Author Topic: Do amulets, charms and 'anting-anting' work? (Read 5348 times)

islander · « **on:** February 18, 2014, 03:57:29 PM »

Do amulets, charms and â€˜anting-antingâ€™ work?

By Jaime T. Licauco
Inner Awareness
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, February 18th, 2014

Reader Lawrence Gonzaga sent in the following timely query: â€œWith the recent celebration of the Chinese New Year, so many different charms, amulets and trinkets have proliferated in the market. And some of them are pretty expensive. My question is: Do these charms, amulets and trinkets really work?â€

First, let us define what these terms mean. An amulet is any object that is believed to have the power to protect its wearer from physical danger or harm.

Potential amulets may include special gems and stones, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, ring and even parts of plants and animals. In the Philippines, certain special prayers or oracions are also believed to function as amulets.

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islander · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2014, 03:58:00 PM »

The word amulet comes from the Latin â€œamuletum,â€ meaning â€œan object that protects a person from trouble.â€

In the Philippines, an amulet is known as agimat, mutya or anting-anting. The most powerful, mutya, is believed to be that which comes from a mature banana tree which falls only at midnight and may be obtained only by somebody who deserves to have it, often by fighting a supernatural or elemental creature that guards it.

A talisman is similar in meaning to an amulet in the sense that it must be energized or magnetized by a master in order to protect someone from harm or physical danger.

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islander · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2014, 03:58:27 PM »

In the Philippines, specially made amulets or talismans are believed to protect the wearer from bullets and knife wounds. That is why military men and policemen, including some officers, wear amulets, talismans or anting-anting.

In quantum physics, there is such a thing as a â€œcharm quarkâ€ whose â€œconservation explains the absence of certain strange particle decay models and that accounts for longevity of the J particle,â€ whatever that means.

Perhaps the main distinction between â€œcharmâ€ and â€œamuletâ€ is that charm is meant to attract (for example, luck or love) whereas an amulet or talisman is meant to repel (for instance, evil or danger).

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islander · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:00:20 PM »

No concrete evidence

The talisman is usually specially made for a particular person, though it serves the same purpose as an amulet.

The word â€œtalismanâ€ comes from the Arabic word â€œtilasm,â€ an alteration of the Greek â€œtelasmoâ€ which means â€œcompletion in religious riteâ€ from the word â€œtelloâ€ meaning â€œI complete, perform a rite.â€

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islander · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:00:57 PM »

To answer the question of whether such objects work is not so easy. Though there are many in our country who believe in the mystical powers of charms, amulets and talismans, I have not found concrete or strong evidence that they always work. I suppose their effectiveness depends mainly on the belief or faith of the individual wearing such objects.

I know one former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who personally told me he believed in the powers of anting-anting because he saw one of his soldiers hit by an enemyâ€™s bullets; his uniform was full of holes, but he had no wound at all.

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islander · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:01:41 PM »

On the other hand, in the early â€™80s, we were filming anting-anting practitioners in San Pablo. To test if they would be hit by bullets, the producer/director hired an Olympic sharp-shooter, Tac Padilla, to shoot the anting-anting with his pistol at a distance of eight meters. All the medallions and handkerchiefs, on which magical words were engraved, were hit and shattered by Padillaâ€™s bullets.

What did these fellows say afterward? Did they change their belief in the powers of the anting-anting? Heck, no! They suspected their wives must have touched their anting-anting, thatâ€™s why they lost their power or efficacy.

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islander · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:04:35 PM »

During the martial law regime, a mystical religious cult led by Valentin de los Santos was stopped by the military from marching to MalacaÃ±ang. They were warned that if they continued the march the soldiers would fire at them. Believing that their anting-anting or amulets would make them immune to bullets, they rushed forward holding only bolos. The soldiers fired, killing all of them, except their leader, who was put in jail.

So, do I believe amulets and talismans work? Maybe, yes, if you donâ€™t let your wives touch them! Or go to a wake or visit a cemetery without removing them from your body. Beliefs really die hard despite strong evidence to the contrary.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/

Jaime T. Licauco (born July 25, 1940), popularly known as Jimmy Licauco, is a parapsychologist, author, and management practitioner in the Philippines.

He is the founder and president of the Inner Mind Development Institute, a training center for parapsychology, philosophy, psychic investigation, and metaphysics. (wikipedia)

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islander · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:07:53 PM »

Amulet and talisman vendor Sally Sibal, 62, holds an amulet of the "Infinite God" in her shop in Manila, Philippines, 06 July 2003. File photo by Mike Alquinto/EPA

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islander · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:20:00 PM »

available at the Evangelista Street side of Quiapo Church in Manila... all kinds of amulets.

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islander · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:48:33 PM »

even religious images are included!

below, middle picture, left side: one looks like an image of our lady of the miraculous medal and the other 2 are images of the virgin of the rule if i'm not mistaken. the smaller ones could be images of st. joseph. reassuring, yes. but are they amulets? oh, please...

In one of our trips to Quiapo, we gave in to our acquisitive nature and brought home a handful of those bronze medallions with embossed religious symbols and Latin text. Whatever theyâ€™re used for, we think they are excellent pieces of folk religious art. (https://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com/)

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islander · « **Reply #10 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:52:25 PM »

So, do I believe amulets and talismans work? Maybe, yes, if you donâ€™t let your wives touch them! Or go to a wake or visit a cemetery without removing them from your body. Beliefs really die hard despite strong evidence to the contrary.

hahaha, arang gajod mga banaha. pasumanginlan lang ang mga asawa tawon abi kay nasakpan ilang kunot nga pagtoo.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:59:06 PM »

In the Philippines, an amulet is known as agimat, mutya or anting-anting. The most powerful, mutya, is believed to be that which comes from a mature banana tree which falls only at midnight and may be obtained only by somebody who deserves to have it, often by fighting a supernatural or elemental creature that guards it.

The banana plant, which is not a tree (but never mind, Licauco is a psychologist, not a botanist), is not just any banana variety but the one we call "tindok". At any rate, what I have is a "mutya sa saging tindok" which protects me from the Evil Eye (and, for that matter, the Evil "I").

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islander · « **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:27:35 PM »

hehe, ayaw gyod na ipahikap ni misis kay, na...

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islander · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:28:19 PM »

piktyur ug tindok nga banana plant bi. wa man god ko kaila ug tindok, please.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:30:36 PM »

hehe, ayaw gyod na ipahikap ni misis kay, na...

Oo naman. Pahikapin lang ng lagay.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:34:45 PM »

piktyur ug tindok nga banana plant bi. wa man god ko kaila ug tindok, please.

The plant itself is not too different from other varieties. I won't show one here because they all look the same to your untrained eye.

Ang lahi mao ang gidak-on sa dawin. Mako jamo, an!

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islander · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:36:09 PM »

hala, kalain. di gyod diay ko maka-amulet kay wa man gyod ko makakita ani.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #17 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:38:22 PM »

Ay, di man diay maklaro without comparison.

Tan-awa, mas dako pa sa bukton sa akong silingan nga six-footer...

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islander · « **Reply #18 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:47:06 PM »

mao diay nga ginganlan ug tindok kay abot man diay buktok ang gidak-on as long as di duwendek ang tag-iyak sa buktok.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2014, 06:16:01 PM »

mao diay nga ginganlan ug tindok kay abot man diay buktok ang gidak-on as long as di duwendek ang tag-iyak sa buktok.

Kaklaro sa proportion ni Botyok (that's my neighbor's name) nga a la Tutsi. Ang dapaldapal kay mora mag tundan ang porma sa bukton.

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islander · « **Reply #20 on:** February 18, 2014, 06:19:04 PM »

giahak na lang... una, tindok. sundan ug dawin. karon dapaldapal. binisay-a na lang na bi. why man you speak portuguese here?

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2014, 06:35:01 PM »

giahak na lang... una, tindok. sundan ug dawin. karon dapaldapal. binisay-a na lang na bi. why man you speak portuguese here?

Bwahaha! Ikawng Insika ka, pagtuon og saktong Binisaya, oi!

Oops. Oras na diay nga manginhas ko kay hunas na. See you later, investigater!

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islander · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2014, 07:01:42 PM »

okay, see you again, saging dawin.

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hubag bohol · « **Reply #23 on:** February 19, 2014, 12:18:46 PM »

okay, see you again, saging dawin.

Usa ra tuod ka dawin, pero tindok man pood...

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