Not Everyone Is Worthy To Be Invited To Your Spiritual BBQ

Home: 

As the Vodou Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau accumulated a range of clients and spiritual communities throughout her career. Laveau reserved her home for holding spiritual counsel and rituals for clients and community members. 

Congo Square: 

Laveau hosted public gatherings every Sunday in Congo Square, one of the only places enslaved and free Black people could meet. Wanting to uplift community, Laveau incorporated dancing, singing, and her famous gumbo into these secular gatherings. 

Lake Pontchartrain:

In the hidden bayous of Lake Pontchartrain, Laveau held private ceremonies for Voodoo practitioners and new initiates. These gatherings consisted of singing, dancing, drumming, spirit possession, chanting, and other Voodoo ritual offerings.

Laveau was extremely cautious about gatherings in the bayou. Many curious white people tried spying on Laveau’s secret ceremonies. But she knew Understanding this difference is a good spiritual self-care boundary, and how we honor, preserve, and protect our ancestral spiritual practices.

Many white people still try to insert themselves into our private spiritual practices. Like Laveau,  we must set clear boundaries about whether a ritual is meant to be private or public.