Connecticut’s Santería Community
Yo soy el brujo—or in English, I am the witch! But before I get into this article, I want to thank the Black and Latin American communities. You’ve always welcomed me with open arms. When people thought I was weird, you thought I was funny, and I love making you laugh because you understand me. You’ve shared your culture, food, music, and friendship with me, and for that, I’m honored.
Nicholas Robert Grossmann
Paranormal Journalist, Death Enthusiast and Psychic.
From the bodega hot bars in Bridgeport to pop-lock dancing in Norwalk, those memories are etched in my heart. That yellow store, the streets—they feel like home because of the way I’ve been treated by this community. We had some wild times! Break out the cardboard and let’s pop and lock—remember Pathmark in Norwalk? That was the spot for whatever reason. We got into a mess of trouble, but now as adults, we laugh about it. You made me feel like one of you. I’ve always felt honored by that. It was a hell of a ride. Thank you. Love and respect.
Okay, I need a tissue—I’m getting emotional. Anyway, let’s dive in.
Benché Santería: Holy Santería
I want to share my experiences with Santería, though I mainly practice Hoodoo (also known as conjure), which is quite similar. Hoodoo comes from African American traditions—it’s not exactly a religion, but more a folk practice. Many practitioners attend church and believe in Jesus, which I appreciate. Hoodoo works well for me.
Santería is also a form of folk magick. It’s a blend of African Shamanism and Catholic saint veneration. These occultists worship deities. There’s also Stregheria (Italian witchcraft), which shares similar philosophies.
I became close with the Santería community, mostly made up of Puerto Rican and Colombian practitioners. It’s a blend of Voodoo and Catholicism. They worship Catholic saints—just like many Catholics do in church. The only difference is that the bruja or brujo (witch) takes it to a deeper spiritual level. So who are we to say this isn’t a branch of Christianity? If Mormons are considered Christians, and Rastafarians believe Haile Selassie was a reincarnation of Jesus, then why not this?
A Santeria Artifact from my collection in New Haven.
Whether people agree or not, these practitioners are Christians. I feel the same way about Santería and Hoodoo. I consider myself a shaman who believes in Christ, so I naturally relate.
In Connecticut, there’s a decent-sized Santería community, mostly in our cities. Many stores called botánicas.There’s one in particular I love in Bridgeport. When you walk in, you feel a change in the air—dim lights, a spiritual atmosphere. Maria, the owner, is what I’d call a Puerto Rican shaman. She’s incredibly gifted. Her store is the real deal, filled with hundreds of magical potions and powerful statues. I still own and display many of these artifacts.
I once bought a special necklace from her. She blessed it with a ten-minute ritual. She lit a cigar, told me to face away from the shrine, chanted mantras, and blew smoke over me. Smoke is a purification element, much like casting a protective circle in ceremonial magick. Her ritual reminded me of High Magick—it had to be done precisely. When she put the necklace on me and I left the store, I felt a burning sensation on my neck. That was my supernatural confirmation that Maria was the real deal.
The Botánica
A botánica is a specialized shop that sells spiritual and religious items for practitioners of Santería, Vodou, Hoodoo, and other Afro-Caribbean and Latin American traditions. These stores are filled with candles, herbs, oils, statues, amulets, and divination tools like tarot cards and cowrie shells. They also serve as community hubs, offering readings, spiritual guidance, and ritual supplies. The atmosphere is rich with the scent of incense, colorful candles, and a sense of reverence.
Photo by.
James and Karla Murray Photography
Some botánicas cater to darker paths. I once visited one in Waterbury, CT, centered on Santa Muerte worship. I told the woman there I felt a spirit portal. Her shrine featured a skull surrounded by dollar bills. It was intense. They didn’t teach outsiders, but I managed to purchase some voodoo doll candles. Yes, candles shaped like dolls. The energy you put into the object makes the magick.
Another shop I visited in Black Rock, Bridgeport was Mexican-owned and had stunning statues and mystical jewelry. The owner spoke Spanish slowly, which helped. I learned most of my Spanish from Puerto Ricans and Uruguayans. It’s fun being able to joke in Spanish with Latino friends without others knowing.
My Experience with Covens
I prefer practicing magick solo. I’m eclectic—I draw from many traditions depending on the situation. Still, I’ve worked with covens. I remember a Wiccan coven in Ridgefield around 2008. It was legit. The host served great food, including sushi, and the ritual involved placing our desires into a bowl. I wished to become a rock star. I’m not a rock star, but I’m well-known in psychic and paranormal circles—maybe it worked!
Another time, I joined a pagan ritual at the Church of Eternal Light in Bristol, CT. We stood in a circle, chanting. My heart raced—so much energy filled the room that I felt dizzy. It was overwhelming but magical.
Once, I was cursed by a coven practicing Egyptian-style black magick. The curse lasted ten years and nearly destroyed me. Eventually, it backfired on them. That’s a story for another time. The benefit of covens is their shared energy, but solo practice offers more mystical, personal experiences. I consider myself a Christian shaman or druid, which is why I’m drawn to Santería and Hoodoo.
Different Occult Techniques I Use
Well, these are some basic, powerful techniques—and they do work! I practice Hoodoo and spiritualism. I don’t worship any deities. I go to one God. But here are some tricks to the trade to share.
Brick Dust
You can use brick dust to keep out unwanted people or entities from your home. You see? This is all mind over matter, as you are creating the magick here. It’s the idea of a brick wall. What you want to do is break up a brick or even buy the dust. Put a line in your doorway, and if you do it right, no one will step foot in your room—as you’ve created a magickal brick wall there.
Freezer Spell
This will rid a person from your life. You get a glass jar (the smaller, the better). You get a photo of the person you want out of your life. Write their birthday on the back of the photo. Printing a photo from Google works fine on paper (small). Fill the jar with water. Put the photo in the jar of water. Close the lid. Get a candle and drip wax on the lid to seal it. Put it in the freezer for 3 months. They’re out!
Haters Spell
I love this one. In the paranormal field, I have a lot of haters. I don’t really care, but to shut them up, I do this kick-ass spell. This worked on someone who was really screwing me over—badmouthing me on Facebook to lots of people.
Go to the butcher and get a cow tongue, or you can make a tongue out of clay (that’s how I do it). Write the name of the person on a small piece of paper. Put sea salt on the tongue. Place the paper with the name on the tongue. Roll the tongue up and screw a screw into the rolled tongue so it can’t unfold. I use clay personally. Cook the clay tongue until it’s hardened and bury it at least a mile from you. This will shut them up. This worked unbelievably well on someone.
Ancestral Magick
Make offerings to your relatives who have passed. If your dad liked his coffee black, give it to him. If your grandma liked candy, give it to her. Get a photo of them and make a small altar. Put belongings there if you want, and light candles. Ask them to help you with a situation in life—for example, getting that job or fixing the car. Give them an offering. The act of giving the offering is setting your intent and getting the energy out there to make it happen. This is highly effective.
Mirror Scrying
I have a big crystal quartz ball, but I never use it. I prefer the mirror—but to each their own. For what I do, you just need a mirror and a few candles. Light the candles in front of the mirror and turn off the lights. Look at yourself in the mirror, get into a meditation, and keep watching. This opens a portal to other worlds. If you do this correctly, you will see yourself vanish and turn into other entities—but be prepared for what you see!
High Magick
This is much more complicated and ritualistic. The techniques above are basic tactics, but high magick is completely more complex and should be treated like a martial art. It involves ceremonies and strict rules.
There is a great book called High Magick by Damien Echols. He was someone who was falsely accused of murder in the ’90s and was on death row for 18 years. He survived using high magick, particularly Kabbalah. Great book!
Palo and Mayombe
Palo is often called Santería’s “dark side,” but that’s incorrect. It’s a separate Afro-Cuban tradition rooted in necromancy and ancestral spirits. Connecticut has seen news stories involving Palo—especially about grave robbing. There was a man in Bridgeport feared like a Palo godfather. He was in a gang and had a house full of skulls and bones. In another case in New Britain, Palo practitioners were accused of robbing graves. There’s even a tragic cold case from the 1980s in Fairfield, CT, where a baby was sacrificed in Lake Mohegan park. From time to time you see on the news station that a practitioner got caught digging graves and robbing the bones, however this is frowned upon and most shamans get their bones legally. On top of that, most shamans do it with good intent.
Photo by Jeff Goodman
In Palo Mayombe, a shaman is typically referred to as a Palero (male) or Palera (female).
The Media’s Misrepresentation
At HEN (Haunted Encounter News), we take pride in honest reporting. We don’t sensationalize or exaggerate. Unfortunately, other types of media often highlights only the most extreme cases. While rare incidents have occurred, 97% of practitioners are peaceful and respectful. Most Palo practitioners buy ritual bones legally and condemn grave robbing.
What people often miss is the miraculous side of these religions. Palo, while intense, can offer powerful healing. It’s a darker form of Shamanism from Africa—not Santería. I’ve long been fascinated by it.
I met a Palo practitioner in NYC who had great energy. He told me Palo is a secret society with strict rules. If you break them, there are consequences. A part of me wants to study Palo, but I’ve already gone deep into the occult. I’m not sure if I’m ready to go deeper.
A Paranormal Investigators’ Worst Nightmare
Back to the Santeria… I will get into a story in New Haven about 6 years ago when we were on a case. The house was haunted and was an old mafia hang out or club house. We actually found a grave in the basement filled with ashes as we broke through the cinderblock. Jeff from CTPAST had the wire camera and was able to see it was a possible grave so we broke it and he was correct. In the basement! We were called more for the lady who is a friend of my partner at the time. A Dominican fella. Very cool guy and deeply troubled. His skin was gray, and I could sense the curse on him. These Santeria Curses are hard to remove and often you have to go to the caster themselves to get permission. In Santeria this is a tradition that is passed down to deep rooted generations so you are talking about generations of knowledge. While doing harmful magik is a last resort there are people who do it in self defence but in this case it was due to the witch or buja casting a spell to get the man out of a 6 year prison sentence and it worked because instead he got six months rather than six years. He had to pay her 6000.00 if it worked. Well it worked and he ripped her off. Because of that he got cursed. You never want to pull a stunt like that and we are talking about magik passed down from generations so it’s super hard to remove. The best thing you can do is reason with the spell caster. My Funny Story I had a friend who was getting evicted and she had to go to court. She and her family had special needs. She called me for help. As a collector of occult artifacts I had a few voodoo dolls from New Orleans I never thought I would use so I was like hell let’s do an experiment. I first started by putting a spell on the police officers that when I emptied my pockets and went through walk-through metal detectors, they wouldn’t see the doll and rope I had. It was hilarious that it worked and I was on my way upstairs to the courtroom where I met my friend. The idea was so that her sister in law that was taking the house couldn’t talk. I sat in the courtroom and it was funny because the head of the doll popped off and rolled down the courtroom seats and on one saw it. It was like horror humor. I looked at my friend and we both laughed. I walked and picked the head up and attached it back on. Her sister in law then was called up so then I wrapped the rope around the head of the dole making her not be able to talk. It worked very well. Afterwards she went to her sister in law’s lawyer and her sister inlaw couldn’t talk at all. It bought her another month in the house because he couldn’t speak. I just think it’s hilarious that the head rolled off into the courtroom walkway. Hey, you know what they say??? Freedom of Religion.
Final Thoughts
Santería and similar traditions are complex, spiritual, and culturally rich. Like any path, they have both light and shadow. But above all, they deserve understanding and respect. To my friends in the Santería and Palo communities—thank you for your wisdom, strength, and friendship.
Much love and respect.
Until next time…
Please visit my website Vagaparanormal.com for info on psychic readings and ghost tours.
Nicholas R. Grossmann email Psychcimediumct@gmail.com