Roland Barthes, in his book Mythologies, said that a myth is a type of speech. It is a message. So that “everything can be a myth provided it is conveyed by discourse”. The Psychologist Carl Jung, on the other hand, connected myths to what he called “archetypes”. Archetypes are “preconcious psychic disposition that enables a man to react in a human manner”.
The Lady At the Grotto Around 12 Midnight (When No One is Watching)
Many people who visit Baguio and the Lady of Lourdes Grotto do not know that the Jesuit Retreat House called Mirador is on top of it. This is where the Jesuits go every summer for villa (vacation) and retreat. This was written many years ago when I saw hundreds of people go up the steps of the Grotto on a particularly busy Saturday. I prayed to Mary just when it was around 12 midnight, no one else was there, and I imagined this scene take place...
And the Greatest of These Is…
A poem by Eric Santillan.
Metamorphosis
I remember writing this for Father Roque Ferriols, my Philosophy professor who is known as the Father of Filipino Philosophy. I gave this to him during our oral exams. And we talked about this poem instead of talking about the thesis statements.
Whistling for Hope
When I was a young boy of six or seven years old, my dad taught me how to make a kite. He first taught me how to make what looked like a crossbow out of walis tingting, cover it with glue and attach plastic over it. Then he taught me how to tie the ends of the walis tingting with thread. He also taught me how to put plastic on the two ends of the kite for balance. The secret was attaching the thread and/or nylon string: it has to be attached strongly enough to withstand the winds but flexibly enough to allow for movement. He then gave me a used can of Alpine evaporated milk to wind the long thread.
Sheep Without a Shepherd
I got struck by the last phrase of the gospel today, “He had compassion over them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” What does this mean, to be sheep without a shepherd? It would probably mean being lost—the shepherd gives direction; he leads the sheep to wherever there is grass or wherever it is most safe. It probably means going around in circles— not knowing where to go, just letting your hunger take you to wherever there is food to eat, grass to graze. It would also mean being in constant danger. Being vulnerable to the elements— rain, fire, wind, wild animals, wolves.
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