Brujo: Grimoire of a Puerto Rican Witch - Paperback

by Philip Ryan Deal (Author)

Brujería is the Spanish term for witchcraft. A male practitioner is a brujo, and a female practitioner is a bruja. It is a spiritual path focused on personal power and direct communication with spirits. This practice is open to everyone, regardless of their background, so there is no concern about cultural appropriation. Puerto Rican traditional healing practices have evolved from a mix of different religious traditions found on the island and in the United States. These include the indigenous spirituality of Native Americans, African Traditional Religions, Folk Catholicism, and European Spiritism. Traditional healers use the power of herbs, roots, and flowers to help their clients achieve mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. They enhance these herbal preparations with music, dance, prayer, and by calling upon spirits. This is not faith-based healing or a form of snake oil medicine. The plants used have real physiological effects that have been known and used by native peoples for ages. The herbal remedies can be consumed as teas, tinctures, and tonics, or applied topically as salves, infused oils, and baths. Other methods used in this tradition include lighting candles, charging crystals, conducting spiritual investigations, and working with spiritual energies. These therapies are meant to be used alongside Western medicine to help treat various health issues.