Sallie Ann Glassman (born 1954) is an American practitioner of magic, a writer, and an artist. She was born in

Kennebunkport, Maine Kennebunkport is a resort town in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,629 people at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, Sout ...

and is a self-described "

Ukrainian Jew The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Some of the most important Jewish religious and ...

from Maine." IslandSalvationBotanicaPiety

Glassman has been practicing Vodou in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

since 1977. In 1995, she became one of few white Americans to have been ordained via the traditional Haitian initiation. She owns the Island of Salvation Botanica, an art gallery with both religious supplies, and Haitian and local artworks.

Art

Glassman's art is both esoteric and syncretic. She has produced two major non-traditional

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

packs: the ''Enochian Tarot'', which is derived from the Enochian magical system of Elizabethan magician Doctor John Dee, and the ''New Orleans Voodoo Tarot,'' which replaces the standard four tarot suits with depictions of the spirits of the major strands of Vodou (Petro, Congo, Rada) and Santería practices. In 1992, Glassman published a set of

tarot cards The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots ...

called the ''New Orleans Voodoo Tarot''. The cards depict black people, which was unusual for the time. The cards feature prominent

Orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. T ...

divinities ( Obatala,

Oshun Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated ...

Ogun Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...

, Yemaya, and

Shango Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...

), classical Haitian Vodou spirits ( Damballah-Wedo, Ezili-Freda, and

Guede The Gede (french: Guede) are the family of lwa that represent the powers of death and fertility. Gede spirits include Gede Doub, Guede-Linto, Guede L'Orage, Guede Nibo and Guede Ti Malice. All are known for the drum rhythm and dance called th ...

), and priests of

Louisiana Voodoo Louisiana Voodoo (french: Vaudou louisianais, es, Vudú de Luisiana), also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncreti ...

such as

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana ...

and

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

. The tarot cards came with a book co-written with Louis Martinié, an advocate for New Orleans style Voodoo in the spectrum of New World religious practices.

Media

Glassman has lectured and received international television, radio, and magazine coverage, including a front-page article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' and a feature on World News Tonight. In an MSNBC interview, Glassman claimed she cured her own cancer using Vodou in 2003. She appeared in the 2006 film ''Hexing a Hurricane''. Her ''New Orleans Voodoo Tarot'' was also an influence on the first album by the band Sun God.

Bibliography

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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glassman, Sallie Ann 1954 births Living people American spiritual writers American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American Voodoo practitioners Louisiana Voodoo Tarotologists Religious leaders from Louisiana Writers from Maine Writers from New Orleans American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women