Customer Reviews

Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Voodoo and Afro-caribbean Paganism is a thoughtfully organized, comprehensive overview of the African diaspora religions. It is organized by each major division and includes details about the Gods and Goddesses, myths and practices. If you want to know about the Yoruba Goddess Osun, there's a good summary here. If you want to know about the diasporic creation myths, look here. If you want some information on New Orleans Voodoo practices and rituals, it's in here too. Ms. Dorsey has always impressed me when I've had the chance to catch her classes, and here is distilled information on a encyclopedic array of subjects within her speciality. This is an excellent, easy to read, practical summary text including directed texts, films and recordings for further study.

What we have here is someone who understands implicitly the commonalities found across the faiths and systems. The Afro-Carribean religions arose from just that, and this work helps explain this most important point.

A wonderful book that is truly informative without being a dry read. Highly recommended for the both the beginner or those familiar with Voodoo and Afro-Carribean traditions. Bravo!

This book is very well organized and well thought out as well as enjoyable reading! The contents show a deep understanding of Voodoo from the Caribbean perspective, as well as it's evolution and amalgamation with other belief models that impact it such as Catholicism and East Indies Indian beliefs. Ms. Dorsey has also provided how it's impacting the Neo-Pagan and New Age world and given it's readers a rare look into that community as it is today! I highly recommend this book!

This book provided a great overview of the various practices from location to location. The information itself gets repetitive because there are similarities in these different groups, making the reading a little dry in places, but I don't see any way around it. Perhaps pictures would have been helpful. I really like the picture on the cover. The author does seem to know her information which comes from a pro-Voodoo perspective as is herself a practioner. This book gives me a lot of information to digest before I travel into areas where Voodoo is openly practiced. I also liked the movie reviews which depict voodoo practices. Missing was the movie, "Serpant and the Rainbow," but I suppose you cannot list them all.

How surpsising! Yet another book written by a "Pagan" seeing how he/she can degrade other traditions and make them as low as his/her own! If you talk to a follower of Santeria, Vodou or Candomble and call them Pagan...make sure you have your First Aid Kit handy for afterwards!

ALL African derived traditions are monotheistic! There is only ONE GOD in Africa...no matter what you call him! If you think that the Orisha Oshun is a goddess and "equivalent" to the "Vodou Goodess" Freda, then think again! They are indeeed mighty entities, but they are GOD'S EMBASADORS and not gods themselfes...The list why this book su%$s big time goes on and on! If you are truly interested in Afro-Caribbean Traditions, leave your cosy "reading room" and find a good house to study with!