Shakers of St. Vincent

From Library Journal
The newest entry in the "Profiles of Healing" series, this fascinating volume casts light on a very little-known sect on a small island in the Caribbean, the St. Vincent Shakers, or "Spiritual Baptists." This remarkable cult, rooted as deeply in African spirituality as in Christian doctrine, seeks ecstatic experience and visionary journeys into the spirit world through two principal rituals: baptism, which follows a spiritual sign, and "mourning" (shedding of one's worldly life), which brings about healing and new mission through a vision quest. This outstanding book, which includes a CD (not heard by the reviewer), gathers many photographs of the Shakers, testimonies, narratives, and prayers. For most collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

NAPRA ReView, May/June 2002
"...as full and direct [an experience] as one could ask for without personally traveling to St. Vincent."

Library Journal
"Outstanding."

ForeWord Magazine
"...draws reader through audiovisual experience of their spiritual healing process."

NAPRA ReView
"...as full and direct as one could ask."

Black Issues Book Review
"An unflinching look at wisdom and practices to help restore the world's spiritual health."

Spirituality & Health
"Soul-stirring quotations, personal narratives . . . luxurious photographs, and compact discs of prayers, sacred songs, ceremonies, and teachings."

Book Description
A relatively unknown shamanic culture, the Shakers of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, are illustrated through personal profiles, stories, and color photographs. A unique blend of West African spirituality and Protestant Christianity, this culture has a strong tradition of seeking personal instruction and spiritual training that is brought forth through a ritual called "mourning." The details of this ritual are examined in this book, along with personal testimonies of visionary journeys. Accompanied by an audio CD of their ecstatic gatherings and healing encounters, this book is a vibrant expression of spiritual healing and is a unique contribution to ethnographic literature.

About the Author
Bradford Keeney, Ph.D., is the editor of the previous Profiles in Healing books and the author of Shaking Out the Spirits, Aesthetics of Change, and Mind in Therapy.


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