Iyanifa means Mother of Wisdom or Mother of Ifa. It is the position of the High Priestess in the Ifa Orisha tradition . The Ifa Orisha tradition of Africa is thousands of years old and was so strong, it was able to survive the slave trade to go on in the new world. What didn't survive the slave trade ,but remained in Africa was the position of Iyanifa. In a world where women have lost much of their ancient mysteries to patriarchy and slavery, a tradition is presented here that went underground but did not die. Iyanifas, Iyami, and Queen mothers of Africa resurface now to continue a legacy for new generations across the globe. This book is a collection of stories, essays, and explorations of the position of Iyanifa and its resurgence in the Diaspora. Gleaned from the perspective of the elder mothers who broke the glass ceiling to reclaim the tradition , they share their divine wisdom teachings, candid personal experiences, joys, and growing pains drawn from their lives as Iyanifas and women in the tradition. This volume of work features authors such as Luisah Teish, Iyanla Vanzant, Aina Olomo and many other powerful healers, diviners, and counselors. It is offered as a gift to women in the tradition and to those interested in Woman’s and African Studies to explore the path of Iyanifa and to be a resource for years to come.

Iyanifa means Mother of Wisdom or Mother of Ifa. It is the position of the High Priestess in the Ifa Orisha tradition . The Ifa Orisha tradition of Africa is thousands of years old and was so strong, it was able to survive the slave trade to go on in the new world. What didn't survive the slave trade ,but remained in Africa was the position of Iyanifa. In a world where women have lost much of their ancient mysteries to patriarchy and slavery, a tradition is presented here that went underground but did not die. Iyanifas, Iyami, and Queen mothers of Africa resurface now to continue a legacy for new generations across the globe. This book is a collection of stories, essays, and explorations of the position of Iyanifa and its resurgence in the Diaspora. Gleaned from the perspective of the elder mothers who broke the glass ceiling to reclaim the tradition , they share their divine wisdom teachings, candid personal experiences, joys, and growing pains drawn from their lives as Iyanifas and women in the tradition. This volume of work features authors such as Luisah Teish, Iyanla Vanzant, Aina Olomo and many other powerful healers, diviners, and counselors. It is offered as a gift to women in the tradition and to those interested in Woman's and African Studies to explore the path of Iyanifa and to be a resource for years to come.

Ifa Orisa Spirituality is an ancestral wisdom tradition steeped in nature and West African history . Isese (Ee Shay Shay) refers to tradition in Ifa spirituality and refers to the wisdom passed down from our ancestors and spiritual progenitors. Descendants from the African Diaspora displaced during the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade are seeking to return back to our indigenous nature based roots for empowerment and spiritual transformation. The Isese Workbook offers a wealth of information, personal rituals, and exercises that can be done right now to begin to tap this expansive spiritual system whether or not a mentor has been found. It will also offer new practicial tools for those who are already devotees of the tradition to deepen their understanding. The workbook is specifically designed for inner work including exercises and rites drawn from traditional practices in Africa but also embraces the evolution of that understanding to be useful and relevant for the 21st Century African Diaspora population. In the Isese Spirituality Workbook, you will learn: * About your unique spiritual anatomy and physiology based on Isese and Ifa * The power of your Ori and its influence in shaping your destiny. * The Pillars of Isese foundations in Ori, Egun, and Egbe. * The role in Iwa or Character in spiritual evolution and healing. * About Asaro meditation and how to use it to cultivate inner peace and healing. * How to cultivate a relationship with your ancestors & healing generational trauma. * About Egbe, your spiritual support system ,soul family & multidimensional worlds * The role of divination in securing answers and how to use a simple method to gain immediate direction and guidance. * Sacred verses in the Ancient Ifa literary corpus to give us timeless guidance. * Sacred technology using Ewe and easy to find items. * Frequently Asked Questions of Beginners * How to begin the practice of Isese, Ifa Orisa Spirituality in the West and more.

It is my prayer that all of you who read this text will be truly blessed as well as inspired! I appeal to you to learn the names of The Ancient Ancestral Mothers and be blessed; for, they promised they will bless anyone who knows their names; any one who call their names; they will bless any one who doable (put their Ori/Head) to the ground or floor in honor of them and receive your blessings. Do these things for all nations and generations know of them! I am in hopes that each of you will have a deeper insight and appreciation of Divine Feminine Energy (DFE) the Universal Ase of all existence. This is your opportunity to rise to another spiritual dimension and excel above Earthly Trappings. Give thanks to Yeye Osun for she is the first Iyami. She houses the Divine Feminine Energy in her sacred cauldron i.e. womb.

Learn Recipes for Healing and Raising Your Vibrations Use the Divine African Mother Oracle for life guidance. Learn how to connect with the Ancestral Mothers Create a Sacred Sister Circle Traditional and Modern Day Women's Wisdom Awaken Your Dream Life and more! Magical Calabash is an anthology about African Goddesses, ancestral mothers, women's wisdom, and magic. SiStars of various backgrounds and experiences come together to share their stories and teachings for women in the diaspora. A calabash is a traditional magic pot that represents the cosmic womb. Inside it, we add ingredients to direct our intentions to that which we want to "birth to life". The intention here, is to offer practical Guidance to connect and work with the Divine African Mother, ancestral wisdom, and to use it to empower lives for today.

p>This long overdue history will prove welcome reading for anyone interested in Black history and race relations. It provides a much-needed text for senior high school and university courses in Canadian history, women's history, and women's studies.

Ladies! Tap into the wisdom of your womanhood and learn through real stories, helpful visualizations, and creative exercises how the sacred pelvic bowl supports and informs your ability to be creative, self-heal, and feel empowered in your life. Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit, & Joy in the Female Body offers a unique, holistic approach to reclaiming the power, spirit, and joy of the female body and the understanding of its connection to creative energy flow. By restoring the physical and energetic balance in the pelvic bowl, women can learn to care for themselves in a nourishing and respectful manner, heal spiritual fractures, and renew their relationship with the sacred feminine. In today’s age of women needing to reclaim their feminine power and bodily autonomy, Tami Kent—founder of Holistic Pelvic Care™ and a women’s health and physical therapist—provides a framework for healing the body and navigating the realms of the feminine spirit. Through pelvic bodywork, healing stories, visualizations, rituals, and creative exercises, women can explore the deep and natural wisdom inherent in the female body. Wild Feminine reveals the amazing potential of the female body: the potential to create, to heal, and to transform energy at the core of all womanhood and radically shift your relationship with your body and spirit. Wild Feminine gives you the tools to awaken and retrieve your ancient wild self, restore your joy and creative energy, and reconnect to your sacred center.

High priestesses are few and far between, white ones in Africa even more so.When Diane Esguerra hears of a mysterious Austrian woman worshipping the Ifa river goddess Oshun in Nigeria her curiosity is aroused. It is the start of an extraordinary friendship that sustains Diane through the death of her son and leads to a quest to take part in Oshun rituals. Prevented by Boko Haram from returning to Nigeria, she finds herself at Ifa shrines in Florida amid vultures, snakes, goats' heads, machetes, torrential rain and a cigar-smoking god. Her quest steps up a gear when Beyonce channels Oshun at the Grammys and the goddess goes global.

We all can name some of the Africanist aesthetic-structures that fuel African American and American art ... Syncopation, Improvisation, Call and Response, Cool, Polyrhythm, or Innovation as an ambition- But there are many, many more. What Makes That Black? The African-American Aesthetic identifies and defines seventy-four elements of the aesthetic through text and illustration. Using the magnificent camerawork of R.J. Muna, Sharen Bradford, Jae Man Joo, Rachel Neville, James Barry Knox, and more- as they point their cameras at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and jazz artists such as Cécile McLorin Salvant and Wynton Marsalis- a specific artistic consciousness or sensibility visually unfolds. Luana even joins the camera crew as she shoots Oakland Street Graffiti.

Drawing on a wide range of oral and written sources, this book shows that women occupy a central place in the religious worldview and life of the Yoruba people and shows how men and women engage in mutually beneficial roles in the Yoruba religious sphere. It explores how gender issues play out in two Yoruba religious traditions—indigenous religion and Christianity in Southwestern Nigeria. Rather than shy away from illuminating the tensions between the prominent roles of Yoruba women in religion and their perceived marginalization, author Oyeronke Olajubu underscores how Yoruba women have challenged marginalization in ways unprecedented in other world religions.