Divination's Grasp

Divination's Grasp PDF Author: Richard Werbner
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253018951
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book Here

Book Description
“A work of rare depth and profound insight that is destined to become a classic in African Studies and the anthropology of religion.” —Paul Stoller, author of Yaya’s Story: The Quest for Well-Being in the World Richard Werbner takes readers on a journey though contemporary charismatic wisdom divination in southern Africa. Beginning with the silent language of the divinatory lots, Werbner deciphers the everyday, metaphorical, and poetic language that is used to reveal their meaning. Through Werbner’s skillful interpretations of the language of divination, a picture of Tswapong moral imagination is revealed. Concerns about dignity and personal illumination, witchcraft, pollution, the anger of dead ancestors, as well as the nature of life, truth, cosmic harmony, being, and becoming emerge in this charged African setting. “Werbner’s Divination’s Grasp documents a long and distinguished career in the service of anthropology. It will be a touchstone for anthropological studies of divination for years to come.” —American Ethnologist “Richard Werbner’s superb account of moral imagination and the poetics of divination grasps the density of its subject, matching the insights of the diviner with those of the ethnographer. The book takes its place among the very best works of Africanist anthropology as a new classic in the tradition of ethnographic divination and a necessary reminder of live and deep traditions of African wisdom.” —Michael Lambek, University of Toronto Scarborough

Divination's Grasp

Divination's Grasp PDF Author: Richard Werbner
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253018951
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book Here

Book Description
“A work of rare depth and profound insight that is destined to become a classic in African Studies and the anthropology of religion.” —Paul Stoller, author of Yaya’s Story: The Quest for Well-Being in the World Richard Werbner takes readers on a journey though contemporary charismatic wisdom divination in southern Africa. Beginning with the silent language of the divinatory lots, Werbner deciphers the everyday, metaphorical, and poetic language that is used to reveal their meaning. Through Werbner’s skillful interpretations of the language of divination, a picture of Tswapong moral imagination is revealed. Concerns about dignity and personal illumination, witchcraft, pollution, the anger of dead ancestors, as well as the nature of life, truth, cosmic harmony, being, and becoming emerge in this charged African setting. “Werbner’s Divination’s Grasp documents a long and distinguished career in the service of anthropology. It will be a touchstone for anthropological studies of divination for years to come.” —American Ethnologist “Richard Werbner’s superb account of moral imagination and the poetics of divination grasps the density of its subject, matching the insights of the diviner with those of the ethnographer. The book takes its place among the very best works of Africanist anthropology as a new classic in the tradition of ethnographic divination and a necessary reminder of live and deep traditions of African wisdom.” —Michael Lambek, University of Toronto Scarborough

Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism

Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism PDF Author: Crystal Addey
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317148983
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 394

Get Book Here

Book Description
Why did ancient philosophers consult oracles, write about them, and consider them to be an important part of philosophical thought and practice? This book explores the extensive links between oracles and philosophy in Late Antiquity, particularly focusing on the roles of oracles and other forms of divination in third and fourth century CE Neoplatonism. Examining some of the most significant debates between pagan philosophers and Christian intellectuals on the nature of oracles as a central yet contested element of religious tradition, Addey focuses particularly on Porphyry's Philosophy from Oracles and Iamblichus' De Mysteriis - two works which deal extensively with oracles and other forms of divination. This book argues for the significance of divination within Neoplatonism and offers a substantial reassessment of oracles and philosophical works and their relationship to one another. With a broad interdisciplinary approach, encompassing Classics, Ancient Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies and Ancient History, Addey draws on recent anthropological and religious studies research which has challenged and re-evaluated the relationship between rationality and ritual.

Earth Divination, Earth Magic

Earth Divination, Earth Magic PDF Author: John Michael Greer
Publisher: Aeon Books
ISBN: 1912807076
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Get Book Here

Book Description
Here is a complete guide to the lost art of geomancy--one of the major divination systems that are a part of the Western magical tradition. Geomancy is simple, quick, and direct--anyone can get answers to a question in a matter of moments by learning how to read the patterns revealed by the 16 symbolic figures formed of single and double points. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, geomancy was used by everyone from popes to peasants because it provided practical, useful results. Often mistaken for feng shui or ley lines, or hidden within poorly explained tables and charts, geomancy has become something of a lost art--until now. Earth Divination, Earth Magic provides a fascinating look into the history, theory, and practice of geomancy, including a thorough set of instructions for both casting and interpreting a chart for yourself or a friend.

Divination (Deamhan Chronicles #4)

Divination (Deamhan Chronicles #4) PDF Author: Isaiyan Morrison
Publisher: Isaiyan Morrison
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 365

Get Book Here

Book Description
Minneapolis was once a sanctuary for Deamhan, but their peaceful existence is now threatened by the arrival of Amenirdis, the ruthless and power-hungry Queen of Limbo. As she unleashes chaos and destruction upon the city, they must fight to survive against her wrath and the influx of other supernatural creatures slithering into their territory. Amenirdis demands absolute obedience and respect, and those who oppose her face dire consequences. With danger lurking around every corner, the Deamhan must navigate a treacherous landscape filled with twists and turns, where everything and everyone is a threat. The stakes have never been higher as they fight to defend their home against all odds. Will they emerge victorious, or will they fall beneath the merciless reign of their enemies? Only time will tell as they face their greatest challenge yet.

Handbook of Divination and Prognostication in China

Handbook of Divination and Prognostication in China PDF Author: Michael Lackner
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004514260
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 570

Get Book Here

Book Description
The first book that systematically explores the manifold aspects of divination and prognostication in traditional and modern China.

Dreams and Divination from Byzantium to Baghdad, 400-1000 CE

Dreams and Divination from Byzantium to Baghdad, 400-1000 CE PDF Author: Bronwen Neil
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192644521
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Get Book Here

Book Description
Why did dreams matter to Jews, Byzantine Christians, and Muslims in the first millennium? Dreams and Divination from Byzantium to Baghdad, 400 - 1000 CE shows how the ability to interpret dreams universally attracted power and influence in the first millennium. In a time when prophetic dreams were viewed as God's intervention in human history, male and female prophets wielded was unparalleled power in imperial courts, military camps, and religious gatherings. The three faiths drew on the ancient Near Eastern tradition of dream key manuals, which offer an insight into the hopes and fears of ordinary people. They melded pagan dream divination with their own scriptural traditions to produce a novel and rich culture of dream interpretation. Prophetic dreams enabled communities to understand their past and present circumstances as divinely ordained and helped to bolster the spiritual authority of dreamers and those who had the gift of interpreting their dreams. Bronwen Neil takes a gendered approach to the analysis of the common culture of dream interpretation across late antique Jewish, Byzantine, and Islamic sources to 1000 CE, in order to expose the ways in which dreams offered women a unique opportunity to exercise influence. The epilogue to the volume reveals why dreams still matter today to many men and women of the monotheist traditions.

The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination

The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination PDF Author: Ócha'ni Lele
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1594778612
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Get Book Here

Book Description
The first book to provide complete, specific instructions on casting the Diloggún, the cowrie-shell oracle of the Orishas. • Provides step-by-step instructions never before published, detailing requirements and procedure for casting the Diloggún. • Includes a detailed “mojuba” or prayer used to awaken the Orishas (spirit entities) for divination. • Devotes an entire chapter to each of the twelve basic Odu (random patterns in which the sixteen shells fall), providing ritual mechanics and oracular meanings for all possible castings. The Afro-Cuban faith, known to outsiders as Santeria and to adherents as Las Reglas de Ocha de Los Lucumi, is not a static religion but a living conduit of energy for connecting the spirit world to our own. It came to the New World with the slave trade where it has evolved in response to the surrounding culture. For adherents of Lucumi, the Diloggún is the most important focus of worship: the sacred shells reveal the forces at play in an adherent's life. These forces are redefined and placated by the Orisha priest, who makes direct contact with the spirit world in an effort to help the adherent evolve. While many books have been published about Santeria, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination is the first to provide complete information on how to cast the Diloggún, including opening, reading, and closing the oracle, and how to give a comprehensive reading. With a detailed discussion about why each prayer is offered and insight into the metaphysical core of the religion, this book will bring those seeking the wisdom of the Diloggún closer to the living Orishas than they have ever been.

Divination

Divination PDF Author: Patrick Curry
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317149025
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book Here

Book Description
Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology, religious studies, history and classical studies. Central importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient Judea.

Divination

Divination PDF Author: Dr Patrick Curry
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1409481131
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Get Book Here

Book Description
Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology, religious studies, history and classical studies. Central importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient Judea.

Divination in Ancient Israel and its Near Eastern Environment

Divination in Ancient Israel and its Near Eastern Environment PDF Author: Frederick H. Cryer
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567059634
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this revealing study, the author suggests that ancient Israel was a 'magic society' like those around it, and similar in many respects to a number of magic-using 'savage' societies studied by modern social anthropology. Although the Old Testament attempts to distinguish between priestly and prophetic divination, this distinction was not sharply drawn in ancient times. References to divination in fact are found in all genres of Israelite literature, implying that many of these practices were performed throughout Israelite society. 'Cryer's investigation of divination in ancient Israel is a masterful synthesis of social and historical analyses of an important yet neglected topic' (Ronald E. Simkins, Catholic Biblical Quarterly).