The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Ways of Relationships

Price: $16.99 - $13.59
(as of Dec 05, 2025 16:00:04 UTC – Details)

“This is a teacher who can help us put together so many things that our modern Western world has broken.” —Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

A renowned, respected teacher and mentor to thousands, Sobonfu Somi is one of the first and foremost voices of African spirituality to come to the West.

Somi was born in Dano, Burkina Faso, a remote West African village with a population of about two hundred people. Dano has preserved the old ways of African village life, with family structures, spiritual practices, and methods of living that have been in place for more than ten thousand years. In The Spirit of Intimacy, Somi distills the ancient teachings and wisdom of her native village to give insight into the nature of intimate relationships.

Somi generously applies the subtle knowledge from her West African culture to this one. Simply and beautifully, she reveals the role of spirit in every marriage, friendship, relationship, and community. She shares ancient ways to make our intimate lives more fulfilling and secure and offers powerful insights into the “illusion of romance,” divorce, and loss. Her important and fascinating lessons from the heart include the sacred meaning of pleasure, preparing a ritual space for intimacy, and the connection between sex and spirituality. Her ideas are intuitively persuasive, provocative, and healing–and supported by sound practical advice, along with specific rituals and ceremonies based on those used for thousands of years.

With this book, the spiritual insights of indigenous Africa take their place alongside those of native America, ancient Europe, and Asia as important influences on Western readers.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 5, 2000
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688175791
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688175795
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.4 x 7 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #68,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #380 in Self-Esteem (Books) #380 in Spiritual Self-Help (Books) #1,247 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
Customer Reviews: 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,470) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });