Cuban Santería
Walking with the Night
Raul Canizares
Published by Destiny Books 1993, 1999
Initiated into the Santeria priesthood at the age of seven, Raul Canizares
unveils in Cuban Santeria the secret and seductive world of this rapidly growing,
yet largely misunderstood, Afro-Cuban religion. With the knowledge of
an insider and the insight of a scholar, Canizares examines the practice of
Santeria, revealing many of its previously hidden dimensions while at the
same time providing a fascinating account of its textured mix of African,
Cuban, and Catholic traditions.
The Cuban-born Canizares describes the practices and rituals of the
followers of Santeria - from magical herbal prescription and healing to spiritism
and animal sacrifice - and explains how for many years the religion has been
maintained under the guise of Catholicism to avoid religious persecution.
Most initiates are sworn to a code of silence, but Canizares believes that
the time has come to relax this code and move Santeria, a religion of beauty
and resilience, out of the darkness and into the light so that a more accurate
picture of this rich tradition can emerge. Eleven color
plates and black-and-white illustrations by the author
enhance the text and further evoke the potent spirit of
Santeria.
Raul Canizares (1955-2002) was head of the Santeria
Temple Orisha Consciousness Movement in Manhattan and lectures on Santeria
around the nation. The author of Shango: An African-American Titan.
"Canizares pierces through Santeria's outer shell to discuss its gods and initiations,
rituals, history and legacy... The narrative comes alive with anecdotes from the author's own involvement."
- NAPRA Trade Journal
"The finest study in English to date of a faith on the brink of becoming a
world religion."
- William J. Heim, Ph.D., University of South Florida
(The text above comes from the back of the book)