About

Since 1991, Lilith Dorsey has been doing successful magick for patrons of her business. She is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, and filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water:Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation. Lilith Dorsey is also author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism and The African-American Ritual Cookbook, and choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John’s “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. In July 2013, she led her first ever Voodoo Zombie Silent Rave, complete with very confused Thriller flash mob. Please contact her at voodoouniverse@yahoo.com for information about psychic readings and services. Lastly, don’t forget to check out her brand new book Love Magic released in Dec 2016.  Many Blessings!

My Path to Magick

 Active in the Pagan community for almost 3 decades, I have seen some innovation and much more insanity than I ever thought possible. I have literally heard of people scrying in the toilet bowl, smacking their deities in the face, and having bizarre intimate encounters with spirit. I do not recommend any of this, it is not sane, it is not Voodoo, Santeria, or any other Afro-Caribbean Pagan tradition. I guess it’s just the nature of the beast, as my New Orleans Voodoo Priestess Miriam Chamani likes to say, “these [types of] people are crazy, they can’t make a living any other way.” Sadly all to often while quantity of information about these religions may have increased quality had decreased. These facts I have struggled with my entire spiritual life.

My personal spiritual journey includes numerous initiations in Haitian Vodou, New Orleans Voodoo, and Santeria. In 1995 I became editor and publisher of the Oshun newsletter, providing accurate and respectful information about Afro-Diasporan Pagan religions. I hold an undergraduate degree in anthropology and my graduate degree comes from a inter-disciplinary program in cinema/television studies and anthropology. Training is vital in any discipline, but takes on special significance in a spiritual context. Voodoo, Vodou, Santeria, Candomble, Ifa, Obeah, Hoodoo, and for that matter any other African based religion survives on it’s lineage, history, and training of it’s devotees.

My first initiation came from Mambo Bonnie Devlin, more widely known for her phenomenal drumming and musicianship. Her music is available on iTunes, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in connecting with spirit. I then went on to join Priestess Miriam Chamani at the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans. The temple does an immense amount of good works and is located at 1428 N. Rampart Street across from Congo Square, both locales a must see for anyone visiting New Orleans. While my Santeria house is led by Ochun Olukari Al’aye and based in Florida. I am continually amazed and inspired by my spiritual family there, who most recently gave me the opportunity to watch a ritual drum being crafted with a chainsaw.

My academic career focused most specifically on ritual dance and possession on film. Informed by phenomenal women like Maya Deren and Zora Neale Hurston who were filmmakers, ritualists and anthropologists, I went on to create an experimental documentary Bodies of Water, focusing on Voodoo identity and “tranceformation.” It has been shown everywhere from Harvard University to the living room of the Royal Street Courtyard bed and breakfast. My favorite compliment on the work, which was designed to be a synestetic foray into cinematic experience, came from a devoutly Catholic friend who said “Your film scares me; I feel like I am changing.”

Lilith Dorsey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to  amazon.com.

Info

voodoouniverse@yahoo.com