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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 Leaves
Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa Those who do not honor their roots will never reach their destination.
—Filipino proverb
For 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 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 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
reclaiming and restoring Indigenous worldviewsCosmic Defining Indigenous through the lens of creation myths Navigating processes of decolonization and the vagueness of cultural identityDeep Folk healing, native spirituality, and deep, mystical realitiesCultural navigating the complexities of identity and reconnecting with our most authentic selvesReclaiming Challenging stereotypes about Filipino cultural valuesTowards Kapwa: Understanding shared identity—and learning how it manifestsRevolution 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.
Drawing from folklore, language, ethnography, and personal story, Sikodiwa is a mind-opening exploration for readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and Fresh Banana Leaves
Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa Those who do not honor their roots will never reach their destination.
—Filipino proverb
For 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 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 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
reclaiming and restoring Indigenous worldviewsCosmic Defining Indigenous through the lens of creation myths Navigating processes of decolonization and the vagueness of cultural identityDeep Folk healing, native spirituality, and deep, mystical realitiesCultural navigating the complexities of identity and reconnecting with our most authentic selvesReclaiming Challenging stereotypes about Filipino cultural valuesTowards Kapwa: Understanding shared identity—and learning how it manifestsRevolution 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.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 20, 2026
I don’t know who this book is for totally … some interesting ideas but author puts so many disclaimers in front of his ideas such that he never really achieves a flow state for his argument.
January 4, 2026
This book reads like a brain spa where you get a thorough massage that hits the right spots! I could listen to this man yap all day and never get bored.
Carl’s reflections on Kapwa and the ways our individual selves diverge from our sense of community, or shared humanity, clearly illuminate many of the conditions and attitudes we carry as Filipinos. As someone born and raised in the Philippines, I recognize the struggles Carl describes with striking familiarity. His personal anecdotes, paired with grounded research, feel deeply resonant. I find myself marveling at how this book calls me back into alignment with Kapwa. The tone is subtle, yet it lands with precision, biting exactly where it should. This work hits uncomfortably, and powerfully, close to home.
P.S. This should be a required reading for my students in Filipino Psych :)
Also, Appreciate the way it was written. It doesn’t read like a tedious textbook. It reads like someone is just yapping in a Ted Talk. :)
Carl’s reflections on Kapwa and the ways our individual selves diverge from our sense of community, or shared humanity, clearly illuminate many of the conditions and attitudes we carry as Filipinos. As someone born and raised in the Philippines, I recognize the struggles Carl describes with striking familiarity. His personal anecdotes, paired with grounded research, feel deeply resonant. I find myself marveling at how this book calls me back into alignment with Kapwa. The tone is subtle, yet it lands with precision, biting exactly where it should. This work hits uncomfortably, and powerfully, close to home.
P.S. This should be a required reading for my students in Filipino Psych :)
Also, Appreciate the way it was written. It doesn’t read like a tedious textbook. It reads like someone is just yapping in a Ted Talk. :)
July 17, 2026
sikodiwa by filipino researcher carl lorenz cervantes presents a framework for understanding and interacting with the filipino experience through a decolonised lens. it explores the field of filipino psychology through concepts that are familiar to any filipino.
i was really excited about this book at first. there isn't a lot of accessible books about filipino psychology, and the premise of specifically looking at the world through an indigenous filipino viewpoint caught my eye. however, the author makes a distinction early on that his usage of the term 'indigenous' is separate from 'Indigenous' with a big I, the latter referring to "protected cultures and communities that have somehow resisted colonial influence". not even getting into the questionable use of 'somehow' as if the history is unknown or the thought unbelievable, i don't really agree with this usage and distinction. the author says, "whenever I refer to the indigenous, I simply refer to what grows naturally from the land we cultivate." throughout the book, he uses the term indigenous to refer generally to filipinos and filipino culture. while i understand that it's hard to describe a central filipino-ness due to our history as a country that only started being a country during colonial rule, as well as the waves of migration and settlers before then, borrowing (to put it nicely) the term 'indigenous' to refer to people who are not by law nor culture nor blood indigenous seems like a direct contradiction to decolonisation efforts. you could argue that 'indigenous' used in the context of being 'born or originating from a particular country'; 'not imported' can indeed be used to refer to those born in the philippine islands, but that ignores the wider use of the term to specifically mean indigenous peoples, as in katutubo. i want to believe that this usage is just a misplaced but well meaning effort to reframe the filipino identity, but it comes off as a marketing term more than anything, as if indigeneity necessarily lends more legitimacy to the filipino concepts in the book. it is enough to speak about and define filipino-ness without co-opting terms that don't universally define the filipino born in the philippines. (7/17/26, edit: additionally, the blurb uses 'Indigenous' with a big I, instead of just 'indigenous' to describe the book and the concepts within it. maybe that's the fault of the publishers and not the author, but if you make such a distinction between the two terms you should at least make sure your book is published with the correct one. i'd be remiss if i didn't note that this book is published by an american publisher and makes clear that it's intended for an international audience [there is a passage early in the book saying why would one read about the philippines]. given those things, i wonder why the author neglected to clarify and contextualise philippine history and culture to his target audience of international readers, who wouldn't know that the caste system set by spanish colonisers put the katutubo at the lowest rung of society, that they only make up 10-20% of the population, and are severely mistreated and underrepresented to this day. the fact that he doesn't explain further why he makes a distinction between the two terms is truly questionable, even if we were to assume that it's more common to do so in philippine academic circles. the book is clearly not for academic audiences, so to make the distinction with no nuanced argument or context leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.)
apart from that, the book greatly suffers from the author's tendency to go on tangents and his editor's lack of discernment. there is some valuable wisdom in the book, but much of it is buried in what reads as personal rants disguised as discussion and bad editing that lets topics jump from one to another, sometimes being picked up in another chapter and leading to a repetition of concepts without new information. somewhere in the chapter 'my own education', the author says, "I was told that the way I used to discuss things made it seem that I knew more than everyone else without considering what they already knew. I was, in effect, just monologuing." whoever this acquaintance was, they were right—much of the book is monologues that a better writer and editor would know we could do without. the author also overexplains himself; there's so many disclaimers and justifications that are past the reasonable academic defining of terms. at times it comes off as looking down on his audience and other times it shows he is unsure of his footing when it comes to his own ideas. because of the latter, unfortunately the most interesting parts of the book are those which are not his but references to other academics' works.
above all, i think the reason why this book lost me is that the entire book has a tinge of bourgeois pretension. in the 'ways of knowing' portion of the 'learning and unlearning' chapter he talks about how to conduct indigenous research in such a clinical way you would think he isn't talking about interactions with other human beings. he often goes back and forth between talking about filipino psychological concepts as inherent to the filipino and then as concepts he only absorbed through his studies, othering (perhaps subconsciously) certain parts of the culture from himself. there were times that i wondered if he has internalised the decolonisation efforts he teaches, because although he rightly cautions against the exoticisation of filipino culture he often comes off as doing the same. in a portion about commodification, he talks about beautiful places in the philippines but only mentions the most popular tourist spots, and at one point says, "You can also brave the narrow, steep, winding roads that lead to the northern mountains, where Indigenous communities still practice their ancient traditions," which if i'm being honest sounds like a line from a western documentary about 'exotic' cultures. in one of his monologues, he claims that if he had written this book in the past, "It would have been burned, and I would have been arrested," which emphasises a self-importance he exudes throughout the book. he also uses the term 'ethnic' ("ethnic knowledge", "ethnic patterns"), a term commonly used to mean exotic, when 'traditional' or 'indigenous' could be used in its place. i'm also curious why he used the term 'pampango' instead of 'kapampangan', when the former is an older spanish term to refer to the kapampangan people which is very rarely used nowadays. all this reflect a disconnect between what he teaches and what he lives. and while decolonisation will always be an ongoing effort, it distracts from what he wants to say.
really, really disappointing read.
i was really excited about this book at first. there isn't a lot of accessible books about filipino psychology, and the premise of specifically looking at the world through an indigenous filipino viewpoint caught my eye. however, the author makes a distinction early on that his usage of the term 'indigenous' is separate from 'Indigenous' with a big I, the latter referring to "protected cultures and communities that have somehow resisted colonial influence". not even getting into the questionable use of 'somehow' as if the history is unknown or the thought unbelievable, i don't really agree with this usage and distinction. the author says, "whenever I refer to the indigenous, I simply refer to what grows naturally from the land we cultivate." throughout the book, he uses the term indigenous to refer generally to filipinos and filipino culture. while i understand that it's hard to describe a central filipino-ness due to our history as a country that only started being a country during colonial rule, as well as the waves of migration and settlers before then, borrowing (to put it nicely) the term 'indigenous' to refer to people who are not by law nor culture nor blood indigenous seems like a direct contradiction to decolonisation efforts. you could argue that 'indigenous' used in the context of being 'born or originating from a particular country'; 'not imported' can indeed be used to refer to those born in the philippine islands, but that ignores the wider use of the term to specifically mean indigenous peoples, as in katutubo. i want to believe that this usage is just a misplaced but well meaning effort to reframe the filipino identity, but it comes off as a marketing term more than anything, as if indigeneity necessarily lends more legitimacy to the filipino concepts in the book. it is enough to speak about and define filipino-ness without co-opting terms that don't universally define the filipino born in the philippines. (7/17/26, edit: additionally, the blurb uses 'Indigenous' with a big I, instead of just 'indigenous' to describe the book and the concepts within it. maybe that's the fault of the publishers and not the author, but if you make such a distinction between the two terms you should at least make sure your book is published with the correct one. i'd be remiss if i didn't note that this book is published by an american publisher and makes clear that it's intended for an international audience [there is a passage early in the book saying why would one read about the philippines]. given those things, i wonder why the author neglected to clarify and contextualise philippine history and culture to his target audience of international readers, who wouldn't know that the caste system set by spanish colonisers put the katutubo at the lowest rung of society, that they only make up 10-20% of the population, and are severely mistreated and underrepresented to this day. the fact that he doesn't explain further why he makes a distinction between the two terms is truly questionable, even if we were to assume that it's more common to do so in philippine academic circles. the book is clearly not for academic audiences, so to make the distinction with no nuanced argument or context leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.)
apart from that, the book greatly suffers from the author's tendency to go on tangents and his editor's lack of discernment. there is some valuable wisdom in the book, but much of it is buried in what reads as personal rants disguised as discussion and bad editing that lets topics jump from one to another, sometimes being picked up in another chapter and leading to a repetition of concepts without new information. somewhere in the chapter 'my own education', the author says, "I was told that the way I used to discuss things made it seem that I knew more than everyone else without considering what they already knew. I was, in effect, just monologuing." whoever this acquaintance was, they were right—much of the book is monologues that a better writer and editor would know we could do without. the author also overexplains himself; there's so many disclaimers and justifications that are past the reasonable academic defining of terms. at times it comes off as looking down on his audience and other times it shows he is unsure of his footing when it comes to his own ideas. because of the latter, unfortunately the most interesting parts of the book are those which are not his but references to other academics' works.
above all, i think the reason why this book lost me is that the entire book has a tinge of bourgeois pretension. in the 'ways of knowing' portion of the 'learning and unlearning' chapter he talks about how to conduct indigenous research in such a clinical way you would think he isn't talking about interactions with other human beings. he often goes back and forth between talking about filipino psychological concepts as inherent to the filipino and then as concepts he only absorbed through his studies, othering (perhaps subconsciously) certain parts of the culture from himself. there were times that i wondered if he has internalised the decolonisation efforts he teaches, because although he rightly cautions against the exoticisation of filipino culture he often comes off as doing the same. in a portion about commodification, he talks about beautiful places in the philippines but only mentions the most popular tourist spots, and at one point says, "You can also brave the narrow, steep, winding roads that lead to the northern mountains, where Indigenous communities still practice their ancient traditions," which if i'm being honest sounds like a line from a western documentary about 'exotic' cultures. in one of his monologues, he claims that if he had written this book in the past, "It would have been burned, and I would have been arrested," which emphasises a self-importance he exudes throughout the book. he also uses the term 'ethnic' ("ethnic knowledge", "ethnic patterns"), a term commonly used to mean exotic, when 'traditional' or 'indigenous' could be used in its place. i'm also curious why he used the term 'pampango' instead of 'kapampangan', when the former is an older spanish term to refer to the kapampangan people which is very rarely used nowadays. all this reflect a disconnect between what he teaches and what he lives. and while decolonisation will always be an ongoing effort, it distracts from what he wants to say.
really, really disappointing read.
February 15, 2026
so intriguing how much relied on linguistics - some of the tagalog parts were stuff i already knew but the concepts of surwano was new to me, and the stuff i learned were interesting! very conversational while being in depth
February 10, 2026
literally yup
April 2, 2026
A great intro to Filipino psychology/folklore. I finished this book with a strong urge to learn more about Philippine folklore.
July 24, 2026
lahat yata ng obserbasyon ko sa ating kultura ay naarticulate na ng pagkaganda-ganda ni cervantes, lalo na ‘yong intersection ng lenggwahe, folk beliefs, at interaksyon natin sa pang-araw-araw na buhay.
as i read this, i couldn’t help but revisit my experiences and then think of my ancestors that came before me. one thing is clear to me: we carry with us their memories. hindi lamang bilang mga kuwento ng nakaraan, kundi bilang mga buhay na bakas na humuhubog sa ating pagkatao at sa paraan ng pagtingin natin sa mundo.
these memories that make our identity tremendously unique and meaningful. these memories that allowed us to practice pakikipagkapwa, reminding us that we are never isolated individuals but products of generations that loved, struggled, resisted, and endured before us.
chapter 8: personal liberation is my favorite chapter of this book. it challenged me to unlearn the idea of becoming “whole” first before you could extend help to others. i stayed up late last night just reflecting on it. this realization struck me deeply because it questioned a belief that has been ingrained in me for as long as i can remember. sobrang enlightening at napakahalaga lang ng part na ito for me kasi imagine all the days i hesitated to help other people simply because i believed i had to fix myself first. i kept thinking that unless i became "whole," i had nothing meaningful to offer.
looking back now, i realize how much that belief kept me from showing up, not only for others, but also for myself. to be honest, whilst writing this, may poot ay galit akong nararamdaman. i grieve for every moment i withheld compassion, toward others and toward myself, because i thought i wasn't enough yet. i'm angry at how the status quo has made us so hyper-individualistic that we've begun to commercialize ourselves and reduced our worth as something that must constantly be improved, optimized, and proven before we deserve to exist in community or be men and women with and for others.
capitalism tricked us into thinking that the kanya-kanya = liberation. that survival is an individual responsibility, that sacrificing our sense of self is admirable, and that reducing our worth to productivity is self-discipline. when all this time, what has been installed in our culture is alienation and dehumanization… all in the name of serving the few.
and daming kong highlights sa librong ito. sobrang dami na hindi ko na maisa-isa lahat. ngunit sa tingin ko, ang pinupunto ng librong ito ay ang kahalagahan ng komunidad. na hindi natin mabubura ang masalimuot na nakaraan na hatid ng kolonyalismo at imperyalismo hangga’t hindi natin napapagtanto sa ating mga sarili na hindi tayo nag-iisa sa laban na ito. walang sikodiwa kung walang komunidad.
this book reaffirmed my belief that we do not exist in isolation. that every experience we carry is connected to something larger than ourselves. the same way our ancestors' memories live through us, our present experiences are also woven into the lives of others.
we are shaped by relationships, histories, and communities, reminding us that the path toward decolonization is never an individual journey but a collective one.
and to reclaim our identities and liberate ourselves is also to reconnect with one another.
as i read this, i couldn’t help but revisit my experiences and then think of my ancestors that came before me. one thing is clear to me: we carry with us their memories. hindi lamang bilang mga kuwento ng nakaraan, kundi bilang mga buhay na bakas na humuhubog sa ating pagkatao at sa paraan ng pagtingin natin sa mundo.
these memories that make our identity tremendously unique and meaningful. these memories that allowed us to practice pakikipagkapwa, reminding us that we are never isolated individuals but products of generations that loved, struggled, resisted, and endured before us.
chapter 8: personal liberation is my favorite chapter of this book. it challenged me to unlearn the idea of becoming “whole” first before you could extend help to others. i stayed up late last night just reflecting on it. this realization struck me deeply because it questioned a belief that has been ingrained in me for as long as i can remember. sobrang enlightening at napakahalaga lang ng part na ito for me kasi imagine all the days i hesitated to help other people simply because i believed i had to fix myself first. i kept thinking that unless i became "whole," i had nothing meaningful to offer.
looking back now, i realize how much that belief kept me from showing up, not only for others, but also for myself. to be honest, whilst writing this, may poot ay galit akong nararamdaman. i grieve for every moment i withheld compassion, toward others and toward myself, because i thought i wasn't enough yet. i'm angry at how the status quo has made us so hyper-individualistic that we've begun to commercialize ourselves and reduced our worth as something that must constantly be improved, optimized, and proven before we deserve to exist in community or be men and women with and for others.
capitalism tricked us into thinking that the kanya-kanya = liberation. that survival is an individual responsibility, that sacrificing our sense of self is admirable, and that reducing our worth to productivity is self-discipline. when all this time, what has been installed in our culture is alienation and dehumanization… all in the name of serving the few.
and daming kong highlights sa librong ito. sobrang dami na hindi ko na maisa-isa lahat. ngunit sa tingin ko, ang pinupunto ng librong ito ay ang kahalagahan ng komunidad. na hindi natin mabubura ang masalimuot na nakaraan na hatid ng kolonyalismo at imperyalismo hangga’t hindi natin napapagtanto sa ating mga sarili na hindi tayo nag-iisa sa laban na ito. walang sikodiwa kung walang komunidad.
this book reaffirmed my belief that we do not exist in isolation. that every experience we carry is connected to something larger than ourselves. the same way our ancestors' memories live through us, our present experiences are also woven into the lives of others.
we are shaped by relationships, histories, and communities, reminding us that the path toward decolonization is never an individual journey but a collective one.
and to reclaim our identities and liberate ourselves is also to reconnect with one another.
January 17, 2026
It struck me how intuitive the concepts are here; sometimes mistaking it for the author stating the obvious but which may, in fact, be non-obvious to those coming from a different background.
This is a beautiful exploration of the Filipino way of being through a more scholarly lens. Tagalog everyday words I grew up with (kapwa, sarili, loob...) as symbols and a gateway into learning more about our psyches. Basically the felt vs cognitive experience.
It so happened that this book found its way to me during a personal period of spiritual starvation having been a decade since I chose to disengage with my Catholic upbringing and ten years on finding the world so devoid of meaning and empathy and so dissonant with what used to be intuitive to humans. And so I flirted with the idea of going back to Catholicism just to feel something, even if only for the rituals, only to find I still couldn't disentangle it from its colonial history and all the conservatism etc. etc.
Cervantez offers a more empowering outlook on this: see the indigenised elements of Christianity we still practice today back home and observe how it all feels right to the Filipino heart. We've taken what speaks to us. And beyond the religion debacle, there's more: reevaluating Filipino attitudes that have been demonised in recent times the further we engage deeper with foreign, capitalistic systems; ways of out crises through pakikiramdam and pakikisama and which eventually, hopefully, turn to makikibaka. Yes, it does read more like a self-help rather than a deep dive into the world of Filipino psychology but without the trappings of the usual self-help books on how to be more loaded :)))
This is a beautiful exploration of the Filipino way of being through a more scholarly lens. Tagalog everyday words I grew up with (kapwa, sarili, loob...) as symbols and a gateway into learning more about our psyches. Basically the felt vs cognitive experience.
It so happened that this book found its way to me during a personal period of spiritual starvation having been a decade since I chose to disengage with my Catholic upbringing and ten years on finding the world so devoid of meaning and empathy and so dissonant with what used to be intuitive to humans. And so I flirted with the idea of going back to Catholicism just to feel something, even if only for the rituals, only to find I still couldn't disentangle it from its colonial history and all the conservatism etc. etc.
Cervantez offers a more empowering outlook on this: see the indigenised elements of Christianity we still practice today back home and observe how it all feels right to the Filipino heart. We've taken what speaks to us. And beyond the religion debacle, there's more: reevaluating Filipino attitudes that have been demonised in recent times the further we engage deeper with foreign, capitalistic systems; ways of out crises through pakikiramdam and pakikisama and which eventually, hopefully, turn to makikibaka. Yes, it does read more like a self-help rather than a deep dive into the world of Filipino psychology but without the trappings of the usual self-help books on how to be more loaded :)))
July 14, 2026
Reading from LA, this book made me feel like coming home. Thank you, Sir Carl!
June 23, 2026
4.4
Will need to revisit a few more times to really let everything sink in. Highly recommend to fil-ams longing to find out more about their roots and identity (:
Will need to revisit a few more times to really let everything sink in. Highly recommend to fil-ams longing to find out more about their roots and identity (:
February 3, 2026
Essential reading for any Filipino to understand our collective psyche, and collective possibilities
April 6, 2026
I knew I was off to a meaningful journey when I first read, “I pray you have a safe journey. Return safely home.” right from Sikodiwa’s intro.
None of the existing beliefs that were mentioned have surprised me, for they are rooted in the culture and the lifestyle of Filipinos (and it is my lived experience!). However, I believe that the transformation lies within the confrontation and interrogation of these beliefs. The book embodies and emphasizes the value of connecting to people through language which made the exploration more significant and rooted to memory and collective experience.
It has been exciting to interrogate my existing beliefs and explore more questions and ideas on culture, heritage, history, faith, spirituality and the Filipino identity in precolonial and postcolonial Philippines.
“Culture is invulnerable because we are alive, and so long as humans continue to interact with their physical and social environments, culture persists.”
To explore the culture with respect, grace, and nuance have been an absolute joy.
None of the existing beliefs that were mentioned have surprised me, for they are rooted in the culture and the lifestyle of Filipinos (and it is my lived experience!). However, I believe that the transformation lies within the confrontation and interrogation of these beliefs. The book embodies and emphasizes the value of connecting to people through language which made the exploration more significant and rooted to memory and collective experience.
It has been exciting to interrogate my existing beliefs and explore more questions and ideas on culture, heritage, history, faith, spirituality and the Filipino identity in precolonial and postcolonial Philippines.
“Culture is invulnerable because we are alive, and so long as humans continue to interact with their physical and social environments, culture persists.”
To explore the culture with respect, grace, and nuance have been an absolute joy.
March 19, 2026
It took me about 6 weeks to finish this book. I felt like it was a book that I needed to take my time with and absorb.
Incredibly written, well researched non fiction book. I learned a lot from this book and will probably continue to use it as a reference. The passion of the author/researcher really shows through.
I do not have any Tagalog lineage and so a lot of the Tagalog translations / sentences did not hit home with me. Although I find their use in this book important. I couldn’t help but say within me - I wish there was a Bisaya version, I wish there was a Bisaya version.
Overall, a must read for all Filipinos. I really commend the author and this important piece of work that he has produced.
Incredibly written, well researched non fiction book. I learned a lot from this book and will probably continue to use it as a reference. The passion of the author/researcher really shows through.
I do not have any Tagalog lineage and so a lot of the Tagalog translations / sentences did not hit home with me. Although I find their use in this book important. I couldn’t help but say within me - I wish there was a Bisaya version, I wish there was a Bisaya version.
Overall, a must read for all Filipinos. I really commend the author and this important piece of work that he has produced.
April 25, 2026
SOOO NECESSARY! this book combats the idea that indigenous wisdom is solely meant to remain in the past, and fights imposed notions of western supremacy. I ended up writing about this for my Advanced Filipino language final and think that contextualizing well-known cultural like utang na loob and hiya in kapwa and a tayo mentality over a kaniya-kaniya one helped to reframe my view of Filipino values. a WONDERFUL reminder that liberation begins when we consider the collective and attempt to break out of the systems not meant to serve our mental health, our wellbeing, and the love for ourselves and others. the reminder to come home to ourselves in the introduction already got me, I think this is essential reading for those in and beyond the Filipino diaspora !!!!
August 14, 2026
There were some gold nuggets in this book, but overall i found it hard to stay engaged because most of it was written as if it were straight out of a college cross-cultural psychology text book. This book is heavily written through an academic lens. That’s cool if that’s what you’re into (it makes sense because the author is a college professor) but I wish there was more spirit and a down to earth feeling to this book. There were also so many disclaimers & clarifications before the author stated his opinion that the flow of the writing was hard to follow.
Overall I’m disappointed by this read, but grateful for a few of the takeaways.
Overall I’m disappointed by this read, but grateful for a few of the takeaways.
May 30, 2026
Reading SIKODIWA felt like being invited into an ongoing conversation about identity, culture, and what it means to be Filipino. The book constantly moves between defining and questioning, creating a push and pull that is present throughout much of the reading experience. At times, this tension can feel emotionally tiring, as ideas are introduced, challenged, reframed, and expanded. Yet that same tension is also what makes the book feel deeply human. Rather than offering a single definition of Filipinoness, it explores the many ways history, colonization, language, values, beliefs, community, and culture continue to shape how we understand ourselves.
What stayed with me most was the book’s invitation to look inward while also looking outward. It argues that identity is not something isolated within the self, but something formed through our kapwa, our environment, our history, and the communities we belong to. The strongest sections are those that connect everyday beliefs, values, and social norms to larger questions about culture and being. By the end, the book becomes less about answering what makes someone Filipino and more about understanding that being human and being Filipino are both ongoing journeys of meaning-making, shaped by our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us.
What stayed with me most was the book’s invitation to look inward while also looking outward. It argues that identity is not something isolated within the self, but something formed through our kapwa, our environment, our history, and the communities we belong to. The strongest sections are those that connect everyday beliefs, values, and social norms to larger questions about culture and being. By the end, the book becomes less about answering what makes someone Filipino and more about understanding that being human and being Filipino are both ongoing journeys of meaning-making, shaped by our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us.
April 28, 2026
a lot to unpack! i’ve always loved sociology and learning about the process of culture. though the earlier parts were a bit more technical in terms of linguistics and setting the Filipino context, i absolutely adored the latter chapters. so much thought-provoking discussions regarding Filipino culture, the self, the concept of kapwa, and spirituality.
also, the last line felt like a hug. great read!
also, the last line felt like a hug. great read!
October 25, 2025
I found this book really interesting as a white western women who has many Filipino colleagues and have visited the country. It gave me many insights into the cultural background and some more in-depth explanations on things I have become aware of - for example lip pointing and tree spirits. I hope it finds a wide audience. Thanks to North Atlantic books for the ARC.
March 27, 2026
Sikodiwa surprised me in the ways it broadened my understanding of the world: it challenged & reoriented my conception of decolonization, Catholicism, & ancestral wisdom. must read for anyone, Filipino or not, there are universal truths to be discovered or re-visited. May we reconnect with our intuitive ways of being & return to kapwa
May 17, 2026
i loved this book! i love how this mixes the author's personal lives, a nuanced look at our history and our values, and the general storytelling and weaving of chapters. i was worried it would be a little too academic, but it actually wasn't. it was an easy read and i hope the author makes a book that tackles more on his supernatural/mythical research on filipino folklore/mysticism
March 27, 2026
✨4.4 stars✨
Read this whilst taking a Sikolohiyang Pilipino course—goated.
Read this whilst taking a Sikolohiyang Pilipino course—goated.
May 4, 2026
a warm hug and a firm handshake in book form.
July 5, 2026
So good!
July 11, 2026
fav chapters: personal liberation, reclaiming values
lots of interesting ideas around hiya, utang na loob, and overall breaking down the cultural nuances that come with tagalog
lots of interesting ideas around hiya, utang na loob, and overall breaking down the cultural nuances that come with tagalog
August 10, 2026
this was a nice introduction to filipino folklore and the decolonization of indigenous knowledge, but my man please edit ..... so so so many disclaimers
August 19, 2026
As a born and raised Pinoy, I understood everything the author referenced as they are just matters of fact to the symbols and values I was raised with. But the thing is, what they point out is heavily human, which can be easily digested when you look at it from your own lens and your own indigenous experiences— which the book insistently encourages.
The accessible language the author used is something to commend as it’s an advantage to reach a wider audience, and to make cross-cultural exchanges available even to the ignorant (at the extreme).
What a debut book! Looking forward to the next publications by the same team and author.
The accessible language the author used is something to commend as it’s an advantage to reach a wider audience, and to make cross-cultural exchanges available even to the ignorant (at the extreme).
What a debut book! Looking forward to the next publications by the same team and author.
June 23, 2026
I'm half-Filipino born in New Zealand. My dad's from Negros Occidental, the same province as Carl's mother and I spent a few years in the Philippines when I was a child in the late 2000s. I would consider it a highly formative time of my life. I've been aware of Filipino psychology for about a year but haven't tried delving into it much until now. I am really glad to have discovered this book. It is very inspiring and validating with respect to the cultural differences and particularities I recall from my youth and how my culture has shaped me to this day. It serves as a great primer and entry into Filipino ways of becoming on its own terms.
My favorite part was reading this part of the book and how it hit me.
I've heard the words countless times and said it myself and never really thought about the meaning on a fine level. Admittedly my grasp of Filipino and Hiligaynon isn't strong although I can still understand both at a conversational level. The language thesis is observational but having just finished reading Leonardo N. Mercado's The Filipino Mind before this, I feel a deep appreciation for how considerate and empathetic our languages are in accounting for participants in a conversation and the direction of the action towards them. A friend is literally a participatory connection of love with someone else.
The ways of thinking and relating in here just make sense to me, even when they have their downsides either due to misuse or incompatibility with different cultural paradigms. The author is only a couple of years older than me and it felt good to read observations paralleling mine. I am not tapped into other Filipinos diasporic experiences but I've always felt a shared sense of kapwa long after I moved back to NZ and Carl's work feels like a call to action for me to carry forth my roots and the wisdom I've always intuitively known but never had the language or perspective to express. This book has allowed me to better reflect and appreciate the experiences of both my father in adapting to a new life and my relatives back in the Philippines.
I will read any book Carl chooses to write in the future; consider me a budding fan for life. I feel like he is doing very important work for people like me.
My favorite part was reading this part of the book and how it hit me.
The act of loving is called pag-ibig, and ibig refers to sincerity. The phrase ibig sabihin refers to something a person really wants to say (saloobin), a truth from the deepest self (kalooban). The friend is kaibigan: it is ibig (sincerity), with the prefix ka (connection, like the English co-) and the suffix -an (participative action, such as in chasing games, habulan, or hiding games, tagu-taguan)
I've heard the words countless times and said it myself and never really thought about the meaning on a fine level. Admittedly my grasp of Filipino and Hiligaynon isn't strong although I can still understand both at a conversational level. The language thesis is observational but having just finished reading Leonardo N. Mercado's The Filipino Mind before this, I feel a deep appreciation for how considerate and empathetic our languages are in accounting for participants in a conversation and the direction of the action towards them. A friend is literally a participatory connection of love with someone else.
The ways of thinking and relating in here just make sense to me, even when they have their downsides either due to misuse or incompatibility with different cultural paradigms. The author is only a couple of years older than me and it felt good to read observations paralleling mine. I am not tapped into other Filipinos diasporic experiences but I've always felt a shared sense of kapwa long after I moved back to NZ and Carl's work feels like a call to action for me to carry forth my roots and the wisdom I've always intuitively known but never had the language or perspective to express. This book has allowed me to better reflect and appreciate the experiences of both my father in adapting to a new life and my relatives back in the Philippines.
I will read any book Carl chooses to write in the future; consider me a budding fan for life. I feel like he is doing very important work for people like me.
June 1, 2026
Even after completing my degree in Psychology, I remain deeply interested in learning and reading about the subject—particularly how psychological phenomena are reflected in Filipino culture. *Sikodiwa*, by psychologist and researcher Carl Lorenz Cervantes, meets that interest perfectly. I discovered it through Fully Booked’s 2026 Reading Challenge under the category ‘book about society and people,’ and immediately included it in my first purchases of the year.
While centered on Filipinos, the book ultimately explores what it means to be human. I enjoyed reading the author’s perspective on topics such as cultural identity, learning and unlearning, authenticity, and other themes that invite readers to reflect deeply.
Another highlight was how the book introduced new meanings and interpretations of familiar Filipino words we use daily.
Even if psychology isn’t your main interest, I believe this book is a valuable reference for understanding ourselves—not only as Filipinos, but as human beings in general.
While centered on Filipinos, the book ultimately explores what it means to be human. I enjoyed reading the author’s perspective on topics such as cultural identity, learning and unlearning, authenticity, and other themes that invite readers to reflect deeply.
Another highlight was how the book introduced new meanings and interpretations of familiar Filipino words we use daily.
Even if psychology isn’t your main interest, I believe this book is a valuable reference for understanding ourselves—not only as Filipinos, but as human beings in general.
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