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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shamanby Malidoma Patrice Some'
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Among the Dagara of Burkina Faso there is no distinction between the natural and the supernatural: The living converse with ancestral spirits, and those with the proper knowledge routinely travel to other worlds. Malidoma Patrice Some was born in a Dagara village, only to be abducted as a small boy and taken to a Jesuit mission school, where for fifteen years he was harshly indoctrinated in European ways of thought and worship. When he returned to his people, he had to undergo an initiation so rigorous that it might have killed him. Instead, Malidoma's passage between two worlds resulted in an assignment to convey his people's knowledge to the West, leading to this book of rare healing wisdom. Of Water and the Spirit is a remarkable sharing of living African traditions, offered in compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of the spirit. Review:"This vivid autobiography takes readers into a world of black magic, palpable spirits, walking dead people, force fields, transdimensional journeys — a world as strange as anything in imaginative fiction." Publishers Weekly Review:"[I]llustrates the profound culture clashes between Western civilization and indigenous cultures." Library Journal Review:"What's most compelling here is the insider's account of white religious colonialism in Africa, as well as the sense of what it's like to be a man of two cultures with contradictory versions of reality." Booklist Review:"[A] beautifully written and personal story that grapples with questions of identity and tradition that affect us all." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Malidoma has kept faith with the ancestors and with his own heart. His journey is a shimmering 'misiing piece' in the story of the earth." Alice Walker Review:"Here is a man who has experienced [ancient initiation] in our time. The spiritual depth of African culture becomes clear." Robert Bly Synopsis:One of the most astonishing and intimate accounts of spiritual transformation ever written, this is the true story of an African's shaman's initiation--a remarkable sharing of living African traditions, offered with compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of spirit.
About the AuthorMalidoma Patrice Somé, born in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) West Africa, is initiated in the ancestral traditions of his tribe, and is a medicine man and diviner in the Dagra culture. He holds three master's degrees and two doctorates from Sorbonne and Brandeis University, and has taught at the University of Michigan. He currently devotes himself to speaking and, with his wife, Sobonfu, conducting intensive workshops throughout the United States. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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