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Photo by Traci Claussen

A widely misunderstood religion, Voodoo and Catholicism seem to co-exist, if not completely intermingle, within a unique part of the culture and history that is New Orleans. You can barely throw a stone without hitting someone who offers psychic readings, palmistry, spiritual guidance, voodoo dolls (many that are made in China, which is a joke), candles, gris gris, potion oils, ritual kits, or Juju’s.

In New Orleans Voodoo, there is one God and a pantheon of Spirit Forces who are very similar to Catholic Saints. Live Green New Orleans recently connected our spiritual roots with Brandi Kelley, owner of Voodoo Authentica, located at 612 rue Dumaine in the Quarter.

LGNO: Tell us about the history of Voodoo Authentica…how long have you been practicing voodoo?

BK: I’ve been drawn to it all my life. Having been raised Catholic, Voodoo has been influencing me since I was a little girl. Alters have always been a part of my life, both in church or at home. From 1st grade, the books I grabbed to read were Wendy the Blue Witch, Ghost Ship, and such. When I was 15 yrs old, I would write essays on numerology and astrology and then go to work at the Voodoo Museum making voodoo dolls and giving tours, eventually growing into the swamp tour guide and finally Director of the Museum. I started Voodoo Authentica 11 years ago at a low key location on Canal in Mid-City, then moved to N. Peters briefly until coming home to Dumaine, in the Creole section of the Quarter.

Photo by Traci Claussen

LGNO: May I just say that your shop is the most positive, allover good vibe voodoo shop that I’ve ever walked into? It must be your positive energy.

BK: Thank you so much! We love to hear that. Our mission at Voodoo Authentica is to educate people about the history and culture of Voodoo, showing its role in the New Orleans heritage. We are a city that is very much an African city with Haitian influence and believe that New Orleans voodoo is a valid practice in its own right. We offer classes on voodoo as well as traditional, locally made voodoo dolls, spiritual healing teas, candles, spells. Our spiritual healers are knowledgeable practitioners who have grown up with spiritual cleansing based traditions. We reuse items that would otherwise be discarded on the ground like moss, branches and sticks, and many natural items or found objects in our practice.

LGNO: One of your practitioners, Zaar, made an Obatala healing tea for me. Obatala being one of the important group of Orisha (Africa Spirit Forces) called the 7 African Powers. Is it that you are drawn to an Orisha, or are they drawn to you?

Photo by Traci Claussen

BK: Yes, Obatala is one of my favorites, too. Compared to Our Lady of Mercy, Obatala rules over the clouds and is about spiritual cleansing and healing. It happens both ways, actually. You may be drawing their energy source towards you, or our practitioners may recommend what is right. I was “called” by Mama Lola, a Voodoo Priestess in Brooklyn who formally initiated me into Voodoo.

LGNO: Tell me about Voodoo Fest 2009, not to be confused with the music fest at City Park.

BK: Right. This will be our 11th Anniversary of Voodoo Fest, which is where we make offerings and blessings to the ancestors with free food, music, dance on October 31st from 2p-7p for everyone who would like to join us and learn about the important role that voodoo plays in New Orleans culture and history.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under Green Street. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.