Sikodiwa. Revisiting Filipino Indigenous Wisdom for Personal and Shared Well-Being

Researcher and lecturer Carl Lorenz Cervantes explores the timeless wisdom, ancestral worldviews, and spiritual tools of Filipino psychology and culture-and offers Indigenous ways of knowing for all readers, Filipino and non-Filipino alike. Drawing from folklore, language, ethnography, and personal story, Sikodiwa is a mind-opening exploration for readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and Fresh Banana LeavesAng hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa pinaroroonan: Those who do not honor their roots will never reach their destination.-Filipino proverbFor centuries, Filipino lifeways were presented to outsiders through the distorted lens of colonization-and the oppression, exploitation, and denigration suffered by Filipino ancestors are well-documented.
Here, Carl Lorenz Cervantes draws from Filipino folklore, language, and culture to reorient toward an Indigenous worldview: one that rejects being seen as a passive object in history. That reclaims Filipino identity, storytelling, and liberation on Filipino terms. And that embraces a powerful truth: We are the descendants of our colonized ancestors, but we are also the grandchildren of the revolution.
Rooted in Indigenous Filipino worldviews, Sikodiwa offers a vital exploration of: Indigenization: reclaiming and restoring Indigenous worldviews Cosmic origins: Defining Indigenous through the lens of creation myths Filipino-ness: Navigating processes of decolonization and the vagueness of cultural identity Deep spirituality: Folk healing, native spirituality, and deep, mystical realities Cultural authenticity: navigating the complexities of identity and reconnecting with our most authentic selves Reclaiming values: Challenging stereotypes about Filipino cultural values Towards Kapwa: Understanding shared identity-and learning how it manifests Revolution and fate: Applying cultural frameworks and existential tools to self-help practices Cervantes also shows how we can apply vital cultural frameworks to our own self-help and empowerment practices, from learning to use existential tools like Bahala na (letting go of burden) to understanding the inherently collective meaning-making of Kasaysayan (history).
A vital contribution to a more inclusive world psychology, Sikodiwa uplifts Indigenized ways of knowing-and offers a timely and inspired path toward collective consciousness, cultural authenticity, and embodied well-being.