Posts Tagged ‘history’

Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead by Kala Ambrose

In the biggest surprise of SuperBowl 2013, it was the lights going down, not the losing team that is the talk of the town. For 34 minutes, half of the SuperDome in New Orleans was in darkness, causing a delay of game for the biggest event of the year.

NFL.com reported on this incident by saying… “About two hours after the game, won by the Ravens in a 34-31 thriller, officials revealed that an “abnormality” in the power system triggered an automatic shutdown, forcing backup systems to kick in. But they weren’t sure what caused the initial problem.”

While the Ravens and the 49ers stretched on the sidelines to remain limber and sportscasters rambled on to fill the time, my thoughts couldn’t help but wonder if the Voodoo Priestesses had been invited in this year to bless the Dome in order to appease the spirits who reside there.  My guess is that they had not, and so mayhem was the result.

Before you shake your head in bewilderment, allow me to explain a bit of the history of the SuperDome in New Orleans and the resident ghosts and spirits reported to remain there…

Walking along Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Back in 1822, the Girod Street Cemetery was established as an above ground cemetery with over two thousand wall vaults and one thousand tombs with some tombs rising eight tiers high above the ground. Thirty thousand people were buried here over the decades. Over time, the privately owned cemetery languished in great disrepair and was all but forgotten. In 1957, the cemetery was deconsecrated and the remains were moved to other cemeteries in order for a new structure to be built on these grounds. Workers moved in with bulldozers to dig into the ground and to their surprise, the unsightly excavation of human bones and remains were pulled up with each dig of the shovel, proving that not all of the bodies had been identified from this area and moved to the new location.

On these former burial grounds, the Louisiana Superdome was built, which is the home to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.  Legend has it that the spirits were angry and restless after being moved from their burial grounds and so they cursed the Saints from winning.

In order to counteract this curse, Voodoo Priestesses were routinely called in before football games to appease the spirits and ask for their forgiveness.  Catholic priests and nuns also attend the games to bless the stadium while sprinkling holy water and calling in St. Michael to assist the spirits in letting go and moving on.

Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead by Kala Ambrose

Reportedly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where so many residents sought shelter from the flood waters inside the Superdome, the curse was lifted by the spirits who felt so sorry for the people of New Orleans and the enormous price they paid during the flood.  These spirits now comfort the people of New Orleans and support their home team, opening the pathway for the Saints to win their first ever Super Bowl in 2010.

Word on the street these days though is that the current management has moved away in the past several years from allowing voodoo practitioners to make an offering for peace before the games and that this has affected the Saints playing as well as operations at the SuperDome as the spirits are displeased.  Was tonight’s “abnormality” partially paranormal?  No one knows for sure, but perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to bring back the voodoo rituals for peace as a safeguard for future events.

For much more information about the paranormal activities in New Orleans, check out my book – Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and the Cities of the Dead.

More about Kala Ambrose… An award winning author, national columnist, inspirational speaker, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, Kala Ambrose is on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. Her books, The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body and 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled reveal ancient wisdom teachings and how their techniques can be used in modern day living. Kala also shares her love of history, travel, and the spirit world in her books Spirits of New Orleans and Ghosthunting North Carolina. These books are designed to explore the history of cities in an entertaining manner while sharing haunted stories and offering travel tips on how to best see the cities to shop, dine, stay, and visit the haunted sites.

Author Kala Ambrose in New Orleans

Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Entrepreneur Intuition, Haunted History, and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. and the Daily Om. More about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Looking back over 2012, it always amazes me how quickly the year flies by and all the wonderful adventures that have been action packed into each day. This year I celebrated the release of my new book  - Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead.

Writing this book and being able to share it with others has been a wonderful culmination for me, bringing forth cherished childhood memories, while also being able to share my work as an intuitive and empath. In the book I describe the spirits that I communicated with during my visits to New Orleans along with past life memories that came forth and prophetic dreams that led me on my journey through the city.  This served as a powerful reminder that it is important to look into our past to remember who we are, and then to transmute this energy into a present day awareness.

This deeper understanding of ourselves can also help others and frees us to explore future adventures. I am looking so forward to this new year and what I will be writing next!  I wish the same for you, that you take this time to Dream Big and Explore what you would like to Manifest in the coming year. Much Love and All the Best, *~Kala~*

Join me, Kala Ambrose, Your Travel Guide to the Other Side as I take you through the spectacular Haunted History this Fall exploring two of my books: Ghosthunting North Carolina and Spirits of New Orleans sharing what I experienced personally as a psychic medium and my research into the reports of supernatural activity in each location. Along the way, we’ll shop, dine, stay and party at the most delightful places in North Carolina and in New Orleans.

This week I’ll be at the beautiful, historic
Grove Park Inn
on
Saturday, October 27 from 2pm – 5pm
where I’ll be signing copies of my book: Ghosthunting North Carolina

Chapter Twenty: The Gentle Touch from the Pink Lady at the Grove Park Inn, excerpt from Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose:

“An enchanted life has many moments when the heart is overwhelmed with beauty and the imagination is electrified by some haunting quality in the world or by a spirit or voice speaking from deep within a thing, a place, or a person.”-Henry Louis Mencken

In 1998, I first visited the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. I had not previously heard of the Inn until some of our neighbors invited us to tag along with them for a weekend there.   We arrived at check in to find that we all had rooms in a part of the hotel called the Main Inn.

The Grove Park Inn is a stunning hotel built from granite quarried from the surrounding mountains.  The granite has a mixture of quartz crystal inside. Quartz crystal can hold energy and amplify this energy at a greater level. An example of how this energy can be magnified is the vortex that Gary Spivey opened at the Star Hotel, connecting with the quartz crystal in the land, which energized both the land and the crystals.  Quartz absorbs energy and reflects this energy back outward. When quartz is in the stone of a building like the Grove Park, it radiates with the energy of the people who work and visit the Inn.

Whenever I visit the Grove Park, I have an “instant experience” which is very positive in nature.  Each time that I enter the inn, I can feel the vibrational energy coming from the stone structure and it resonates with the happy energy of the many guests who have visited over the decades

A partial list of famous people, who have stayed at the Grove Park, includes: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Will Rogers, George Gershwin, Harry Houdini, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Presidents that have stayed at the Inn include: William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and most recently, Barack Obama.

The Inn opened in 1913 and was the architectural vision of two men, E.W. Grove, who made his money selling an elixir called Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic, and Grove’s son-in-law Fred Seely.  Grove found Asheville to be good for his health and the area inspired him to build a restful and rejuvenating inn. It took over four hundred men twelve months to build the inn, during which time they dragged hundreds of tons of boulders up the mountain using mules, rope, and pulleys.   The result is spectacular; the inn is warm and welcoming and it blends into the natural surroundings.  As my husband, son and I drove up to the entrance of the hotel; I fell in love instantly with the Old World charm of the stone buildings and rocking chairs waiting out front to greet guests.

We entered the Great Hall, which is over one hundred and twenty feet long with ceilings soaring over twenty-four feet high. At one end of the Great Hall are doors leading out to the Sunset Terrace with spectacular views of Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Two enormous fourteen feet tall fireplaces in the Great Hall immediately drew our attention.

At check- in we were given our keys and, to our surprise, we were directed to the elevator attendant standing by the fireplace. My husband and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing– elevator operator by the fireplace? We approached him and asked him to direct us to the elevator.   Like something out of a Harry Potter movie, he led us to a door located in the fireplace.  The elevators are hidden inside the chimneys of the stone fireplace!  The operator rode with us, pushing the gate closed and working the elevator up to our floor.

The elevator door opened to our floor and we stepped off into the Main Inn, entering an area called the Palm Court Pavilion.  It was a nice open space to lounge with chairs and tables set with reading lamps. The décor made me feel like I was stepping back into the Roaring 20’s.

We were tired after traveling across the state of North Carolina. We settled in that evening to sleep and I was awakened about an hour later by my son’s coughing.  In his childhood he suffered from breathing problems and he was experiencing some difficulty that evening.  I gave him his medicine and we sat up together for a while. He still wasn’t feeling better and the room felt a little stuffy, so I threw on my robe and took him to sit out in the Palm Court area. The air was lighter there than in our room and I took a book to read to him to calm him down while we waited for the medicine to kick in and help his breathing. We sat side by side and were relaxing and talking and I was stroking his head and speaking softly to him.

It was close to midnight and the Inn was dead quiet. I felt a sudden chill in the air and pulled my robe tighter around me. My son also felt the chill and he snuggled in closer to warm up.  A few moments later, I felt someone around us and as I looked up from speaking to my son, I saw the ghostly image of a woman standing next to us. Not wanting to alarm my son, I remained quiet, observing her to see what she would do next.

At that time, my son looked up as well and saw the same woman.  It wasn’t alarming to either of us, as her energy felt compassionate and sympathetic towards both of us. She stood next to my son and seemed concerned for him and reached out her hand toward him, as if she meant to stroke his hair along with me.  She was with us for a few moments and then disappeared from our view.

My son and I looked at each other with wide eyes and smiled. It wasn’t the first time that we had seen a ghost; we had experienced several paranormal events together in a haunted house where we had once lived in Florida.  We headed back to our hotel room where my son jumped up on the bed to wake his dad and tell him the story.  My husband couldn’t believe he had missed it all. He was surprised that he had slept through everything, but that’s what the fresh mountain air does for you, relaxes you into a deep sleep.

My son was still not feeling well, so we packed up and left early to get him back home. As we were checking out, I asked the people at the front desk if they had ever heard any reports of a ghost at the Inn. They asked me why and I explained what had happened with my son and I in the Palm Court. The front desk clerks crowded around to hear my story.  They told me that I had seen the ghost of the Pink Lady, as she is known at the Inn.

The legend of the Pink Lady states that in the 1920’s, she fell, or was pushed from the hallway outside her room over the rail where she fell to the floor of the Palm Court Pavilion below.  The room that she stayed in was 545 and there have been reports from people who stayed in the room of experiencing cold spots in the room and sometimes seeing her apparition.

Some paranormal investigators might think that the Pink Lady is a time loop energy imprint apparition, replaying her death over and over in the Palm Court, but that is not what we experienced.  When she appeared to my son and I, she was engaged with us in the present moment and she was aware that my son was not feeling well. She stood by wanting to comfort him in a motherly way, just as I was doing.

The front desk employees told us that a few years prior to our visit, a doctor had stayed at the hotel and reported seeing her and that he had also reported that she seemed very welcoming to children.

Since that visit in 1998, we have returned to visit the Grove Park many times.   We’ve celebrated Christmas at the Grove Park, as well as Thanksgiving and Easter.  We’ve also visited many times to enjoy the inn’s new spa and I’ve been there for “girlfriend getaways” and romantic weekends with my husband and have wonderful memories with family and friends.  Ironically, we never stayed again in the Main Inn, preferring the wings and sometimes the Club Floor.

But each time we visit we do hop on the elevator with our friends and spend some time in the Palm Court in the late evenings, hoping that the Pink Lady will visit us again.

I traveled again this past year to the Grove Park to conduct further research for this book on the Pink Lady, as well as to research any other paranormal activity in the hotel. I brought a video camera along in case she decided to visit with me.  I didn’t see her during my visit and have come to the conclusion that she is really drawn to young children and that’s when she appears most often.  I’ve never slept in her room on the fifth floor, but have heard from employees at the inn that many guests report feeing her presence in the room and are often awakened by her in the evening.

While investigating paranormal activity at Grove Park I heard some other interesting stories from the employees about the hotel’s nightclub called Elaine’s. It is said to be the most haunted spot in the hotel.  We’ve been to Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar during several of our visits and it’s always a very entertaining way to spend the evening. I’ve never seen a ghost or any sign of paranormal activity while there, but the employees report that the activity usually happens when Elaine’s is quiet and they are cleaning up the area the day after a long party the evening before in the club. Music is often heard playing inside Elaine’s club when no one is inside. Several ghostly apparitions have been reported to appear on the dance floor by the employees. They appear to be attending a party from decades ago as they are dressed in attire from the 1920’s and the music heard also appears to be from that time. Photographs taken at Elaine’s often show a large variety of orbs in photos, as the ghostly guests appear to enjoy being around the alcohol, the music, and the lively atmosphere.

A local TV station was once located in the building next to the Grove Park Inn and it is said that a ghost would often interfere with the equipment and enjoyed playing pranks on the staff. Some believe that the ghost is Alice, a servant who haunts the building, which originally was the Battle Mansion owned by Dr. Samuel Battle.  Others believe that the ghost was the Pink Lady from the Grove Park who enjoyed visiting the grounds and nearby home.  The ghost of Dr. Battle was also seen on occasion at the TV station. The TV station has since moved out of the Battle Mansion and the building was later demolished. New construction is ongoing on the site of the old Battle Mansion. It will be interesting to see if any haunted activity is reported during construction by the workers or by the new residents of the building.

The Grove Park Inn is a beautiful, warm and welcoming place to stay.  I’m surprised that it doesn’t have more ghosts who check in and never want to leave.

Kala on book tour speaking at Barnes and Noble

Award winning author, national columnist, inspirational speaker, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Radio and TV Show, Kala Ambrose’s teachings are described as discerning, empowering and inspiring. Whether she’s speaking with world-renowned experts on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, writing about empowering lifestyle choices, reporting on new discoveries in the scientific and spiritual arenas or teaching to groups around the country, fans around the world tune in daily for her inspirational musings and lively thought-provoking conversations.

A highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire, Kala teaches and writes about ancient wisdom teachings and how their techniques can be used in modern day living. Her books, The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body and 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled both cover these topics.

In addition, Kala shares her love of history, travel and the spirit world in her books Spirits of New Orleans and Ghosthunting North Carolina. Her books are designed to explore the history of cities in an entertaining manner while sharing haunted stories and offering travel tips on how to best see the cities to shop, dine, stay, and visit the haunted sites.

Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Developing Business Intuition, Haunted History, and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, and Daily Om. More about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Spirits of New Orleans: Voodoo Curses, Vampire Legends and Cities of the Dead by Kala Ambrose

“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 their favorite haunts, which they return to time and time again.” – Kala Ambrose

Recently I returned back 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. One never runs out of things to experience in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana). Truly it is captivating, a veritable feast for all five senses as well as the sixth sense.

The best way to describe how I feel in this city would be to use the word, “charmed”. New Orleans is many things to many people, but for me, it’s 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 Katrina. I had no idea how the vibe of the city would feel after having going 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 level.

I traveled around parts of the city riding the streetcars, taking in each neighborhood, enjoying the stunning architecture, the smell of 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 music and art 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 that 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 be treading carefully into the Cities of the Dead and visiting the land of magical Voodoo Queens.  Growing up in Louisiana, I assumed people everywhere spoke about mojo, gris gris, ju-ju, 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 this 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 and 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 from the advantageous position of being carried through the city on my father’s broad shoulders where I was 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.  I first danced to the LSU Fight song at the age of three at a game with my parents where I danced during half time 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 where 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 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 five or six and I have never looked back.

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 U.S., 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 surface of past lives spent here in the city. Each time that I write about New Orleans, the people and their ghosts join me in remembrance of times gone by and in the hope that New Orleans is to be reborn once again.

author, intuitive and talk show host Kala Ambrose

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 and for those of you have been to NOLA and haven’t been back in a while, I’m going to help you fall in love all over again.

In my book, Spirits of New Orleans, 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 seatbelts, we’re in for a bumpy ride” 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 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 decided they never wanted to leave.

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

I worry some days about the coming earth changes and if cities like 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 street wearing boas and catching the free souvenirs being tossed to them, such as beads and doubloons.

I think about this and wonder, will 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 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 Bohemian’s 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 ventures 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 truly it deserves to be respected as a rich cultural treasure.

I’m pleased to serve as your travel guide to the other side. The stories and information I share here are true as 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 verbally through the generations. As such, the possibility of some of the information being embellished and changed over time occurs when the stores are passed down over centuries. The story of the LaLaurie house is one example where further research recently by a group of people 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 to see as a psychic and a medium 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~

Are you ready to explore the history and mystery of this city?
Join me and together we will explore the:
SPIRITS OF NEW ORLEANS

About Kala Ambrose:

Noted author, columnist, inspirational speaker, and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Radio and TV Show (www.ExploreYourSpirit.com), Kala Ambrose’s teachings are described as discerning, empowering and inspiring. Whether she’s speaking with world-renowned experts on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, writing about empowering lifestyle choices, reporting on new discoveries in the scientific and spiritual arenas or teaching to groups around the country, fans around the world tune in daily for her inspirational musings and lively thought-provoking conversations.

A highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire, Kala teaches and writes about ancient wisdom teachings and how their techniques can be used in modern day living. Her books, The Awakened Aura: Experiencing the Evolution of Your Energy Body and 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled cover these topics.

In addition, Kala shares her love of history, travel and the spirit world in her books Spirits of New Orleans and Ghosthunting North Carolina. Her books are designed to explore the history of cities in an entertaining manner while sharing haunted stories and offering travel tips on how to best see the cities to shop, dine, stay, and visit the haunted sites.

An award winner author and columnist, Kala writes for the Huffington Post, the Examiner, AOL, Yahoo and Fate Magazine and presents workshops nationally on the Mind/Body/Spirit connection including Auras and Energy Fields, Developing Business Intuition, Haunted History and Wisdom Teachings at the Omega Institute, John Edward Presents Infinite Quest, the Learning Annex, LilyDale Assembly, and Daily Om. More about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com 

Conspiracies and Secret Societies by Brad and Sherry Steiger

Award-winning writer Brad Steiger has devoted a lifetime to exploring hidden, mystical, and strange occurrences. He has written more than 150 books with paranormal themes including: Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Houses, Real Vampires, Night Stalkers, and Creatures from the Darkside, The Werewolf Book, and Conspiracies and Secret Societies. Brad is also a veteran of broadcast news magazines ranging from Nightline to the NBC Nightly News.

Over the years, we’ve enjoyed having Brad as a special guest on the Explore Your Spirit Radio show, as he has shared his work with us on Poltergeists, Revelations, Shadow World, Atlantis and one of my personal favorites, Real Vampires.  These shows can be heard in the Explore Your Spirit archives and are always amongst our most top rated most enjoyed shows as voted on by fans.

In his continued exploration to shed light onto the darkest secrets, mysteries and cover-ups,  Steiger presents his latest book – Conspiracies and Secret Societies: The Complete Dossier.

Both Brad and his wife and co-author Sherry Steiger present the information in an encyclopedia sized book that examines the most intriguing subjects among conspiracy theorists, from historical topics such as the true relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the Roswell UFO crash, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. to more current issues such as the death of Princess Diana, FEMA’s response following hurricane Katrina, and the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The book doesn’t hold back on any subject as the Steiger’s examine both Ancient History and Legends as well as current issues including:

• Historical riddles including the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, and the Sphinx
• Powerful secret societies and groups such as the Knights Templar, the Skull and Bones, the Triads and Lightning from the East.
• Government cover-ups including Area 51, alien invaders, FEMA and the Global Bank
• Scientific mysteries such as genetic manipulations, weather control, viruses and biochip implants

SPECIAL NOTE:  An app has been released designed to further Brad and Sherry Steiger’s new research into Conspiracies and Secret Societies: The Breaking Cases. It allows users to help Brad and Sherry reveal the latest conspiracies and expose new information. Download the App to share your own conspiracy information and theories with the Steigers. More information at www.bradandsherry.com

‘I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it’. – Thomas Jefferson

Continuing on our journey through the spirit of New Orleans, the city itself showcases the diverse cultures that make up the gumbo of NOLA. The fascinating history of the Creole and Cajun cultures are portrayed in the music and cuisine, the Spanish and French architecture are apparent throughout the city and the soulful influence of the Caribbean and African people provide the pulse and vibe of the crescent city.

The most unique combination of ingredients blended together make the best gumbo and the same can be said about creating a city. Each culture, who settles in a region, indelibly leaves their mark and impact on the area. In New Orleans history, this includes the migration of the Irish. During the 1840′s, a great famine hit Ireland, referred to as the potato famine. The magnitude of this famine along with the politics of the time with the English, encouraged almost one million Irish people to migrate to the new world. During the influx of the Irish to America, the majority relocated to Boston and New York in greater numbers than in New Orleans, but like each piece of history that we explore here in NOLA dear readers, we can see the significant impact that each culture created in the city. When looking at American history, it can be said that Ireland’s loss was America’s gain, as the country benefitted in a myriad of ways from the Irish settling here in the U.S. Many of our cultural, religious and holiday celebrations were brought here by the Irish, including the celebration of Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.

The Irish who migrated through the port of New Orleans settled into an area near the river called the Irish Channel. At great peril and with a tremendous loss of life due to disease, snakes and alligators, the Irish were instrumental in digging and establishing the extensive canal system in the city including the New Basin Canal which provided an important link from downtown New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. The building of the New Basin Canal was extremely difficult, as the Irish worked with water up to their hips while digging and were at constant risk of contracting malaria, cholera and yellow fever, all of which were fatal to many. Many of the Irish laborers who fell ill while working were buried at or near this area and it is estimated that the number could be as high as 30,000. This area is reportedly one of the most haunted in New Orleans, especially near Canal Street at City Park Avenue, which has a record of hauntings and active encounters including seeing full apparitions of ghosts walking down the street and ghostly funeral processions.

The Irish added to the diversity of architecture and culture in the city, building St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and establishing Hibernia Bank. One example of Irish architecture is the Gallier House on Royal Street, built by Irishmen James Gallier and his son James Jr. who were architects in the city. Another testimony to the strength and heart of the Irish is the statue of Margaret Haughery, an Irish immigrant who became a well respected business woman in New Orleans. Her business acumen was only matched by her good deeds and charity and the statue portrays her comforting an orphan in her arms. It is believed that this statue of Margaret is the first statue in the U.S. to honor a woman.

When in New Orleans, it’s always good to tap into the ‘Luck of the Irish’ and no place is more famous for being Irish in the city than Pat O’Briens. With their signature flame fountains (water fountains with fire in the middle), live music and special drinks served up in souvenir glasses, Pat O’Brien’s delivers on their motto created back in 1933, which is “Have Fun”! Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Pat O’Brien’s has an illustrious history, first as a speakeasy during prohibition and then operating as an Irish bar. Perhaps what it’s most famous for is the creation of the drink – the ‘Hurricane‘, which is still popular to this day. Dining and listening to music at Pat’s is an experience not to miss while in New Orleans. May the luck of the Irish be yours while you enjoy the food, music and festivities!

Kala’s tips on finding the ‘Luck of the Irish‘ while visiting New Orleans:

• Visit the historic Gallier House, now a local museum located on Royal Street
• Have a signature Hurricane drink at Pat O’Briens in a souvenir take home hurricane glass
• Order your very own Pat O’Brien’s Mardi Gras beads to wear at the next St. Patty’s Day party
• There’s no St. Patrick’s Day parade quite like the one in New Orleans where cabbages, potatoes and other produce are tossed from the floats
• Visit the haunted area of Canal Street at City Park avenue to try your luck at seeing a ghost

As the old saying goes, “behind every great man, there’s a great woman” and perhaps no place is this more scrutinized and studied than in the relationship between the president and first lady.

Autumn Stephens, author of Feisty First Ladies and Other Unforgettable White House Women offers a unique look into the lives of the first ladies and other notable politicians and reporters.

Illuminating stories include tales of…

• Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the daughter of Teddy Roosevelt, who placed a curse on the incoming president William Taft, by planting a voodoo doll on the White House property.
• The first ladies who consulted psychics, seers and astrologists for advice including: Mary Lincoln’s medium Madame Laurie; Florence Harding’s astrologer Madame Marcia, Nancy Reagan’s astrologer Joan Quigley and others who communed with the other side.
• The most popular first lady hostess to date, Dolley Madison, whom author Stephens describes as “…fond of naughty necklines and Turkish turbans trimmed with foot-long feathers (those astonishing headdresses alone set President James Madison back $1000 each year”).

In addition, Dolley in her role as first lady in 1809 is remembered for her daring spirit of adventure, being the life of the party and saving the portrait of George Washington in 1814 as the British stormed the capital to burn it down.

Her quote is a particular favorite of mine…
“There is one secret, and that is the power we all have in forming our destinies”.
- Dolley Madison

Showcasing once again that truth is stranger than fiction, author Autumn Stephens shares insightful and empowering stories of the women who belonged to this rare Pennsylvania Avenue club. Expect surprising revelations including: first ladies were pro-active on women’s rights and causes, how many were labeled party animals and who slept in each day till noon. Historians will appreciate rarely circulated historical information including page 44-45, reporting on the first female presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull, who ran for office in 1872.

The 12 Days – 12 Gifts of Enlightenment series is based upon the “spirit of the season”, not pertaining to any particular faith. Consider it a nod to ancient cultures who celebrated the Winter Solstice with festivals, rituals and parties, heralding the return of the light -  the Sun. Ancient Rome celebrated the solstice holiday as Saturnalia, and Celtic Druids created bonfires in a three day ritual as the Oak King battled with the Holly King and won back the light. History of these celebrations are found with the honoring of Mithra, in Egyptian practices of Osiris and in various societies around the world. The seasonal observance for many at this time extends to January 6th in conjunction with the story of the Three Wise Men, the Magi who brought gifts upon their arrival. The 12 gifts of enlightenment are shared throughout the celebrations of the return of the light and need not necessarily culminate on a particular day. Perhaps it alludes to a time to create new rituals including for the New Year, with heartfelt intentions to bring abundance, joy, good health and inner wisdom.

The Twelve Days – Twelve Gifts of Enlightenment are a reminder that on the journey to esoteric wisdom, knowledge is the first key. As was written above a mystery school temple in ancient Greece, “Man, Know Thyself”, it has always been of tremendous value to spend time in self-observation and introspection. One of the ways to begin this journey, is to look at the past, review the history of humanity and discern the truth to see how history changes and is rewritten according to cultural and political mores. Begin with your own investigation of the origins and history of the holidays including Christmas, New Years and Easter to discover how they have evolved to the modern day concepts.

You may find during your research, that many of the holidays now celebrated began as a completely different celebration. My intent gentle reader, is not to discourage you from celebrating each holiday, but rather to encourage you to delve deeper into the history and find the path which is right for you to follow. As Anais Nin said, “The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery”.

On this path, I’d like to recommend two books that I have enjoyed reading this year, which share a particular perspective of western history. This brings us to:

Gift Number 9 – Give the Gift of Knowledge and Discernment.

The first book is: How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill. The title is a bit ambitious, as most any student of history will note that the Greeks and the Eastern Byzantine Empire continued to exist and document historic record before and after the fall of Rome, as well as many eastern cultures. Perhaps a more accurate title would be: How the Irish Evolved By Combining Roman Catholic Beliefs with their Traditional Pagan Beliefs, creating Many Holidays and Cultural Beliefs Which We Celebrate Today. Having said that, one can plainly see which title is more attention grabbing. Cahill describes the decline and fall of Rome and how the Irish, due to their love of preservation, transcribed this written history during the Dark Ages, when recorded history throughout many parts of western Europe was on the verge of being destroyed by Barbarian cultures. The second portion of the book explains how Irish myth, lore and culture then placed its own unique stamp on civilization, blending a mix of Christianity beginning with St. Patrick, into traditional Irish pagan rites and customs. Cahill shares some of the life and history of St. Patrick, a roman boy who came from a family lineage of tax collectors, who was enslaved and taken to Ireland. Not mentioned in regard to the stories of St. Patrick are the reports of Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland, which chronicle how the Druid culture was driven from Ireland by Christian monks beginning with Patrick.

The beauty and passion of the Irish people is vividly described as Cahill shares his love of poetry and brings ancient Ireland to life, which also serves to stimulate popular interest in the history of western civilization. My hope is that the reader would begin here with this read, recognize it as only one piece to the puzzle and then venture further into study of the Greeks, Romans, Armenians, Coptics, Arabic, and many other cultures, all of whom carried forth the history from these dark times.

Book recommendation number two is, How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It, by Arthur Herman. Particularly interesting is that the UK title for this book is The Scottish Enlightenment, which is a better representation of the information found in this book. This also leads to the question, Must we as Americans require alleged super hero titles for every book in order for it to sell? Both books in review here, extend their titles to the extreme, but this is certainly not a new concept. One only has to look at American history to see how much of it has been fabricated to “sell the sizzle”. A quick example being the focus on the midnight ride of Paul Revere, when in reality, Israel Bissell rode farther and faster, but didn’t have what it took to turn him into a superstar to rally the crowds.

In How the Scots Invented the Modern World, Herman lists an impressive collection of Scots and their accomplishments including Andrew Carnegie, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Walter Scott and John Muir. One of the best features of this book, is that it endeavors to explain Scottish history and development, without over-fanciful ethnic pride clouding the vision. An interesting read to add to a long list of selections for history buffs, mark this one as the tale of the 18th century as the age of enlightenment for Scotland.

Tune in tomorrow as we explore Enlightenment Gift Number Ten. If you’ve missed Gift’s One, Two, Three, Four, Five Six,  Seven, or Eight, click on the links here to visit the articles and click on the subscribe button on the top section of this page, where you’ll be notified via email each time a new article by yours truly appears.

Sitting amongst random piles of books, pondering the mysteries…
*~Kala~*

More about Kala Ambrose:
Kala is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s  book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala lectures on Esoteric Teachings,  Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (also known as the Divine Feminine). Kala’s Guided Meditations CD’s include Spirit of Hawaii and Egyptian Mystery Temple and Tibetan Mountain Journey.  More info: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com