Blog

Hello Friends,
Welcome to my very first blog post on this blog. At this moment, I am working on my first novel. The novel takes place in a small town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, It is a story of two women in one family, separated by more than just a generation. They are also separated by spiritual belief systems. My main character, Katy learns that her family may have been using Voodoo amongst other things in order to manipulate the outcome of certain events in their lives. She must decide how she will now lead the family as she has inherited the leadership position. For my blog post, I thought I would give a little Introduction to Louisiana-Gulf State Voodoo for you. I hope it will not only entertain you, but also inform you about this fascinating folk spiritual practice.
One of the spiritual belief systems in the novel is the practice of voodoo. Voodoo as it is practiced in Louisiana and in the neighbouring state of Mississippi is just one of many incarnations of traditional West African based spiritual systems. It should not be confused with Haitian Voodoo or Hoodoo from other states in the Deep South which have different spiritual pathways. Voodoo as it is practiced in Louisiana and Mississippi became entwined with the French-Catholic culture of Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This was a result of the African Cultural Oppression caused by the Atlantic Slave trade. Some of the differences between Louisiana- Gulf State Voodoo and Haitian Voodoo is the use of gris gris bags (small amulets that are worn or kept near to you), voodoo dolls, and the presence of the powerful Voodoo Queens in Louisiana-Gulf State Voodoo. In Haitian Voodoo, gris-gris bags are considered good fortune, however in Louisiana-Gulf State, they are usually used to bewitch someone or to cause harm.
In Louisiana-Gulf State and Haitian Voodoo alike elaborate symbols, called veve are drawn on the ground or on floors of religious spaces using chalk or chalk dust. The veve are beacons for those spirits or Loa to be able to descend to Earth. The one that is on this page is the veve is Papa Legba who is the Loa or spirit that is the gatekeeper to the Spirit world. His Catholic counterpart is St. Peter, the Gatekeeper to Heaven. In Voodoo rituals, people often ask Legba to open the gates to the spirit world so that they may gain access to other spirits or loas. Every loa has her or his own unique veve. Sacrifices and offerings are usually left on the veve for the loa, they are usually food and drink.
Well, that’s all for this post. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks!
Barbara Roberts
Information about veve sourced from:
Denise Alvarado https://exemplore.com/magic/voodooveves