CUBAN SANTERIA

From the editor: Initiated into the Santeria priesthood at the age of seven, Raul Canizares unveils in Cuban Santeria the secret and seductive world of this rapidly growing, yet largely misunderstood, Afro-Cuban religion. With the knowledge of an insider and the insight of a scholar, Canizares examines the practice of Santeria, revealing many of its previously hidden dimensions while at the same time providing a fascinating account of its textured mix of African, Cuban, and Catholic traditions.

The Cuban-born Canizares describes the practices and rituals of the followers of Santeria-from magical herbal prescription and healing to Spiritism and animal sacrifice-and explains how for many years the religion has been maintained under the guise of Catholicism to avoid religious persecution. Most initiates are sworn to a code of silence, but Canizares believes that the time has come to relax this code and move Santeria, a religion of beauty and resilience, out of the darkness and into the light so that a more accurate picture of this rich tradition can emerge. Eleven color plates and black-and-white illustrations by the author enhance the text and further evoke the potent spirit of Santeria.

A former university professor, Raul Canizares now heads the Santeria Temple Orisha Consciousness Movement in Manhattan and lectures on Santeria around the nation. The author of Shango: African-American Titan, he lives in New York City.

Pages: 151
Special Interest: VooDoo, Magick, Santeria, Brujeria, Occult, Philosophy, Religion.

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