The Wisdom of Ifá

An Ancient Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond

Eric M. Bridges, Sheila Smith McKoy, LaJuan Simpson-Wilkey

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2025
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978774872
• Topic: Politique et relations internationales
• Subtopic: Histoire de l'Afrique

Edited by Eric M. Bridges, Sheila Smith McKoy, and LaJuan Simpson-Wilkey, The Wisdom of Ifá: An Ancient Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond explores Yoruba spirituality and the complex ways in which the acknowledgement of Ifá as a wisdom source can be used to address the needs of humanity in the twenty-first century and beyond. Through rituals and practices that honor nature's rhythms, the contributors explore how Ifá guides us towards sustainable coexistence with our environment, recognizing that our well-being is intricately linked to the health of the planet. The contributors also show how, in the realm of environmental stewardship, Ifá offers a holistic worldview that recognizes the interconnectedness of all life forms. This book offers discussions on environmentalism, gender, and politics that connect across the bounds of time, through the history, mythology, and lived realities of the tradition. As an ancient wisdom tradition that has enriched West African cultures, Ifá offers a roadmap for modern civilization to charter new paths for humanity and the challenges that we face.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: An Interview with Dr. Wándé Abímbólá
• Chapter 2: Orí and Ifá: Navigating a Contentious World
• Chapter 3: The Earth Itself Is Sacred: Nature’s Personification in the Ifa/Orisha Religion
• Chapter 4: Place, Space, and Identity Formation at Oyotunji Village
• Chapter 5: “To Harness My Own Power”: Ifá, Gender, and Healing
• Chapter 6: The Ọṣun Effect: Beyoncé, Ifa, and the Complexities of Black Women’s Empowerment
• Chapter 7: Looking Back to Look Forward: Applying Akan and Yoruba Science in Sankofa Afrofuturist Pedagogy (SAP) and Practice
• Chapter 8: Describing Inexplicable Aché
• Chapter 9: Christianity and Ifa: African Spirituality in an American Context
• Chapter 10: When Mouths Can No Longer Fight and Breasts That Swing Are Like Ifá: The Wisdom of Ifá on Preventing World Hunger, War, and the Life-Sustaining Virtues of the Female Breasts!
• Chapter 11: “A Bastard People . . . Singing and Crying in the Wilderness!”: Ifá and the Chance at Legitimacy for Diasporic Africans in America
• Conclusion
• Index
• About the Contributors