Taking a step back...

After leaving Lafitte’s, we began the trek to Armstrong Park. On the way, Corinne caught a cab home to get ready for date, and so we were down to a foursome.

We crossed over Rampart and finally found away in through the side of the enclosed park. Once we got to some benches we took a short break to enjoy the view of the fountain and to give Wendy’s knee a break.  We had already walked about 2 miles, and our day was pretty much just beginning.

Armstrong Park is home to several sculptures and statues. The one of Satchmo himself is larger than life, but the facial details make you feel like you are standing in the presence of this great man. His eyes follow you as you move around in front of him. 

The Municipal Auditorium is directly across from the statue of Louis Armstrong. Constructed in 1930, this building has remained empty since sustaining considerable damage during Hurricane Katrina. This building was also part of a storyline in the HBO series Tremé.

In between the main gate and the Municipal Auditorium lies Congo Square, a place where slaves were allowed to gather, dance and make music, often drawing in large crowds of spectators. This was a place of joy and positive energy for people who had very little reason for happiness. But the place still has a positive feel too it. It has also been said this was where Marie LeVeau held her public rituals.  We took in the sights there, then crossed back over Rampart to visit The Voodoo Spiritual Temple. 

In the store, I picked up a gourd rattle and healing oil and then we spoke with Priestess Miriam and asked if we could visit the Temple.

The Temple is not an elaborate building. Its two units in an old storefront building. In one unit is the little shop and where Priestess Miriam makes the tools of her trade. To enter the Temple, you walk through the shop and the back room out into the court yard and then enter the through the door to your left.  The Temple is filled with offerings from people who have visited. Priestess Miriam took us into the Temple, and as we looked around at all there is to see, several other people came in to join us.  We took seats, some in chairs and others on the floor as Priestess Miriam spoke to us. 

I wish I could remember more of what she actually said. Honestly, parts were hard to understand, but then she would say something that just blew us away. When she was talking about the people who had done so much to try to further the lives of blacks, she commented that in the moment before his death, MLK saw the whole world for what it was.  She talked about how after Katrina, people came to visit the city to see the destruction and while visiting St. Anne’s, a place where people lived literally in the pews, the actual people were ignored. “They didn’t see the people,” she said. It was as if their suffering was totally invisible to those who had come to see what had happened there.  I think at that point there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the temple.

She talked about how it didn’t matter what we proclaimed ourselves to be spiritually, but what we did with it that really mattered. Rituals are just rituals without the work on the self and for others to back it up. She also said it didn’t matter how many degrees a person had to their name if they didn’t know, or weren’t true to, themselves.  Eventually, she had someone to arrive for an appointment and so it was time for us to leave. She gave each of us a hug before sending us on our way. 

Next stops: The Bead Lady, Hand Grenades and a country singer named Trip.