Soul Healing in Afro-Cuban Miami

＂If I’m going to divine for you and help you, I need information. Unlike Western talk therapy, I bypass your ego by getting the information directly from your spiritual counterpart. Your ego recognizes its own truth when it hears it, and then backs down from its arrogance. Hopefully, with that revelation you can understand how to return to your path.＂

I was caught by Ernesto’s words: Your ego recognizes its own truth when it hears it. They captured me, because when I first hear an inconvenient truth I take the path of denial. Finally, after myriad detours, acceptance becomes easier, because it’s my destiny on the line.

＂Soul Healing in Afro-Cuban Miami describes the insights anthropologist Judith Hoch gained from her experiences with Lucumí, the Afro-Cuban spiritual

practice also known as Santería that flourishes underground in Miami. Her book recounts extraordinary rituals performed by a gifted Lucumí diviner, Ernesto Pichardo, that helped her understand herself better, resolve longstanding issues with her family, and receive life-changing guidance that facilitated her personal growth. A compelling story that reveals the sacred workings of this much maligned but secretly celebrated pathway to the spirit world.＂ - Richard Schwartz, Professor Emeritus, Florida International University

＂Judith was a lover of spirt, beauty and freedom. Judith’s memoir, written in her unique voice, reflects her creativity and her connections with others, weaving glimpses of life in Miami with deeply personal insights into what shaped her spiritual path and led to an unveiling of her true self.＂ - Helene Serabian, PhD