Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah [Paperback]

Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2008

The secrets of Santeria, Voodoo and Obeah are among the oldest enigmas in the world. Their roots go back to pre-historic Africa - perhaps even beyond that. From the 16th century onwards, the slave trade brought these ancient mysteries to the West, where they blended strangely with traditional Christianity: the ancient African gods became identified with legendary saints. This integration of the two faiths slowly evolved to form the many varieties of Santeria, Obeah and Voudoun that are widely practiced throughout the world today. Their characteristic dancing and drumming seem able to invoke strange states of mind in which almost anything is possible. Even stories of zombies - the walking dead - still persist. Is there a rational explanation for them? Contemporary Voudoun priests, priestesses, magicians and enchanters use rare herbs and spices as well as charms, dolls and talismans to control the natural world in ways that science cannot always explain. Accounts of their inexplicable successes are examined in depth. Most intriguing of all are the claims that are made for their love philtres and aphrodisiacs. What powers do these old religions still possess?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book shows other secrets such as voodoo, making for a most thorough look at the occult. They tell of actual cases defying logic and explanation. Whether you believe it or not, it does offer basis for dialogue and debate."

(Christmas 2008 Shelf Life )

From the Inside Flap

Arriving in the West in the sixteenth century through the slave trade, the ancient mysteries of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah blended strangely with traditional Christianity. What powers do these old religions still possess?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dundurn; 1st. Canadian edition (July 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550027840
• ISBN-13: 978-1550027846
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,925,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ethnocentric Foreword Sets the Tone, November 11, 2008

By 

Pegi Eyers "Lyssanda Studios" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah (Paperback)

At first glance "Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria and Obeah" looks like a serious scholarly work but it is actually anything but. The eurocentric foreword by Reverend Canon Stanley Mogford establishes a tone of cultural superiority and sets a baseline for the book by his definition of Christian supremacy over all other religions or spiritual traditions. He states that conversion to Christianity is a universal principle and that unchristian or "primitive" societies are an aberration. One must assume that the authors support this view. It would not have been surprising to read nonsense like this forty years ago, but to be printed today? What were the publishers thinking? The authors' outsider tone is condescending and colonialist and their speculative research meanders in and out of cultural histories that could not have possibly been linked to the Santeria tradition. In a generalist, muddled way, they tie in various mystical traditions as if all are equal in superstitious triviality, so they MUST be connected ie. the Minotaur of Knossos, the Venus of Willendorf etc. By constant reference to the Santeria/Christian syncretization, they imply that Santeria did not stand alone as a fully-functioning valid spiritual tradition for centuries before encountering European domination. Because of its old-fashioned tone of imperialism, this book represents what can happen with the worst of ethnocentric-based study, and is to be avoided in favor of works on Santeria and Obeah by practitioners of those traditions in their own words (or anti-ethnocentric writers).