A botánica (often written botanica and less commonly known as a hierbería or botica ) is a religious goods store. The name botánica is Spanish and translates as " botany " or "plant store," referring to these establishments' function as dispensaries of medicinal herbs. Botánicas are common in many Hispanic American countries and Latino communities around the world. Such establishments sell folk medicine , herbs , candles, and statues for Saints and popular gods. They also carry oils, incense , perfumes, and books. Such stores have become increasingly popular in the United States as the Latino communities they serve have grown in that country. A botánica is a site of healing and support, such that one owner says they are a "place of mysteries" due to the metaphysical appreciation of mystery as a synonym for spirit and divinity.
131-513: Most botánicas sell products and services associated with spiritual practices such as Candomblé , Curanderismo , Espiritismo , Macumba , Palo Monte , Santa Muerte , María Lionza and Santería . Whether these items are viewed as cultural imports or adaptive responses on the part of immigrants to a new social environment, the majority of these products and services are used by those who seek guidance in their spiritual and social lives. Botánicas provide their patrons with access to power: power from
262-789: A medium . Reglas de Kongo or Palo also originated in Cuba; this religion solicits African spirits and spirits of the dead to aid the living. Botánicas are commonly also embedded in Espiritismo. A tradition established by Frenchman Allan Kardec , popular in Puerto Rico , Cuba , Dominican Republic , and elsewhere, it focuses on communicating with spirits of dead through séance , writing, and possession. Finally, another popular aspect found in botanicas include Latin American manifestations with shrines and altars to Saints rooted in folk Catholicism. Botánicas offer
393-519: A "spirit-hand" was a false limb attached on the end of the medium Daniel Dunglas Home 's arm. Merrifield also claimed to have observed Home use his foot in the séance room. The poet Robert Browning and his wife Elizabeth attended a séance on 23, July 1855 in Ealing with the Rymers. During the séance a spirit face materialized which Home claimed was the son of Browning who had died in infancy. Browning seized
524-436: A 2019 television segment on Last Week Tonight featuring prominent purported mediums including Theresa Caputo , John Edward , Tyler Henry , and Sylvia Browne , John Oliver criticized the media for promoting mediums because this exposure convinces viewers that such powers are real, and so enable neighborhood mediums to prey on grieving families. Oliver said "...when psychic abilities are presented as authentic, it emboldens
655-588: A Brazilian practitioner including a statue of the Mahayana Buddhist deity Hotei on their altar, and of a Belgian Candomblé group that incorporated characters from Welsh and Slavic mythologies in their practice. Candomblé has sometimes also been influenced by Spiritism , a French variant of Spiritualism , although many Spiritists distinguish their religion from Afro-Brazilian traditions. Afro-Brazilian religions often mix with each other rather than existing in pure forms, with many scholars viewing them on
786-457: A connecting ledge between two iron balconies. The psychologist and psychical researcher Stanley LeFevre Krebs had exposed the Bangs Sisters as frauds. During a séance he employed a hidden mirror and caught them tampering with a letter in an envelope and writing a reply in it under the table which they would pretend a spirit had written. The British materialization medium Rosina Mary Showers
917-472: A continuum rather than as wholly discrete entities. Candomblé shares the names of its deities, the orixás , with Umbanda , a religion formed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s. Umbandista groups exist on a spectrum from those emphasising connections to Spiritism to those stressing links with Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé; the anthropologist Diana Brown noted that the boundary separating Umbanda from Candomblé
1048-497: A dance style in Argentina and Uruguay, Candombe . Another word sometimes applied to Candomblé is macumba ; this generic term can be applied to Afro-Brazilian religions as a whole but is especially associated with sorcery or black magic , and thus some Candomblécistas distance themselves from it. Candomblé is not institutionalised, with no central authority to determine doctrine and orthodoxy, and no central sacred text. It
1179-423: A fascinating application of psychology and not the existence of paranormal abilities. In a series of experiments holding fake séances, (Wiseman et al . 2003) paranormal believers and disbelievers were suggested by an actor that a table was levitating when, in fact, it remained stationary. After the seance, approximately one third of the participants incorrectly reported that the table had moved. The results showed
1310-496: A first line of healthcare for many Latino families, with hospitals being a last resort. That is, researchers have found that Latin American immigrants in the United States often distrust the hospital medical system. Thus, in opposition to it, they continue to use their own culturally appropriate healthcare practices. In Curanderismo, Santería, and Espiritismo, the practitioners assess the patient and, depending on diagnosis , prepares
1441-409: A force for absolute evil but rather thought capable of both good and bad acts. Practitioners believe that the exus can "open" or "close" the "roads" of fate in one's life, bringing about both help and harm. Candomblé teaches that the exus can be induced to do a practitioner's bidding, although need to be carefully controlled. The exus are recorded as having been part of Candomblé since at least
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#17328440083331572-477: A greater percentage of believers reporting that the table had moved. In another experiment the believers had also reported that a handbell had moved when it had remained stationary and expressed their belief that the fake séances contained genuine paranormal phenomena. The experiments strongly supported the notion that in the séance room, believers are more suggestible than disbelievers for suggestions that are consistent with their belief in paranormal phenomena. In
1703-438: A healing remedy or a variety of healing remedies. This may contain any combination of medicinal herbs, religious amulets, and/or other products used for the prevention, treatment, or palliation of folk and somatic illnesses. Ultimately, botánicas serve as a bridge in efforts to develop community healthcare programs that link families with conventional medical practitioners who lack their native familiarity. Botánicas are crucial to
1834-430: A material object, giving them an African-derived name, and then considering them a pledged slave of the orixás . Candomblé adopts its cosmology largely from Yoruba traditional religion. The material world of humanity is called aiê (or aiye ); the realm of the spirits is termed orun , and is divided into nine levels. Death is personified in the figure of Iku . A person's inner head, in which their tutelary orixá
1965-503: A medium is doing a "reading" for a particular person, that person is known as the "sitter". In the 1860s and 1870s, trance mediums, also known as trance speakers, were very popular; this allowed female adherents, many who had strong interests in social justice, to speak in public in an era where doing so went against existing social norms. Many trance mediums delivered passionate speeches on abolitionism , temperance , and women's suffrage . Scholars have described Leonora Piper as one of
2096-604: A multi-level altar decorated with ribbons, colored lights, and flowers. The key part of the assentamento is a sacred stone known as an otá . This otá possesses axé , and thus requires feeding. Each orixá is associated with a different kind of stone; those from the ocean or rivers are for instance linked to Oxum and Iemanjá, while those believed to have fallen from the sky are linked to Xangô. Practitioners are expected to find these stones, rather than buying them, after which they will be ritually consecrated, being washed, given offerings, and "seated" in their vessel. Alongside
2227-467: A nation for reasons other than ethnic heritage. An initiate can transfer from one nation to another, a process referred to as trocar as águas ("to change the waters"). Attitudes between nations can be negative; those groups which emphasise claims to "African purity" have often denigrated other nations they deem more syncretic, with the Angola nation sometimes regarded as the most syncretic. The Nagô nation
2358-861: A person belongs to; in Nagô Candomblé, a male priest is called a babalorixá , a female priestess an iyalorixá . Serving as intermediaries between the orixás and humanity, this priesthood is responsible for all important functions, including educating novices, adjudicating disputes, and providing healing and divination services, these latter services often being their primary income. Not constrained by external religious authorities, these "parents of saints" often exert considerable control over their initiates. The latter are expected to submit to their authority, and to prostrate before them in an act called an iká ; however, conflicts between these "parents" and their initiates are common. A terreiro will often disband when its chief priest or priestess dies. Assisting
2489-501: A person can also have a fourth orixá , inherited from a deceased relative. Another spirit group in the Candomblé worldview are the exus , sometimes termed exuas when female, or exu-mirims when children. Deemed closer to humanity than the orixás and thus more accessible, the exus are often regarded as the "slaves" of the orixás . In common parlance they are often described as "devils", although in Candomblé are not regarded as
2620-492: A range of private ritual acts. Most of the rituals that take place at the terreiros are private and open only to initiates. Walker believed that it was these that represented "the real core of the religious life of the Candomblé community." The community of a terreiro is called an egbé . This is regarded as a "family", its initiates being "brothers" and "sisters" in the orixás ( irmãos de Santo or irmãs de santo ). Sexual or romantic relations between terreiro members
2751-500: A river. Some of the food may then be taken away, to be left in the forest, thrown into a body of water, or placed at a crossroads; this is referred to as "suspending a sacrifice". Outside Brazil, practitioners have faced challenges in performing animal sacrifice; in Germany, for instance, it is banned by law. Mediumship Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of
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#17328440083332882-506: A subterfuge to retain the worship of African deities under European rule, although such syncretisms could have already been occurring in Africa prior to the Atlantic slave trade. From the later 20th century, some practitioners have attempted to distance the orixás from the saints as a means of re-emphasising the religion's West African origins. The anthropologist Robert A. Voeks observed that it
3013-707: A transcendent creator god, Oludumaré . Deriving their names and attributes from traditional West African deities, the orixás are linked with Roman Catholic saints. Each individual is believed to have a tutelary orixá who has been connected to them since before birth and who informs their personality. An initiatory tradition, Candomblé's members usually meet in terreiros run by a mãe de santo (priestess) or pai de santo (priest). A central ritual involves practitioners drumming, singing, and dancing to encourage an orixá to possess one of their members, with whom congregants can then interact. The orixás are given offerings such as fruit and sacrificed animals , while their will
3144-458: A trial Monck was convicted for his fraudulent mediumship and was sentenced to three months in prison. In 1876, William Eglinton was exposed as a fraud when the psychical researcher Thomas Colley seized a "spirit" materialization in his séance and cut off a portion of its cloak. It was discovered that the cut piece matched a cloth found in Eglinton's suitcase . Colley also pulled the beard off
3275-653: A typical session lasting about 20 minutes. Before a service is determined and performed, the healer holds a consultation. This service helps identify the root of the client's problem, whether it is due to supernatural, physical, or emotional causes, and thereby helps identify the best treatment. Spiritual cleansing may be as simple as rubbing flowers on the person's body, or as elaborate as using candles, incense, and animal sacrifice along with prayer. In addition to treating clients with rituals of transference, practitioners often assist them with limpias aimed at getting rid of negative energy. The type of cleansing performed depends on
3406-909: A variety of spiritual and religious merchandise and services, including candles, incense, potions, powders, icons, statues and consultations. Other items found in the shops include novena candles , oils, incense, books and statues of saints . One popular item is a type of glass candle called a veladora or vela ; each color typically symbolizes a different meaning. For instance, red stands for love, green symbolizes prosperity, white guards children, yellow protects adults, and orange resolves family conflicts. Scholar Michael Owen Jones found that in Los Angeles botánicas, shopkeepers reported that most patrons were interested in love-related items first (attracting and maintaining relationships), then luck, and then protection from enemies and seeking justice. The term botánica refers to botanicals or herbs. This name acknowledges
3537-477: A vast underworld of unscrupulous vultures, more than happy to make money by offering an open line to the afterlife, as well as many other bullshit services." From its earliest beginnings to contemporary times, mediumship practices have had many instances of fraud and trickery. Séances take place in darkness so the poor lighting conditions can become an easy opportunity for fraud. Physical mediumship that has been investigated by scientists has been discovered to be
3668-475: A very serious scientific interest in the work of medium Eusapia Palladino . Other prominent adherents included journalist and pacifist William T. Stead (1849–1912) and physician and author Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). After the exposure of the fraudulent use of stage magic tricks by physical mediums such as the Davenport Brothers and the Bangs Sisters , mediumship fell into disrepute. However,
3799-436: Is Obá , a warrior who has only one ear. Ogum is the orixá of battle and of iron, often depicted with a machete; his companion is Oxóssi , the male orixá of the hunt and forest. Obaluaiê or Omolu is the orixá associated with infectious disease and its cure, while Osanyin is associated with leaves, herbs, and herbal knowledge. Oya is the orixá of wind and storms. Oxumaré is regarded as both male and female and
3930-523: Is a recurring theme throughout Candomblé. Many roles within the religion are gendered. For instance, animal sacrifice and the shaving of an initiate's head are usually reserved for male practitioners, while women are typically responsible for domestic duties in maintaining the ritual space. Such divisions mirror broader gender norms in Brazilian society. Restrictions are also placed on women while menstruating. However, women can still wield significant power as
4061-633: Is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especially those of the Yoruba , Bantu , and Gbe , coupled with influences from Roman Catholicism . There is no central authority in control of Candomblé, which is organized around autonomous terreiros (houses). Candomblé venerates spirits, known varyingly as orixás , inkice , or vodun , which are deemed subservient to
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4192-434: Is an initiatory religion, one which is organized around a structured hierarchy based on initiatory status. Knowledge about Candomblé's beliefs and practices is referred to as the fundamentos (foundations"), and is guarded by practitioners. It makes use of secrecy, and so Johnson has characterised it as a secret society . African-derived terms are used in ritual contexts; in general, words of Yoruba origin predominate in
4323-411: Is associated with specific colours, foods, animals, and minerals, favoring certain offerings. Each orixá is associated with a particular day of the week; the priesthood also states that each year is governed by a specific orixá who will influence the events taking place within it. Their personalities are informed by a key conceptual opposition in Candomblé, that of the cool versus the hot. Oxalá
4454-514: Is believed to reside, is called the ori . Spirits of the dead are called eguns . The recently deceased are termed aparacá ; after they have been "educated" by receiving sacrifices they become babá . After death, the egun can enter orun , although the level they reach depends on the spiritual growth they attained in life. Sometimes, eguns will seek to help the living but inadvertently harm them; given this potential, Candomblé stresses precautions in dealing with these entities. Contact with
4585-437: Is considered a favourite of Xangô, Obá, and Iansã. When placed in the terreiro , food is typically left in place for between one and three days, sufficient time for the orixá to consume the food's essence. The ritual payment of money, often accompanying the sacrifices, is termed dinheiro do chão ("money for the floor"). As part of this, money is placed onto the floor and often splattered with blood, before being divided among
4716-525: Is deciphered through divination . Offerings may also be given to lesser spirits, including caboclos and the spirits of the dead, the egun . Healing rituals and the preparation of amulets and herbal remedies also play a prominent role. Candomblé developed among Afro-Brazilian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. It arose through the blending of the traditional religions brought to Brazil by enslaved West and Central Africans,
4847-476: Is deemed to contain axé in its most concentrated form. Humans can accumulate axé , but also either lose or transfer it. Specific rituals and obligations are believed to maintain and enhance a person's axé , while other ritual acts are designed to attract or share this force. Dendê , a sacred palm oil used to cook ritual meals, is considered to be a materialized form of axé . Candomblé generally has no fixed ethical precepts, although its teachings influence
4978-495: Is divided into denominations, known as nations, based on which traditional African belief system has been its primary influence. The most prominent nations are the Ketu , Jeje , and Angola . Candomblé is centred in Brazil although smaller communities exist elsewhere, especially in other parts of South America. Both in Brazil and abroad Candomblé has spread beyond its Afro-Brazilian origins and
5109-624: Is heterogenous, displaying regional variation in its beliefs and practices. Each lineage or community of practitioners is autonomous, approaching the religion in ways informed by their tradition and the choices of their leader. Most Candomblecistas also practice Roman Catholicism —some priests and priestesses of Candomblé refuse to initiate anyone who is not a baptised Roman Catholic —while other practitioners have also pursued Evangelical Protestantism , New Age practices, or Buddhism . Sometimes these non-Candomblist elements have been directly integrated into Candomblé itself; there are reports of
5240-401: Is killed, its blood is spilled onto the altar; its organs are often removed and placed around the "seat" of the orixá . Following the sacrifice, is it common for divination to be performed to determine if the sacrifice has been accepted. Other body parts will then be consumed by the rite's participants; the exception is if the sacrifice was for eguns , which is instead left to rot or placed in
5371-485: Is largely honorific, consisting largely of contributing financially. An individual who has taken steps toward initiation but not yet undergone this process is termed an abiã or abian . An initiate of less than seven years is an iaô or iyawó ; after seven years they may undergo the deká ceremony and thus be regarded as an ebomi , allowing them to open their own terreiro . Those who have performed seven years of initiatory rituals are called ebomi or ebame . At
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5502-610: Is often equated with Saint Lazarus the leper. Oxalá has been conflated with Our Lord of Bonfim , Oxum with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception , and Ogum with St Anthony of Padua . Due to his association with time, Tempo is sometimes equated with the Christian idea of the Holy Spirit . In Candomblé altars, the orixás are often represented with images and statues of Roman Catholic saints. This process may have begun as
5633-540: Is played by fraud in spiritualistic practices, both in the physical and psychical, or automatic, phenomena, but especially in the former. The frequency with which mediums have been convicted of fraud has, indeed, induced many people to abandon the study of psychical research, judging the whole bulk of the phenomena to be fraudulently produced. In Britain, the Society for Psychical Research has investigated mediumship phenomena. Critical SPR investigations into purported mediums and
5764-477: Is portrayed as a serpent or a rainbow. Oxum is the orixá of love, beauty, wealth and luxury, and is associated with fresh water, fish, mermaids, and butterflies. She is married to Ifa, regarded as the orixá of divination. Tempo is the orixá of time; originating in the Angola nation, he is associated with trees. Due to the link with trees, he is sometimes equated with the Nagô orixá Loko . The orixá Exú
5895-417: Is practiced by individuals of various ethnicities. Candomblé is a "neo-African" or African American religion, and more specifically an Afro-Brazilian religion. It arose in 19th-century Brazil, where the imported traditional African religions of enslaved West Africans had to adapt to a slave colony in which Roman Catholicism was the official religion. It is thus one of several religions that emerged in
6026-572: Is regarded as a capricious trickster; as the guardian of entrances, he facilitates contact between humanity and the other orixá , thus usually being honoured and fed first in any ritual. His ritual paraphernalia is often kept separate from that of other orixás , while the entrances to most terreiros will have a clay head, decorated with cowries or nails, that represents Exú and is given offerings. The orixás are regarded as having different aspects, known as marcas ("types" or "qualities"), each of which may have an individual name. Child forms of
6157-427: Is sometimes interpreted as the cause of mental illness. Depending on the orixá in question, an initiate may choose to avoid or to engage in certain activities, such as avoiding specific foods or wearing specific colours. Some practitioners also believe in further orixá linked to an individual; a second is known as the juntó , while a third is called the adjuntó , the tojuntó , or the dijuntó . Some believe that
6288-403: Is the chief orixá , depicted as a frail old man who walks with a pachorô sceptre as a walking stick. Practitioners commonly believe that Olorun tasked him with creating humanity. In some accounts, all of the junior orixás are the children of Oxalá and one of his two wives, Nanã and Iemanjá . This trio are associated with water; Oxalá with fresh water, Nanã with the rain, and Iemanjá with
6419-638: Is the largest, reflecting how Yoruba traditional religion became the dominant West African influence within Afro-Brazilian religions in the 19th century, and even among nations other than the Nagô, Yoruba-derived terminology predominates widely. Candomblé teaches the existence of a supreme divinity called Olorun or Olodumare . This entity is regarded as the creator of everything but is thought distant and unapproachable, and thus not specifically worshipped in Candomblé. Candomblé revolves around spirits termed orixás ( orishas ) or santos ("saints"). In
6550-460: Is usually forbidden, although does happen. Being initiated into a terreito connects an individual to the lineage of that house; this lineage is linked to the axé of the terreiro . The founders of a terreiro are called essas and their names are evoked in the padê . A priestess running a terreiro is a mâe de santo (mother of saints); a priest who does so is a pai de santo (father of saints). Specific terms also indicate which nation
6681-468: The Black Power movement . Candomblé is a practice-oriented religion; ritual correctness is considered more important than belief . Rituals often focus on pragmatic issues regarding prosperity, health, love, and fecundity. Those engaging in Candomblé include various initiates of varying degrees and non-initiates who may attend events and approach initiates seeking help with various problems. Candomblé
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#17328440083336812-617: The Greater Boston Area , and the Texas Triangle . Botánicas bring Africa, Latin America, and the U.S. together through their services and goods. At the botánica, people can find strength in this affirmation of identity, both in the preservation of creative, sustaining traditions from home countries as well as in building a new space in a new world. Candombl%C3%A9 Candomblé ( Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐ̃dõˈblɛ] )
6943-415: The barracão ("big shed") is where public rituals, including divination, take place. Terreiros lacking a barracão may use a yard for public rites. The peji , or shrines to deities, will often be located around the perimeter of the barracão . The floor of the terreiro is deemed sacred, consecrated to the tutelary orixá of the house. The terreiro will often have a cumeeira , a central pole in
7074-459: The caboclos are believed to dwell in a forest land called Aruanda, and are characterised as smoking cigars and favoring beer. The caboclos are particularly important in the Candomblé de Caboclo nation. This tradition has long been denigrated as inferior by other Candomblecistas, especially from the Nagô tradition. Many practitioners reject interaction with caboclos ; this is the case for those who have tried to "re-Africanize" Candomblé since
7205-422: The egun is accompanied by rituals to neutralise their harmful power or pollution. The contra-egun is an armband made of plaited raffia which is sometimes worn to ward off dead spirits. Although thought possible, possession by eguns is considered rare, and is generally discouraged by Candomblé groups, who deem it spiritually polluting, a viewpoint that distinguishes Candomblé from Umbanda. Candomblé teaches
7336-555: The mâe or pai de Santo is the iyakekerê ("little mother") or mãe pequena , and the "little father". Other roles in the terreiro include the iyabase , who prepares food for the orixás , and the alabê (musical director). Initiates, called the filhos (sons) and filhas de santo (daughters of the saints), assist as cooks, cleaners, and gardeners. Women initiates who do not enter trance but assist those who do are called ekedi ; their male counterparts are termed ogan . The ogã are male members, often not initiated, whose role
7467-415: The orixá ; this is regarded as the house of the orixá . This usually consists of various items placed within an enamel, earthenware, or wooden vessel, itself often wrapped in a cloth. The assentamento can be stored in the initiate's home, or inside the terreiro' s bakisse room, which is only opened by the priestess or priest in charge. There, the assentamentos of the initiates may be arranged on
7598-429: The orixás are termed erês . They are deemed the most uncontrollable spirits of all, associated with obscenities and pranks. The child forms of orixás have specific names; the erê of Oxalá is for instance called Ebozingo ("Little Ebô") and Pombinho ("Little Dove"). The material image of an orixá is called an igbá . Each orixá equates with a Roman Catholic saint. For instance, Omolu, an orixa of sickness,
7729-435: The orixás , thus securing their protection. Candomblé teaches that everyone links to a particular orixá , one that influences that individual's personality. This is their dono da cabeça : the owner or master of the person's head. The gender of this tutelary orixá is not necessarily the same as their human's. The identity of a person's orixá can be ascertained through divination, and failing to know one's orixá
7860-470: The otás , these spirit-vessels may contain ferramentos , or metal objects associated with specific orixás , cowrie shells, bracelets called idés , animal body parts, hair from the initiate who keeps it, statues of associated Roman Catholic saints, and a mix of water, honey, and herbal preparations. Objects used in ritual are often sanctified with a herbal infusion called amaci . Ritual objects are regarded as loci and accumulators of axé , although
7991-433: The terreiros where both initiates and non-initiates can attend to celebrate the orixás . Participants are expected to wear white; women wear skirts. Ceremonies often begin long after the advertised starting time. At these, food is offered to specific orixás while the rest is shared among participants, with the latter thereby gaining some of the axé of the orixás . These public rites are both preceded and succeeded by
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#17328440083338122-404: The "materialization" and discovered it to be the bare foot of Home. To make the deception worse, Browning had never lost a son in infancy. Browning's son Robert in a letter to The Times , December 5, 1902, referred to the incident "Home was detected in a vulgar fraud." The researchers Joseph McCabe and Trevor H. Hall exposed the " levitation " of Home as nothing more than his moving across
8253-638: The "products of the medium's own psychological dynamics." A fraudulent medium may obtain information about their sitters by secretly eavesdropping on sitter's conversations or searching telephone directories, the internet and newspapers before the sittings. A technique called cold reading can also be used to obtain information from the sitter's behavior, clothing, posture, and jewellery. The psychologist Richard Wiseman has written: Cold reading also explains why psychics have consistently failed scientific tests of their powers. By isolating them from their clients, psychics are unable to pick up information from
8384-569: The 1920s, was among the most prominent debunkers of psychic fraud during the mid-20th century. Many 19th century mediums were discovered to be engaged in fraud . While advocates of mediumship claim that their experiences are genuine, the Encyclopædia Britannica article on spiritualism notes in reference to a case in the 19th century that "...one by one, the Spiritualist mediums were discovered to be engaged in fraud, sometimes employing
8515-469: The 1930s and probably arose earlier. Also present in Candomblé are the caboclos , their name probably stemming from the Tupi language term kari'boka ("deriving from the white"). These spirits are typically those of indigenous Americans or of boiadeiros ("cowboys" or "backwoodsmen"), although in rarer cases caboclos are portrayed as being from the sea or from foreign countries. Almost exclusively male,
8646-402: The 20th century, growing emigration from Bahia spread Candomblé both throughout Brazil and abroad, while also influencing the development of another religion, Umbanda , in the 1920s. Since the late 20th century, some practitioners have emphasized a re-Africanization process to remove Roman Catholic influences and create forms of Candomblé closer to traditional West African religion. The religion
8777-455: The Americas through the interaction of West African and Roman Catholic traditions, and for this reason is considered a "sister religion" of Cuban Santería and Haitian Vodou . Candomblé's followers are called povo de santo (people of saint), or Candomblecistas . The term Candomblé itself probably derives from a Bantu word for dances, kandombele , which also developed into the term for
8908-638: The Angola tradition they are sometimes termed inkice , and in the Jeje tradition vodun . The males are termed aborôs , the females iabás . Believed to mediate between humanity and Olorun, the orixás have been varyingly conceived as ancestral figures, or embodiments of forces of nature. Their names may differ according to nation; in Nagô they commonly possess Yoruba names, but in the Jeje nation they are instead given Fon names. The orixás are deemed morally ambiguous, each with their own virtues and flaws, and are sometimes in conflict with each other. Each orixá
9039-695: The Biblical account of the Witch of Endor . Mediumship became quite popular in the 19th-century United States and the United Kingdom after the rise of Spiritualism as a religious movement. Modern Spiritualism is said to date from practices and lectures of the Fox sisters in New York State in 1848. The trance mediums Paschal Beverly Randolph and Emma Hardinge Britten were among the most celebrated lecturers and authors on
9170-454: The Caribbean and Latin American countries from which these practices originated. Over the following decades, people from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds have founded and used botánicas for economic and cultural benefit. Botánicas are religious shops, a place to buy the material objects that enable people to interact with spirits. The majority of the products offered for sale and
9301-563: The Ijexá ( Ijesha ), Egba , Efan ( Ekiti ) and Caboclo. Each derives influence from a different African language group; Ketu uses Yoruba , Jeje adopts Ewe , and the Angola draws from the Bantu language group. Informed by these ethno-linguistic origins, each Candomblé nation has its own lexicon, chants, deities, sacred objects, and traditional knowledge. Although originating among ethnic differences, this has largely eroded over time, with members drawn to
9432-439: The Nagô nation, those from Ewe-Fon languages in Jeje nations, and words from the Bantu languages in the Angola nation. Candomblé places of worship are called terreiros ("houses"), or ilês . Each terreiro is independent and operates autonomously. They range in size from small houses to large compounds, and also vary in terms of their wealth and fame. A terreiro' s importance is generally regarded as being proportional to
9563-535: The Saints") developed along similar lines in Cuba . Santería absorbed a strong influence from Spanish Catholicism. Its rituals include dancing, drumming and speaking with spirits. As practitioners of these religions have immigrated to the U.S. and other countries, botánicas allows customers to have access to materials used in their religious rituals . Evidence suggests that the first botánicas were opened in Cuba and Puerto Rico in
9694-620: The Spaniards their methods to healing, such as which plants had curative properties and how to use them. Soon after, the Spaniards began to keep records of the names of the plants and their uses. These practices continued and evolved as household remedies during and after the Spanish conquest. Generally a person who practiced the art of folk healing became known as a curandero , with the practice known as Curanderismo . The blending of cultures through Spanish colonialism introduced other influences on
9825-635: The United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, over 340 Spiritualist churches and centres open their doors to the public and free demonstrations of mediumship are regularly performed. In 1958, American Spiritualist C. Dorreen Phillips wrote of her experiences with a medium at Camp Chesterfield , Indiana : "In Rev. James Laughton's séances there are many Indians . They are very noisy and appear to have great power. [...] The little guides, or doorkeepers, are usually Indian boys and girls [who act] as messengers who help to locate
9956-524: The United States. Without access to professional health services, many Latinos have found effective care in the herbal treatments and psychological support that botánicas offer. Botánicas extend centuries-old practices of using plants and herbs to treat and heal illnesses . According to scholar Jules Janick, botánicas have their roots in the relationship of the Aztecs of Mexico and the Spaniards . The Aztecs showed
10087-567: The arts of the séance" by Herne and was repeatedly exposed as a fraudulent medium. The medium Henry Slade was caught in fraud many times throughout his career. In a séance in 1876 in London Ray Lankester and Bryan Donkin snatched his slate before the "spirit" message was supposed to be written, and found the writing already there. Slade also played an accordion with one hand under the table and claimed spirits would play it. The magician Chung Ling Soo revealed how Slade had performed
10218-409: The brain. Physical mediumship is defined as manipulation of energies and energy systems by spirits. This type of mediumship is said to involve perceptible manifestations, such as loud raps and noises, voices, materialized objects, apports, materialized spirit bodies, or body parts such as hands, legs and feet. The medium is used as a source of power for such spirit manifestations. By some accounts, this
10349-429: The city's gay social network —and a pervasive stereotype associates Candomblé with gay men. Homosexuals have described the religion as a more welcoming environment than Christianity, and have cited stories of relationships between male orixás , such as Oxôssi and Ossain, as affirming same-sex attraction. Some practitioners have involved themselves in political causes including environmentalism , indigenous rights , and
10480-496: The communities they serve because they provide healing, hope, meaning, and support. The support they provide is a continuation of many homeland traditions for people living in conditions of diaspora , immigration , and exile . Botánicas provide a place for people to congregate, socialize, and discuss political and other issues that affect immigrant communities without fear of censure or reprisal. Some botánicas sponsor festivals, parties, or religious ceremonies attended by families from
10611-461: The cost for a limpia was around $ 40 to $ 50. Botánicas also provide services to help with more specific interpersonal, legal, financial, and metaphysical matters that include achieving domestic tranquility, solving immigration problems, avoiding or resolving legal issues, attracting or repelling a suitor, obtaining or keeping a job, securing good luck, attaining protection from envy and evil spirits, and removing or reversing spells. Botánicas are often
10742-484: The dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling , including séance tables , trance , and ouija . The practice is associated with spiritualism and spiritism . A similar New Age practice is known as channeling . Belief in psychic ability is widespread despite the absence of empirical evidence for its existence. Scientific researchers have attempted to ascertain
10873-432: The deities, a space to perform ceremonies, and accommodation for the priests or priestesses. The bakisse is the "room of the saints", a storeroom containing both ritual paraphernalia and the assentamentos , or seated objects, of the orixás , with most terreiros offering veneration to between twelve and twenty of these spirits. Another room, the roncó ("retreat room") or camarinha , is used during initiations, while
11004-425: The end of the seven years, they "receive the decá " from their initiator, being given a tray of ritual objects; this enables them to go and form their own temple. If another such terreiro splinters off, it is believed that the axé of the mother- terreiro transfers to the new one. An altar to the orixás is called a peji . It contains an assemblage of objects termed the assentamento ("seat") or assento of
11135-642: The existence of a force called ashe or axé , a central concept in Yoruba-derived traditions. The scholar Sheila Walker described axé as "the spiritual force of the universe", and the anthropologist Joana Bahia called it "sacred force." Jim Wafer termed it "vital force", while Voeks favored "vital energy". Scholar of religion Paul Johnson characterised it as "a creative spiritual force with real material effects." Practitioners believe axé can move, but can also concentrate in specific objects, such as leaves, roots, and specific body parts. Blood in particular
11266-489: The exposure of fake mediums has led to a number of resignations by Spiritualist members. On the subject of fraud in mediumship Paul Kurtz wrote: No doubt a great importance in the paranormal field is the problem of fraud. The field of psychic research and spiritualism has been so notoriously full of charlatans, such as the Fox sisters and Eusapia Palladino –individuals who claim to have special power and gifts but who are actually conjurers who have hoodwinked scientists and
11397-866: The fact that many of the goods sold in such stores are intended for use in rituals that involve special herbs, which are sometimes used as medicines. Besides being a place to merely obtain goods, botánicas serve as unique sites for the performance of religious culture. Alternative medical treatments found in botánicas are used to treat such varied conditions as arthritis , asthma , hair loss , menstrual pain , and diabetes . There are also products that are designed to attract love , bring good luck and financial prosperity , deflect jealousy and so on. In addition to selling goods, botánicas often offer religious and medical services. Services include divination , individual and family counseling, wellness recommendations, spiritual cleansing (Spanish: limpias ), and more. In 2005, such services usually cost between $ 15 and $ 25, with
11528-521: The heads of the terreiros ; most terreiros in Bahia are led by women. Accordingly, it has been called a female-dominated religion, with scholarly debates taking place over whether it can be labelled matriarchal. There is evidence that Candomblé is more accepting of sexual and gender non-conformity than mainstream Brazilian society. Many gay men are followers —in Rio de Janeiro many terreiros are integrated into
11659-449: The healer's religious orientation as well as on the client's particular needs. Limpias is the Spanish word for clean, referring to the ritual cleansing aimed at getting rid of negative energy. More complex ones requiring the burning of copal incense, the use of perfumed water, oils, candles, and eggs, and extensive prayers. Simple limpias may be offered at no cost but also around 2005 and 2006,
11790-429: The hypothesis that spirits speak independently of the medium, who facilitates the phenomenon rather than produces it. The role of the medium is to make the connection between the physical and spirit worlds. Trumpets are often utilised to amplify the signal, and directed voice mediums are sometimes known as "trumpet mediums". This form of mediumship also permits the medium to participate in the discourse during séances, since
11921-472: The immediate communities but also from other cities. As sites of healing and communal support, botanicas operate not only as settings for spiritual contemplation but also as information bases. These spots are commonly meeting place for immigrants from Central America , South America and the Caribbean . Botánicas are popular in heavily populated urban and Latino communities like Miami , New York , Los Angeles ,
12052-418: The late 1950s and early 1960s. These shops were initially “green pharmacies” operated by herbalists. The earliest Mexican and Mexican American botanicas seem to date to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Others argue that the botánica first emerged in the United States, citing New York's Spanish Harlem as the birthplace. According to this theory, similar shops spread out first across the U.S. and only later back to
12183-508: The late 20th century and who tend reject the caboclos as being of non-African derivation. As a result, some Candomblecistas have venerated orixás in the terreiro but only engaged with lesser spirits like the caboclos in the home. Where an individual has come to Candomblé via another Brazilian tradition like Umbanda, they are sometimes deemed to have brought caboclos or exus with them. In these instances, attempts are sometimes made to "Africanize" these spirits, ritually "seating" them in
12314-445: The lives of Candomblecistas. Rather than stressing a dichotomy between good and evil, emphasis is placed on achieving equilibrium between competing forces. Problems that arise in a person's life are often interpreted as resulting from a disharmony in an individual's relationship with their tutelary orixá ; harmony is ensured by following the orixá' s euó (taboos) regarding issues like food, drink, and colors. Male/female polarity
12445-679: The majority of them Yoruba , Fon , and Bantu , with the Roman Catholicism of the Portuguese colonialists who then controlled the area. It primarily coalesced in the Bahia region during the 19th century. Following Brazil's independence from Portugal, the constitution of 1891 enshrined freedom of religion in the country, although Candomblé remained marginalized by the Roman Catholic establishment, which typically associated it with criminality. In
12576-455: The materialization and it was revealed to be a fake, the same as another one found in the suitcase of Eglinton. In 1880 in a séance a spirit named "Yohlande" materialized, a sitter grabbed it and was revealed to be the medium Mme. d'Esperance herself. In September 1878 the British medium Charles Williams and his fellow-medium at the time, A. Rita, were detected in trickery at Amsterdam. During
12707-634: The medium and that there was no evidence for the spirit hypothesis. The idea of mediumship being explained by telepathy was later merged into the " super-ESP " hypothesis of mediumship which is currently advocated by some parapsychologists . In their book How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age , authors Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn have noted that the spiritualist and ESP hypothesis of mediumship "has yielded no novel predictions, assumes unknown entities or forces, and conflicts with available scientific evidence." Scientists who study anomalistic psychology consider mediumship to be
12838-420: The medium's voice is not required by the spirit to communicate. Leslie Flint was one of the best known exponents of this form of mediumship. Senses used by mental mediums are sometimes defined differently from in other paranormal fields. A medium is said to have psychic abilities but not all psychics function as mediums. The term clairvoyance , for instance, may include seeing spirit and visions instilled by
12969-427: The modern form of the old mediumship, where the "channel" (or channeller) purportedly receives messages from "teaching-spirit", an " Ascended master ", from God , or from an angelic entity , but essentially through the filter of his own waking consciousness (or " Higher Self "). Attempts to communicate with the dead and other living human beings, aka spirits, have been documented back to early human history, such as
13100-556: The most famous trance mediums in the history of Spiritualism. Trance speakers believed that entering a trance gave them access to the spirits and, through them, to knowledge inaccessible in the waking world. Sometimes an assistant would write down the medium's words, such as in the early 20th century collaboration between the trance medium Mrs. Cecil M. Cook of the William T. Stead Memorial Center in Chicago (a religious body incorporated under
13231-460: The natural world, the social world, and the world of the spirits. Devotees, in turn, use this power to meet the challenges of ordinary life: problems of health, wealth, and love. People come to the botánica with a host of struggles and problems, and the botánica offers hope from these troubles. There is extensive research and literature on botánicas as dispensers of healthcare in the Latino communities of
13362-441: The number of initiates and clients that it has; the greater the number of initiates, the greater its own axé . Enmity often exists between terreiros , especially as they compete for members, with defection of individuals from one to another being common. A terreiro may be concealed, so as not to attract unwanted attention. The interior consists of a series of rooms, some off-limits to non-initiates. They contain an altar to
13493-429: The ocean. Other accounts present this cosmogony differently, for instance by claiming that Oxalá fathered all other orixás alone, having created the world from a mingau pudding. An alternative claim among practitioners is that Nanã is the grandmother of Oxalá and the mother of Iemanjá, the latter becoming both mother and wife to Oxalá. Xangô is the orixá associated with thunder and lightning; one of his wives
13624-404: The participants of the rite. Candomblé entails animal sacrifice, which is called matanças . The individual performing the sacrifice is known as an axogun (or axogum ) or sometimes as a faca (knife). Species typically used are chickens, guinea fowl, white doves, and goats. The animal will often have its neck cut with a knife, or in the case of birds, its head severed. After the animal
13755-448: The power to aid their worshippers. When a ceremony starts, practitioners typically provide a padé , or propitiatory offering, to the orixá Exu. As well as being offered in the terreiro , food is often placed at an appropriate landscape location; offerings to Oxum are for instance often deposited by a freshwater stream. Specific foodstuffs are associated with each orixá ; a mix of okra with rice or manioc meal, known as amalá ,
13886-463: The practice began to lose credibility. Fraud is still rife in the medium or psychic industry, with cases of deception and trickery being discovered to this day. Several different variants of mediumship have been described; arguably the best-known forms involve a spirit purportedly taking control of a medium's voice and using it to relay a message, or where the medium simply "hears" the message and passes it on. Other forms involve materializations of
14017-405: The precepts of Prophecy and Healing are Divine attributes proven through Mediumship." "Mental mediumship" is communication of spirits with a medium by telepathy . The medium mentally "hears" (clairaudience), "sees" (clairvoyance), and/or feels (clairsentience) messages from spirits. Directly or with the help of a spirit guide, the medium passes the information on to the message's recipient(s). When
14148-423: The public as well–that we have to be especially cautious about claims made on their behalf. Magicians have a long history of exposing the fraudulent methods of mediumship. Early debunkers included Chung Ling Soo , Henry Evans and Julien Proskauer . Later magicians to reveal fraud were Joseph Dunninger , Harry Houdini and Joseph Rinn . Rose Mackenberg , a private investigator who worked with Houdini during
14279-557: The religion and its beliefs continue in spite of this, with physical mediumship and seances falling out of practice and platform mediumship coming to the fore. In the late 1920s and early 1930s there were around one quarter of a million practising Spiritualists and some two thousand Spiritualist societies in the UK in addition to flourishing microcultures of platform mediumship and 'home circles'. Spiritualism continues to be practised, primarily through various denominational Spiritualist churches in
14410-541: The religious and healing practices that later became crystallized in botánicas. During the trans-Atlantic slave trade , the Spanish brought large numbers of Africans to their colonies in North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Many of them brought along their African religious beliefs . Much as Vodou developed under French colonialism in Haiti as a blend of Roman Catholicism and African religions, Santería ("Way of
14541-451: The result of deception and trickery. Ectoplasm, a supposed paranormal substance, was revealed to have been made from cheesecloth, butter, muslin, and cloth. Mediums would also stick cut-out faces from magazines and newspapers onto cloth or on other props and use plastic dolls in their séances to pretend to their audiences spirits were contacting them. Lewis Spence in his book An Encyclopaedia of Occultism (1960) wrote: A very large part
14672-486: The result of fraud and psychological factors. Research from psychology for over a hundred years suggests that where there is not fraud, mediumship and Spiritualist practices can be explained by hypnotism , magical thinking and suggestion . Trance mediumship, which according to Spiritualists is caused by discarnate spirits speaking through the medium, can be explained by dissociative identity disorder . Illusionists, such as Joseph Rinn have staged fake séances in which
14803-589: The services provided at botánicas are most closely associated with Afro-Cuban religions (Santería and Palo Mayombe); Latin American Spiritist doctrine ( Espiritismo ); localized, vernacular expressions of Catholic piety ( folk Catholicism ); and Latin American folk healing or traditional medicine (Curanderismo). In many of these practices, African divinities and spirits are syncretized with Catholic Saints. Religious rituals often aim to induce possession trance to enable spirits to interact with mortals through
14934-560: The sitters have claimed to have observed genuine supernatural phenomena. Albert Moll studied the psychology of séance sitters. According to (Wolffram, 2012) "[Moll] argued that the hypnotic atmosphere of the darkened séance room and the suggestive effect of the experimenters' social and scientific prestige could be used to explain why seemingly rational people vouchsafed occult phenomena." The psychologists Leonard Zusne and Warren Jones in their book Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking (1989) wrote that spirits controls are
15065-458: The spirit friends who wish to speak with you." A spirit who uses a medium to manipulate psychic "energy" or "energy systems." In old-line Spiritualism, a portion of the services, generally toward the end, is given over to demonstrations of mediumship through purported contact with the spirits of the dead. A typical example of this way of describing a mediumistic church service is found in the 1958 autobiography of C. Dorreen Phillips. She writes of
15196-656: The spirit or the presence of a voice, and telekinetic activity. In Spiritism and Spiritualism the medium has the role of an intermediary between the world of the living and the world of spirit. Mediums say that they can listen to and relay messages from spirits, or that they can allow a spirit to control their body and speak through it directly or by using automatic writing or drawing . Spiritualists classify types of mediumship into two main categories: "mental" and "physical": During seances, mediums are said to go into trances , varying from light to deep, that permit spirits to control their minds. Channeling can be seen as
15327-581: The spirit world. The Parapsychological Association defines "clairvoyance" as information derived directly from an external physical source. Spiritualists believe that phenomena produced by mediums (both mental and physical mediumship) are the result of external spirit agencies. The psychical researcher Thomson Jay Hudson in The Law of Psychic Phenomena (1892) and Théodore Flournoy in his book Spiritism and Psychology (1911) wrote that all kinds of mediumship could be explained by suggestion and telepathy from
15458-546: The statutes of the State of Illinois) and the journalist Lloyd Kenyon Jones . The latter was a non-medium Spiritualist who transcribed Cook's messages in shorthand . He edited them for publication in book and pamphlet form. Castillo (1995) states, Trance phenomena result from the behavior of intense focusing of attention, which is the key psychological mechanism of trance induction. Adaptive responses, including institutionalized forms of trance, are 'tuned' into neural networks in
15589-451: The structure believed to link humanity's world with that of the orixás . This stands above the entoto ("foundation") of the terreiro , a space periodically "fed" with offerings. An outdoor enclosure may have a tree dedicated to Tempo, shrines to forest orixás like Oxossi and Ogun, and a balé , a place set aside for the souls of the dead. Plants used in rituals may also be grown in this outdoor area. Public ceremonies take place at
15720-526: The subject in the mid-19th century. Allan Kardec coined the term Spiritism around 1860. Kardec wrote that conversations with spirits by selected mediums were the basis of his The Spirits' Book and later, his five-book collection, Spiritist Codification . Some scientists of the period who investigated Spiritualism also became converts. They included chemist Robert Hare , physicist William Crookes (1832–1919) and evolutionary biologist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913). Nobel laureate Pierre Curie took
15851-465: The supply of this force needs replenishing at various intervals. For this reason, they are given blood, to feed them with new axé . In Brazil, various stores specialise in paraphernalia required in Candomblé. Offerings to spirits are known as ebós , and can consist of food, drink, fowl, and money; when animal sacrifice is not involved, a food offering is termed a comida seca . These offerings are believed to generate axé which then gives an orixá
15982-520: The techniques of stage magicians in their attempts to convince people of their clairvoyant powers." The article also notes that "the exposure of widespread fraud within the spiritualist movement severely damaged its reputation and pushed it to the fringes of society in the United States." At a séance in the house of the solicitor John Snaith Rymer in Ealing in July 1855, a sitter Frederick Merrifield observed that
16113-429: The trick. The British medium Francis Ward Monck was investigated by psychical researchers and discovered to be a fraud. On November 3, 1876, during the séance a sitter demanded that Monck be searched. Monck ran from the room, locked himself in another room and escaped out of a window. A pair of stuffed gloves was found in his room, as well as cheesecloth, reaching rods and other fraudulent devices in his luggage. After
16244-466: The tricks she had used. Frank Herne a British medium who formed a partnership with the medium Charles Williams was repeatedly exposed in fraudulent materialization séances. In 1875, he was caught pretending to be a spirit during a séance in Liverpool and was found "clothed in about two yards of stiffened muslin, wound round his head and hanging down as far as his thigh." Florence Cook had been "trained in
16375-623: The validity of claims of mediumship for more than one hundred years and have consistently failed to confirm them. As late as 2005, an experiment undertaken by the British Psychological Society reaffirmed that test subjects who self-identified as mediums demonstrated no mediumistic ability. Mediumship gained popularity during the nineteenth century when ouija boards were used as a source of entertainment. Investigations during this period revealed widespread fraud —with some practitioners employing techniques used by stage magicians —and
16506-408: The way those clients dress or behave. By presenting all of the volunteers involved in the test with all of the readings, they are prevented from attributing meaning to their own reading, and therefore can't identify it from readings made for others. As a result, the type of highly successful hit rate that psychics enjoy on a daily basis comes crashing down and the truth emerges – their success depends on
16637-743: The worship services at the Spiritualist Camp Chesterfield in Chesterfield, Indiana : "Services are held each afternoon, consisting of hymns, a lecture on philosophy, and demonstrations of mediumship." Today "demonstration of mediumship" is part of the church service at all churches affiliated with the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC) and the Spiritualists' National Union (SNU). Demonstration links to NSAC's Declaration of Principal #9. "We affirm that
16768-467: Was achieved by using the energy or ectoplasm released by a medium, see spirit photography . The last physical medium to be tested by a committee from Scientific American was Mina Crandon in 1924. Most physical mediumship is presented in a darkened or dimly lit room. Most physical mediums make use of a traditional array of tools and appurtenances, including spirit trumpets, spirit cabinets, and levitation tables. Direct voice communication refers to
16899-562: Was caught in many fraudulent séances throughout her career. In 1874 during a séance with Edward William Cox a sitter looked into the cabinet and seized the spirit, the headdress fell off and was revealed to be Showers. In a series of experiments in London at the house of William Crookes in February 1875, the medium Anna Eva Fay managed to fool Crookes into believing she had genuine psychic powers. Fay later confessed to her fraud and revealed
17030-769: Was largely "a matter of individual opinion". Omolocô was founded in Rio de Janeiro as an intermediate religion between Candomblé and Umbanda, with traditions merging these two systems sometimes labelled "Umbandomblé" by outsiders. There are also other Afro-Brazilian religions rooted largely in specific regions, including Babassuê in Pará , Batuque in Rio Grande do Sul , and Tambor de Mina in Maranhão and Pará. Candomblé divides into traditions known as nações (nations). The three most prominent are Nagô or Ketu (Queto) , Jeje (Gege) or Mina-Jeje , and Angola or Congo-Angola ; others include
17161-419: Was the priesthood and more formally educated practitioners who preferred to distinguish the orixás from the saints, whereas less formally educated adherents tended not to. In Candomblé, relationships are thought rooted in reciprocal obligations, and Candomblecistas see the relationship between the orixás and humanity as being one of interdependence. Practitioners seek to build harmonious relationships with
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