The Babaylan: Philippine shamans between oblivion and rebirth

From Spanish colonial demonization to the contemporary cultural reclamation of spiritual mediators

Ancient spiritual mediation: Before Spanish colonization, spiritual mediation in the Philippines was led by Babaylan: female shamans or gender-fluid individuals (asog) who connected the community with ancestral spirits and the deities of nature.
Colonial demonization: The arrival of Spanish Catholic missionaries triggered a violent shift: to secure clerical authority, the Babaylan were demonized and persecuted as witches, while their animist rites were branded as devilish sorcery.
Identity reclamation: Today, a new generation of young Filipinos and diaspora activists is reclaiming this heritage, decolonizing their identity and reviving traditional ecological knowledge and practices like hilot healing.
Deep ecology: The Babaylan cosmology views the universe (kalibutan) as an interconnected web where every natural entity possesses a soul (kalag), offering a vital spiritual grammar to address today's modern ecological crisis.