The Yoruba Domino Oracle

By Carlos G. Y. Poenna

Book Overview

This easy-to-follow guide reveals the simple yet powerful Yoruba tradition of using dominoes for divination.

While the game of Dominoes is beloved across the globe, the Yoruba tradition of Africa reveals how the ubiquitous tiles can also be used for divination. Best known in Santeria, the domino oracle is universal and may be consulted by anyone.

In The Yoruba Domino Oracle, Carlos G. y Poenna explains how to perform domino readings and interpret each tile as well as their combinations. For each reading, y Poenna gives instructions for offerings or prayers to reader's chosen spirits, whether they be Yoruba deities or Catholic saints.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B001UBYOTQ
• ISBN13: 9781578631490
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Weiser Books
• Length: 97 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Yoruba Domino Oracle

I tend to favor books like this, as they are like jewels, a ton of data in a small package. This work is an excellent example of how one culture can assimilate the traditions of another. I found the work to be concise, to the point, with little digression. However, anyone familiar with the Santera, or African traditions or the traditions of South America will find this to be an easy way to begin the study of divination with the dominos. Although a Yoruba form of divination the author assures us that the dominos can be used by other traditions, especially the Catholic traditions, as the Catholic saints and prayers correspond easily with the Yoruba deities. Mr. y Poenna is currently an active practitioner of the Santeria faith. As of the writing of this book he is a teacher of science and chemistry at the secondary school level in Miami. The work begins with a short introduction detailing the roots of domino divination. Chapters are: How to Read the Dominos; What Each Domino Means; Prayers as Remedies; Making a Novena. Although each chapter is short, with the exception of the meanings of the dominos, they are packed with all you need to know to begin using this form of divination. The chapter with the meanings of the dominos is very detailed and is the bulk of the information in this work. The casting of the dominos is simplicity itself, they are placed face down and shuffled by the reader. Then the dominos are placed in a row before the querent and the querent selects the first domino. The reader makes note of this domino, shuffles them again face down, and the querent chooses the second domino and so on until the third domino has been chosen. There is more involved than this but this is the practice in a nutshell. All in all an excellent work on using the dominos for divination. I would recommend this work to any student of the occult and especially to the student of African traditions. It is also an excellent addition to the occult library.

Unique, Interesting and yet incomplete

STRENGTHAs far as I know, this is the only book on domino divination available on the market. The author gives sufficient information on the 28 tiles of double-six dominoes. The glossary includes interesting details about African gods.WEAKNESSThe information about the combinations is sketchy. Many combinations such as three-six with two-six is omitted.

Thoughts from a domino diviner

The Yoruba Domino Oracle, by Carlos G. y Poenna Samuel Weiser Inc. Published in 2000 Review by Patrick McCallister Since at least 1814, several English-language writers have explained divination with the double-six dominoes. However, in this century, none have published a book solely about this underemployed foretelling method -- until now. Carlos G. y Poenna's book, "The Yoruba Domino Oracle," is a pioneering work, dedicated exclusively to double-six domino divination. The only other publication that deals exclusively with the subject is Raymond Buckland's "The Buckland Gypsies' Domino Divination Deck," a 1995 Llewellyn Publications cards with booklet set. Beginning domino diviners will find Poenna's book straightforward and easy to grasp. Experienced domino diviners will find that it's a valuable addition to their libraries as well. In "The Yoruba Domino Oracle," Poenna discusses an Santeria-based variation of domino divination, whose interpretations are backed by Walter B. and Litzka R. Gibson's 1966 publication, "The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences." Additionally, the 1901 publication, "The Zingara Fortune Teller," by "A Gipsy Queen," also gives historical backing for the domino-divination meanings Poenna's book employs. Unfortunately, "The Yoruba Domino Oracle" addresses only one of the seven schools of double-six domino divination. Nevertheless, it adds much depth to the work other authors have done on that school of divination. Additionally, the book gives the history of domino divination a cursory glance, and some of its explanations about the development of double-six domino divination can be debated. However, the book is valuable to domino fans, divination researchers, and anyone doing or thinking of doing double-six domino divination. Another Samuel Weiser, Inc. publication that double-six domino-divination users should consider is "The Prophet's Bible," by Gavin and Yvonne Frost, co-founders of the Church of Wicca. About the Reviewer: Patrick McCallister is a domino-divination researcher, and is an experienced domino diviner. He's done thousands of readings using this augury method. He's written an as-yet unpublished book about the subject, "Ya Pai Shen Po: A Complete Guide to Domino Divination." He's a reporter for The DeLand Beacon newspaper and free-lance writer, who's published articles about domino divination in By The Numbers and Waxing & Waning.