A Trip to New Orleans

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana with some fellow frogs. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted with a myriad of smells on Bourbon Street, both pleasant and unpleasant. I found intriguing parallels between the vibrant culture of the city and the captivating topics explored in class on voodoo and hoodoo, as learned in our reading of A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult. The voodoo shops and palm reading parlors drew tangible connections to the fascinating discussions we’ve had in class.

While touring the French Quarter, a classmate of mine, Jaci decided to get a professional psychic reading for $50. She entered a place called Medusa’s Lair, where a man named Dean greeted her as the psychic. Jaci’s description of Dean is as follows: “He had feathers in his ears and was wearing clogs and a long coat.” The psychic reading began with Jaci pulling three tarot cards: Reverse Rock Bottom, Reverse Encouragement, and Ride the Wave. Jaci told Dean that her zodiac sign was an Aquarius, to which he replied that she must get distracted easily, which is in fact, true. She was told that she is in the “eye of the storm” and that she must “ride the wave”. When she is at “peak wave”, she should enjoy the heights but when she is at the “bottom of the wave”, it will go up again and things will get better. Remember—she paid 50 dollars for this reading. The psychic goes on to tell her that the Reverse Encouragement card of two giraffes signifies that she possesses “mother energy” while also being “a small child at heart”. Thus, Dean truly covered all of his bases while facilitating the reading.

For me, personally, I am baffled at the idea that these psychics and palm readers stay in business and that people really utilize their services. However, Jaci is a prime example of someone who is susceptible to the allure these readings bring and will pay to do so. Moreover, it is impressive that voodoo has been interwoven in the society of New Orleans since 1803 as formerly enslaved people and their descendants emigrated following the aftermath of the Haitian revolt (A History of Magic, Witchcraft, & the Occult, 206).

As I wandered through the historic French Quarter, immersing myself in the mystique of voodoo shops and learning about the city's rich spiritual traditions, I couldn't help but draw connections to the fascinating discussions we've had in class. It seemed as though every corner I turned, there lied a voodoo shop or altar comprised of brightly colored dolls along with fake snakes around their arms.

The blend of history, folklore, and spirituality in New Orleans allowed me to deepen my understanding of these mesmerizing cultural phenomena with a real-world lens. Overall, my time in New Orleans was not just a journey of exploration but a living embodiment of the themes we studied, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have visited the city while enrolled in this course.