Most modern-day Marie Laveau devotees believe in Jesus and the saints, just as Madame Marie did. They go to church, pray the rosary, and work the gris gris. They volunteer in the community, feed folks when they are hungry, and are always ready to assist someone in need. Of course, each devotee aspires to honor Marie Laveau in their own way, in the best way they can. They know her values and they know her style. Increasingly, there are people who are devotees who are not Catholic or churchgoers but embrace a charitable lifestyle in ways that are meaningful to them.
It’s a powerful thing to witness someone doing Madame Marie’s work. When it’s real, there’s no denying it. It is something that can be felt within the core of your being. Devotees have presence. When you become a devotee— when you are aware of your spiritual lineage, learn about it, and live it—then you can fully embrace your new identity and Marie Laveau, the loa, spirit guide, and elevated Ancestor—can descend and work through you.

Devotion

Devoting yourself to someone or something requires a conscious decision to do so followed by deliberate actions that display your utmost loyalty to the focus of your devotion. Becoming a devotee is not a decision to be made lightly. It can change your life for better or worse, depending on the sincerity of your commitment. If you are ready and you are open to receiving her as the Mother of New Orleans Voudou, the Spiritual Mother of Louisiana, the Boss Woman and Queen, your life will change dramatically for the better because of how you will be required to live your life. You must be ready to put others’ needs before your own in order to reap the benefits of personal gain. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a better life and material things, but there is always an energetic give-and-take with all manifestations. If you live the kind of life Marie Laveau lived, you will automatically deposit goodness into the Bank of Karma instead of the opposite, and, well, it just makes good cosmic sense.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a spirit you can “use” to get back your man or influence a court decision by simply lighting a candle and uttering a few words of intent, then becoming a devotee of Marie Laveau is probably not the path for you. Think of it this way: If you had a direct line to the Queen of England, would you call her up and ask her to buy you dinner for a month? Followed up with a, “Let it be so”? Probably not. You have to think of your relationship with Madame Marie as if she were a living, breathing human being and base your interactions on courtesy and common sense. Becoming a devotee is a commitment, it is a journey, and it takes time to learn and to develop a relationship with not only Marie Laveau but all those in her spiritual court with whom you will want to share blessings.
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A dead water moccasin left at the foot of Marie Laveau's grave as an offering happened more frequently than you might think. This is a very bad idea.
In Creole Voodoo, Marie Laveau is recognized as an elevated Ancestor. Some refer to her as a saint. In Voodoo terms, she is a loa. She is not merely a spirit guide, as some purport her to be, although she is that as well. She smiles favorably upon those who know how to serve her correctly. She is kind and gentle and wise, but I have also seen her as a stern mother who is not afraid to literally smack someone upside the head for disrespecting her (recall Elmore Lee Banks’s story). Once, there was a guy who thought it was a good idea to leave a dead water moccasin at the foot of her tomb as an offering. On his way home, he got into an accident and ended up with a broken leg. Now I’m not saying she did it, but I’m not saying she didn’t, either. Maybe he was distracted, or maybe he was a terrible driver. Maybe it wasn’t his fault, and someone hit him. Maybe it was instant karma. Who knows? (By the way, a dead snake is the worst thing anyone could ever leave as an offering, considering Voudou’s primary deity is Damballah Wedo, the sacred serpent. That would be like leaving a dead Jesus at the tomb of the Pope.) Marie Laveau is a strong female spirit who knows her worth and commands respect in spirit as well as in life. To be a devotee, you must be informed or face the consequences of your choice to be ignorant and dismissive.
This is why I spend time talking about who Marie Laveau was as a woman and about the challenges she faced in society. New Orleans is a wonderful city, but let’s face it—she has a dark side and a dark history. She’s been thrown out of balance. Hell, I don’t know if she has ever been in balance, truth be told. Maybe this is one reason gris gris was one of those traditions that survived the creolization  process, because it serves as a mechanism for restoring balance. And it is ultra flexible in form; its reach goes from charm to weapon of war. Some folks say gris gris means “grey grey” in French, referring to magick in the middle ground—not black, not white, but a more realistic approach to magick; one that parallels real life. This explanation is a local one and not based on its history as an Islamic tradition, but I believe it has some merit nonetheless. After all, traditions change in a malleable culture, as people adapt them to suit their needs in ways that carry the most function and meaning.