I Met an Oracle in New Orleans -

I’m sitting in Cafe du Monde, my third beignet half-eaten, listening to the jazz musicians just outside the green and white awning. The day is bright, clear, and to no one’s surprise, really freaking hot. But my mind isn’t on the heat, no, it’s on my travel companion as we toast to the release of my book, The Witch’s Apprentice. She asked me why I finally decided to release it, and more importantly, what took me so long to come back to this wonderful city. So I told her about the time I met an Oracle in New Orleans.

Fall 2022:

I had first arrived in the Crescent City the day after Halloween, full of nerves to finally see the places I’d written about, and meeting my travel companions on that trip for the first time. We’d spoken extensively through text and video call, and though we had spent many nights over the better part of a year conversing and getting to know one another, there’s a big difference between knowing someone online and knowing them in person. It turned out that, at that moment, I had nothing to worry about. When I heard my name being called in the airport lobby, I turned to find one of them sprinting towards me to give me a hug, the other close behind.

We quickly sought out a cab, chatting about our flights and reminding ourselves to check in with the others in our group who were either too young at the time to join us, or had opted out of the trip. Both of my companions had previous experience in New Orleans, and had been enthusiastic about joining me, so I felt confident navigating around with them, and was beyond excited for the week ahead.

In short, the trip itself was magical

We went on haunted history tours with devilishly handsome tour guides, jazz cruises that offered spectacular views of the city from the river, we almost made it to a cemetery (they are unfortunately locked unless you’re with a tour group), and I even got a new tattoo! And the food…I can’t hype up the food enough– do yourself a favor and try it all! No one had undersold the beauty of this city, nor the potential dangers, and I was lucky to have one of my companions with me the night we got into a vampire speakeasy. They had opted to take a different route back to the hotel to get food, and we wound up avoiding a shooting that took place on the same block we would’ve taken otherwise.

But despite the scarier parts of the city, I had no intentions of slowing down. Even a rainstorm couldn’t stop us, we splashed in puddles all the way to the closest diner and back, laughing as sheets of water plastered our hair to our faces. Everything was new and colorful, and my mind was racing with all of the ways I could shape the second draft of my book. My notes app was filled with our banter and descriptions of places all over the city. I knew everything I’d seen and learned would find its way into The Witch’s Apprentice, so I didn’t want to miss a thing.

Saying Farewell:

Our last night in New Orleans was amazing, but bittersweet, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was standing on the edge of a precipice, like I was waiting for something important to happen. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what, chalking it up to nerves about the return flight. Hindsight is funny in that way. It can be as enlightening as it is aggravating, and it’s so easy to blame yourself for circumstances that were always out of your control.

A Solo Morning Stroll:

It was early in the morning on Wednesday, November 8th. My travel companions had just left to catch their flight, leaving me one more morning to explore the city as a solo traveler. I will caution those who do travel here alone to be extremely mindful of your surroundings. I grew up in New York, and spent a lot of time in the city, so the general atmosphere of pickpockets and hustlers wasn’t new to me.

But New Orleans was different. Similar in some ways, but much smaller, and the population of homeless and mentally ill was unfortunately much higher. That being said, the two do not always overlap, and it is entirely possible to keep yourself safe while also showing kindness and courtesy to others. In any travel situation, whether you are with companions or not, it is important to trust your gut, and turn back or go for help immediately if something doesn’t feel right.

I had just grabbed breakfast and was editing some descriptions for The Witch’s Apprentice when I discovered Jackson Square Park was locked until 8 a.m., most likely to discourage vandals. So instead of the park, I decided to take my breakfast to the moonwalk, where there was a set of stone stairs that leads directly into the river. I sat down beside a beautiful offering of roses someone had arranged on the, careful not to disturb it as I ate and watched the sun sparkle on the river. I’d also come down this way to collect river water, which I still have to this day on my home altar.

An Oracle in the Crescent City:

A few minutes after bottling my water, I heard a bark an instant before a little dog joined my makeshift table, his owner not far behind him. He was unkempt and weather worn, but there was a clear glint in his eyes as he too took in the beauty of the morning around us. I greeted him and offered the rest of my breakfast, as I’d been doing throughout my trip with my leftovers to any homeless we’d pass. I didn’t want to make any assumptions to that fact, but he confirmed them soon after.

He didn’t sit, kept a healthy and respectful distance, but gratefully accepted my sandwich, taking out the meat to give to his dog. We made simple and polite conversation while he threw a stick for his dog to fetch. Eventually we got onto the subject of family, and he told me he had a large one, sisters, brother in law’s, and all only a few states away. They knew where he was, his situation, and had offered several times for him to stay with them.

“Why don’t you?” Is what I asked him.

His eyes were on the river as he responded, with a voice so sure and equally far away. The same way mine would get if I were in the throes of divination or trancework, seeing beyond what is really there.

And he told me, “This is home. Whether I’m in the finest bar room or a stinking alley. This place has a way of clearing things up, of tossin’ you around and stripping what ain’t right for you, even if you can’t see it yet.” Then he smiled. “You’ll be back here soon, as changed as this dawn after a long night, and all the better for it.”

I won’t lie, I had no idea how to respond to that. So I told him that I hoped I did return one day, handed him a bottle of water, and bid him farewell. They had just unlocked the park, and so I strolled around inside, looking at the statues of the four seasons in each corner, the grand church, and I made a wish in the fountain that I would indeed come back one day.

Looking Back:

I never saw that man again, and I like to think that he did eventually go to his family. On the surface, it’s extremely logical why his prediction would be correct. Everyone goes through change, it’s impossible not to in this world. But with the turns my life took as soon as I left New Orleans, I truly believe he’d also seen the edge of the cliff I was on that morning. He knew the fall was coming, and he knew that as long and painful as it would be, I would come out on the other side, changed by events set into motion in that very city, and stronger than I’d ever imagined.

Less than two months later I found my life completely upside down. The companions I had traveled with, and those I had not, parted in the cruelest of ways, I spent 6 months recovering from my first broken bone and subsequent surgery, and was in one of the worst mental states of my life. But in that darkness, in that long night, I’d reconnected with old friends, published my first book, and was even able to travel again. And now, sitting in the shade at the same table I’d occupied exactly three years prior, I realized I had become the dawn after a long night, and I was finally ready to shine.

I’ve loved the Crescent City since before I ever set foot in it. Maybe I had a past life here, or maybe the energy of the music, the vibrancy of its culture, pulls me back like a moth to a flame, and was the perfect setting for my upcoming novel. Whatever magic is in the air, the day I met an Oracle in New Orleans will always stand out as the reason I went in the first place.

The Witch’s Apprentice- October 28th

If you are a fan of romance, murder, mystery and magic, The Witch’s Apprentice is a spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and the perilous price of power set against the haunting backdrop of New Orleans.