What happens when spirits use great power for evil purposes? What do you do when these spirits come to kill you? The only hope of defending yourself may be Emmanuel, who can call to the spirits that have guided and educated him through his entire life. Emmanuel, a twenty-seven-year-old Hispanic man, was born with a sixth sense. Some call it a gift, but he calls it a curse. Through practicing Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion, he has learned the mysteries of the spirits that roam among the human race, and he believes it is his duty to fight against those trying to possess, harm, and torment others. When one such spiritual attack reveals a sinister plot to gain absolute power, Emmanuel comes face to face with an evil long since forgotten. He must venture to Africa, where it all began, to bring down a powerful voodoo priest with forbidden knowledge before Emmanuel's greatest fears become the world's reality. Along with his godchildren, Emmanuel travels to Africa to recover a book of forbidden ceremonies that could bestow great power upon whoever completes them. Emmanuel engages in the ultimate spiritual battle to ensure the security of the book, currently in the possession of the Santeros tribe, who are sworn to protect it at all costs.

OZAIN, THE SECRETS OF CONGO INITIATIONS & MAGIC SPELLS, PALO MAYOMBE, PALO MONTE, KIMBISA. The initiation ritual into the mysteries of the African Spirit Ozain is one of the most important religious ceremonies that can be received by initiates of Palo Mayombe, Palo Monte and Kimbisa. This book contains the complete ritual instructions of how to correctly prepare and make the FUNDAMENTO DE OZAIN (The Fundamental Elements of Ozain).This initiation ceremony gives the initiate the spiritual right to be able to work and invoke the powerful magical mysteries of the spirit Ozain.

Using storytelling and performance to explore shared religious expression across continents Through a revolutionary ethnographic approach that foregrounds storytelling and performance as alternative means of knowledge, Situated Narratives and Sacred Dance explores shared ritual traditions between the Anlo-Ewe people of West Africa and their descendants, the Arará of Cuba, who were brought to the island in the transatlantic slave trade. The volume draws on two decades of research in four communities: Dzodze, Ghana; Adjodogou, Togo; and Perico and Agramonte, Cuba. In the ceremonies, oral narratives, and daily lives of individuals at each fieldsite, the authors not only identify shared attributes in religious expression across continents, but also reveal lasting emotional, spiritual, and personal impacts in the communities whose ancestors were ripped from their homeland and enslaved. The authors layer historiographic data, interviews, and fieldnotes with artistic modes such as true fiction, memoir, and choreographed narrative, challenging the conventional nature of scholarship with insights gained from sensorial experience. Including reflections on the making of an art installation based on this research project, the volume challenges readers to imagine the potential of approaching fieldwork as artists. The authors argue that creative methods can convey truths deeper than facts, pointing to new possibilities for collaboration between scientists and artists with relevance to any discipline. Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"Fascinating insights into modern urban religious practice make Orsi's collection a must-read." -- Publishers Weekly "The essays provide insight into the cultural creativity, reinterpretation of worship and religious ingenuity of city people over the last 50 years." -- Library Journal "At last, a major dissection of the great mystery in modern Americanlife -- how religion and spirituality prospered amidst industrialization,urbanization, and rampant technological change after 1880!" -- Jon Butler, Yale University "Urban religion" strikes many as an oxymoron. How can religion thrive in the alienated, secular, fast-paced, and materialistic world of the modern, Western city? The authors in this collection believe that cities not only can provide the settings for religious expression, but also are material to the experiences which give rise to those religious expressions. In this book, they explore the distinctly urban forms of religious experience and practice that have developed in relation to the spaces, social conditions, and history of American cities.