Ecstatic encounters
Bahian Candomblé and the quest for the really …
Mattijs van de Port
300 pages | ~8 hrs
Ecstatic encounters
Bahian Candomblé and the quest for the really real
By Mattijs van de Port
When an anthropologist ventures into the vibrant spiritual landscape of Bahia, Brazil, to study Candomblé spirit possession rituals, he discovers that academic frameworks cannot contain the profound mysteries he encounters. What begins as scholarly research transforms into a deeply personal journey that challenges everything he thought he knew about reality, knowledge, and the boundaries between observer and participant.
Through intimate reflections on years spent within this powerful Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition, the author reveals how genuine understanding often emerges from the spaces between what we can measure and what we can experience. His narrative weaves together moments of unexpected vulnerability: the fear of spiritual possession, the complexity of human connection across cultural divides, encounters with mystical insight that defy rational explanation, and the raw impact of loss and friendship.
This honest exploration demonstrates how our attempts to define and categorize reality inevitably leave out essential dimensions of human experience. Yet it is precisely in these overlooked spaces where wonder, transformation, and authentic wisdom reside. The author invites readers to consider how the "rest-of-what-is" beyond our neat explanations becomes a wellspring of renewal and deeper understanding.
For those drawn to authentic spiritual inquiry and the courage to question established ways of knowing, this work offers a compelling meditation on how true wisdom emerges when we allow ourselves to be genuinely touched by mystery.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Brazil, religion
- ✓ Explore Aspects of religion (non-Christian)
- ✓ Explore Blacks / Brazil / Bahia (State) / History
- ✓ Explore Candomblé (Religion)
- ✓ Explore Sociology & anthropology
- ✓ Explore Brazil
- ✓ Explore Religion & beliefs
- ✓ Explore Candomblé
Topics
Details
- Published
- 2011
- Publisher
- Amsterdam University Press
- ISBN-13
- 9789089642981
- ISBN-10
- 9089642986
- Pages
- 300
- Language
- EN
