SPIRITUALITY / SHAMANISM "Kenaz Filan's new book is quite simply the best book on New Orleans Voodoo I have ever read. It is extremely well researched, detailing spirits, practitioners, and rituals that are well known in the Crescent City but which have never been covered in a book like this before. Kenaz takes great pains to show that the Voodoo of New Orleans is a unique system of magic distinct from, but with relations to, both Haitian Vodou and Hoodoo. In this very readable book he manages to capture the spirit of New Orleans Voodoo and provide a much needed window into the ever evolving magic of America's most occult city." --Jason Miller, author of Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual and The Sorcerer's Secrets 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. KENAZ FILAN (Houngan Coquille du Mer) was initiated in Societe la Belle Venus in March 2003 after 10 years of solitary service to the lwa. Filan is the author of The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Vodou Love Magic, Vodou Money Magic, and The Power of the Poppy and coauthor of Drawing Down the Spirits. A frequent contributor to PanGaia, Planet Magazine, and Widdershins, Filan is the former managing editor of newWitch magazine and lives in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Introduction Part One History 1 Born on the Bayou: The Rise of New Orleans 2 From Saint-Domingue to Washington: Revolution Comes to Louisiana 3 King Cotton, Lady Liberty, and Jim Crow 4 The (Re)creation of “New Orleans Voodoo” 5 When the Levee Breaks: Hurricane Katrina Part Two Traditions 6 Mardi Gras 7 Music 8 Food 9 Voodoo Temples and Curio Shops 10 Priests, Priestesses, Houngans, Mambos, and Chicken Men Part Three The Spirits 11 The Old Man at the Crossroads: Papa La-Bas 12 The Divine Mother: The Virgin Mary 13 The Great Serpent: Li Grand Zombi 14 The Voodoo Queen: Marie Laveau 15 The Warriors: Joe Féraille, St. Marron, and Yon Sue 16 The Miracle Workers: St. Expidité, St. Jude, and St. Roch 17 The Bringers of Good Fortune: St. Joseph, Assonquer, and John the Conqueror 18 The Indians: Black Hawk and the Black Hawk Spiritual Churches 19 The Roots: The Dead Part Four Practices 20 Candles 21 Oils 22 Spirit Dolls 23 Mojo Hands and Gris-gris Bags 24 Foretelling the Future Part Five Just Visiting or Settling Down 25 Visiting the Big Easy 26 Moving to New Orleans: Triumphs and Tragedies Afterword: Deepwater Horizon and the Indomitable Spirit of Louisiana Part Six Appendices Appendix 1 Great New Orleans Books, Movies, and Television Appendix 2 New Orleans Musicians Appendix 3 Preserving New Orleans Notes Index