Working with Spirit Guides: Ochosi

When it comes to Spirit Guides, a trip to New Orleans always delivers

So, my husband staged an intervention a month or so ago. During it, he asserted (accurately) that I had become the living embodiment of “All work and no play makes Rachel an unfortunate, cranky bitch.”

He would never use those words, but you get the idea.

I needed a vacation. He knew it. My dog knew it. My clients knew it. The fairies in the backyard knew it.

So, a vacation it was, and knowing me as well as my husband does he knew just the vacation medicine I needed: New Orleans.

No, it’s not all flashing and beads and drinking. In fact, I wrote about the magic of this nuanced and magical city in this post from last year:

To New Orleans we went. And, as per usual, I made contact with a new— and awesome— Spirit Guide. Last year, I had the unique pleasure of coming home from New Orleans with the Spirit Guide Hermes, which I wrote about here:

This year, my new “invisible friend” is none other than the Voodoo loa Ochosi, and the “medicine” he’s providing me was exactly what the proverbial witch doctor would prescribe.

Key takeaway: Learn your centers of power

There are a few cities with “Genus Loci”— i.e. spirits of place— that feel extremely friendly to me. And there are others that aren’t as friendly. Sometimes, I just get a general feeling of comfort (or discomfort) when I visit a city, a particular hiking trail, or even a specific restaurant or bar. Other times, I notice either overt manifestations of luck and serendipity— or the tangible fruits of an inversion of this luck. And yet other times, this spirit of place will announce its presence— and communicate its feelings about me— in overt, shamanic parlance.

This is all very important data that can be harnessed for our personal benefit, as well as the good of the broader collective.

Taking note of your geographic centers of power— even if it’s just a neighborhood park in your busy city or suburban enclave— is crucial to harnessing latent spiritual connection and, ideally, support. It’s also a great way to shake things up, learn about new spiritual practices or methodologies, and dive into new dimensions of the world of Woo.

Reflecting on my travels and experiences, I’ve created a small list of my spiritual “places of power” that I believe to house friendly Genus Loci:

• Chicago, particularly the West Loop

• New Orleans, particularly the French Quarter

• My local neighborhood park here in Austin, TX (called Windsor Park)

• The Big Four restaurant in San Francisco, CA

• Rural Bavaria, Germany

I could go into deep detail with regard to these locations and their respective Genus Loci, but the broader, more relevant point of the exercise is to encourage all of you to sit, reflect, and see what potential Genus Loci might be working on your side. What would your list look like?

I think you’ll find this exercise will arm you with key insights into your unique energy signature and style of spiritual work, paying you dividends long into the future! In other words: when we figure out the types of the places that seem to vibe with us (and us with them), we learn a great deal about ourselves, our energy bodies, and our potential spiritual gifts.

Undeniable synchronicity

In retrospect, I should have known that a new Spirit Guide was already present when the synchronicities started to explode in fantastic fashion as we first entered the Austin airport ahead of departure to NOLA.

I had the unique luck of meeting famous polymath— and theoretical physics professor and mathematician— Eric Weinstein in the Austin airport. I’ve always found his work (and that of his Evolutionary Biologist brother Bret) to be super interesting, so I was pumped that he seemed to welcome my intrusion, engaging with us in a very humane and unexpectedly human discussion. We briefly talked about my podcast, his podcast, and the danger of the God-shaped hole that tends to get filled up with ideology the moment organized religion moves out of the neighborhood.

I was stunned by the experience. Eric is often portrayed as more than a little prickly in the media, but he was actually one of the coolest “famous people” I’ve ever met. And little did I know that he was on his way to do a now-famous “debate” on the Joe Rogan Experience with Terrence Howard, the genesis of which are Terrence’s esoteric views on the Flower of Life, sacred geometry, wave-form mathematics, and even visions given to him by angels. You can watch— or listen— to the episode HERE.

And, of course, meetings and synchronicities didn’t stop with our airport brush with Mr. Weinstein.

I caught the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans herself, live and direct, at her botanica. Sallie Ann Glassman, the creator of the Voodoo Tarot of New Orleans and author of multiple books on the occult, was similarly warm and engaging— we mostly talked about chickens, to be honest. And, from there, I met the fifth generation owner of Bottom of the Cup, a New Orleans tea leaf reading salon and tarot reading institution— and chatted with the owner of Voodoo Authentica, featured in an episode of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries.

None of this was planned. None of this was expected. And collectively it presents a great case study for what happens when we get away from the grind, surrender, and embrace the “Wu Wei” (i.e. flow state) of life in the present moment.

Key takeaway: Pay attention to themes

Each one of these unexpected New Orleans interactions hinged on connecting with another individual utterly committed to:

• Real, deep, and earned expertise: Eric Weinstein spent four hours on Joe Rogan’s podcast acknowledging that, while Terrence Howard may have some great ideas, he is ignorant of the collective knowledge of (and advances in) mathematics, explaining how important it is to learn about the tradition of the thing you claim to be an expert in before spouting off at the mouth about how you’re a genius. The same applies to the Voodoo and divination experts I connected with: all of them are fourth or fifth generational practitioners and/or individuals that, like Sallie Glassman, studied her spiritual practice for a decade. In Haiti. Now, that’s commitment to learning and respecting those that came before us!

• Telling the truth, regardless of consequences: All of the individuals I connected with during this New Orleans trip are somewhat infamous for not giving any f*cks about what people think— or say— about them. They are not toxically positive, and they tend to take on heterodox (if not downright unorthodox) views and opinions. They are all absolutely incapable of “fawning” or presenting a facade.

• Living an iconoclastic life outside of the influence of “mainstream society”: Each of these people with whom I interacted do not invest or trade in transient commodities like likes on social media or eminence via any public relations apparatus. They do not care about “scaling” their business, becoming a brand, going viral, or otherwise gaining the adoration of large groups of the population. If anything, they go out of their way to stay clear of popular culture or current social constructs, instead spending their time and energy on seeking out the deeper mysteries of the universe. Like, literally.

Why is all of this important? Well, because in retrospect, I realized that all of these individuals all shared particular attributes embodied by my new Spirit Guide, Ochosi.

If you start to experience a series of unusual confluences and serendipities, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on what attributes or key themes these experiences may have in common. These “clues” are the proverbial bread crumbs that help you find your way to your new Spirit Guide— and potentially a deeper level within your personal spiritual work.

All about Ochosi

So, what’s the deal with this new Spirit Guide, Ochosi?

As you’ll recall a few weeks back, I did something new: I asked for spirit to take on the burden of being the proverbial “truth police” in my interactions with lying liars:

And it’s not that I forgot about this ask of spirit, necessarily, but rather that I didn’t expect an ancient, faceless Voodoo loa to raise his hand and step up to the plate to help me navigate a world seemingly intent on bullshitting, gaslighting, manipulating and misleading at every turn.

Pretty cool, isn’t it?

When I was at Voodoo Authentica, looking for the perfect blessed chicken foot for “friend of the show”

Roger Oney

(as a thank you for watching our chickens and dog during our trip), I was drawn, seemingly inexplicably, to the shrine of the loa Ochosi — one of dozens of shrines littering the nooks and crannies of this small shop in the French Quarter.

It was decorated with railroad spikes, a very large (and very scary) machete, law enforcement badges, pictures of various game animals, and the color green. When staring at the shrine, attempting to parse out why I was so magnetized to it, I remembered the image of Ochosi from Sallie Ann Glassman’s The Voodoo Tarot of New Orleans (see image below):

Curious, I asked the employees (all of whom are active spiritual practitioners) what Ochosi “governed”. Their initial response was that he is the “god” of metalworking and hunting, asking me if either of these were activities I took part in.

Spoiler alert: I am not a metalworker or a hunter. I know. Shocking stuff.

But then I dug deeper, and another employee asked me, “Have you recently asked for help with underhanded business owners, practitioners, or liars or schemers?”

Now they had my attention. The answer was a definite “yes”, and they assured me that Ochosi was a very stern and intimidating protector of the truth and of truth tellers, and that his bow and arrow (his key symbol) were meant to represent staying “true” and aiming for one’s “North Star”.

What’s more, they also asked if I was into herbalism of any kind. Of course, I am and told them about my TOTEM Flower Essences and the garden in my backyard. They all started nodding, saying that I had, at some point in the recent past, become the “pet” of this ancient African loa.

So, I purchased a green candle for Ochosi’s helpers, the Simbi (i.e. the spirits of ley lines in the earth) and brought it home to place it on my altar. I also went on Etsy and purchased two miniature, metal bows and arrows (made by a Santeria practitioner) to honor Ochosi next to his new, shiny green candle.

According to Wikipedia, “Ochosi is the spirit associated with the hunt, forests, animals, and wealth. He is spirit of meals, because it is he who provides food. He is associated with lightness, astuteness, wisdom, and craftiness in the hunt. He is the orisa of contemplation, loving the arts and beautiful things. He hunts with a bow and arrow (called an ofá), hunting for good influences and positive energies.”

Since bringing these items into the home, I’ve started hearing a sizzling sound just ahead of lamps and overhead lights flickering. It doesn’t feel scary or negative, but rather like a more verdant version of other nature spirits, including the fairies. When I’m outside, the greens of nature seem more vibrant and, on more than one occasion, I’ve seen a friendly face in the patterns of leaves at the tops of neighborhood trees.

Key takeaway: Research (and honor) your new Spirit Guide

Researching your new Spirit Guide will help to provide context for your new and strange spiritual experiences, as well as provide you with ways to acknowledge your new friend’s efforts to reach out and work with you.

Many of these entities are older than human civilization. Many, many groups of people across time, space and geography have already compiled details on these beings, offering all of us a rich tradition of knowledge from which to draw as we continue this work. Research is a crucial step in the personal archeology of shamanic work, also acting as an objective, measurable means of affirming your otherwise “Woo” experiences.

Of particular interest to me is Ochosi’s work with herbalists. I’m eager to connect with him more intentionally to receive his secret knowledge to level up with our TOTEM Flower Essences— and working with our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck.

What are you interested in collaborating with your new Spirit Guide on? What projects will you co-create?

Thank you, New Orleans

New Orleans literally never disappoints. It seems totally impervious to the all inclusive resort, overly corporatized vibes that seem to be toppling otherwise once-great cities. Humans do business live and direct. Phones aren’t allowed in most cool spaces. The vibe check is relentless, and the food and drinks are made with care— and more than a little magic.

It’s the antidote to so much that has started to bum me out in the last four years. New Orleans remains utterly defiant in the face of shitty “progress”, and I’m very excited about planning an upcoming retreat there. So, stay tuned!

-Rachel