healer.
