Overview

A fierce and inspirational guide to Black resistance, resilience, and healing, using the principles of Afro-Indigenous spiritual practices A fierce and inspirational guide to Black resistance, resilience, and healing, using the principles of Afro-Indigenous spiritual practices Understanding where you came from is crucial to understand where you are going. The Five Blessings of Ifa explores how Black communities across the diaspora draw strength from ancestral wisdom, family, community care, and mutual aid, using the principles of Ifa-a West African spiritual tradition-as a guiding framework. Gabrielle Felder provides a blueprint for living a more fulfilled and abundant life through the blessings of Aiku (longevity), Aje (wealth), Aya and Oko (relationships), Omo (children), and Isegun (victory over negative forces), providing practical examples of how Black folks have built resilience and learned to thrive in the face of oppression. Longevity exists in ancestral traditions that we cultivate over generations, which Felder explores through practices of traditional herbalism as well as contemporary sustainability and food sovereignty movements. Wealth, in Felder's interpretation, has to do with the richness created by community, including cultural traditions of food, dance, and music that connect seemingly disparate African diasporic cultures. Partnership, traditionally understood in Ifa as husband and wife, is reconsidered by Felder to include a wide variety of relationship structures, including familial bonds and queer families. To explore the blessing of children, Felder dives into the important history of doulas and midwives in Black communities, and their crucial role in combatting the high maternal mortality rate among Black women in the US. Finally, Felder draws out the meanings of the blessing of victory through a wide range of examples of Black autonomy- slave rebellions; the rejection of Euro-centric beauty standards; mutual aid practices among Black revolutionary groups; and the contemporary Black witch movement. As a collective, Black folks have managed to usher in the five blessings of Ifa into our lives despite all odds. This book is a love letter to those who have come before us, and a guide to the possibilities that lie in our collective future.

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Table of Contents

Reviews

""It's about time for more books like these to be written. Gabrielle does something special by weaving Isese Ifá and its diasporic variations into one cohesive voice of knowledge. No matter where on Earth you come from, Gabrielle ensures you'll see a part of yourself through her text. This book is one part study, two parts soul, and that's why it'll be a book to reach for even long after we're gone."" —EHIME ORA, author of Ancestors Said and Spirits Come from Water ""An indispensable read that integrates Afro-Indigenous spirituality into contemporary environmental discussions."" —JESSICA HERNANDEZ, PhD, author of Fresh Banana Leaves ""A must-read for anyone who is diasporic and trying to find tools for nurturing a future on occupied Indigenous land alongside Black life and culture.... With deep examination and knowledge, Felder seeks and finds the five blessings of Ifá not in the mythical past or tradition, but in real history and in the present—in the very places where future dreaming work can occur. I walked away from the book feeling renewed about the inventiveness of diasporic life, queer life, and Black life. Read this book if you like to dream with your friends!"" —ALICE SPARKLY KAT, author of Postcolonial Astrology ""A spiritual homecoming.... Felder gives us coordinates of hope and survival, reminding us that the ancestors have much to show us about how to survive and how to brave the new world. As she writes, 'Growth is only possible if we look forward toward the future—and bring with us the tools of the past, like Ifá.' The future is awaiting the promise of our wisdom, and this book shows us how to fuse the technologies of the past so we may be better equipped for all that's to come. I loved reading this book; these are necessary materials to build the utopia we all deserve."" —FARIHA RÓISÍN, author of Who Is Wellness For?

""... [Felder's] enthusiasm for 'the beauty and complexity of Black life and culture' is unfailingly enthusiastic and expansive."" —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ""It's about time for more books like these to be written. Gabrielle does something special by weaving Isese Ifá and its diasporic variations into one cohesive voice of knowledge. No matter where on Earth you come from, Gabrielle ensures you'll see a part of yourself through her text. This book is one part study, two parts soul, and that's why it'll be a book to reach for even long after we're gone."" —EHIME ORA, author of Ancestors Said and Spirits Come from Water ""An indispensable read that integrates Afro-Indigenous spirituality into contemporary environmental discussions."" —JESSICA HERNANDEZ, PhD, author of Fresh Banana Leaves and Growing Papaya Trees ""A must-read for anyone who is diasporic and trying to find tools for nurturing a future on occupied Indigenous land alongside Black life and culture.... With deep examination and knowledge, Felder seeks and finds the five blessings of Ifá not in the mythical past or tradition, but in real history and in the present—in the very places where future dreaming work can occur. I walked away from the book feeling renewed about the inventiveness of diasporic life, queer life, and Black life. Read this book if you like to dream with your friends!"" —ALICE SPARKLY KAT, author of Postcolonial Astrology ""A spiritual homecoming.... Felder gives us coordinates of hope and survival, reminding us that the ancestors have much to show us about how to survive and how to brave the new world. As she writes, 'Growth is only possible if we look forward toward the future—and bring with us the tools of the past, like Ifá.' The future is awaiting the promise of our wisdom, and this book shows us how to fuse the technologies of the past so we may be better equipped for all that's to come. I loved reading this book; these are necessary materials to build the utopia we all deserve."" —FARIHA RÓISÍN, author of Who Is Wellness For?

""It's about time for more books like these to be written. Gabrielle does something special by weaving Isese Ifá and its diasporic variations into one cohesive voice of knowledge. No matter where on Earth you come from, Gabrielle ensures you'll see a part of yourself through her text. This book is one part study, two parts soul, and that's a reason why it'll be a book to reach for even long after we're gone."" —EHIME ORA, author of Ancestors Said and Spirits Come from Water ""An indispensable read that integrates Afro-Indigenous spirituality into contemporary environmental discussions."" —JESSICA HERNANDEZ, PhD, author of Fresh Banana Leaves ""A must-read for anyone who is diasporic and trying to find tools for nurturing a future on occupied Indigenous land alongside Black life and culture.... With deep examination and knowledge, Felder seeks and finds the five blessings of Ifá not in the mythical past or tradition, but in real history and in the present—in the very places where future dreaming work can occur. I walked away from the book feeling renewed about the inventiveness of diasporic life, queer life, and Black life. Read this book if you like to dream with your friends!"" —ALICE SPARKLY KAT, author of Postcolonial Astrology ""A spiritual homecoming.... Felder gives us coordinates of hope and survival, reminding us that the ancestors have much to show us about how to survive and how to brave the new world. As she writes, 'Growth is only possible if we look forward toward the future—and bring with us the tools of the past, like Ifá.' The future is awaiting the promise of our wisdom, and this book shows us how to fuse the technologies of the past so we may be better equipped for all that's to come. I loved reading this book; these are necessary materials to build the utopia we all deserve."" —FARIHA RÓISÍN, author of Who Is Wellness For?

Author Information

GABRIELLE FELDER (she/they) is a writer, data analyst, and aborisa born and raised in Orange County, California and is currently based in Los Angeles, California. She explores the history of the African diaspora, drawing from her interdisciplinary background in ecology, anthropology, and data analytics. Passionate about community work, she has trained as a postpartum doula, worked in community gardens, and led Afro-Indigenous ceremonies. She's shared her work through speaking engagements with UC Davis Women's Resources and Research Center and the Feminist Center for Creative Work.

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