No.
1: Queen Bianca
Bianca has been the reigning
Queen of New Orleans voodoo
since 1983 when she received
the title from Liga Foley, her
aunt by marriage and a granddaughter
of Marie Laveau or so they say.
Larger
then life her reputation and
legend proceeds her. Bianca
has presided over the secret
Sosyete that the Laveaus' originally
founded carrying on the legacy
of true New Orleans voodoo these
many years. "The Grande
Sosyete did not die with (Marie
Laveau I, and II) them it just
went underground." says
Bianca. Only the inner circle
of followers and devotees know
of it's secrets and rites, and
ritual locations.
Bianca
learned the ways of New Orleans
Voodoo and Santeria from a very
young age. Having studied numerous
ancient paths and traditions,
she has also become very well
known as specializing in rare
New Orleans original voodoo
occult items and the handmaking
of magical fetishes, small voodoo
statues and good luck charms.
No one is left unmoved by an
encounter with the powerful
Bianca and she is widely loved
and sought after. There are
some, however, who live by this
motto in their dealings with
the reigning Voodoo Queen:
“Ira Regina Mors Est”
It is wise to take this caveat
to heart.
OFFICIAL
BIANCA THE VOODOO QUEEN OF NEW
ORLEANS
WEB SITE: THE HOUSE OF VOODOO
Bianca’s
Midnight Blessing of the Monkey
and Cock Statues
Modern day Voodoo Queen Bianca
reigns over New Orleans Voodoo
in direct line from Marie Laveau,
recognized as the original queen.
Each year, sometimes twice a
year, Queen Bianca will host
a ritual in which the Monkey
and Cock Statues created in
honor of Marie Laveau are blessed
and charged. In this ritual,
which always takes place outdoors
in a highly secret location,
Queen Bianca will invoke the
spirit of Marie Laveau, becoming
possessed by the powerful Voodoo
Queen. Through Bianca, her modern
day counterpart, Marie Laveau
is able to be present with her
devotees and personally blesses
the Monkey and Cock Statues.
The highly secret vodusi of
Queen Bianca’s Sosyete
present the living, channeled
Marie Laveau with the first
Monkey and Cock Statue of each
year as an offering; other offerings
preferred by Marie Laveau, including
those detailed above, are also
presented and accepted by Laveau
through the powerful Queen Bianca.
The first Monkey and Cock
statue remains with the powerful
Mambo throughout the year until
the time of the next ritual
when it is ceremoniously broken
in favor of another. This ritual
is said to take place once each
year, usually around April 30th
or May 1st; often, however,
Queen Bianca and her vodusi
will repeat the ritual in the
fall of the year, coinciding
with harvest festivals and Samhain
rituals. As stated, the location
for each ritual is a closely
guarded secret and is only shared
with members of the Sosyete
at the very last minute, when
they are called to assemble.
This is one of the most powerful
examples of continuing devotion
to the great Marie Laveau surviving
in New Orleans today.
Bianca’s
Annual Drumming Ritual
The highly secret Sosyete of
Bianca the Voodoo Queen of New
Orleans conducts regular drumming
rituals in secret locations
throughout the New Orleans area.
In the face of Hurricane Katrina,
Bianca and her vodusi undertook
a marathon drumming ritual,
maintaining it through the very
worst of the hurricane’s
fury. Even the winds and floodwaters
of Katrina could not drown out
the drums, and in the end, despite
the devastation, the storm turned
and spared New Orleans it’s
very worst. Under normal circumstances,
that is pre-Katrina, Queen Bianca
regularly called her Sosyete
together, usually around the
middle of August, for an annual
ceremony to propitiate the Lwas
and the ancestors, thanking
them for their unceasing attention
to the faithful. These drumming
rituals are the direct descendants
of the “bamboula”
that Marie Laveau hosted during
her reign as Queen of Voodoo,
and, in fact, Queen Bianca still
refers to the ritual by that
popular name today. With the
displacement of many members
of her ultra-secret sect, it
will be some time before Queen
Bianca will host another “bamboula;”
but she asked that the drumming
rituals continue to take place
in absentia until the Sosyete
is once again reunited in its
New Orleans home.
No.
2: Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman
Mambo Sallie Ann has been practicing
Voodoo in New Orleans since
1977. She traveled to Haiti
in 1995 to undergo the week-long
“couche” initiation
rituals; during these rituals,
she was ordained as Ounsi, Kanzo
and Mambo Asogwe, or a High
Priestess of Vodou. Mambo Sallie
Ann is one of the few white
Americans to have been ordained
through the traditional Haitian
initiation. As an American woman
of Jewish-Ukrainian heritage
with a thorough knowledge of
the Kabala and ritual magick,
she brings a unique perspective
to the traditional practices
of vodou.
Counted
as one of the twenty most active
Voodoo practitioners in the
United States, Priestess Mambo
Sallie Ann Glassman is known
for promoting positive thoughts
through her Voodoo faith. She
is also an historian on Voodoo
tradition and its roots in Hatian
Vodun.
Mambo Sallie Ann is the founder
of La Source Ancienne Ounfo
and the founder of the Island
of Salvation Botanica, a resource
for Vodoun religious supplies
and a showcase for Mambo Sallie
Ann’s Vodou-inspired art.
Renowned for her powerful workings
and community-based rituals,
Mambo Sallie Ann is one of the
most personable and accessible
of the powerful New Orleans
Voodoo Priestesses. 
Sally
Ann Glassman possessed by the
spirit of Marie Laveau was featured
on the first show for Sci Fi
Investigates.
A
large crowd attended this year’s
ritual, including many members
of the national media. Representatives
of NBC, the SciFi Channel ,(Deborah
(Debbie) Dobrydney gets her
formal voodoo bapstism head
washes by Sallie Ann Glassman
Above.) National Geographic
Magazine mingled with devout
vodusi and the curious as Mambo
Sallie Ann once again entreated
the help and assistance of the
Loas, most especially that of
Marie Laveau, in facing the
first hurricane season since
Katrina.
SCI FI INVESTIGATES SEASON 1
FIRST OCTOBER 12, 2006 SHOW
http://www.scifi.com/investigates/index.php
Sallie
Ann Glassamn host several private
and public rituals each year.
Hurricane Protection
Ritual
This ritual is held each July,
approximately a month into New
Orleans’ annual hurricane
season. Under the direction
of Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman
and La Source Ancienne Ounfo,
the ritual is held to honor
the powerful Petwo Lwa Erzulie
Dantor and to thank her for
continued protection in the
face of these powerful and destruction
forces of Nature. Mambo Sallie
Ann assembles the servite around
the peristile in her temple
where offerings are made and
rituals are performed to invoke
Dantor across the dark waters
of the Great Abyss, asking her
to keep her faithful safe for
another year. Appropriate offerings
at the Hurricane Protection
ritual include spicy fried pork,
corn and egg omelets, spicy
cakes and candies such as “Red
Hots” and “Hot Tamales,”
rum, whiskey, cigars, Florida
Water, and storm water. Dantor
is syncretized with the Catholic
Our Lady of Prompt Succor and
the Black Madonnas of Poland,
among others. Mambo Sallie Ann
and the Ounfo have been holding
the Hurricane Protection Ritual
each year for the past eight
years, and each year New Orleans
has been protected. However,
the destruction and havoc wreaked
by Hurricane Katrina have tempted
many to suggest that Dantor
finally failed her servite and
the City. Devotees of this powerful
Lwa are quick to point out that,
actually, Hurricane Katrina
did turn away from New Orleans
at the last minute: after making
landfall in Louisiana’s
southern Plaquemines Parish,
Katrina turned eastward and
vented her worst fury on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. Believers
in Dantor and the power of this
yearly ritual credit this last
minute turn to the great Lwa
and reiterate what officials
all across the region have said
again and again: This was not
a direct hit; had Hurricane
Katrina been a direct hit, there
would be nothing but water where
the City now stands. Thanks
to Erzulie Dantor, many believe,
there is something left of New
Orleans today.
Marie Laveau
Headwashing Ceremony
Commemorating the time of year
most preferred by Voodoo Queen
Marie Laveau for her workings,
this ceremony takes place on
June 23rd, traditionally St.
John’s Eve and an important
date in many cultures. During
her lifetime Mambo Marie Laveau
hosted her voodoo “bamboulas”
to coincide with this date;
these always took place along
the waterway known as Bayou
St. John in New Orleans. To
honor both the tradition and
the great Voodoo Queen herself,
Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman and
La Source Ancienne Ounfo host
a midsummer headwashing ritual
each year on the same waterway
favored by Marie Laveau. This
ritual, performed for the benefit
of devotees and members of the
public alike, is a celebration
of the season of fullness and
plenty. As with other rituals,
Marie Laveau, honored as a powerful
ancestral Lwa in her own right,
is invoked by the Mambo to join
in the festivities. A ritual
headwashing takes place and
all are invited to share in
the powerful “ashe”
or energy that is invoked from
the presence of Marie Laveau
and that is passed, through
the Mambo, to each devotee.
Hypnotic ritual drumming accompanies
the ritual and after headwashing
is complete devotees dance long
into the sapphire night. Offerings
for Marie Laveau are appropriate
and these include white candles,
white scented flowers, hair
dressing items such as combs,
brushes, ribbons and clips (Marie
Laveau was a hairdresser by
trade), foods such as fried
pork and coconut cake, cigars,
Florida Water, and, of course,
rum. Mambo Sallie Ann repeats
her waterside ritual in the
lobby of the International House
Hotel in New Orleans each June
24th, St. John’s Day.
OFFICIAL
SALLIE ANN GLASSMAN
WEB
SITE : ISLAND OF SALVATION BOTANICA
No.
3: Priestess Miriam Chamani
Priestess Miriam gives Consultations
and African Bone Readings both
in person and via the telephone.
She specializes in Voodoo Weddings,
Damballah for Healing, and Erzulie
for Love. Priestess Miriam designs
Voodoo Dolls and Kits tailored
to each person's needs and desires.
Priestess Miriam was born and
raised in Mississippi where
she experienced the power of
mysterious spiritual forces
beginning in early childhood.
Around 1975 the power of the
spirit called strongly to Priestess
Miriam leading her to many spiritual
orders and ultimately to a seat
at the Angel All Nations Spiritual
Church. There she increased
her knowledge of spirit and
explored metaphysical concepts
and teachings.
In October 1982 she was consecrated
as Bishop of the Church and
served there until 1989. In
1990, Priestess Miriam and her
late husband Oswan Chamani settled
in New Orleans where they founded
the Voodoo Spiritual Temple,
the only temple of its kind
in the City at that time.
Priestess
Miriam is praised as an unbiased
and unprejudiced spiritual guide
who sees people not by race
or color but by what is in their
hearts. At the Voodoo Spiritual
Temple Priestess Miriam offers
many kinds of traditional Vodoun
spiritual services with Voodoo
Weddings being the most popular.
Priestess
Miriam Chamani is the Mombo
(Mother/Priestess) of the New
Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple.
The Temple is located next to
Congo Square and the its rituals
are directly connected to the
rituals performed on Congo Square
by Marie Laveau and Doctor John.
It was established in 1990 by
Priest Oswan Chamani and his
wife Miriam. It is the only
formally established Spiritual
Temple with a focus on traditional
West African spiritual and herbal
healing practices currently
existing in New Orleans. "Mother"
or "Mombo" Miriam,
as she is also known, was ordained
a bishop in the "Angel
Angel All Nations Spiritual
Church" prior to her marriage.
She has been in numerous documentaries
and articles; her photo was
in the New York Times as part
of an article on Voodoo in New
Orleans, and she's been featured
in Spin Magazine, in movies,
and on PBS and commercial TV
in America, England and Japan.
She has appeared at both the
Starwood Festival and the WinterStar
Symposium as both a speaker
and a liturgist. She was one
of the first priestesses to
present authentic Voodoo rituals
to the Neo-Pagan community,
along with Louis Martinie' and
the Temple drummers of the New
Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple
(Krewe of Nutria). Upon the
death of her husband, Voodoo
Priest Oswan Chamani on March
6, 1995, Miriam Chamani continued
her husband's Belizan Vodou
and herbalism traditions in
addition to her own spiritualist
practices, and continues many
of the inclusive trends of Black
Christian Spiritualism, seeking
to serve all peoples regardless
of race or belief.
Chamani was invited by actor
Nicholas Cage to perform a blessing
ceremony during his wedding
to Lisa Marie Presley, after
hiring her as a consultant for
his directoral debut Sonny.
On Halloween, 1999, a local
radio station asked her to perform
a ceremony outside the Superdome
to help the New Orleans Saints
win against the Cleveland Browns
(which was interrupted by harassment
from a Browns fan dressed as
a dog).
Voodoo - Priestess Miriam Chamani
(CD recorded at the Voodoo Spiritual
Temple) 2004 (Jose Suescun Music
Distribution www.mambitorecords.com)
The Voodoo Spiritual Temple
was established in 1990 by Priestess
Miriam and Priest Oswan Chamani.
It is the only "formally"
established Spiritual Temple
with a focus on traditional
West African spiritual and herbal
healing practices currently
existing in New Orleans. On
March 6, 1995, Priest Oswan
) transcended into the arms
of the ancestors but Priestess
Miriam continues to carry on
the tradition of the Temple
along with the Spirit of Oswan.
The Voodoo Spiritual Temple
has extended its spirituality
across the world and is opening
a Temple in Russia.
OFFICIAL
PRIESTESS MIRIAM CHAMANI WEB
SITE: www.voodoospiritualtemple.org
No. 4: Ava Kay
Jones
Voodoo Yoruba Priestess Ava
Kay Jones poses with her South
American Red Tailed Boa during
the Saints win against the Rams.
Voodoo
and Yoruba Priestess Ava Kay
Jones educates the public in
the true nature of the Voodoo
religion. Ava Kay Jones Voodu
priestess of New Orleans was
an attorney by trade when she
chose the path of her spiritual
calling.
Voodoo and Yoruba Priestess
Ava Kay Jones was an attorney
by trade before she chose the
path of her true spiritual calling.
One of only twenty practicing
Voodoo Mambos in the US, Ava
Kay Jones has enthralled locals
and visitors alike with her
dynamic presentation of authentic
voodoo rituals as practiced
in the days of Marie Laveau.
Priestess Ava is also the founder
and featured performer of the
Voodoo Macumba Dance Ensemble,
a performance group of drummers,
dancers, fire-eaters, and sword
and snake dancers. Priestess
Ava and Voodoo Macumba have
performed in movies, at festivals,
and, most notably, in the Superdome
conducting blessing ceremonies
for the New Orleans Saints.
The
Saints contracted Quint Davis
and his company Festival Productions
Inc. (the team that produces
Jazz Fest and the Essence Festival)
to handle entertainment for
the Saints' home games. According
to Wayne Hodes, director of
marketing for the Saints, approximately
two weeks before the Saints/Rams
game on Dec. 17, 2002, Hodes'
office asked Davis to hire Ava
Kay Jones, a well-known Voodoo
and Yoruba priestess, to do
a blessing before the game.
Jones,
who was raised Catholic, says
she is still very much a Christian.
She was ordained as a Voodoo
priestess in Haiti in 1985,
and as a Yoruba priestess in
1989. She is frequently interviewed
on the subject of Voodoo, which
she says is misunderstood due
to inaccurate portrayals, fear
and prejudice. She says she
is committed to educating the
public about the faith she has
so deeply embraced.
OFFICIAL
AVA KAY JONES WEBSITE: www.
yorubapriestess.tripod.com
Video
: New Orleans Voodoo from the
Inside
Starring: Priestess Ava
Kay Jones Director: Priestess
Ava Kay Jones Rating
No.
5: Chief Sharon Caulder
Called to her spiritual path
in her mid-40’s, Dr. Sharon
Caulder undertook a journey
of exploration and transcendence
to her ancestral homeland, the
West African country of Benin,
called the birthplace of the
Vodoun religion. There Dr. Caulder
encountered the Supreme Chief
of Voodoo on the African continent,
Chief Daagbo Hounan Houna, who
agreed to tutor her in the spiritual
traditions of Vodoun. Initiated
as a Vodoun Chief, Caulder returned
to America to spread the message
of Vodoun as the one true religion
of Africa and a faith for all
people. Chief Sharon Caulder
settled in New Orleans where
she owns and operates Chez Vodoun,
a spiritual oasis in the heart
of a City in need of healing.
No. 6:
Samantha (Kaye) Corfield
Samantha (Kaye) Corfield was
born in New Orleans amid a family
tradition of voodoo, hoodoo
and mountain magic. Although
baptized a practicing Catholic,
Samantha was surrounded by root
work, herbal potions, and folk
magic spells throughout her
childhood and youth. Samantha
is an “oracle” among
her family, having inherited
the mystical tradition from
the spiritual leader of her
family; she is also an ordained
Reverend of the Universal Life
Church and an initiated Haitian
Voodoo Mambo. Samantha claims
to have been initiated into
the unique witchcraft tradition
of New Orleans by the late Oneida
Toups; she also practices Santeria
and is a High Ceremonial Magician
in the O.T.O.
Samantha draws on all these
traditions to enlighten her
devotees and serve her clients.
Her positive commitment to spiritual
truth and her popularity among
locals has made her one of the
most enduring figures in New
Orleans voodoo.
OFFICIAL
WEB SITE FOR SAMANTA KAYE: www.spellmaker.com/truth.htm
No.
7: Scully Elly Maistros
Scully Elly Maistros is a world
famous Vodou practitioner and
a Haitian Hounzi Kanzo initiate.
She has enjoyed exceptional
exposure through her “voodoo
joint” – really
a botanica and spiritual oasis
located in the popular Louie’s
Juke Joint – where she
has guided everyone from the
experienced practitioner to
the curious novice. Elly is
a dedicated and respected Vodoun
who has made important contributions
to the practice and understanding
of New Orleans Voodoo; she is
an expert in the use of herbs
and roots with an extensive
knowledge of obscure naturopathic
applications. In this regard
she is New Orleans’ leading
Grune Hexe, or “hedge
witch.”
SCULLY
ELLY
New Orleans Works in Exile
Hurricane Inspired Sacred Vodou
Folk Art http://www.thejukejoint.com/scelneworwoi.html
World
famous Vodou practioner and
Hatian Hounzi-Kanzo initiate,
Scully Elly, presents for you
here the only full online voodoo
botanical on the net.
OFFICIAL
WEB SITE FOR SCULLYE ELLY MAISTROS:
www.thejukejoint.com/sculelvoodjo.html
No.
8: “Bloody” Mary
Millan
“Born and raised as a
‘Delta Babe’ and
grown to become known as the
‘Cultural Diva’
… and more specifically
the ‘Poet Priestess of
the Spirit of New Orleans’,”
Mary Millan, known as “Bloody
Mary” to all, claims to
be a true spokeswoman for her
hometown. She was born on the
bayou and raised in the Crescent
City, inheriting a strong spiritual
tradition of clairvoyance and
healing from her family. Mary
has been visited by spirits
all her life and as an adult
she has channeled these spiritual
powers into her work in vodoun
and magick. A popular local
historian and tour guide, Bloody
Mary has been instrumental in
educating the wider public about
the unique “gumbo”
that is the city of New Orleans.
Member
of
Southern Order of Storytellers
Louisiana Folklore Society
C.G. Jung Society
Friends of New Orleans Cemeteries
New Orleans Convention Visitors
Bureau
OFFICIAL
WEB SITE FOR BLOODY MARY www.bloodymarystours.com
No. 9:
Rev. Mother
Severina KarunaMayi Singh
Mother Severina inherited her
psychic ability and intuition
through her family’s Gypsy
background and has performed
spiritual counseling and Tarot
divination since her youth.
She learned about folk remedies
and healing herbs from her mother.
She is very much involved in
dream and trance work; primarily
clairaudient, she is sometimes
clairvoyant as well. Mother
Severina practices Vodoun and
Yoruba traditions, as well as
Sufism and metaphysical practices.
She is also the founder of the
New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads
Dance and Drum Ensemble, a popular
troupe performing at festivals,
voodoo weddings and other events.
IN
THE FOOTSTEPS OF VOODOO QUEEN
MARIE LAVEAU ...
New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads
was founded in 1991 as a vehicle
for the dissemination of true
and accurate information about
the beliefs and practices of
the Voodoo religion in New Orleans.
She offessr the finest products
and services in the Tradition
of New Orleans Voodoo.
OFFICIAL
WEB SITE Rev. Mother Severina
Karuna Mayi Singh www.neworleansvoodoocrossroads.com
No.
10: Momma Alice
Momma Alice is a Voodoo Priestess
of great inner strength and
power, famed for her root magick
and specialized rituals encompassing
all aspects of traditional New
Orleans Voodoo, Hoodoo and Santeria.
Momma Alice has performed many
public and private rituals throughout
the New Orleans region over
the years but now prefers to
stay out of the limelight. Guided
by her spirits and ancestors
to work humbly and guilelessly,
Momma Alice remains reticent
about not becoming “another
tourist attraction.” Beloved
by all who know and follow her,
Momma Alice is one of the best
traditionalist workers of the
craft in the entire New Orleans
area.
HAUNTED
AMERICA TOURS
DEDICATES THIS PAGE TO THE MEMORY
OF
ONEIDA TOUPS
THE
GREATEST NEW ORLEANS PRIESTESS
OF MAGIC
IN MODERN TIMES
ONEIDA
TOUPS
The
Religious Order of Witchcraft,
a non - profit organization,
chartered & established
on February 2, 1972. Founded
by Queen Mary Oneida Toups,
New Orleans, Louisiana in the
French Quarter.
