Leafy Anderson
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Leafy Anderson, also known as Mother Leaf Anderson (1887-1927), was a Spiritualist, medium, and religious leader best known for her role in the Spiritual Church Movement. She was born in Balboa, Wisconsin, but little is documented about her early life or what initially drew her to Spiritualism. By the early 20th century, she had become involved in the movement and in 1913, at the age of 26, she established the Eternal Life Christian Spiritualist Church in Chicago, Illinois. She also founded churches in Saint Louis, Missouri, and in New Jersey and Indiana. In 1919, she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she built a large following. The church members referred to her as Mother Anderson, and many of the local leaders were women.
In New Orleans, Anderson preached a new religious tradition that incorporated elements of Protestant Christianity, Catholicism saint veneration, and aspects of African and African-Diasporic ancestral traditions and African American hoodoo folk spirituality. Her movement built upon existing Spiritualist practices, while introducing new worship methods that resonated with the communities she served. As a medium, she channeled the spirit of the Native American warrior Black Hawk, a black preacher named Father Jones, and the Biblical Queen Esther. Among her parishioners, the spirit of Black Hawk came to be venerated at special feasts and services as a powerful protector, guide, and advocate for civil justice. Drawing a parallel between the Black Hawk War against the United States Government that took place in Illinois and the events in the Bible in the Book of Isaiah 21:5, Black Hawk's image became a prominent fixture in her Spiritual Church, where congregants sought his protection and wisdom and guidance in matters of civil justice. Her churches also provided healing, prophecy, and community support, offering a space where African American women could be ministers, and connect with both their ancestors and the divine in ways that traditional Christian institutions did not allow. As a religious independent, Anderson believed that every person has a spirit guide, that divinity is non-gendered, and that Jesus should not be addressed by that name, but rather as "Spirit," even going so far as to adapt popular Baptist gospel songs by replacing the word "Jesus" with "Spirit." When she channeled spirits, she dressed in clothing appropriate to the spirit's earthly body -- in formal male garments for Father Jones, in Native American clothing for Black Hawk, and in Biblical finery for Queen Esther.
Anderson taught classes in mediumship, prophecy, and healing to large groups of people, mostly women, for a dollar a lesson. Upon their completion of their studies to her satisfaction, she ordained and empowered them as ministers in their own right, and supported them in the creation of their own chapels, churches, and practices as readers and root doctors. Among her best-known students were Catherine Seals of the Temple of Innocent Blood; Kate Frances, a local community activist during the Great Depression; and Maud Shannon, pastor of Saint Anthony's Helping Hand Divine Spiritual Chapel in New Orleans. The movement Anderson established persisted beyond her lifetime. She passed away in 1927, at the age of 40, but her followers carried on her teachings, and the churches she inspired spread across the country, particularly in the American South. Her teachings and practices continue to influence generations of Spiritual Church leaders and congregants. Anderson's emphasis on empowering Black women and envisioning a non-gendered supreme deity can still be seen in Spiritual Churches that continue to honor her visions and to offer spiritual guidance, healing, and ancestral connections to those who seek them. As a celebrated medium, she has also become a spirit guide to those who seek her help in matters of justice and the development of the psychic gift of mediumship.
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