Quick Specs
- Author: Denise Alvarado
- Publisher: Weiser Books (2020), 224 pages, paperback
- Type: Biography, history, and overview of New Orleans Voodoo tradition
- Best for: Students of New Orleans Voodoo, history of American folk magic, devotees of Marie Laveau
The Historical and Biographical Marie Laveau Book
This is the other Marie Laveau book by Denise Alvarado, and the difference matters. Where The Marie Laveau Voodoo Grimoire is a working spellbook you open at the altar, Magic of Marie Laveau is the book you read to understand who she was and how her tradition came to be. Alvarado documents Laveau’s life as a free woman of color in antebellum New Orleans, her rise to become the most influential magical practitioner in American history, and the syncretism of African, Catholic, and Indigenous influences that defined her practice.
Marie Laveau has appeared in Marvel Comics, American Horror Story: Coven, and countless ghost tour narratives. Alvarado’s biography strips away the mythology to show the documented historical record while treating her spiritual legacy with full seriousness. Laveau proclaimed herself the Pope of Voodoo and functioned as a community leader, healer, prison chaplain, and political force in New Orleans for decades. Understanding her is understanding a significant chapter in American religious history.
What the Book Covers
The book is organized in two parts. Part One traces Laveau’s biography from birth through her death and enduring legacy. Part Two, Becoming a Devotee, shifts into how to engage respectfully with her tradition today. This section includes prayers, rituals, altar construction, gris-gris making, and an overview of New Orleans Voodoo practices. It’s where the historical record hands off to contemporary practice, and Alvarado navigates that transition thoughtfully.
How to Use Magic of Marie Laveau
How to engage with this biography as both history and devotional text.
- Read Part One before working with Part Two
Part One is biographical and historical, documenting Laveau's life and the origins of Louisiana Voodoo. Reading it first gives the devotional material in Part Two real foundation. Context matters when working with any tradition.
- Use the altar-building chapter as a starting point
The section on constructing a New Orleans-style altar gives you the structure: images, offerings, and candles, along with how to approach Laveau as a spiritual presence. The gris-gris chapter covers her protective charm tradition.
- Pair with the Grimoire for active spellwork
This book gives historical and devotional context. For active formulas for healing, protection, love, or prosperity in the Laveau tradition, that material lives in the companion spellbook. Both together give the full picture.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I keep both Alvarado’s Marie Laveau titles because they serve genuinely different purposes. This one is the history and devotional foundation. If you’re approaching Marie Laveau’s tradition for the first time, start here before picking up the grimoire. New Orleans Voodoo is a living tradition, and I offer this book as an entry point, not a substitute for learning from practitioners and community. Alvarado’s four decades of research and her Creole heritage show on every page. Browse my full Voodoo collection for other titles and supplies in this tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
The book documents Marie Laveau's biography as a free woman of color who became the most influential magical figure in New Orleans. It covers Louisiana Voodoo origins and includes prayers, rituals, altar instructions, and gris-gris.
Magic of Marie Laveau is primarily biographical and historical, covering Laveau's life and New Orleans Voodoo's origins. The Grimoire is a working spellbook with formulas and rituals. They are companion volumes serving different needs.
Yes. The biographical first section makes the book accessible to anyone curious about Laveau or New Orleans Voodoo with no prior knowledge. The devotional second section is practical and well-explained for all experience levels.
Marie Laveau was a free woman of color born around 1801 in New Orleans who became a dominant religious and community leader. She proclaimed herself the Pope of Voodoo and practiced a syncretic blend of African and Catholic traditions.
I am reading this constantly throughout the day! Within the first few pages, I realized almost everything I “thought” I knew about this fascinating woman was wrong. I’m halfway through it and last night got the urge to book a trip to NOLA for 5 days with my niece! Yessss Great purchase!