All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 2 moreAbaku谩
A male-only Cuban religious fraternity with West African roots and strict secrecyTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚫馃嚪 SurinameWinti
An Afro-Surinamese tradition of spirit veneration and ancestral worshipTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama
The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚬 Guatemala and 3 moreMaya religion
The living spiritual practices of the Maya peoples, shaped by centuries of contact with Catholicism.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreMachi
Mapuche spiritual authorities and healers who bridge herbal knowledge and spirit realmsTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 5 morePalo
An Afro-Cuban religion centered on spirit vessels and ancestral powerTradition 路 Healing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreQuyllurit'iQoyllur Rit'i
A syncretic Andean pilgrimage celebrating the Pleiades and the Lord of Star SnowTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreMapuche religion
The traditional spiritual practice of the Mapuche people of Chile and ArgentinaTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 2 moreKromanti
A ritual language spoken by ancestral spirits in Jamaican Maroon ceremoniesBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoEntheogenics and the Maya
Hallucinogenic substances used by the Maya for spiritual rituals and healingTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoVelada
A Mazatec healing ceremony using sacred plants to commune with the divineRite 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoMazatec shamanism
A Mazatec healing tradition centered on visionary plant ceremonies called veladasTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 5 moreZemi
A Ta铆no deity or ancestral spirit housed in a carved object used for worship and protectionBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚨馃嚜 PeruChakapa
A leaf rattle used by Amazonian healers in ayahuasca ceremonies and spirit cleansing rituals.Rite 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chakapa: Mario Mart铆n /Archivo Centro Takiwasi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Maya mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Abaku谩: M. Puente, Public domain, source
- Winti: G. Glaser (Fotograaf/photographer)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Machi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Palo: Burkhard M眉cke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Quyllurit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mapuche religion: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Zemi: Unknown author, CC0, source