IFA - A Forest Of Mystery - Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold (1st ED. Hardback, Scarlet Imprint 2016)
IFA - A Forest Of Mystery - Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold (Scarlet Imprint 2016)
Limited hardback, Out of Print. Edition of 736 copies. 386 pages.
Ifá: A Forest of Mystery is a major study on the cosmology, metaphysics, philosophy and divination system of Ifá. The work is a presentation of the first sixteen odù of the corpus of divination verses explained in stories, allegories and proverbs reflecting the practical wisdom of Ifá.
"Ifá – an alternative name for its prophet Òrúnmìlà – is a religion, a wisdom tradition and a system of divination encoding the rich and complex oral and material culture of the Yoruba people. The Yoruba culture is grounded in memory, an ancestral repository of wisdom, that generates good counsel, advises appropriate ebo (sacrifice) and opens the way to develop a good character on our journey through life and in our interactions with the visible and invisible worlds.
The work is a presentation of the first sixteen odù of the Ifá corpus of divination verses explained in stories, allegories and proverbs reflecting the practical wisdom of Ifá. The work is both a presentation of Ifá for those with little knowledge of it, and a dynamic presentation of the wealth of its wisdom for those already familiar with Ifá. The deities and key concepts of Ifá metaphysics are discussed: Obàtálá, Ònilé, Sàngó, Ògún, Oya, Òsányìn, Yemoja, Èsù, àse (power), egúngún (ancestry), ìwà (character) and orí (head/consciousness/daimon). Notably, Frisvold has created a work which celebrates the Yoruba wisdom tradition and makes a bridge with the Western world. It is of value for the light that it casts on the origins and mysteries of Èsù and òrìsà, and an important source for those practicing Quimbanda, Palo, Santeria, Vodou and the African Diaspora religions. Yet its lessons are universal, for it is the art of developing character, of attracting good fortune and accruing wisdom in life." -- Scarlet Imprint, 2016.
Condition : Very Good. Internally bright, clean and unmarked. Some rubbing to green print on cloth boards down the right hand edge of the front. A few light marks to boards. Overall a very nice reading / study copy.