An intellectually stimulating & informative introduction to the practice of the fastest growing African religion in the Americas. Every journey must begin with a first step. Mauge successfully takes you through the Yoruba metaphysical & spiritual journey from heaven to earth & return. He skillfully blends the knowledges & practices of the old world with that of the New World, offering explanations that few have offered before. His chapter on Divination can be considered a textbook of classical knowledge by itself. Ancestor reverence is explained in such a way that the reader will want to communicate with his or her ancestors right away. The reader meets the Yoruba people & acknowledges their belief system which is based on the belief in a Supreme Being. His philosophical treatment of the manifold & often misunderstood subject of reincarnation explains the Yoruba perspective of non-destructible energy & life everlasting.