Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman

by Malidoma Patrice Somé

Book Overview

A renowned healer and shaman's life-changing journey of discovery, healing, and wisdom

"Malidoma has kept faith with the ancestors and with his own heart. His journey is a shimmering 'missing piece' in the story of the earth." --Alice Walker

When he was a young boy growing up in Burkina Faso, Malidoma Som was taken from his village and brought to a Jesuit mission school, where he spent years being harshly indoctrinated...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140194967
• ISBN13: 9780140194968
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: Tarcherperigee
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

What a journey!

With this book, Malidoma Patrice Some opens the door to a whole new way of looking at the world; one in which spirits (ancestor and otherwise), magic, wisdom and community come together as one. I was mesmerized by this story and by the possibility it presented for a deeper understanding of this life and how it can be lived. Hold on to your hat!

Riveting autobiographic tale; beautiful and ghastly visions

Things Malidoma experienced as a young boy around the time of his grandfather's death and subsequent funeral make Carlos Casteñeda's and Lynn Andrews' 'accounts' seem rather sanitized, maybe even contrived (especially evident in the case of Andrews). Plus the man is far more of a poet, a seer and a deep philosophical thinker than these others. You'll not find a better writer on matters mystical and religious probably anywhere, at least not in the 'confessional/autobiographical' literature. Then again, herein are so many quotable passages that you could meditate on to form the beginnings of a new personal philosophy, it's really quite stunning. And it all seems like it equally extends from your own body and heart. This is in contradistinction, say, to a well-written but rather dry and compartmentalized account such as J. S. Danquah's 'The Akan Doctrine of God'*, which is more meant for those who enjoy the scholarly treatise, but might never wish to imagine themselves venturing into village life.Malidoma was kidnapped by the local priest a couple of days after his father was installed as clan leader, soon after his grandfather's death. He was only 4 years old. He does not pull any punches in detailing the horrible physical and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of these churchly personages, who made him and other young kidnapees and orphans total slaves to their colonialist/catechumenical education system. After over 16 years of this, the young man escaped and managed to walk back to his village over a hundred miles away. The remainder of the book is a very detailed and intense re-telling of selected experiences he was party to during his subsequent clan initiation. This constitutes the last 100 pages or so of the book. I can't begin to express how astonishing are the experiences, the images, emotions etc. represented on these pages.Suffice to say that the man is an absolute wizard at using the English language. Carlos Casteñeda and especially Lynn Andrews seem like comic book literacy after you've dipped even a little bit into Malidoma.I met Mr. Somé briefly at a Sun Bear Medicine Wheel Gathering a number of years ago; his personality is every bit as engaging as is his writing. His was a kind of quiet charisma, extending from which is an amazing, almost madcap sense of humor. You feel that his energy is entirely sincere, and that there's far more there than meets the eye. You can feel it, and yes, 'almost' begin to see into it, and with it.If Nick Black Elk had written his own book rather than having his texts filtered through John C. Neidhardt, it likely would have approached the book-length intensity we find here. Then again I read 'Black Elk Speaks' over 30 years ago; Neidhardt's account might seem much greater at this point of my own life journey.* the Akan peoples, actually a different cultural group, lived a hundred or so miles southeast, in Ghana.

Astounding Parallels With the Afro-American Journey

Malidoma's life alone was a mini-representation of our entire experience as Afro-americans. He was kidnapped as a child from his Dagaran village and raised in a Christian missionary school. His own father was somewhat responsible for his kidnapping, because against the will of the elders, his father became friends with a Christian pastor and allowed him into the village (sound familiar?). One day, the pastor came and grabbed Malidoma without a word and took him to the missionary school (he was stolen, but he had access to the village...who's to blame? Sounds like the current debate :). Malidoma was subjected to all types of abuse as he was force to think as a European. There were European AND African teachers taking part in the brain-washing (sound familiar?). He was put into quarters with African boys from all over...many didn't even speak his native tongue (sound familiar?). As he and his new friends became older...they started to become more aware of their situation and the oppression. They remembered the pain and suffereing of the past and became rebellious. Although they had a small union, most of the other boys were too afraid to fight and some were even convinced that the Euro-education they received although through force, was a blessing that placed them above their "inferior" past (!). One day Malidoma struck out against a preist during class and ran away from the mission. He managed to walk nearly 300 miles back to his village that he wasn't even sure existed anymore. I was a long and HARD journey (!) and he finally arrived...only to realize just how "white" he had become (!). He was no longer a Dagaran...BUT fortunately his elders decided to give him a chance. He was allowed to risk his life in Dagaran initiation (VERY interesting part of the book) and he survived, reborn as a Dagaran. He still retained the European part engrained in him...he couldn't help this, but his wise elders saw usefulness in this. They ordered him to live outside of the village in the white world and to serve as a bridge of knowledge between the two worlds. Malidoma currently holds a Ph.D. and lives here in America. He holds many seminars and his life mission is to "fight" the battle between the Old and New world by teaching New-worlders the importance of ancestors and rituals. Malidoma literally means "To befriend the enemy".This book is a must-read. Although I have written a summary here...it does not even scratch the surface. I just touched upon the most memorable parallels..there are many more.

Every seeker should read this book!!

A wonderful book!!! Even from the introduction, Malidoma Patrice Some engages the reader with compelling observations on the limitations of the "Western" worldview, but does not do so in a derisive way. He conveys, in a very moving life story, his role in the current world and tells how he has lived up to the mission foretold in his given name. What I especially liked, having read several other books on various spiritual traditions, was how the rituals and beliefs of the Dagara resonate with the wisdom found in traditions from Wicca to the "new age" ideas put forth in books like The Celestine Prophecy and Conversations with God. I was sad to come to the end of this book, because I wanted to learn more. I hope Some' will write a sequel that continues his story, as well as those of his father, Guisso, Nyangoli, and others he has encountered on his path through his adult life. This book reaffirms the truth of our divine nature; and powers that we in the West need to accept and "understand" without needing scientific "proof". Everyone should read this book -- it's good for the soul!

Soul Retrieval Par Excellence!

This book brought me to places of wonder that I vaguely remember as a child. Even though my upbringing was western and dramatically different, there were times where I found myself strongly identifying with his experiences. I look to his story as a model of how to function in the world with integrity. A beautifully written story of bringing one's soul fully into incarnation. I was deeply touched and moved.