Facets of Faith for Nov. 15, 3008
Author to speak at Southern
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Iyanla (EE-yan-LA) Vanzant, who started life as Rhonda Harris, was a young victim of abuse and teenage mother. She married into an abusive relationship, but eventually walked out.
She started college after seeing a sign for Medgar Evers College. She graduated in 1983 and earned a law degree in 1988.
She decided to share the experiences that helped her life. In 1992, she wrote “Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Empowerment for Black Women.” This led to a career as a best-selling author and speaker. It also led to a new name, Iyanla. She took the name, which means great mother, after becoming a Yoruba priestess.
Vanzant has sold more than 8 million books.
She is a regular on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Her inspirational messages are based on her beliefs of divine power and self-determination. They draw on her background in Christianity and on her Yoruba beliefs.
Yoruba religion
The Yoruba are a West African coastal people found mostly in Nigeria, as well as parts of Benin and Togo, an area bounded by the Niger River. Their language is also called Yoruba.
Many are now Christian or Muslim, but the traditional Yoruba religion, also called Orisha or Ifa, survives. In the West, Yoruba often is absorbed into other religions, including voodoo and Santeria.
Beliefs include hundreds of gods and a supreme creator; magic, witchcraft and sorcery; care of ancestors’ graves; and annual sacrifices. The Yoruba believe ancestors influence earth.
Another belief is that people are born onto a specific path, but except for the day of your birth and the day you are supposed to die, events can be predicted and changed.
Cults are associated with many of the gods. Shrines are built, filled with sculpture. Masks play large roles in ceremonies.
Sources: Southern University press release; http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/; http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/; http://dictionary.reference.com/; http://www.britannica.com/; http://www.religioustolerance.org/; http://www.beliefnet.com/; http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Yoruba.html; http://www.neworleansmistic.com/
Send ideas to lenglish@theadvocate.com.
She started college after seeing a sign for Medgar Evers College. She graduated in 1983 and earned a law degree in 1988.
She decided to share the experiences that helped her life. In 1992, she wrote “Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Empowerment for Black Women.” This led to a career as a best-selling author and speaker. It also led to a new name, Iyanla. She took the name, which means great mother, after becoming a Yoruba priestess.
Vanzant has sold more than 8 million books.
She is a regular on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Her inspirational messages are based on her beliefs of divine power and self-determination. They draw on her background in Christianity and on her Yoruba beliefs.
Yoruba religion
The Yoruba are a West African coastal people found mostly in Nigeria, as well as parts of Benin and Togo, an area bounded by the Niger River. Their language is also called Yoruba.
Many are now Christian or Muslim, but the traditional Yoruba religion, also called Orisha or Ifa, survives. In the West, Yoruba often is absorbed into other religions, including voodoo and Santeria.
Beliefs include hundreds of gods and a supreme creator; magic, witchcraft and sorcery; care of ancestors’ graves; and annual sacrifices. The Yoruba believe ancestors influence earth.
Another belief is that people are born onto a specific path, but except for the day of your birth and the day you are supposed to die, events can be predicted and changed.
Cults are associated with many of the gods. Shrines are built, filled with sculpture. Masks play large roles in ceremonies.
Sources: Southern University press release; http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/; http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/; http://dictionary.reference.com/; http://www.britannica.com/; http://www.religioustolerance.org/; http://www.beliefnet.com/; http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Yoruba.html; http://www.neworleansmistic.com/
Send ideas to lenglish@theadvocate.com.
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