Spirit Guide 04: Black Magic

Books for Black Mystics

Migration of the Gods (2021) by Harmonia Rosales

Mysticism is an intrinsic aspect of Black culture and life. Orally transmitted within lineages, many of our ancient traditions are appropriately safeguarded by initiated practitioners and elders. Keeping wisdom hidden has protected it through many historical efforts of erasure. However, this can create a conundrum for beginners, those just starting the process of reclamation and reacclimation, who are seeking broad information. As a result, many Black mystics find themselves immersed in eurocentric information circulated throughout white spiritual communities.

This Spirit Guide is intended to support novices in building a foundation based on the wisdom of the global Black mystical tradition. I’ve included literature from across the spectrum of spirituality to expand access to different paths. While books are amazing resources, they’re only the first step. When you develop a desire for deeper knowledge and practice, I recommend you vet and connect with local communities engaged in your tradition of interest. Many spiritual and religious lineages, including African Traditional Religions (ATRs), require the guidance of elders for the safety of the practitioner. I advise against attempting any closed practice rituals without initiation and the support of a community.

Book List

I. Jambalaya by Luisah Teish

Since 1985, Jambalaya has been on everybody’s mama’s, auntie’s and granny’s book shelf. It’s one of the most popular spiritual texts among Black Americans. As a priestess of Oshun in the Lucumi tradition who was born and raised in New Orleans, Luisah Teish created a timeless collection of ancestral wisdom for Black women in the modern world.

II. Of Water and the Spirit by Malidoma Somé

From Burkina Faso, Malidoma Somé gifts us a taste of the wisdom of the Dagara people. Of Water and the Spirit is the narrative of Somé becoming a West African shaman. He shares the stories of his initiation experiences, including the process of understanding his name which translates to “befriend the enemy/stranger,” an indication of his divine purpose.

III. Spirits Come from Water by Ehime Ora

Spirits Come from Water is a guide to ancestral veneration and spiritual hygiene created by Ehime Ora, a Nigerian priestess of the Ifa tradition. Alongside her healing wisdom, the text includes an exploration of the spiritual renaissance happening in Black communities around the world and interviews with elders from different African spiritual traditions.

IV. The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism by Karen M. Rose

Originally from Guyana, Karen M. Rose is a master herbalist trained in both Eastern and Western traditions. The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism is a beginner’s guide to the mystical tradition of plant medicine. Organized according to the body’s systems, the text includes stories, recipes and practices intended to return us to a state of unity with the natural world.

V. The Spirit of Intimacy by Sobonfu Somé

As an initiate of the Dagara community in Burkina Faso, Sobonfu Somé provides insight into the spiritual nature of building community. The Spirit of Intimacy explores the role of spirit in family, friendship, marriage, pleasure and sex. In alignment with her name, which translates to “keeper of ritual,” Somé also includes guidance about preparing ritual space for intimate experiences.

VI. Working the Roots by Michele E. Lee

African American traditional medicine is the rich inheritance of the descendants of enslaved African people in the United States. Working the Roots is a collection of remedies, stories, interviews and conversations from Michele E. Lee’s years of apprenticeship with elders from the South and West Coast. The text is an archive of over four hundred years of African American history and healing with the soil.

VII. Lifting as They Climb by Toni Pressley-Sanon

Lifting as They Climb is an inside look at six different Black women Buddhists, their lives and journeys towards collective liberation. As a Buddhist herself, Toni Pressley-Sanon provides insight into the relationship between spirituality and social justice. The book includes the stories of Jan Willis, bell hooks, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Angel Kyodo Williams, Spring Washam and Faith Adiele.

VIII. Radical Dharma by Angel Kyodo Williams and Rod Owens

Radical Dharma is the outcome of open conversations that fuse the Black prophetic tradition and Buddhist wisdom. Together, the authors argue that there is no distinction between the personal and the political. By exploring the concepts of engaged spirituality and social transformation, Williams and Owens develop a new approach to American Buddhism.

IX. God is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland

In God is a Black Woman, Christian theologian Christena Cleveland deconstructs the image of God as white and male and the role it has played in global violence and injustice. Her experiences lead her to explore the Black Madonna, a depiction of the Virgin Mary, and the healing available to her by cultivating a relationship with the Sacred Black Feminine.

X. Sisters in the Wilderness by Delores Williams

Sisters in the Wilderness is the work of Christian theological giant Delores Williams. As one of the fundamental works of Womanist theology, the text explores the narrative of the biblical figure Hagar as a model of the African American women’s struggle. Williams critiques all theologies that claim to prioritize collective liberation but negate the experiences of Black women.

Note: Most of these titles are linked to Reparations Club, a Black-owned and operated bookstore in South Central Los Angeles. If you’re not already a patron at a local Black-owned bookstore, please consider supporting them. Our finances are part of our spiritual practice, where we spend our money matters.

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Mystic of the Month: Alice Coltrane

Alice Coltrane (1937-2007), also called Swamini Turiyasangitananda, was a jazz musician, composer and Hindu spiritual teacher. In 1972, Coltrane founded an ashram, a Hindu spiritual community, in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. As part of her spiritual practice, she composed devotional music, combining traditional melodies with synthesizers and Gospel influences. Coltrane’s most well-known album Journey in Satchidananda (1971) is a fusion of jazz and eastern sounds. She also released many books, inclusive of Divine Revelations (1995) and Endless Wisdom (1999) which detail her experiences of divine union.

The music is within your heart, your soul, your spirit, and that is all I did when I sat at the piano. I just go within.

— Alice Coltrane

Black Journal, Episode 26: Alice Coltrane
from the National Museum of African American History and Culture