Of Water and the Spirit - (Compass) by Malidoma Patrice Some (Paperback)

About the Book

One of the most astonishing and intimate accounts of spiritual transformation ever written, this is the true story of an African's shaman's initiation--a remarkable sharing of living African traditions, offered with compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of spirit.

Book Synopsis

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 Somé was taken from his village and brought to a Jesuit mission school, where he spent years being harshly indoctrinated in European ways of thought and worship. In this vivid and paradigm-shifting memoir, Malidoma recounts his journey home--and his initiation into the healing traditions of the Dagara culture, where the natural and supernatural blend together, and every person is encircled by family, community, and the wisdom of ancestors.

By turns humbling, harrowing, magical, and transcendent, Malidoma's spiritual awakening imparted ancient wisdom that he would spend the rest of his life sharing with others around the world--as an antidote to alienation, a tool for self-transformation, and a bridge between cultures and worlds.

About the Author

Malidoma Patrice Somé was a renowned diviner, healer, and teacher in the spiritual traditions of his African ancestors and was the author of The Healing Wisdom of Africa. After his initiation as a shaman in the Dagara culture, he went on to earn several graduate degrees from the Sorbonne and Brandeis University and established a teaching and training community in the United States.