By Shawn Sellers
I still remember the first time I crossed over Lake Pontchartrain as a teenager. My brother took me to New Orleans, and as soon as we got on that bridge, something shifted inside me. It wasn’t just excitement—it was deeper. Like my soul recognized something ancient and familiar. A feeling I had never felt before: I was at peace. I was home.
For someone who has spent a lifetime feeling like an outcast, like I never quite fit in anywhere, New Orleans was a revelation. It welcomed all of me—the seeker, the spiritualist, the sensitive, the storyteller. And ever since that first trip, any time I feel lost, I can return to the Crescent City and find my peace again.
New Orleans isn’t just a city to me—it’s my true love. It’s the one place on Earth where the spiritual world and our world seem to walk side by side, like old friends. I’ve always been open to the unseen, the mystical, and the sacred. In New Orleans, that openness isn’t just accepted—it’s celebrated. It’s why I say, without hesitation, if I had to describe the energy of New Orleans in just one word, it would be ALIVE. That’s what you feel in the air there. Life, death, magic, music, sorrow, joy—it all dances together in that humid air like a second heartbeat.
Of course, New Orleans has a reputation for being one of the most haunted cities in America. And I can tell you from personal experience—some of which are too close to my heart to even share—that the paranormal is very, very real there. But don’t think for a second that the spirits are confined to a few tourist spots. The entire French Quarter hums with energy. From Pirates Alley to Lafitte’s Guest House, from Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar to the Andrew Jackson Hotel—those places see things. And if you’re quiet enough, if you’re open enough, you’ll feel them too.
One of the most beautiful—and misunderstood—aspects of New Orleans is the presence of Voodoo and Hoodoo. To me, these practices are an expression of deep spiritual truth. They remind us that thought creates. That what we focus on, we can manifest. That the spiritual realm is not some distant mystery—it’s here, now, woven into our everyday lives. In New Orleans, the veil between the worlds is undeniably thinner. Maybe it’s the land, maybe it’s the history, or maybe it’s the people—so many souls who’ve known joy, pain, and powerful transformation. Whatever it is, I’ve never found it anywhere else.
People often ask me what my favorite place in the Quarter is. Truthfully, I have too many. But I’ll say this—each spot tells a story, and each breath you take in New Orleans feels like you’re inhaling history, mystery, and magic. If you’re open to it, the city will speak to you. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a little bit of yourself there too.