The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts

Author: Baba Ifa Karade
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1633411346
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
An introduction to the spiritual source of the beliefs and practices that have so profoundly shaped African American religious traditions. Most of the Africans who were enslaved and brought to the Americas were from the Yoruba nation of West Africa, an ancient and vast civilization. In the diaspora caused by the slave trade, the guiding concepts of the Yoruba spiritual tradition took root in Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil, and the United States. In this accessible introduction, Baba Ifa Karade provides an overview of the Yoruba tradition and its influence in the West. He describes the sixteen Orisha, or spirit gods, and shows us how to work with divination, use the energy centers of the body to internalize the teachings of Yoruba, and create a sacred place of worship. The book also includes prayers, dances, songs, offerings, and sacrifices to honor the Orisha.

Ojise

Author: Baba Ifa Karade
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1609256735
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
Ojise: Messenger of the Yoruba Tradition is a journal of the day-to-day activities and rituals that Karade encountered in his quest for priesthood in the Yoruba religion. Embedded in this journal are the very emotions, ideas and changes in his psyche-and the healing of soul - that occured on this journey. Karade explains the significance of the spiritual pilgrimage for people of all faiths.

Òrìşà Devotion as World Religion

Author: Jacob Kẹhinde Olupona
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299224646
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 628

Book Description
As the twenty-first century begins, tens of millions of people participate in devotions to the spirits called Òrìsà. This book explores the emergence of Òrìsà devotion as a world religion, one of the most remarkable and compelling developments in the history of the human religious quest. Originating among the Yorùbá people of West Africa, the varied traditions that comprise Òrìsà devotion are today found in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The African spirit proved remarkably resilient in the face of the transatlantic slave trade, inspiring the perseverance of African religion wherever its adherents settled in the New World. Among the most significant manifestations of this spirit, Yorùbá religious culture persisted, adapted, and even flourished in the Americas, especially in Brazil and Cuba, where it thrives as Candomblé and Lukumi/Santería, respectively. After the end of slavery in the Americas, the free migrations of Latin American and African practitioners has further spread the religion to places like New York City and Miami. Thousands of African Americans have turned to the religion of their ancestors, as have many other spiritual seekers who are not themselves of African descent. Ifá divination in Nigeria, Candomblé funerary chants in Brazil, the role of music in Yorùbá revivalism in the United States, gender and representational authority in Yorùbá religious culture--these are among the many subjects discussed here by experts from around the world. Approaching Òrìsà devotion from diverse vantage points, their collective effort makes this one of the most authoritative texts on Yorùbá religion and a groundbreaking book that heralds this rich, complex, and variegated tradition as one of the world's great religions.

Olodumare

Author: Emanuel Bolaji Idowu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Gods, Yoruba
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description

Yorùbá Beliefs and Sacrificial Rites

Author: J. Ọmọṣade Awolalu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Rites and ceremonies
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
Surveys previous works on Yoruba religion and outlines a typology of beliefs, as well as offers an interpretation of religious rites as elements of sacrificial system. This serious study gives valuable material for other approaches to religion-comparative, scientific and theological in addition to providing a point to reference for further studies of socio-religious change and a glimpse into the potential future of the Yoruba religion.

Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa

Author: Tobe Melora Correal
Publisher: Crossing Press
ISBN: 0307816095
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 202

Book Description
In the realm of African spiritual pathways, no tradition is so widely embraced and practiced as the West African religion Orisa. Awakened by her own spiritual journey, Tobe Melora Correal, an initiated priestess in the Yoruba-Lukumi branch of Orisa, guides us along this blessed road. FINDING THE SOUL ON THE PATH OF ORISA provides a fresh look at these ancient teachings and emphasizes introspection and inner work over the outward manifestations of Orisa’s practices. Correal debunks misconceptions surrounding the tradition, drawing us into a lushly textured, Earth-centered spiritual system—a compassionate and useful roadmap for revering God.

The Way of Orisa

Author: Philip J. Neimark
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062505572
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Book Description
Carried to the Americas by slaves, the 8,000-year-old philosophy of Ifa originated with the Yoruba peoples of West Africa. Ifa's enduring message of strength and inner peace, one that offers a way to harmonize our spiritual and worldly aims, is enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the West. Written by an avid student and accomplished practitioner, The Way of the Orisa provides an exhilarating introduction to the orisa, the powerful messenger spirits who act as our personal guardians. Through fables, rituals, prayers and simple guidelines, Philip Neimark shows how we can further our personal and professional goals by cultivating the loving support of orisa energy. Joyous, wise and eminently practical, The Way of the Orisa brings a vibrant ancient tradition to contemporary life.

Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens

Author: Lilith Dorsey
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1578636957
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description
"Throughout Africa and beyond in the Diaspora caused by the slave trade, the divine feminine was revered in the forms of goddesses, like the ancient Nana Buluku; water spirits like Yemaya, Oshun, and Mami Wata; and the warrior Oya. The power of these goddesses and spirit beings has taken root in the West. This book shows us how to celebrate and cultivate the traits of these goddesses, drawing upon their strengths to empower our own lives"--

The Ifa/Orisha Religious Tradition

Author: Oloye Karade
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781793069986
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Book Description
The Ifa/Orisha Religious Tradition: A New World Perspective is the latest work by renown author Oloye "Baba" Ifa Karade. The text centers on the importance of deepening understandings of this African Traditional Faith via historical and societal studies. The thesis is that there is a great importance to having a global perspective on Ifa/Orisha in order to see how the faith developed and how world views impact the thoughts and behaviors, and rituals held by adherents and disciples (iyawos to awos). The text takes the reader on the author's intellectual and spiritual journey, and serves as a culmination of his involvement in Ifa/Orisha for over three decades. Presented are a number of lectures; historical references; travel journals from the author's experiences and studies in Nigeria, the Caribbean, South America. Included also are interviews with the priestly and charts depicting comparative world religions -- to include Ifa/Orisha. Oloye "Baba" Ifa Karade dedicates his book to Zora Neal Hurston, the African-American anthropologist, ethnologist, and initiate in the Ifa/Orisha faith. He sees it as testament to her struggle to go beyond the surface levels slavery and survival and attempt to see the core of the faith from a perspective other than what is depicted and held as "fact". References to her work are included along with other noted scholars in the field. In conclusion, the text is an inner-eye opener guaranteed to stimulate deeper thinking and dialogue around the tenets and global impact of the Ifa/Orisha. And though many might ponder the importance of having historical basis for their involvement or interest in Ifa, at some point, as suggested, it must become of paramount importance to do so. I am honored to have the art work of Juan Picasso gifted to this textbook as well as the photography of Mansa K. Mussa and others.

Babalawo

Author: Frank Eyiogbe
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738744085
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Book Description
Cuban Ifá From An Insider Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more. Praise: "A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion