Priest Oswan and Priestess Miriam were both born in 1943, living parallel lives until their paths crossed in Chicago 1989. In 1990, they came to New Orleans and founded the Voodoo Spiritual Temple. Four years later they expanded the foundation, and in 1995, Oswan passed away. One month after Oswan’s death the Cultural Center began its evolution. The Cultural Center was added, and today the Voodoo Spiritual Temple includes the altar room, the herb apothecary and botanica, and the gift shop.
The Voodoo Spiritual Temple serves the purpose of conducting services of worship and petition for people of all races whose spiritual needs can be ministered through Afro-centric American Voodooism, the Grand Spirits of New Orleans Voodoo, and the Great Universal Spiritual Tradition. The temple strives to present both education and clarification on the beliefs and practices associated with voodoo, in hopes of furthering enlightenment and dispelling misconceptions.
Since establishing the Voodoo Spiritual Temple, Priestess Miriam has appeared in documentaries from all over the world. Some of her TV appearances include the BBC, NBC, Discovery, CBS, ABC, TeleMundo, Sci-Fi, MTV, and Entertainment Tonight. She has also been featured in articles in Spin, Playboy, The New York Times, and many more.
