This text examines the history of a black cemetery through archaeology. Archaeological evidence suggests that the cemetery was deliberately established on the waterfront in the early eighteenth century by a black community on the east side of the main town, Nassau, Bahamas.

"Provides new insights into how enslaved and freed Africans in the New World navigated racialized landscapes while honoring the memories of their dead."--Laurie A. Wilkie, coauthor of Sampling Many Pots: An Archaeology of Memory and Tradition at a Bahamian Plantation "Turner's unique hybrid approach makes this book a valuable resource in the study of the African diaspora."--Rosalyn Howard, author of Black Seminoles in the Bahamas The Anglican Church established St. Matthew's Parish on the eastern side of Nassau to accommodate a population increase after British Loyalists migrated to the Bahamas in the 1780s. The parish had three separate cemeteries: the churchyard cemetery and Centre Burial Ground were for whites, but the Northern Burial Ground was officially consecrated for nonwhites in 1826 by the Bishop of Jamaica. In Honoring Ancestors in Sacred Space, Grace Turner posits that the African-Bahamian community intentionally established this separate cemetery in order to observe non-European burial customs. Analyzing the landscape and artifacts found at the site, Turner shows how the community used this space to maintain a sense of social and cultural belonging despite the power of white planters and the colonial government. Although the Northern Burial Ground was covered by storm surges in the 1920s, and later a sidewalk was built through the site, Turner's fieldwork reveals a wealth of material culture. She points to the cemetery's location near water, trees planted at the heads of graves, personal items left with the dead, and remnants of food offerings as evidence of mortuary practices originating in West and Central Africa. According to Turner, these African-influenced ways of memorializing the dead illustrate W. E. B. Du Bois's idea of "double consciousness"--the experience of existing in two irreconcilable cultures at the same time. Comparing the burial ground with others in Great Britain and the American colonies, Turner demonstrates how Africans in the Atlantic diaspora did not always adopt European customs but often created a separate, parallel world for themselves. A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series

Sacred Spaces: Creating An Altar For Your Spiritual Practice is a guidebook that explores the concept of sacred spaces and provides practical guidance on how to create and utilize an altar for spiritual practices. The book covers various aspects of altar creation, from choosing a suitable location and selecting sacred tools to purifying the space. It delves into the significance of connecting with the Divine and explores the incorporation of elemental magick, lunar connections, ancestral reverence, Wheel of the Year celebrations, working with deities, spellcraft, divination, and symbolism. With step-by-step instructions and rituals, readers are encouraged to personalize their altars and develop a deeper spiritual connection. This book is a valuable resource for individuals seeking to enhance their spiritual practices and create meaningful sacred spaces in their lives.

The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces shows you how to curate over 50 magical spaces throughout your home that artfully and intentionally observe seasonal celebrations. Anjou Kiernan, creator of the Light of Anjou online witchery shop and apothecary and named “One of the Magical Women on Instagram You Should Be Following” by Refinery 29, shows you how to create altars and sacred spaces based on the Wheel of the Year. Simple rituals and DIY projects give you the tools you need to mindfully reflect upon the seasonal Sabbats and holidays. Whether building a sacred fire pit for Beltane or Feast Table for the Autumn Equinox, learn how to honor the sacred doorways of the year and bring magic into your daily life.

If it weren’t for the immense energy that we put into denying who we are and into perpetuating emotions such as depression, repression, and self-doubt, life would be a continual revelation of joy and well-being. In this inspirational yet down-to-earth book, renowned healer and teacher Denise Linn draws upon her own story, as well as from wisdom she’s gathered from native cultures around the world, to help you heal your past and create a fulfilling future. This book guides you through four profound acts of personal power that assist you in breaking free from negative family and ancestral patterns so that your light can help illuminate the world. It takes only a single breakthrough to restructure your personal history so that you can heal your family tree—both for the generations behind you and those that will follow—which in turn empowers your life. This book shows you how to take that step of self-discovery so you can walk this planet with grace and ease, while experiencing the majesty of your being.

Voices from the Ancestors brings together the reflective writings and spiritual practices of Xicanx, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx womxn and male allies in the United States who seek to heal from the historical traumas of colonization by returning to ancestral traditions and knowledge. This wisdom is based on the authors’ oral traditions, research, intuitions, and lived experiences—wisdom inspired by, and created from, personal trajectories on the path to spiritual conocimiento, or inner spiritual inquiry. This conocimiento has reemerged over the last fifty years as efforts to decolonize lives, minds, spirits, and bodies have advanced. Yet this knowledge goes back many generations to the time when the ancestors understood their interconnectedness with each other, with nature, and with the sacred cosmic forces—a time when the human body was a microcosm of the universe. Reclaiming and reconstructing spirituality based on non-Western epistemologies is central to the process of decolonization, particularly in these fraught times. The wisdom offered here appears in a variety of forms—in reflective essays, poetry, prayers, specific guidelines for healing practices, communal rituals, and visual art, all meant to address life transitions and how to live holistically and with a spiritual consciousness for the challenges of the twenty-first century.