The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts

First off, I want to start by saying, that I already have a background in Voodoo and Santeria. But I have been wanting to connect to my African roots and ancestry more directly. I wanted to go back to the beginning of it all. And now I have a friend who is initiated into Ifa, I can finally learn by someone I trust.The book starts off by telling you the history of Ifa. Talks about how Voodoo and Santeria stemmed from it (which I already knew prior). I found the author's explanation of the energy carriers ( a/k/a deities) accurate. The author's explanation of things were simple and easy to understand. I feel that this is a great book for any beginner. There is a ton of information in the back of the book, and a glossary if terms. I am so excited to start my path. The author's quotes really do stick with you as well. I highly recommend this book for newbies and for those like me, who wanted more history and how we came to the modernization that has become intertwined, while not losing its core. Great reference book that I will always keep on hand.

Wow this is an amazing book! I just started my journey in Ifa. I had been looking into the tradition for some times (doing YouTube search and interacting in various Facebook communities) I found two local priests, one a Babalawo and the other, Vondoun. To be short, I’ll just say the Vondou priest is a terrible representative of the Vondou tradition here in San Diego. During conversations, he continually throws in disclaimers about certain extremely unprofessional act that may have to take place like a spiritual bathe where he washes you and if you come to him home (temple) women have to enter topless.On another note, the Ifa Babalawo is extremely professional! I had a few encounters with him and he’s been teaching me so much about the different Orishas and how the different systems work. I’m going to be initiated this August in Cuba. So a week ago an just finished it today. I decided to grab this book just see if there were actually any good Ifa reads out there and I’m surprised. And this book actually proves that my soon to be God- father is a good one bc he sticks to every single step mentioned in this book and the way he teaches is exactly as mentioned.GREAT BOOK!!!

All the materials I needed in this book.

I just started my research seriously into Yoruba and came across this book. It is a perfect book for people like myself who are competely new to the subject area which can be a bit intimidating because of all the new terms and language. However, it was well written and easy to understand.I learned alot and even the new terms were not difficult at all. The concepts were not as intimidating as I initially perceived and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the vast knowledge of this amazing culture and religion.I felt very connected to many aspects and started feeling grounded [like a sense of coming home] and the more I read about the various spiritual entitities, I felt I was being drawn inexplicably to OSHUN and OGUN ...I was having several spiritual experiences which were amazing. I am now at a place of seeking a mentor to guide me deeper into intiation, hopefully.I live in Long IsLand, New York , so if anyone knows.of a Babalawoo or temple I can go to for further guidance, I would really appreciate it. Thank you

This is an excellent book for anyone seeking an introduction to Ifa and Yoruba religious traditions. The author does an amazing job laying a foundation for understanding in addition to fueling the flame of curiosity. The flow of the book begins with a history of the religion and how it made its way to the New World. It them flies into the explanation of the religion. I received my book last week and I'm reading it for a second time, this time going through the book with my highlighter. This book and its principles will definitely serve as tools in my journey to self improvement. There are many references and resources noted in this book and I have added a few of those to my wish list to further my knowledge. This was a great read and an easy read. I would highly recommend!

Very informative exactly what I was looking for. I recommend it to anyone new to the yoruba culture or anyone needing handy info.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

This book surpassed my expectations. At the close of each section I found myself leaning back, saying, "wow!" It's as if a new gateway of my mind opened with each page. I vibrated with this energy. It reaches my soul. I appreciate the history of migration and the connections made between cultures and spiritual practices and religions. The footnotes allow for further research. The phrases and vocabulary at back are an awesome addition. At about 100 pages, you may read this book in entirety within a couple of days, but you will refer to it for a lifetime.

knowledgeable read for beginners who need a brief overview of a practice that takes years to develop or folks who are well rooted into the religion and just want to be blessed with some good ancient context .. read this first a while ago & got this book for my auntie ( who is christian ) but i will be getting one for myself to have a copy of .

I like this book, and I commend the author for this work. It's written in a style that is clear, concise and easy to follow. I especially like how he makes comparisons between IFA to other well known philosophies, which highlights, quite nicely, the similarity that exists between them.I also like how the author reminds the reader that one should NOT use this information in lieu of an authentic priest. Something that is often not emphasised to intiates of IFA. So in that respect, as stated in the heading, its a good introduction to further studies.

I love this book becasue I am always looking for new meanings and prayers and alternate views on this subject. This book offers more detail and is very accurate and real.

Very informative

This book I really really love. A great introduction and very clearly explained. Easy reading as well. 5 stars for this one.

Christmas present.