Customer Reviews

Vodou Visions: An Encounter with Divine Mystery

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Sallie Ann Glassman has written an extraordinary book about an extraordinary subject. VODOU VISIONS gives a most cogent, accessible, and moving view of a body of sacral thought -- really, an entire imaginative culture -- that is of profound importance, rarely studied, and almost invariably exploited or aligned.

Ms. Glassman's approach is unqiue. She frames her exegesis and celebration of Vodou as a spiritual autobiography. Her persoanl journey helps us understand the religion that she studies, and appreciate its intensely personal transformative power.

VODOU VISIONS is appropriately and vividly personal. But Ms. Glassman also places Vodou in its culture, and in world culture. Her work demonstrates both the singularity and the centrism of Vodou. This is a book that is scholarly in its essence, and historical in its scope.

It is also a book that is remarkable in its art. Ms. Glassman is a stunningly gifted writer. Her prose is brilliantly intelligent, and entirely original. Her artwork is breathtaking, and sublimely interrelated with her thought and her uses of language.

Almost everyone who has reviewed VODOU VISIONS has praised it in appropriately warm and respectful terms. One reviewer, whose comments generally are highly positive, maintains that VODOU VISIONS replicates Ms. Galssman's earlier book. I have reread Ms. Glassman's earlier book (which is superb, and I cannot understand the reviewer's charge. The two works seem to me to have nothing in common, other than high distinction and exceptional scholarship and artistry.

VODOU VISIONS is without question the most compelling work on its subject to appear in recent years. Experts and readers new to the subject will relish this utterly wonderful book.

I had the privilege during my own years in New Orleans, of having Ms. Glassman do several readings for me. Her wisdom and knowledge impressed me then, so I was an early and eager reader of Vodou Visions when it was published. It more than met my expectations and this review is long overdue. I agree with other reviewers--more prompt than myself--that Ms. Glassman's scholarship, art work, writing style and ability to integrate her own spriritual journey with a presentation of the wider Vodou experience make this a first rate book and a must read for anyone interested in this rich and often misunderstood belief system. Other readers, like myself, may also respond to the subtext. Whether or not one is moved to further study of Vodou, the example of Ms. Glassman's journey shows us clearly the courage, hard work and diligence that must accompany successful spiritual growth.

I'll be honest... I didn't know what this book was going to be about, or why I even ordered it... I am amazed how much I learned.

Glassman has a fantastic voice, and manages to offer her own experiences not as a way to show all she has done, but as a way to inspire us all to go on a similar journey. If you are someone who has a strong faith, or curious about worlds you have never seen, the book will be well worth your time.

I approached Ms. Glassman's book with tremendous excitement, having benefitted greatly from her work in The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot, and was not disappointed. The book has taken the basic principles of vodou, and made them accessible and practical to serious practitioners and newcomers alike.

With an extremely warm tone and a welcoming voice, Ms. Glassman invites the reader into a wonderful world of mystery and healing. The book eschews tawdry spells for love and revenge and concentrates instead on the real essence of vodou--deep spiritual communion and communication.

The book encourages the reader to explore the world of spirit on many levels and provides ample information in order to establish effective contact with the lwa. It also explores the history of the religion and details rituals from the simple to the extravagant. These rituals can provide a new peace and sense of awe that will leave the reader breathless.

For those who have worked with Ms. Glassman's tarot deck, the information provided relating to the various lwa will heighten and strengthen knowledge of and communication with the lwa. Adding to the descriptions featured in the tarot book, the book takes one that much further on the road to understanding and communicating with the powerful and beautiful lwa.

You will not be disappointed in this book. I give it my highest recommendation

Many people ask me after my tour what book I would recommend most. Vodou Visions is most suited to those who wish to venture into the practice the Vodou religion. It is a beginners book and there are not many rituals provided but the list of the lwa (spirits) is exhaustive. One may create their own rituals easily with Glassman's guide. If one wishes to learn more about the history of Vodou I would recommend another book.

This definitive work by Ms. Glassman is definitely a book worth reading, if only for the reason to discover what Vodou really is and not what we as Americians have been led to believe by the film industry. I have searched for such a book for many years and until now have been very disappointed with the selection. Ms. Glassman takes one, step by step, through the history, the definition and how-to of Vodou and is compelling throughout. This very difficult subject has now been set to words that allow anyone the ability to study and practice this religion. I especially appreciate the way Ms Glassman incorporated visionary art with the French, Kryeol, and English translations of the Lwa (spirits). Her artwork combined with the traditional practices of Vodou leaves one in awe at times. I finished the book with a feeling that I had just 'encountered a divine mystery'. I will continue to practice my religion but with more knowledge and understanding than ever before thanks to Vodou Visions and Sallie Ann Glassman. Ashe!

I came away from "Vodou Visions: An Encounter with the Divine Mystery" with eyes opened to a fresh point of view. Sallie Ann Glassman is a creative genius. A wonderful artist who artfully presents the Vodou cosmology in word and image, in a way that wets the appetite for more. As an ATR (African Traditional Religion) practitioner I found the work respectful, inclusive, insightful, entertaining yet smart. Glassman is a true talent by creating such a concise work on a very elaborate cosmology and deep subject. "Vodou Visions" is a passport to a fascinating world. Kudos, for a job well done! I highly recommend this book as an introduction to the mysterious world of the lwa and the Vodou vision.

This is an incredible book. If you are interested in Vodou -- whether the interest be fascination or fear -- this book will educate and inspire. I learned so much about how to incorporate ritual and mystery into my daily life. The author's spiritual journey is very inspiring for anyone who longs to connect with deeper spiritual meaning, but feels that he or she can't rise above a seemingly "ordinary" upbringing. Not so! There is room for magic and mystery and meaning in any life. This book is a passport. Take the trip.

As an artist with spiritual interests, this book surpassed my expectations. From clear veve illustrations to concise and easy-to-understand traditions, Glassman provides a firm foundation for researchers into Vodou (and Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun) mystical arts and beliefs. Excellent for beginners, and one of the best resources for visual artists who want to work with veve-type imagery.

Ive been involved, albeit somewhat on the edges, of Wicca for many years, and have always felt something wasnt quite there. This awesome book is helping me find what was missing in myself, and allowing me to open many more doors on my path~1 Its great when you finally are able to TRULEY understand that there are many many paths, and that they really do lead to the same destination!...