A guide to the practices, tools, and rituals of New Orleans Voodoo as well as the many cultural influences at its origins • Includes recipes for magical oils, instructions for candle workings, and directions to create gris-gris bags and Voodoo dolls to attract love, money, justice, and healing and for retribution • Explores the major figures of New Orleans Voodoo, including Marie Laveau and Dr. John • Exposes the diverse ethnic influences at the core of Voodoo, from the African Congo to Catholic immigrants from Italy, France, and Ireland One of America’s great native-born spiritual traditions, New Orleans Voodoo is a religion as complex, free-form, and beautiful as the jazz that permeates this steamy city of sin and salvation. From the French Quarter to the Algiers neighborhood, its famed vaulted cemeteries to its infamous Mardi Gras celebrations, New Orleans cannot escape its rich Voodoo tradition, which draws from a multitude of ethnic sources, including Africa, Latin America, Sicily, Ireland, France, and Native America. In The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook, initiated Vodou priest Kenaz Filan covers the practices, tools, and rituals of this system of worship as well as the many facets of its origins. Exploring the major figures of New Orleans Voodoo, such as Marie Laveau and Dr. John, as well as Creole cuisine and the wealth of musical inspiration surrounding the Mississippi Delta, Filan examines firsthand documents and historical records to uncover the truth behind many of the city’s legends and to explore the oft-discussed but little-understood practices of the root doctors, Voodoo queens, and spiritual figures of the Crescent City. Including recipes for magical oils, instructions for candle workings, methods of divination, and even directions to create gris-gris bags, mojo hands, and Voodoo dolls, Filan reveals how to call on the saints and spirits of Voodoo for love, money, retribution, justice, and healing.

By the author of the acclaimed Eat Dat, a brand-new guide to New Orleans's scary side, from Voodoo rituals to historic cemeteries and haunted mansions Fear Dat New Orleans explores the eccentric and often macabre dark corners of America’s most unique city. In addition to detailed histories of bizarre burials, ghastly murders, and the greatest concentration of haunted places in America, Fear Dat features a “bone watcher’s guide” with useful directions of who’s buried where, from Marie Laveau to Ruthie the Duck Girl. You’ll also find where to buy the most authentic gris-gris or to get the best psychic reading. The Huffington Post tagged Michael Murphy’s first book Eat Dat, about the city’s food culture, the #1 “essential” book to read before coming to New Orleans. New Orleans Living called it “both reverent and irreverent, he manages to bring a sense of humor to serious eating—and that’s what New Orleans is all about.” In Fear Dat, Murphy brings similar insights and irreverence to New Orleans voodoo, vampires, graveyards, and ghosts.

This study investigates the emergence of powerful female leadership in New Orleans' Voodoo tradition. It provides a careful examination of the cultural, historical, economic, demographic and socio-political factors that contributed both to the feminization of this religious culture and its strong female leaders.

This compelling reference work introduces the religions of Voodoo, a onetime faith of the Mississippi River Valley, and Vodou, a Haitian faith with millions of adherents today. Unlike its fictional depiction in zombie films and popular culture, Voodoo is a full-fledged religion with a pantheon of deities, a priesthood, and communities of believers. Drawing from the expertise of contemporary practitioners, this encyclopedia presents the history, culture, and religion of Haitian Vodou and Mississippi Valley Voodoo. Though based primarily in these two regions, the reference looks at Voodoo across several cultures and delves into related religions, including African Vodu, African Diasporic Religions, and magical practices like hoodoo. Through roughly 150 alphabetical entries, the work describes various aspects of Voodoo in Louisiana and Haiti, covering topics such as important places, traditions, rituals, and items used in ceremonies. Contributions from scholars in the field provide a comprehensive overview of the subject from various perspectives and address the deities and ceremonial acts. The book features an extensive collection of primary sources and a selected, general bibliography of print and electronic resources.

The history, altars, art and ceremonies that anchor Voodoo in Crescent City culture are revealed in this authoritative study. The diverse spiritual roots of New Orleans run deep—and they all converge in the practice known as Voodoo. The city's Roman Catholic influence and its French, Spanish, Creole and American Indian traditions blended with the rites and rituals that West Africans brought to Louisiana as enslaved laborers. The resulting Voodoo tradition became a unique and integral part of New Orleans culture and heritage. While 19th century enslaved practitioners held Voodoo dances in designated public areas like Congo Square, they also conducted secret rituals away from the prying eyes of the city. By 1874, some twelve thousand New Orleanians attended Voodoo queen Marie Laveau's St. John's Eve rites on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. This cultural history traces the Voodoo tradition from its earliest beginnings to its continued practice in the Crescent City today.

Dispel the Misconceptions & Discover the Truth About Afro-Caribbean Magic Diamantino Fernandes Trindade, one of the most renowned spiritualist authors in Brazil, and Sebastien de la Croix, an initiated Houngan (Vodou priest), lift the shroud of mystery surrounding Haitian Vodou and North American Voodoo. Trindade and de la Croix introduce you to these distinct spiritualities and how they are connected to Hoodoo, an African American tradition that incorporates Voodoo, Indigenous traditions, spiritism, and European folklore. Vodou, Voodoo, and Hoodoo provides a variety of simple spells that require no initiation and support many aspects of contemporary life. You'll also explore the life of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, a famous practitioner who was ahead of her time. Featuring deities, recipes, prayers, and more, this book gives you a genuine look at Afro-Caribbean magic.

This practical travel guide to New Orleans features detailed factual travel tips and points-of-interest structured lists of all iconic must-see sights as well as some off-the-beaten-track treasures. Our itinerary suggestions and expert author picks of things to see and do will make it a perfect companion both, ahead of your trip and on the ground. This New Orleans guide book is packed full of details on how to get there and around, pre-departure information and top time-saving tips, including a visual list of things not to miss. Our colour-coded maps make New Orleans easier to navigate while you're there. This guide book to New Orleans has been fully updated post-COVID-19. The Rough Guide to New Orleans covers: The French Quarter, The Mississippi River, Tremé, The CBD and Warehouse District, The Garden District and Uptown Mid-City and City Park, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater and the Ninth Ward, and The Cemeteries. Inside this New Orleans travel guide you'll find: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER Experiences selected for every kind of trip to New Orleans, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Baton Rouge, to family and child-friendly activities like Mississippi steamboating, or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like the French Quarter. PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS Essential pre-departure information including New Orleans entry requirements, getting around, health information, travelling with children, sports and outdoor activities, food and drink, festivals, culture and etiquette, shopping, tips for travellers with disabilities and more. TIME-SAVING ITINERARIES Includes carefully planned routes covering the best of New Orleans , which give a taste of the richness and diversity of the destination, and have been created for different time frames or types of trip. DETAILED REGIONAL COVERAGE Clear structure within each sightseeing chapter of this New Orleans travel guide includes regional highlights, brief history, detailed sights and places ordered geographically, recommended restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and major shops or entertainment options. INSIGHTS INTO GETTING AROUND LIKE A LOCAL Tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots for scenic walks, boat trips or sampling local delicacies. HIGHLIGHTS OF THINGS NOT TO MISS Rough Guides' rundown of Tremé, the CBD and Warehouse District, and the Garden District's best sights and top experiences helps to make the most of each trip to New Orleans , even in a short time. HONEST AND INDEPENDENT REVIEWS Written by Rough Guides' expert authors with a trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, this New Orleans guide book will help you find the best places, matching different needs. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Comprehensive 'Contexts' chapter of this travel guide to New Orleans features fascinating insights into New Orleans , with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary. FABULOUS FULL COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Features inspirational colour photography, including the stunning French Quarter and the spectacular Mississippi River Route. COLOUR-CODED MAPPING Practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys for quick orientation in Bywater and the Ninth Ward, and The Cemeteries, and many more locations in New Orleans, reduce the need to go online. USER-FRIENDLY LAYOUT With helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time.

Orion Foxwood invites you to take a walk through his native Appalachia, through moonlit orchards and rural farms to the dark of the crossroads. From both the oral tradidtion of his own ancestors and the voices of the spirits themselves, he brings readerssecrets of Southern magic including, spirit sight, conjuring, faith healing, blessing, cursing, and more. This book invites readers to align themselves with the power of Spirit by journeying into the heart and soul of conjure and many of its powerful practices.

Hoodoo, voodoo, and conjure are part of a mysterious world of African American spirituality that has long captured the popular imagination. These magical beliefs and practices have figured in literary works by such authors as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Ishmael Reed, and they have been central to numerous films, such as The Skeleton Key. Written for students and general readers, this book is a convenient introduction to hoodoo, voodoo, and conjure. The volume begins by defining and classifying elements of these spiritual traditions. It then provides a wide range of examples and texts, which illustrate the richness of these beliefs and practices. It also examines the scholarly response to hoodoo, voodoo, and conjure, and it explores the presence of hoodoo, voodoo, and conjure in popular culture. The volume closes with a glossary and bibliography. Students in social studies classes will use this book to learn more about African American magical beliefs, while literature students will enjoy its exploration of primary sources and literary works.

Sacred myths from Santería centered on nature and the natural world • Includes more than 40 myths, stories, and histories from the Lucumí tradition • Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories • Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, had deep philosophies and metaphysics involving nature and the natural world Since ancient times the Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories--patakís--to make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and Native traditions, evolving into Santería, and new patakís were born, adding to the many chapters already found in the odu of the diloggun--the sacred oral teachings and divination system of the Yoruba, or Lucumí, faith. Comparable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and rich with jewels of wisdom like the I Ching, these Santería stories are as vast as the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables in the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible. Diloggun Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakís that shed light upon the worldview of Santería. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key roles in Santería symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant today as they were to the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.