Luisah Teish
Encyclopedia
Luisah Teish is an author, storyteller, and priestess of the Ifá
/Orisha
faith from New Orleans, Louisiana
.
She is the founder and president of Ile Orunmila Oshun, and holds a chieftancy title in the Fatunmise lineage as head Oshun
Priest in the United States. She is the Vice President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and the founder of the School of Ancient Mysteries and Sacred Arts Center in Oakland, CA. She is the author of several books on African religion, including Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals, Carnival of the Spirit, and Jump Up: Good Times Throughout the Season with Celebrations from Around the World.
She is a theatrical performer of African, Caribbean, and African-American folklore and feminist myth. Teish is also a playwright and director, whose works include Olokun's Challenge. She has been on the faculty at University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California
, the California Institute of Integral Studies
in San Francisco, California
, and she teaches at New College of California
, John F. Kennedy University
, the Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Center, and Naropa University
. Her performances, lectures and workshops have taken her to Europe, Egypt
, South America, New Zealand
, Nigeria
, Costa Rica
, and across the United States.
Ifá
Ifá refers to the system of divination and the verses of the literary corpus known as the Odú Ifá. Yoruba religion identifies Orunmila as the Grand Priest; as that which revealed Oracle divinity to the world...
/Orisha
Orisha
An Orisha is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system....
faith from New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
She is the founder and president of Ile Orunmila Oshun, and holds a chieftancy title in the Fatunmise lineage as head Oshun
Oshun
Oshun, or Ochun in the Yoruba religion, is an Orisha who reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy. She is worshipped also in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu, with the name spelled Oxum. She should not be confused, however, with a different Orisha of a similar name spelled "Osun," who is...
Priest in the United States. She is the Vice President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and the founder of the School of Ancient Mysteries and Sacred Arts Center in Oakland, CA. She is the author of several books on African religion, including Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals, Carnival of the Spirit, and Jump Up: Good Times Throughout the Season with Celebrations from Around the World.
She is a theatrical performer of African, Caribbean, and African-American folklore and feminist myth. Teish is also a playwright and director, whose works include Olokun's Challenge. She has been on the faculty at University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, the California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies is a private institution of higher education founded in 1968 and based in San Francisco, California. It currently operates in three locations just south of the Civic Center district...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and she teaches at New College of California
New College of California
New College of California was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President, Father John Leary. After 37 years, it ceased operations in early 2008....
, John F. Kennedy University
John F. Kennedy University
John F. Kennedy University is a nonprofit, private university located in Pleasant Hill, California, with satellite campuses in Campbell, Berkeley, and Costa Mesa. It was founded in 1964 to focus on providing continuing opportunities for non-traditional higher education. Enrollment is approximately...
, the Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Center, and Naropa University
Naropa University
Naropa University is a private American liberal arts university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda.Naropa describes itself as...
. Her performances, lectures and workshops have taken her to Europe, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, South America, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and across the United States.