Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship & Ifa
by Charles Spencer King
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charles Spencer KingEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-16
ISBN: 1440417334
Number of pages: 328
Publisher: CreateSpace
Book Reviews of Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship & Ifa
Book Review: The Odu of a Maverick Babalawo
Summary: 5 Stars
Natures Ancient Religion is a book that discovers and discusses one of the most ancient Religions, Orisha Worship or IFA that was born in Africa and later pollinated to various parts of the world where Black slaves travelled along with their captors. IFA is a religion that worships nature in various elements. Being a nature lover and a Hindu whetted my interest to pick up this book and learn some more about this religion which is quite similar in some philosophies to Hinduism.
The author has very engagingly explained the various Pataki's (stories) about the various Gods and the lessons learnt from them which makes it quite interesting even to a non-believer outside the faith. This religion is unique from the others since it involves mathematical calculations during the divination process to predict an individuals' Odu or path they would take in life.
There were a few Gods and their avatars that have been discussed in this book. Two of my favorites were Shango & Oshun.
Shango - He's the Orisha of thunder and has the power of the fire. He's enigmatic in looks, vibrant and full of fun and married to Oya the Orisha of the wind and a warrior goddess. Shango is also the orisha of dance and his female counterpart is Oshun.
Oshun - She is the goddess of the river, gold, copper and sexuality and sexual desires. A la Aphrodite! She's the most beautiful Orisha who has enchanted almost all the male Orishas when she was single. She's unpredictable coz at one hand she's playful and carefree and on the other hand she's selfless always putting others before her. The mighty wise Orunmila (another powerful orisha) finally managed to contain her robust energy.
One thing that leaves me cold however is the animal sacrifices to appease the various gods. One of the branches in Hinduism too has this practice that I stay away from. My argument is based on Logic. If God made animals and nature...why would he want man to kill his own creation to appease him?
Lastly, the author comes across as a well read individual who was claimed by the Orishas by a series of events that happened in his life and convinced him that his Odu (path) was to spread this religion's message far & wide. I'm hopeful that he takes this crusade to a higher level and interprets the true meaning of this beautiful religion. The environment and Nature need beliefs like these to encourage its followers to respect what we have and how fast we can lose it.
Pick up this book if you are interested in Religion and Anthropology. There are some great discussions that tickles the mind :)
Summary of Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship & Ifa
6/1/2011 # 3 "Orisha" book on Amazon & # 7 "IFA" book on AmazonNature's Ancient Religion is 50% autobiography of the author's spiritual journey from cynic to Babalawo with Wanaldo. His rank in the world's seventh largest religion (175,000,000) is on par with a Catholic Arch Bishop. The author describes each step or level of his rise in Havana, Cuba. Readers are treated to the unique flavor of the forbidden island too. 50% is authoritative narrative of religions including: Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, indigenous and African. Anthropology is discussed including the 2007 Haplogroup mapping that is so important . Fresh pataki ( legends) are introduced, shrines honoring the Orishas are described. Core concepts of Ashe (Nature's energy), Odu, Ancestors, Dead, dreams and divination are probed and explained. The increasing role of women is discussed as well as racial tensions. Nature's Ancient Religion has 22 pages of Orisha worship book reviews, a glossary, index and the illustrations of Victorio Evelio Cué Villate.
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