Book Description
Orisa is the indigenous earth-centered religion of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Its central tenet is for people to live intimately with the sacred, working toward an awareness of the divine in all things. The author introduces the basic teachings and metaphysical underpinnings of Orisa and explores its history, branches, and stories. Correal also covers rites of initiation, relationships with ancestors, and how to integrate the principles into daily living. These in-depth, easily grasped explanations of Orisa's basic concepts are offered here in a personal approach that brings the African spiritual path of Orisa into daily life.
Customer Reviews:
Spiritual Growth and Development.......2007-01-12
This book was so interesting, I could not put it down. Most of the content directly related to my personal experiences with Yoruba, and in addition, it sheds insight into the various levels of spiritual growth and development so that you can better understand yourself and others and most importantly, how God works within humans. I found the book to be remarkably well written, concise and to the point and refreshing for the mind. Thank you for having it available at a time when I needed it the most and could not find it anywhere else.
Truth & Tradition.......2007-01-01
Reading "Finding Soul" gave me a great sense of priorities. As a Yogi, my practice is to go inside first and outside next. Tobe took me inside of her journey of Yoruba, and I appreciate it greatly. My Guru, Yogananda, teaches that external ritual is moot without an inner attempt to commune with the Divine. I think Finding Soul teaches us that same truth. I think that the author took her her tradition and enhanced it without compromising it, and then she invited us in much as a friend might invite us into her living room. Thank you.
Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa.......2006-09-13
I found what I've been looking for. The book explains well in detail the aspects of the path or looking for God as we see her/him. Great for anybody who wants to know more about the path of the orisa and the spirituality within ourself and everithing around us and God. Thank you for reccommending this book. I will buuy more of them to pass on to my family and friends or anybody who wants to know more about my spiritual path.
Finding Soul.......2006-09-12
Finding Soul on the path of Orisa is truly one of the great books available on the market today. Out of all the books written about Traditional African Religion available, this one truly has something special that speaks to the self, to the soul of the reader. I have barely begun my own journey finding soul, but I feel this book helps one to be better able to make that journey. There is a true blessing in this book, much respect to the author.
A message people of all faiths can embrace.......2006-09-11
As a new initiate I found the book both informative and inspirational. I believe in my heart that all faiths are designed to elevate us to our higher selves and ultimately to God. 'Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa' provides some powerful insights that will help you on that journey. I recommend this book to anyone, regardless of faith, you wont regret it.
Book Description
Contributors to this lively volume explore Yoruba religion by delving into the cult of Osun, a brilliant deity with a world-wide devotional base. Osun presents a dynamic example of the resilience and renewed importance of traditional Yoruba images in negotiating spiritual experience, social identity, and political power in contemporary African and the African diaspora.
Customer Reviews:
Very disappointed with brasil essays.......2007-05-19
The book was very very good in the yoruban sections but I could not help but wonder who chose the essays on brasil and on what merit of the authors. It is very upsetting to see someone come from outside the culture and religion, have a very very small taste of it only by looking, watching, and then presume they have the right to make blanket statements to the world about what they believe to be "white" umbanda and "afro-brasilian" umbanda, etc,. The whole piece is full of this ethnocentric attitude and it is obvious the author is from the united states, only a
u.s. researcher could conclude there is a "white" and a "black" involved in religion. Just from this view point it is obvious the author understood nothing about the spirit of brasil, the religions of brasil and how they are entertwined, the people of brasil, and for this I say it is a shame that such a nice book is marred by a few pieces that have no value or merit.
I would like to point out that where the essay author claims that "white" umbanda is somehow different than the "afro" because they beleive in the reincarnantion, astral bodies, the possibility of having spiritual attacks on these bodies etc., these beliefs are identical to the yoruban beliefs, candomble, umbanda. Duh. These beliefs do not make them "white", as if they are somehow "New Age" united states equivalent thought.
Also, the author visit only a few terreiros, centros, iles in the south of brasil and, with exception of Salvador, but went to two of the most touristic areas possible. It is not posible to make blanket statement that "umbanda is like this, candomble is like that" without traveling the whole country. The northeast of brasil is very very different from the south, and pernambuco state is very different from the bahia state.
I wish this author would have come into the terreiros of my home town and then I could show her what faith and devotion is. To denigrate someones religous practice because of your own prejudice and ethnocentric views is shameful. My Godmother's centro would have been labeled "white" by this author and she was anything but white. What the author failed to deliver on is the countless hands in prayer, the words and works whispered in devotion, a lifetime of faith and devotion to Osun no matter if the rituals are "acceptable" to a gringo from outside. Behind the decorations and crepe paper, the iced cupcakes and little baskets for Osun lies love, faith, devotion. The author probably does not realize that most all terreiros will offer foods to the attending public, but it is also a show of love for Osun, to feed the public with nice pleasant things. And everyone recieves a "lembranca" to take home, a small filled decorated basket or roses of Osuns to remember the party, to decorate the most times very sparse homes most live in. It is something to remember a good time with, a special loving time adoring Osun or other orisa.
Poverty is a reality and to judge someone by whether they have a sufficient number of "afro" seeming rituals is ridiculous. We have drug dealers and doctors in any terreiro in the northeast rubbing shoulders. To do "charity" is called working to help people who do not have resources except for their IMMENSE FAITH IN THE ORISAS AND GUIDES. When your daughter or son is caught up with drugs because there are no jobs, education for the poor, and is being threatened with murder, you turn to the mediums and Iyalorisas and Babas capable of helping you no matter what. When you are needing a job, money, health problem, you turn to them. A vast majority of terreiros practice a mix of candomble and what we call Jurema in the northeast. We say there is a right hand and a left hand. One hand helps the other, you cannot have just orisasa inside your terreiro. For many reasons you want to have the side of the Jurema, the enchanted beings, the Mestres, the Caboclos etc., pomba giras etc., to give service for the public, they are most humanlike, accessible, give excellent advice and heal, help, guide you, the orisas are more apart, work differently, are to be reverenced, they do not sit down with you to chat! So we have the two sides and do not mix them on the same days of course. And there is blood offering on the both sides. If there is a centro where they do not make blood offerings, so what? We understood the role all religious centeres play. Try and imagine that brasil is much like other countries in that there are diverse populations and age groups. You will have a group of older church women in the u.s. who get together, like to make refreshments for the parties and it is very normal. So it is the same in brasil. Why are brasilians to be judged on how "afro" they are or not in the religion? This is a thing of outsiders. It is just various styles and ways of worship. If it is not obvious, I am very displeased with the way the author portrayed brasil to the world.
Osun Across the Waters .......2007-03-08
Purchased as gift and received a very good notice on this book.
Great job.......2007-02-04
A lot of articles about Oxun covering the African tradition, Candomble and lukumi. All articles was well selected and contains useful information for you understand this Great Mother of African religion. Oxun is the image of the ancestor mother and means the feminine principle.
The Truth To My Soul.......2005-11-10
As being a child of Oshun for 16 years, there are many answers that I have been seeking for a very long time and I can say that the author has touched upon many of them. He has a profound insight into the spiritual aspect as well as the Lukumi aspect of the religion.
Heavy read.......2004-12-22
But really good and you will learn alot about the most powerfull and benevolent queen of the sweet waters.
If you've been crowned Ochun/Osun/Oxum this book is a must have!- If you have little to no knowledge of oshun or just want to bone up on this awesome Orisha this book is a must.
I've learned alot about our beloved Oshun- followers of Osun will love this book and there is no doubt that you will need this book.
That said:
This book at times is really drawn out in some parts...so much so that I had to read anther book and then i went back to Osun across the waters.
Some of the essays in this book tend to come aross as 'stuck up' to me- but the HARD WORK all the authers put into making this really shines.
Don't miss out on this book.
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Africa's Ogun (African Systems of Thought)
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
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ASIN: 0253210836 |
Customer Reviews:
Women and gay men cannot be Babalawos.......2003-03-26
I was born in Cuba. I came to the United States in 1970. Women and gay men were not permitted into the priesthood. I was recently initiated as a babalawo. So my knowledge of IFA is limited. However, since I was very young, I was thought that IFA was exclusively for men. This believe was further reinforce when I went to Cuba to become a babalawo. I been studying as much as I can from books and other information Iýve been able to obtain on the Internet. One of the website I found was the ýIFA Association of N. Americaý(or something like that) in Seattle. The head babalawo there is Phillip John Neimark who has written a few books on IFA (some, quite good). On his website he noted that he brought in a gay men into the priesthood. Iýve heard of women in Africa (never in Cuba) that have become priestess in IFA. But, Iýve never heard of a gay men being accepted into the religion. Shame on you Mr. Neimark. You took this menýs money and made him a babalawo that will never be accepted in any way shape or form in the Hispanic community that practises Santeria in the large US cities.Have done an injustice to this man.
women being initiated into Ifa'.......2002-03-16
aboru, aboye, abosise-o my name is fa'kolade ogunrinde awoyade. i went through igbodu in ode-remo-ijebu in 1998 in the egbe of late Baba Alashala Awoyade's compound. I feel that times has changed just like it has with most religions. women are given certain rites into societies where long ago were unheard of. then why are we allowing them to be initiated into Ifa' and they can't see odu? If i am correct, when we (Awo's) receive our odu aren't we told not to look into odu? We can only feed odu in a very dark place and if we disobey and look inside that calabash........our osun staff must fall to the earth huh (mean we havve commited suicide)? there are some women who even have some of the elements of odu in there Ifa's. this must be addressed with our elders in Yorubaland and then and only then will we take a stand. do they become apetebe's when they have cofa? some women have even become iyanifa's. head of all apetebe's. i really do see any senior women here in america qualified to have such titles nor have ifa'. i could be wrong now. even certain so-called Awo's calling themselves Awo's are questionable. odabo
Woman Can Be Initiated into Ifa, However Women Can't See Odu.......2001-03-29
Bascom has done an excellent job of presenting some of the sacred Ifa verses. Also, women looking to become initiated into Ifa should continue to search for the right baba mentor to take them under their wing. I am a babe in the woods as far as this religon is concerned however, I managed to find a very good baba mentor whose sister-in-law is an Ifa priestess. When I mentioned about women not being able to get initiated they laughed.
Not for Aleyos.......2000-02-07
This book was recommended to be by a very trusted person - I thought it would tell me all I need to know about Ifá. I was mistaken. Much of the Yoruba faith is secret, so I was not looking to find what I knew I could not. However, women seeking to learn about Yoruba practices should not read the book as women cannot use the divination methods that Bascom describes in the book. Not to say that one should not order it...all reading is good. Do not expect to read about anything that is not involving Babalawos, and divination using Merindinlogun. The information was informative and interesting, but not useful for me at all since I am female and cannot become a Babalawo. This book would be most helpful for men without an Awo as of yet, seeking to learn more about Ifá. The most, for a woman, that this book has to offer is the Odu verses - which are not complete. For that I would have purchased the complete Odu-Ifá with additional books on the Orisa and other aspects of this spirituality. I would recommend, for beginners, books by Karade instead.
A must read for any Ifa devotee.......1999-06-04
Awo bascom has left his mark here at IKOLE-AYE (earth)with this systematic approach so simple that any non-practitioner of the Ifa religion could understand.It at the same time contains detailed information that any Awo or Babalawo would not part.Any purchaser would greatly get their money's worth.
Book Description
“The leopard’s stealthy gait is not a result of cowardice; it is simply stalking a prey.” (Do not mistake people’s gentle nature for spinelessness.) “The rabbit that eats yams and enjoys them will return for more.” (People remember good experiences and seek their repetition.) “The chicken sweats, but its down prevents us from knowing.” (Everybody has his or her problems, although strangers may not guess.) “The mouth does not say, ‘I ate once before.’” (Hunger is not something one assuages once and for all.) “It is a light rain that chases a child indoors; it is a raging torrent that shakes the raffia palm to its roots.” (Every person, however lowly or mighty, has his or her nemesis.)
Yoruba Proverbs is the most comprehensive collection to date of more than five thousand Yoruban proverbs that showcase Yoruba oral tradition. Following Oyekan Owomoyela’s introduction, which provides a framework and description of Yoruba cultural beliefs, the proverbs are arranged by theme into five sections: the good person; the fortunate person (or the good life); relationships; human nature; rights and responsibilities; and truisms. Each proverb is presented in Yoruba with a literal English translation, followed by a brief commentary explaining the meaning of the proverb within the oral tradition.
This definitive source book on Yoruba proverbs is the first to give such detailed, systematic classification and analysis alongside a careful assessment of the risks and pitfalls of submitting this genre to the canons of literary analysis.
Customer Reviews:
TIMELESS CLASSIC.......2006-01-15
As a Yoruba person settled in the United States, I sometimes worry about the erosion of the little I know about richness of the Yoruba culture, especially as articulated in proverbs. This reality becomes more poignant when I reflect on how my children might never appreciate the richness of the Yoruba culture. Oyekan Owomoyela's fascinating work in YORUBA PROVERBS allayed that fear.
I highly recommend this work to anyone who seeks to understand the "demeanour" of the Yoruba culture. A comprehensive collection of more than five thousand Yoruba proverbs translated literally and figuratively as seen with the Yoruba eyes.
Simply put, a narrative of the Yoruba culture and the richness thereof; would be incomplete without reference to this book. Just think: The timeless wisdom of Yoruba sages down the ages, has been made available to us for the mere price of a book.
Book Description
With An Appendix Containing A Comparison Of The Tshi, Ga, Ewe, And Yoruba Languages.
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Africans There/Africans Here: The Yoruba, Ashanti, and Mende in 19th-Century West Africa/The Middle Passage and 19th-Century America
Kathleen Carroll
Manufacturer: Zephyr Press
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ASIN: 0945984685
Release Date: 2005-01-21 |
Book Description
Two how-to handbooks in one! In Africans There: The Yoruba, Ashanti, and Mende in 19th Century West Africa, your students will take part in the activities of three young people in their native lands. In Africans Here: The Middle Passage and 19th Century America, they will learn through simulations and activities about the passage of the slave ships to America; life of the enslaved people in America; and the underground railway. They’ll learn songs and dances of the African American from the perspective of the same three newly arrived slave people.
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Chief S. Ladoke Akintola
Akinj Osuntokun
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0714632198 |
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Ornament 8000 Years: An Illustrated Handbook of Motifs
Eva Wilson
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
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ASIN: 0810932601 |
Books:
- Francis Parkman : France and England in North America : Vol. 1: Pioneers of France in the New World, The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, The Old Regime in Canada (Library of America)
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America (Library of American Biography Series) (Library of American Biography)
- Genocide: Essays Toward Understanding, Early-Warning, and Prevention
- Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior
- Getting To Know The South Pacific
- Global Studies: Africa (Global Studies Africa)
- Great Failures of the Extremely Successful: Mistakes, Adversity, Failure and Other Stepping Stones to Success
- Historical Moments: Changing Interpretations of America's Past, Volume 2
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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