I stand in the midst of creation's wheel

And watch in wonder the quiet majesty of its turning.

We are in the care of a love without limit or definition

Under the protection of a love that never looks away.

When the Spirit speaks to him in his daily prayers, Choctaw elder and spiritual explorer Steven Charleston takes a pen and writes down the messages. He then shares these thoughts with thousands on social media. In these musings, Charleston taps into the universal questions that draw us to prayer, no matter our spiritual background: Why am I here? Where do I belong? Where am I going?

This stunning collection of more than two hundred meditations introduces us to the Spirit Wheel and the four directions that ground Native spirituality: tradition, kinship, vision, and balance. The life we inhabit together has been called many things by Indigenous people: the Spirit Wheel, the hoop of the nations, the great circle of existence, the medicine wheel. We are all on that ever-turning wheel, Charleston says--all of creation, people and animals, rocks and trees, the whole universe. Together we can turn toward the wisdom of our ancestors, kinship with all of Mother Earth's creatures, the vision of the Spirit, and mindful balance of life. We are all searching for belonging and a vision of the world that makes sense. We can meet those longings as we ponder the blessings of Spirit Wheel, in the breathtaking moments when insight becomes an invitation to wonder.

Drawing on his lived experience within the Dagara culture as well as his extensive studies and teachings, Malidoma Somé's observations on healing, community, and ritual present powerful ways to become more connected--to the natural world, to the intergenerational village that can mentor and support every person, and ultimately to the truest, unmasked parts of ourselves.

Profoundly wise and fascinating...Malidoma Patrice Somé has delivered an incomparably meaningful gift to us wanderers and seekers in the West.
-- Alice Walker

An amazing bridge over the chasm of modern isolation. Malidoma reawakens the rituals of the heart. This is profound, brilliant, and accessible medicine for us.
-- Jack Kornfield

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.

What does it mean to become rooted in the land? How can we become better relatives to our greatest teacher, the Earth? Becoming Rooted invites us to live out a deeply spiritual relationship with the whole community of creation and with Creator.

Through meditations and ideas for reflection and action, Randy Woodley, an activist, author, scholar, and Cherokee descendant, recognized by the Keetoowah Band, guides us on a one-hundred-day journey to reconnect with the Earth. Woodley invites us to come away from the American dream--otherwise known as an Indigenous nightmare--and get in touch with the water, land, plants, and creatures around us, with the people who lived on that land for thousands of years prior to Europeans' arrival, and with ourselves. In walking toward the harmony way, we honor balance, wholeness, and connection.

Creation is always teaching us. Our task is to look, and to listen, and to live well. She is teaching us now.

By turns humbling, harrowing, magical, and transcendent, Malidoma's spiritual awakening imparted ancient wisdom that he would spend the rest of his life sharing with others around the world--as an antidote to alienation, a tool for self-transformation, and a bridge between cultures and worlds.

The Indigenous peoples of North America have followed a wide variety of spiritual traditions, many of which have been carried on to present day. Native American Spiritualism offers powerful insight into the origins and practices of Indigenous American spirituality while also providing guidance to help unlearn colonialist perspectives of Indigenous cultures and embrace an enlightened, nature-focused existence full of traditions of your own making.

This multifaceted guide to discovering your spirituality provides lessons on:

• Oral Traditions and the historical events of Mythic Time
• Key value systems of eight Nations, including the Chippewa, Sioux, and Chumash Nations
• Native American seasonal ceremonies and their cultural significance
• Everyday life in the Nations, including common foods, clothes, objects, and games
• And more!

Illustrated with stunning imagery, Native American Spiritualism is a must-read for practitioners who wish to explore the origins of their craft and practices.

The Mystic Traditions series explores mystical and spiritual traditions and magical practices from around the world from a modern perspective. These guides offer concise introductions to the origins of mystical practices; explain key concepts, figures, and legends in these traditions; and give straightforward and engaging instruction on how to connect directly with these practices through rituals, spells, and more.

Also from the Mystic Traditions series: Celtic Mysticism, Zen Buddhism.

. . . a landmark in research of African oral traditions. --African Arts

. . . a significant contribution to the understanding of Yoruba religious belief, magic, and art. --Journal of Religion in Africa

Yoruba texts and English translations of a divination system that originated in Nigeria and is widely practiced today by male and female diviners in the diaspora. A landmark edition.

The belief system of the Yoruba people, which may have originated millions of years ago in Nigeria, is regarded as one of the oldest religions in the world. It has since gained followers from all over the world, from the Caribbean to North America, and it's easy to see why. Its oral interpretations have piqued the interest of many, ranging from majestic tales of the Orishas to life-changing teachings of reincarnation. And, while it has been modified or intertwined with other world religions everywhere else, this high form of spirituality is still practiced in its original form in Africa.



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.

2019 Reprint of 1853 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Beeston's scholarship and his peculiar line of investigation enabled him to adduce some strong evidence that the Roman Empire was of Edomite origin. The grounds upon which he conducted his enquiry are Jewish tradition, Hebrew and Phoenician etymology and Scripture prophecy. The work is of significance to Black Hebrew Israelites (also called Black Hebrews, African Hebrew Israelites, and Hebrew Israelites), groups of Black Americans who believe that they are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism. One belief often expressed is a belief that Europeans are descendants of Israel's twin brother Esau, also known as Edom. (Genesis 25:25).

Brought to Cuba as slaves, the Yoruba people of West Africa preserved their religion's heritage by disguising their gods as Catholic saints and worshipping them in secret. The resulting religion is known as Santeria, a blend of primitive magic and Catholicism now practiced by an estimated five million Americans.

Santeria: The Religion is an informative and insightful examination of an African religion's survival in the New World. No one could write this book better than Migene Gonzalez-Wippler. Combining her informed study as an anthropologist and personal experience as a Santerian initiate results in a thrilling book that reveals some of Santeria's most spellbinding elements:

• The orishas: the deities of Santeria. Who they are. What they represent. How they may be contacted.
• The santeros: the priests of Santeria. What they are like. What they do. Initiations into the priesthood.
• The diloggun: shells used in divination. How they are used. Methods to consult the gods with the shells.
• Ewe: the magic of Santeria. Includes herbal potions prepared as medicinal cures.

Santeria: The Religion covers every aspect of this religion, including its rites and ceremonies. Some of these ceremonies may be considered bizarre or controversial--but, if you want to know the truth, get this book.

Santeria: The Religion contains over 65 remarkable photographs that will take you right into Santeria traditions. Interviews with practitioners reveal aspects of the religion rarely disclosed to non-believers.

The time has come to reveal the growing spiritual practice that continues to gain ground worldwide, and to remove the fear and distrust from people who do not understand. Here is the truth about the religion.

Olupona examines the myths and sacred stories about the origins of the universe that define ethnic groups and national identities throughout Africa. He also discusses spiritual agents in the African cosmos such as God, spirits, and ancestors. In addition to myths and deities, Olupona focuses on the people central to African religions, including medicine men and women, rainmakers, witches, magicians, and divine kings, and how they serve as authority figures and intermediaries between the social world and the cosmic realm.

African Religions: A Very Short Introduction discusses a wide variety of religious practices, including music and dance, calendrical rituals and festivals, celebrations for the gods' birthdays, and rituals accompanying stages of life such as birth, puberty, marriage, elderhood, and death. In addition to exploring indigenous religions, Olupona examines the ways Islam and Christianity as outside traditions encountered indigenous African religion. He shows how these incoming faith traditions altered the face and the future of indigenous African religions as well as how indigenous religions shaped two world religions in Africa and the diaspora.

Olupona draws on archaeological and historical sources, as well as ethnographic materials based on fieldwork. He shows that African religions are not static traditions, but have responded to changes within their local communities and to fluxes caused by outside influences, and spread with diaspora and migration.

Two manuscripts in one book:

• Santería: The Ultimate Guide to Lucumí Spells, Rituals, Orishas, and Practices, Along with the History of How Yoruba Lived On in America
• Orishas: The Ultimate Guide to African Orisha Deities and Their Presence in Yoruba, Santeria, Voodoo, and Hoodoo, Along with an Explanation of Diloggun Divination

Hundreds of years ago, the Yoruba people of Nigeria and West Africa were brought to America as slaves. Luckily, they successfully preserved their heritage and ancestral spirits by disguising their deities as Catholic saints. In secret, they worshipped. The result is the new-age religion known as Santería, a blend of Catholicism and African traditional beliefs.

Santería offers valuable and insightful information into the origins, beliefs, and practices of the syncretic Lucumí religion. This book will teach you the remarkable secrets of the Yoruba people.

In part one, you will:

• Discover how to invoke the orishas and the seven African Powers.
• Master the art of divination to foretell your future.
• Never worry about negative and evil forces again.
• See practical examples of how to use divine power to achieve your goals.
• Learn the powerful spells and rituals the Yoruba use to channel their gods.
• Master the use of ashé and iwa pele.
• Become a powerful child of the gods.
• And so much more!

In part two, you will:

• Learn how the Orishas came to be, starting with the source of all things - Olodumare
• Discover which Orisha to call upon for specific circumstances
• Find out how to praise and invoke the presence of the Orishas
• Learn how to get divine answers for your heart's questions using Diloggun
• Discover how to interpret the answers you get from Obi and Diloggun
• And so much more!

With this book as your guide, you now have a starting point to the life you desire. Santería will set you on the path to uncovering your roots and help you to establish a spiritual bond with the spirits of your ancestors.

You will also find truths about the Orishas and the basic steps you need to take to worship the Orisha of your choice - particularly the major Orishas. One thing is certain, Orisha worship is bound to influence your life significantly, and you can determine the energy (positive or negative) that you draw from them.

So, what are you waiting for? Click on the Add to Cart button to get your copy of this book today!

Santería is a religion with Afro-Cuban roots, rising out of the cultural clash between the Yoruba people of West Africa and the Spanish Catholics who brought them to the Americas as slaves. As a faith of the marginalized and persecuted, it gave oppressed men and women strength and the will to survive. With the exile of thousands of Cubans in the wake of Castro's revolution in 1959, Santería came to the United States, where it is gradually coming to be recognized as a legitimate faith tradition.

Apart from vague suspicions that Santería's rituals include animal sacrifice and notions that it is a syncretistic form of Catholicism, most people in America's cultural and religious mainstream know very little about this rich faith tradition -- in fact, many have never heard of it at all. De La Torre, who was reared in Santería, sets out in this book to provide a basic understanding of its inner workings. He clearly explains the particular worldview, myths, rituals, and practices of Santería, and he discusses what role the religion typically plays in the life of its practitioners as well as the cultural influence it continues to exert in Latin American communities today.

In offering a balanced, informed survey of Santería from his unique insider-outsider perspective, De La Torre also provides insight into how Christianity and Santería can enter into dialogue -- a dialogue that will challenge Christians to consider what this emerging faith tradition can teach them about their own. Enhanced with illustrations, tables, and a glossary, De La Torre's Santería sheds light on a religion all too often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding.

Santa Muerte is responsible for protection, healing, and safe passage to the afterlife for those who venerated her in life. This deity has significantly grown in popularity over the past few decades, much to the dismay of the Catholic Church, Mexican government, and other official bodies. You can see her now in many places in Mexico with shrines erected in her name and the many followers associated with the Santa Muerte movement.



Hundreds of years ago, the Yoruba people of Nigeria and West Africa were brought to America as slaves. Fortunately, they were able to preserve their heritage and ancestral spirits by disguising their deities as Catholic saints.

What makes Santeria so unique is the fact that it is a syncretic religion - it combines the beliefs and practices of several religions, primarily the African Yoruba religion with Roman Catholic elements mixed in.

Today, many people still turn to the Orisha for help and guidance not only in their small problems, but also in the big ones of life.

In this book you will find:

• The Legends of the Yoruba religion
• The rules for becoming an Iyawò
• You will learn that each Orisha has specific actions and temperament.
• How the Shangò maraca was born
• Why the sea is salty

Santería will set you on the path to discover your roots and help you establish a spiritual connection with the spirits of your ancestors.