You Shall be as Gods: Anting-Anting and the Filipino Quest for Mystical Power

To many Filipinos, the anting-anting is more than simply a protective talisman or good-luck charm. It is part of an elaborate system of beliefs that has evolved over centuries, synthesizing the animist, spirituality of ancient precolonial Filipinos with the Catholic doctrines brought by Spanish colonizers. In times of colonial rule, fervent belief in the anting-anting’s mystical properties was a way for the oppressed to rise and stand equal to their oppressors. Over time, it became a way for ordinary Filipinos—particularly the poor and downtrodden—to assert power over their own destinies. Today, this belief system continues to manifest itself in daily life with its complex hierarchies, manifold trials and rituals, dense symbolism, and flights into mysticism and the unknown.