NEW ORLEANS – Jars of herbs, roots, and oils lined one wall of the voodoo priestess’s dimly-lit room. The pungent perfumes of candles and incense greeted the nostrils of guests who ventured through the door.
By Keith Manuel
Regional Reporter
NEW ORLEANS – Jars of herbs, roots, and oils lined
one wall of the voodoo priestess’s dimly-lit room. The pungent perfumes
of candles and incense greeted the nostrils of guests who ventured
through the door.
I must confess I wanted to meet a very dark figure
with an exotic Creole name when Carolyn Curtis of the North American
Mission Board and I entered the “Salvation and Magical Pharmacy,” in
the Bywater district, not far from the French Quarter. Instead, an
average all-American girl transplanted from Kennebunkport, Maine,
greeted us.
“Hi, I’m Sallie Ann,” she replied after I introduced myself.
I still expected a cold, damp hand dripping with an evil potion to
reach out and grasp my extended hand What I received was a wide smile
and a warm hand from Sallie Ann, who identified herself as a Jew of the
reform tradition who went to Haiti to study Voodoo. I did feel more “in
the moment” when I realized she had to put down a dried chicken foot to
shake my hand.
As my eyes adjusted to the light in the
precisely-packed room, I noticed figures of Hindu gods, African
symbols, crosses, and tarot cards. There was a little room, separate
but distinct, with a crystal ball on a table, two chairs and a box
announcing “New Orleans Voodoo Tarot.”
When asked by Curtis how all the symbols fit
together in her belief system, Sallie Ann explained that all these
roads lead to the “Spirit.”
Enhancing her Jewish traditions, the priestess is
studying the mystical teachings of Kabbalah, an interpretation of
hidden meanings in the Hebrew text whose most famous recent devotee is
pop-star Madonna.
The spiritual journey of Sallie Ann is not unlike
the journey of others in the Bywater section of New Orleans, or for
that matter, many others in our world today. The bohemian nature of the
Bywater community, however, is the kind of culture that thrives on the
spirituality of a Sallie Ann.
“I get people from all walks of life, from street
people to professors to psychiatrists to political leaders,” Sallie Ann
said. “They aren’t looking for hexes or charms to make someone’s nose
fall off. It’s something much more basic. They turn to voodoo because
there’s an increasing desperation in our culture for spiritual meaning
and direction.”
It would be easy to dismiss this encounter as one
with a confused non-conformist, but a quick glance at recent research
shows an alarming trend among young people toward the acceptance of
pluralistic beliefs and a rejection of the exclusive claims of Christ.
“Teens give the supernatural world the same
treatment as any other aspect of their lives,” wrote David Kinnaman in
a recent report for the Barna Research Group. “They cut and paste
supernatural experiences and perspectives from a variety of sources –
from the movies and books they read, from their experiences, from the
Internet, from their peers and families, from any place they’re
comfortable with. Most of all, they are motivated by their desire to
find out what works for them and what feels right.”
Sallie Ann confirmed this view when Curtis asked what response she gets from Christians who enter her shop:
“A lot of them, especially the Catholics, tell me
that, when they look into voodooism, they find it doesn’t conflict with
their beliefs; it complements them.”
Returning to decorating a chicken foot, which Sallie
Ann said is the most asked-for item in her shop, she added that much of
voodooism is for fun and self-mockery. In other words, people expect
voodooism to be weird and scary, so Sallie Ann provides products that
don’t disappoint.
She delivered “weird and scary” during our visit.
Right beside a selection of chicken feet to ward off evil spirits
(would you like one with purple feathers or glitter and sequins?), she
offered candles decorated with the image of Christ – or, more often,
His mother Mary. I could see how people with a shallow faith in Christ
might not realize the danger of mixing symbols of Christianity with
those not based on faith in Him alone as the sufficient sacrifice for
our sins. Clearly, many of her customers believe “more is better” when
it comes to religion. “Sure, Jesus died and all that, but what if
that’s not enough? Better set out some other stuff, just in case,” they
reason. Clearly, her customers confuse religion with relationship.
But I must say that Sallie Ann is a likable person –
easy to talk to – and that gives me hope that more Christians like
Curtis and myself will engage her in a dialogue that may challenge her
to consider Christ. And Him alone.
As we left the voodoo priestess, I silently prayed
for more Christians to reflect the love of Jesus to this woman, but I
also prayed for pastors and faithful Christians who are ministering in
this hard-to-reach area to stay strong.