cover image Yemaya: Orisha, Goddess, and Queen of the Sea

Yemaya: Orisha, Goddess, and Queen of the Sea

Raven Morgaine. Weiser, $18.95 trade paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-57863-743-0

In this coy debut, artist and self-proclaimed psychic Morgaine offers a primer on Yemaya, a river goddess of the Yoruba of Nigeria. According to legend, Yemaya was taken along with enslaved persons to the Americas, and vestiges of her can be found today in Cuban Santería, Haitian Vodou, Christianity, and neo-paganism. Morgaine reveals ways readers can integrate Yemaya’s power into their daily lives and provides incantations, altar preparations, and rituals directed toward the “mother of all life” for greater protection, peace, luck, and love. Morgaine counsels that Yemaya is no “dial-a-deity”; she is mother and lover, but also a warrior who can punish those who cross her. The instructive explanations of rituals and Yemaya’s historical roots make this a perfect introduction to a lesser-known deity. This will appeal to anyone interested in the spiritual traditions of West Africa. (Sept.)