Santeria: African Magic in Latin America

If you want to learn about the religion called Santería that is practiced and followed in various forms by 100 million people in the Americas, González-Wippler's book is a good place to start. In plain language easy for the layman to comprehend, González writes about the history of Santería, its roots in both African religion and Roman Catholicism (Santería is a syncretism of both), the Santería pantheon, magical practices and magical spells. She also writes a separate chapter on brujería, or witchcraft, a malignant offshoot of Santería but distinctly separate from it. González relates how many herbal spells used in Santería have beneficial medicinal properties, such as the herb higuereta which has been found to shrink malignant tumors, and she also discusses the mindset of those who follow both Santería and Catholicsm and have no problem integrating both into their lives, since each serves its own purpose. The book doesn't go into great depths, but it's an excellent overview for those who want to explore more deeply into the religion and its beliefs and practices. It also has the advantage of being written in English originally, so that it doesn't risk losing anything in translation. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in comparative religions and/or the history and culture of Latin America.

I read this book before my initiation into Santeria over five years ago. I've been actively practicing the religion ever since and have undergone may initiation thereafter. I have to say when I first read this book that I did not know much about Santeria. I am very glad to have read the book as I was able to relate its contents with my own experiences as I got exposed to this beautiful and profound religion. Mrs Wippler's "Santeria: The Religion" is quite consistent with my own experience and practice in Santeria. It is an excellent and comprehensive premier book, and it certainly does not deserve the negative criticism that it has received from certain individuals--who, in my opinion, are over-protective of the religion and supporters of the notion that the religion must be kept secret. About reading any Santeria book, one has to realize that each "Ile Ocha" has its own practices and customs, so there are even disgreement among very experienced Santeros on certain principles and practices within the religion. In general, this is a great book and it gives fair information about Santeria. I highly recommended it.

This is a fascinating book about the author's personal experiences with Santeria. I have read many of Ms Gonzalez-Wippler's books on the subject and this is one of the best and most famous. There seems to be a great deal of resentment towards this author's work on Santeria mostly because she has been the most popular writer on the religion. As an intiate in the Religion and an educator, I consider her work ground breaking because she was the first to identify the orishas as archetypes of the collective unconscious. She was also the first to write about it in the English language. Her books are used as required reading in universities around the world.Most of the "negative" reviews about her seem to come from the same people. The same names keep coming up in the comments about her work. This is a sad commentary on the people who claim to love and practice Santeria and they should know better. The Orishas do.