Books

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (Arkana)

Average customer rating:

This book changed my life
An unforgettable book
A mixed blessing
Of Water and the Spirit, and contradictory book
Malidoma blurs the line between Western Fiction and African Nonfiction

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (Arkana)
Patrice Malidoma Some
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Healing Wisdom of Africa
Ritual: Power, Healing and Community
The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Ways of Relationships
Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom
Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and Mysteries (Mutwa, Credo Vusa'mazulu,)

ASIN: 0140194967

Customer Reviews:

This book changed my life.......2006-10-16

I read this book in the midst of discovering the myriad of hidden truths about african history. Being African American myself I have spent many years trying to undo the backwards education that I was subjected to about my culture in this country by doing extensive research.

If for anything, read this book alone to gain an inside experience of what horrors Africans suffered at the hands of missionaries who felt it was their duty to "save" african children from their "barbaric" roots. They stole these children away from their villages to bring them up in seminary schools where they were subject to brutal treatment and the brainwashing of their religion. I feel it is people's duty to understand the raw effects of these events as it has also happened to indigenous cultures all over the world.

As some reviewers say below, there is a lot about this book that seems fantastical. Malidoma takes us far into the magic and ritual of his culture. It takes an open mind, one that recognizes that the destructive path of colonialism was not only physical but emotional and spiritual. Take time if you will to reflect that if you think colonialism was a destructive force, it also took it's toll on our openess to the possibility of realities other than our own. There isn't hocus pocus in this book, Malidoma a very grounded, extremely well educated gentlemen who has experienced the western world and his traditional one inside out. What he offers in this book is an invaluable opportunity to see the remnants of a culture that we have lost touch with and just how important it is to reconnect to the possibility that what we experience as solid reality is only that which we have been brought up to believe in. It does not mean that it is the only one.

Malidoma's writing is also beautiful and engrossing, I couldn't put it down. I was left with a more solid sense of who I was as an African American, I have learned about the advanced architecture and maths that africans had but I had never had a chance to look this deeply into our spiritual history.

An unforgettable book.......2006-08-26

A riveting and beautiful mystical story that encompasses many lessons that we all could learn from. I could feel Malidoma's pain in his struggle with the evil criminals that complicated his life. This book is absolutely wonderful for all who appreciate the mysteries of existence but it also has many very important lessons that the Africans in America and the diaspora would do well to take notice of.In my opinion,this book should be in schools.

A mixed blessing.......2006-06-29

Malidoma Some's book is truly a mixed blessing! He writes about his personal experiences and life journey, about the spirituality of his people and the contrasts between the African Mindset and the ideas and pre-conceptions of Western people/white people.

Some parts of this book truly deserve 5 starts, other parts deserve 0! The most important part of this book is indeed Mr Some's return to his own village and his struggles to re-claim his own roots. Every practitioner and every seeker of African religions should have a look at this section of the book. It clearly shows that the western mindset can hinder us from fully embracing what African spirituality has to offer and how different the TRADITIONAL African mindset is to the mindset of western people. Just like Mr Some, who in the course of his journey realized that his "Europeanization" hindered him from fully embracing his own tradition, so should many Europeans who search for "greater powers" within the African traditions examine their own preconceptions and ideas. This part alone deserves 5 starts!

Other parts of the book read much like a fiction story and should be take with a big pinch of salt. This being said, some of the things Mr Some describes can still be found within African Traditional Religions in the West - visible spirit manifestations being just one example. However, others are rather dubious...0 stars for that part of the work!

Of Water and the Spirit, and contradictory book.......2006-02-13

first of all, i would like to have it known that i am 15, and i had to read this book for AC Writing Workshop. the first 4 or 5 chapters are very dull. the next few chapters are mildly distrubing, for he gets molested, and it is hinted that other boys are getting raped. later on, the book gets better. this book is entertaining, but unrealistic, i highly disagree with its title as an autobiography, for there is no way many of these happenings could have taken place. if it was classified as a fictional story, i would have no problem, but it is classified as an autobiography. i believe that many of his "experiences" have to do with either, dehydration, heat stroke, hallucinagents, or hypnosis. it is impossible for someone to jump into a light portal and disappear into another dimension. for this reason, i would not recomend using this book for a class, for it is completely ridiculus. it is entertaining towards the latter half of the book, the author occasionally slips into a few instances when he uses circumlocution, but other then that, its not too bad. read this book, if ur believe in spirits, but i would not recomend it if u are into science, and the phisical limits of certain things, for this book is completely contradictory to "western" beliefs.
John G.

Malidoma blurs the line between Western Fiction and African Nonfiction.......2006-01-03

I was given this book by a friend because of my interest in Water (see: Masaru Emoto's "The Hidden Messages in Water") and my interest in Shamanism (see: Tom Cowan's "Fire in the Head").

Generally, I read these kinds of books because of personal soul-searching, so it is good that Malidoma's book delivers some of his personal answers and leaves other answers open. It struck me as a nonfiction that read as a fiction novel. The downside is that Malidoma learns something deep in this novel, but the reader is not privy to his experience: even Malidoma says that a lot of what he sees cannot be described, for personal reasons or due to the limits of our language. It is a palpatable feeling of loss when Malidoma comes out of his experience enlightened, but many readers would not.

I would recommend this book for people who already live in a world of fiction: Malidoma has seen a lot of things that defy Western "reality," and some straightlaced readers may not be able to accept or respect Malidoma enough to continue reading. If you can suspend your beliefs, however, the book is completely engrossing: I found it hard to put down! Malidoma is a sympathetic character in his own book, and characterizes the people he met very well.

The book itself is jam-packed full of text: a cursory glance at the textual presentation makes you blink. Take a look at an excerpt above.

I found this book hard to put down. Any fiction-lover who is interested in a new culture that is not fictional at all should this book.

OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT: RITUAL, MAGIC, AND INITIATION IN THE LIFE OF AN AFRICAN SHAMAN

Average customer rating:

OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT: RITUAL, MAGIC, AND INITIATION IN THE LIFE OF AN AFRICAN SHAMAN
Malidoma Patrice Some
Manufacturer: Putnam's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQOH48

Average customer rating:

Of Water and the Spirit...ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman
Malidoma Patrice Some
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JK24QO

Average customer rating:

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman
Malidoma Patrick Some
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M15WH8

Average customer rating:

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman
Malidoma Patrice Some
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7CJIG

OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT: Ritual, Magic & Initiation In The Life Of An African Shaman

Average customer rating:

OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT: Ritual, Magic & Initiation In The Life Of An African Shaman
Malidoma Some
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIW8YO

Books:

Books