Divining the Self

Velma E. Love is Project Director of the Howard University School of Divinity's National Study of Black Congregational Life.

• ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1Mythic Origins and Cultural Practices2Orisha Archetypes, Cultural Memory, and the Odu3Divining the Self4Symbols and Signposts for the Journey5Powers of the Mothers6Oshun, Yemonja, and OyaConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

“Well-crafted case studies like Divining the Self are important contributions to the process of bringing religious studies into compatibility with the lived religious and scriptural practices of participants. Traditionally, scholars have focused on the text itself to find meanings based on words and concepts in order to claim religious relevance. This study looks beyond print and inscription by focusing on an influential oral and (relatively recently) written corpus in use among a participant population that outnumbers many ‘mainline’ Christian denominations.”—Grey Gundaker, Duane A. and Virginia S. Dittman Professor of American Studies and Anthropology, College of William and Mary