This is the Banana Pool at Holy Paradise, one of the places where, according to the tradition passed on to me by my spiritual teacher Ate TC, we believe nature spirits we call dwarpinas dwell. Recently, Ate TC and I performed a ritual here to commemorate and honor them. In her tradition, the dwarpinas are…
A few months after the traditional land blessing, another important ritual was performed on this same land in Cangmatnog, Siquijor, Siquijor where Holy Paradise Resort now stands. It was August 8, 2020 (8/8). This time, my late mentor, Lolo Badeh, performed a traditional Halad. A few months earlier, my elders had already performed the first…
Preparing the Land Before Construction Before my home was built, before the pools were constructed, and before Holy Paradise Resort became what it is today, we first prepared this land spiritually through traditional Siquijor practices. These photographs were taken on June 8–9, 2020, here in Cangmatnog, Siquijor, Siquijor, on the same land where I now…
Siquijor is proudly called the Healing Island. But lately, one question has been on my mind: Who will be the healers 30 or 40 years from now? Many people still believe that traditional healers should work for free, for very little, or only for voluntary donations. Perhaps it’s time to reexamine that expectation in today’s…
Bless the Lord for all that He has given me. Bless the Lord for the gift of life. When I was seven years old, my spiritual vision began to open. I started having vivid dreams, visions, profound coincidences, and experiences that I struggled to understand. Some people call this the “third eye”—a metaphor for spiritual…