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Introduction

EMBRACING THE SPIRIT AND SPIRITS OF NEW ORLEANS

“Seeing a ghost in New Orleans is as common as having a bowl of gumbo. The question is not when but where best to savor them both. Each person who lives or visits the city of New Orleans quickly finds his or her favorite haunts and returns to them time and time again.”

—Kala Ambrose

AS AN INTUITIVE CHILD growing up in Louisiana, my soul flourished along the running waters of the Mississippi Delta, the Red River, and the Gulf Coast. I grew up seeing ghosts, as well as hearing about the haunted history of each location we visited. While most every city in Louisiana has its haunted tales, my favorite has always been New Orleans.

New Orleans is a port city known for its food, where a thick roux base is mixed with spices, vegetables, seafood, meat, and everything else in the kitchen, and is thrown into a gumbo pot to the culinary satisfaction of the most discerning soul. This unique, eclectic mixture spills over into the people and their history, creating—among other things—some of the most soulful and haunting music the world has ever seen. The spirit of New Orleans is so enticing that whenever I hear blues or jazz music playing, I have to stop what I’m doing and dance to the rhythm reaching deep within my soul, connecting me to the roots of my mind, body, and spirit.

Present-day New Orleans on Bourbon Street

The energy of this land is so potent and powerful that it places a hold on each person who enters these swampy grounds and claims you as its own. This may explain in part why the city of New Orleans is so haunted with ghosts much older than its current residents.

One never runs out of things to experience in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana). Recently, I returned to my roots in the great state of Louisiana and spent some time in my favorite place in the world: the French Quarter of New Orleans. Truly captivating, this city is a veritable feast for all five senses, as well as the sixth sense.

The best way to describe how I feel in this city is charmed. New Orleans is many things to many people, but for me it is charming and embodies a spirit—a joy for living (joie de vivre)—that is expressed throughout the city.

I remember the first time I returned to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I had no idea how the vibe of the city would feel after having gone through such a horrific experience. My heart was thrilled to see that the great lady was holding her own with a state of grace, while still undergoing major renovations on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.

I traveled around parts of the city riding the streetcars, taking in each neighborhood, enjoying the stunning architecture, smelling honeysuckle and jasmine in the air, and chuckling at the sight of Mardi Gras beads hanging from the boughs of trees. As the streetcar delivered me near the French Market, the smell of beignets and coffee coming from Café du Monde lifted my spirit. Yes, I sighed with relief; New Orleans has been through the worst and still she stands—proud, strong, and vibrant.

It is my sincere belief that New Orleans is charmed: charmed by the artists and musicians when their art and music spill into the streets touching the soul at the core, charmed by the chefs who tantalize our appetites in sweet rhapsody with their culinary delights, and charmed by the people who are kind, good natured, and some of the most loving and joyful people who I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

As we begin this journey into the spirit and spirits of New Orleans, we will tread carefully into the cities of the dead and visit the land of magical Voodoo queens. Growing up in Louisiana, I assumed that people everywhere spoke about mojo, gris-gris, juju, and Voodoo and celebrated Mardi Gras and other joyous occasions, for the simple joy of being alive and around family and friends. Later, as I lived and traveled around the country, I soon discovered that Louisiana has a very unique style of living. There is no other place like it in the world. I’m of French, Scottish, Irish, and German origin, and my family has lived in almost every area of the state. My mother was a Cajun queen born in Lafayette; my great-grandmother lived in South Louisiana, where she supported her family by reading tea leaves and making folk remedies.

I grew up attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where I was carried through the city on my father’s broad shoulders, free to stretch out my hands and catch beads as the floats passed by. He tirelessly carried me through these parades, carrying bags of beads, doubloons, and other items that I collected. At the age of 3, at a game with my parents, I first danced to the LSU fight song during halftime, to the delight of family and spectators, who remarked that even at this early age I had the rhythm and spirit of Louisiana in my soul. I was raised Catholic; went to school where I was taught by nuns; played along the Red River; went crabbing, fishing, and inner tubing; and grew up in a state where people celebrated the joy in everyday life. I can’t really remember a weekend growing up when my parents weren’t having a party of some kind, with family and friends dropping by and a huge variety of food being cooked and shared by everyone. Everyone I met was an honorary uncle or aunt, and no one stayed a stranger for long.

I also grew up having psychic abilities, as well as the ability to see ghosts and communicate with the spirit world. I began having prophetic dreams at an early age and began communicating with beings that I first attributed to being my guardian angels. I spent the majority of my free time in the libraries getting my hands on every book I could find on the subjects of ancient mythology, ancient history, the ancient gods of Egypt, the oracles of Greece, Celtic traditions, comparative world history and religions, and ancient spiritual practices. I also loved to read ghost stories and legends. This passion for all of these topics began at the age of 5 or 6, and I have never looked back.

Author Kala Ambrose in New Orleans

As my psychic abilities grew and developed, it did not take me long to realize that I had been born into a magical land. Louisiana is a land where magic still lives, a place where time stands still in a primordial fashion, and portals in the swamplands open to the supernatural realms where fairies and other mystical creatures roam.

It is a land so ancient and powerful that the magic is still afoot. With a simple call to action, this energy rises from the fertile rich soil of the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf Coast and awakens to answer your call. I grew up with a healthy respect for this magic and with the understanding that this magic also lives within me.

I heard the siren song of the muses who stand guard over Louisiana, and I answered their call very early in life. Though I have traveled and lived in many areas of the United States, I have always held the spirit of Louisiana in my heart and soul. She and I are one, and her magic runs deep into my core. Each time I return, the ancient magic stirs and recognizes that this is my home. Each day that I stay in New Orleans, deeper memories of past lives spent here in the city surface. Each time I write about New Orleans, the people and their ghosts join me in remembrance of times gone by in the hope that New Orleans is to be reborn once again.

Join me on this magical mystery tour as I become your travel guide to the other side. As your travel guide, I’ll point out the history, mystery, and legends of the city that you may have passed by before without knowing what lay in wait inside. I’ll also share with you which ghosts are still actively haunting the city and why. By the end of this journey, you may also find yourself enchanted and charmed by the spirit of Louisiana and New Orleans.

For those of you who have never been to the city, I’m going to introduce you to the lady and beguile you into falling in love with her. For those of you have been to NOLA and haven’t been back in awhile, I’m going to help you fall in love all over again.

In this book we will explore the history of the city and those who decided to make it their eternal home, as a resting place for some and a point of revenge for others. As the legendary Bette Davis once said, “Fasten your seat belts—it’s going to be a bumpy night,” as we delve into Voodoo curses, vampire legends, lost souls, and the cities of the dead.

Once the romance of the city is fully in bloom, I’ll be your guide into the dark side of the city, where ghosts haunt the streets and every corner. I’ll show you where I’ve run into ghosts and other supernatural entities in broad daylight and on foggy nights, and I’ll share with you some of the most haunted sites in the city.

At the end of this ride, you’ll come away knowing a great deal about the history of New Orleans and her people, as well as the ghosts who have decided they will never leave.

NEW ORLEANS—PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

The city has been in the news lately regarding politics, disaster recovery efforts (and non-efforts), crime, and, most recently, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Each report is extremely important and is of great concern.

I often worry some days about the coming earth changes and if cities such as New Orleans will one day be swallowed up by the oceans and remain only a distant memory. Perhaps we will tell future generations about the city that had such a generosity of spirit that it threw the world’s biggest free party and Carnival every year for all who wished to attend. Magnificent floats were built, people wore elaborate costumes, and everyone danced in the streets wearing boas and catching the free souvenirs, such as beads and doubloons, being tossed to them.

I think about this and wonder if these future generations shake their heads in disbelief while living in cold steel cities where parades consist of little more than uniform marching bands with small banners. Perhaps they’ll laugh at these tales and compare them to the mythological stories of the cities Atlantis and Lemuria.

For this reason, I write in the hopes that future generations will know that true magical cities did and do exist, and, if at all possible, those who can will move heaven and earth to see that New Orleans survives. Her soul belongs to the muses and the bohemians who heed the call of art, music, literature, dance, theater, history, self-expression, and love in all forms.

New Orleans is a unique and deeply important part of the United States that must be preserved. In many ways, it is the soul of this great land, where music, art, and creative enterprises are born and venture onward throughout the country on the wings of muses to the delight and joy of many.

My intent here is to share the beauty and the magic of New Orleans in harmony with the haunted history in a city so special and so unique that it truly deserves to be respected as a rich cultural treasure.

The stories and information I share here are true to the best of my knowledge, experience, and research. History is never truly accurate in all accounts, and many of these stories have been passed down orally through the generations. As such, the possibility of some of the information being embellished and changed over time may have occurred. The story of the LaLaurie house is one example where recent further research revealed a completely new twist to the haunted tale. In due diligence, I’ve collected eyewitness accounts, local lore and legends, and stories based on these beautiful haunted spaces. I then attempted to confirm as many of these details as possible by court records, museums, and other legal documents and books available regarding these stories. Finally, I visited each location independently as a psychic and a medium to see what I could discern and experience in each location and, when possible, to speak with the spirits directly.

The result of this investigation is presented here in the Spirits of New Orleans. May the tales of these spirits delight, entertain, and enchant you along the journey.

In love, joy, and a sprinkle of magic,

~Kala~

KALA’S TRAVEL TIPS

To enjoy the music and spirit of New Orleans, listen to WWOZ Radio 90.7FM, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Station. When not in the city, you can still listen to the station streaming online at wwoz.org or from your smart phone with its app.