Divining the Self – A Study in Yoruba Myth and Human Consciousness : A Study in Yoruba Myth and Human Consciousness

Explores the dynamics of African American engagements with the Holy Odu, the unwritten sacred scriptures of the West African Ifa Orisha tradition. Examines the experiences of selected practitioners, focusing on the ways in which the divinatory narrative and associated mythology impact self-understanding and worldview.

Divining the Self weaves elements of personal narrative, myth, history, and interpretive analysis into a vibrant tapestry that reflects the textured, embodied, and performative nature of scripture and scripturalizing practices. Velma Love examines the Odu—the Yoruba sacred scriptures—along with the accompanying mythology, philosophy, and ritual technologies engaged by African Americans. Drawing from the personal narratives of African American Ifa practitioners along with additional ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Oyotunji African Village, South Carolina, and New York City, Love’s work explores the ways in which an ancient worldview survives in modern times. Divining the Self also takes up the challenge of determining what it means for the scholar of religion to study scripture as both text and performance. This work provides an excellent case study of the sociocultural phenomenon of scripturalizing practices.