Blogs Worth Reading

What makes a blog enjoyable?  Well, first of all, the author has to demonstrate an ability to write.  Streams of consciousness do not interest me.  Quality over quantity, please.  Your page means nothing to me if you refer to the context as "random."  Another word I hate is "meanderings." Talk about walking into a wall.  You have to value your work!  If you're expressing your interest in a topic as ambiguous as folk magic or Stregheria, you have to remain focused.  Another tier I grade is the author's ability to move beyond theory and discuss practice. Below we have, in no particular order, my favorite blogs with magico-religious themes.

Conjure Gnosis,
This is a superior, professionally written blog on the topics of "folk-magic, spiritism, divination and hoodoo." The author, Balthazar, is a member of the Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers (AIRR) who also happens to be a Lucky Mojo Certified Practitioner.  Well worded reviews (on Tarot decks and a book or two), magical how-to's and personal insight can be found here in abundance.

Serpent Shod
Exercising my quality over quantity rule to perfection, Diaz maintains this blog on the diverse topic of folk magic, or as he calls it, "an exploration of the serpent furrows of arte and tradition."  The latest entry contains features the work of Maria Sabina. 

Stregheria Practica
Though it's been silent in recent years, this Portuguese blog has supplied me with much entertainment and inspiration.  It's the kind of blog you'll want to enjoy with food or a tall glass of tea.  Read it slowly.  You'll want to ponder it and examine your own craft and practice under it's light. 

Ancient Road
The blog site for a California based Hoodoo botanica formerly located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is so much more than a website companion or business tact.  There is real value in these essays.  A great deal of thought is placed on each installment.  It often takes me several days to read a single entry.  It makes me sorry I was never able to visit their store when I first moved here.

Curious Curandera
The professional site for a Texas based Curandera.  Many of you are probably already subscribed to her page.  While I haven't taken her classes, I've found relevance in the instructions and brief essays she's composed over the years. 

Stregoneria's Blog
With three essential essays on the nature of Italian witchcraft, this blog belongs to Marie Antonia, an authority on traditional Stregheria.  Her essay, "The Spirit of Italian Witchcraft" is easily the best entry I've read on the topic.  It does not exist on this page, but it can be found here. 

Whispers on the Wind
Last but not least we have Rev. Vincent Russo's blog.  This is a blog that will make you feel engaged, to say the least.  If you want to study Stregheria in earnest, take an evening to read through his archives.  The sidebar also contains a number of useful links. 

Creating a Book of Shadows

Charles Leland believed that Italian witches penned their own books from family secrets.  In Aradia, he writes that his tour guide Maddalena related this information.  In the modern day solitary witches compose their own "Book of Shadows," long term attempts to organize their collection of spells, prayers, rituals and sacred stories. It's a difficult task, unless you have a firm outline in place.  My own teacher has encouraged me to assemble a Book based on the rituals and magical materials contained in her syllabus (which I keep private).  While I'm not at liberty to reveal the designs for my own family book., I'd like to present a framework those of you interested in stregheria, folk magic and traditional folk magic can learn from.

0.  A dedication or title page. Every Book of Shadows needs to be filled with personalized power.  This is why it is preferential to hand write their final form.  And what better way than to have it personalized?  Give it a name, if you must.  Keep a picture of a mentor, your ancestors, your patron spirit on the first page. 

1.  A table of contents.  Every journey needs a map.  This will help you craft your project in the early days and find your way when you're searching for resources before a spell or ritual. 

2.  A collection of essays on the framework of your spells or traditions.  This can be as small as a few paragraphs or as long as three chapters.  Do you work with a magical Catholic framework? Create a few essays on the world of the saints and angels.  Lay out the rules for your rituals.  Are you a Neo-Pagan?  Explain, in detail, the paradigm of your tradition.  What spirits do you work with?  Do you call them God and Goddess?  Have you been influenced by Vodou, Santeria, Arthurian legend?  Write it all here.

3.  Describe your own important myths, historical or religious stories.  Do you believe the universe was started by the Big Bang?  Describe it here.  Do you believe we are all emanations of the consciousness that created the universe?  Explain why.  Any creations stories, family histories or religious doctrine that's important to your practice belongs here.

4.  Relevant laws.  Do you believe in karma or the Rule of Three?  Do you take the Ten Commandments seriously?  Does "Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law" make sense to you? This is the place the inscribe the laws of your personal universe.

5.  A table of correspondences and a list of personal symbols.  Do  the planets impact your work?  Do you believe that the sun in symbolized by gold and the spirits Ra or Helios?  This is a good place for reference.  Do you have any symbols like the cross, the Star of David or the Hand of Miriam that are important to your spell work?  Describe them here.

6.  Create a catalogue of your botanical and mineral allies.  Any stones, herbs or plants that are important to you belong here.  Also create a section describing their uses, contraindications and correspondences. 

7.  Describe any tools that are relevant to your tradition.  Do you work with household silverware?  Do you have any instruments that help you with your most important rituals?  Describe them here.  It will be a good place to come back to. 

8.  A collection of spells.  These won't be the only ones you'll ever work with, but they will be the ones that are most important to you.  You can always leave space to include more later.  If it makes sense to you, try to break them up by intended purposes: spells for money, finances, protection, attraction, etc. 

9.  Write a collection of essays on divination, particularly the methods you use.  Do you scry?  Do you read palms? Is there a system of omens you look for in the natural world?  Do you read Holy Cards?  Describe your methods of divination here.

10.  Catalogue the rituals important to your practice or tradition.  Do you have a method to detect and remove the Evil Eye?  Are there any rituals you practice on the solar holidays?  Do you dedicate your tools and statues?  Did your teacher give you any rituals to use for protection?  This is where you will include them.

11.  Catalogue your most important prayers.  Do you work with a magical Catholic framework and recite regular novenas?  This is the place to include them.  Do you have any specific prayers to your pantheon?  This is where you will read them.


In the meantime: The following exercises will help you build momentum and organize your sections. 

• Keep a journal.  We all need to record our experiences.  This will help you keep a record of your project.
• Create a series of magical notebooks.  I have a few notebooks where I pen down rituals and spells, as well as herb lore.  It's important to keep them separate so you can reference them quicker.  It will also help you organize your Book of Shadows when it's ready. 
• You can also keep folders on your computer in place of the above recommendations.  It's easier to catalogue, but you will want to get in the habit of hand-writing your work to prepare for the final product. 

 If anyone has any tips they'd like include, I'd very much like to see them in the comments section below.  I wouldn't be opposed to any questions or observation, either. Thanks for sharing!

Santa Morte: Holy Death in Eurpoe

 

Growing up in an Italian-American family I saw a lot of death. Most of my aunts and uncles were geriatric so there was a funeral every six months. They died of cancer, of pneumonia, of calculated risks. When that happened everyone came. We had relatives in distance states who would fly in for the occasion. I remember the funeral home most of all, an old Italian place in a rusty part of town. Everything about it depressed me, the carpet, the lights, the eternally overcast sky. Nothing ever changed at Rossi's.

I preferred the churches and cemeteries, high ceilings and open sky, a promise of lunch afterwords. Catholic churches rarely depressed me, not even the older ones with their darker windows and stony floors. Recently I stumbled across some Italian churches built specifically for the dead. Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte is probably the most famous, carved with skull motifs and winged time pieces. Similar shrines appear elsewhere in Italy, built to house friars and corpses of the abandoned or unknown. We could say death was familiar to the people who visited and built these churches. They were used to it, considering the shear number of plague victims throughout Europe.

Consider the following images from Santa Maria Della Concezione where an order of 4,000 dead monks line the walls. Now look a little closer at the photo to the right, depicting a tall skeleton with scythe and scales. Does any of this seem familiar? Could it be an ancestress, a forerunner of Mexico's death saint Santisima Muerte, the arcane spectre we know from botanica windows and head shops?  Shortly after researching this, I began spotting references to Italian death sprites like Dea Mors and the Greek Fate Atropos.  In most stories they were linked to Europe's dark Carnivals and a more obsucre figure from European legend called Santa Morte, or Saint Death. 

　

Most of what we know about Holy Death (Santisima Muerte) comes from Brujeria (Mexican Witchcraft) and Curanderismo. She is a product of syncreticism, believed to be linked to the Aztec spirit Mictecacihuatl. According to tradition, she is the archangel of death. Like the Madonna, she arrives in a variety of forms, each petitioned for different needs. La Blanca (White) has the power to heal and existed before Genesis.  La Roja (Red) is called upon for romantic endeavors, being the form she took when Adam and Eve made love in the Garden. She is also petioned for financial needs. La Negra (Black) is the form she took once Cain killed Abel.  She is petitioned for defense, murder and protection.

More recently, I became the student of a woman raised in an Italian folkloric tradition.  She agreed to teach me her family's blend of Stregheria.  One summer afternoon she mentioned "The Lady of Silence."  As it turns out, this Lady is one and the same with Santa Morte.  My teacher even referred to her as the Angel of Death.  While she isn't featured in every form of Stregheria, we do refer to her in our own, where she sits on my altar as The Lady of Silence.  What can  I tell you about this folk saint as she's petioned by Italian witches?  Very little.  Due to traditional Stregheria's renown security, we take special measures to preserve any symbolism and structure from traditions who might adapt them and misrepresent the stories or rituals in translation.  I can tell you that The Lady entertains her own fresh symbolism and a place in our credo. 

Concerning her influence over Santisima Muerte and Latin America, consider Spain's invasion of Mexico. Could it be possible that The Lady of Silence, a relic of Europe's Carnivals, influenced Brujeria and our modern understanding of Santisima Muerte? I think it's very likely, and find myself viewing her--and my family's customs--in a fuller, brighter light. Furthermore, if anyone works with this saint or has any additional texts, I'd love to hear from you. Please contact me or leave a note below.

On Minerva

( Originally published March 9, 2012)

 

There is a special place in my heart for Minerva. The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology calls her the least Italian of the imperial deities worshiped in Rome. Even Charles Leland had little to say of her, naming her an Etruscan Mnemosyne. I have to disagree. True contact with deities is not established in books, but in practice.

Minerva entered my life recently when I asked Jupiter's assistance in contacting the folletto, the spirits honored by my ancestors. Minerva, like Jupiter, Janus or Venus represents true animism. Her name stems from the ancient root for mind, making her a true epitome of thought and intellect. She rules craftsmanship, commerce and handy-work. She is also fond of students like myself.

Communion with Minerva is best accomplished in person. Leave a gift for her outdoors, on your altar or near your place of business or school. You will most likely experience her as a spirit independent of outside influences. Books on "Roman Mythology" make excellent reference points but tend to run in circles. Remember that the Italian spirits were experienced in oral lore and ritual long before they were recorded by poets and "fused" with the Greek pantheon. Minerva is not a footnote; she's an entity.

On Venus

(Originally published May 28, 2012)

Venus, like Morta the Roman Fate, is inevitable. Everyone experiences her. To the Italians she was a spirit of beauty and vitalization evident in nature. Every spring she returned with Flora and Feronia, blessing flowers and gorgeous plant life. Venus is beautification and regeneration. She is the eternally stimulated woman, a patron of painters, whores and emperors. Eventually she attained the stories of Aphrodite and became the patron of human love and beauty as well.

Charles Leland believed she evolved over time from the Etruscan Turan. Turan supposedly became the more popular Turanna, a faery of chance and fortune similar to Fortuna. Leland claims she divined and blessed with cards. Her totem was the Queen of Hearts.

Scholars are quick to point out Venus's lack of worship in early Rome. Unlike Jupiter and Juno she had to gain strength slowly. By the time of Julius Caesar, however, she became the Roman Genetrix or "Begetting Mother" of the imperial race. Hadrian completed a temple to her as late as 135 AD.

In modern times Venus is snyonomous with love. As a planetary spirit she is easier to recognize in nature than Aphrodite. She rules love, romance, beauty, sexuality and lust. As the mother of Cupid she rules erotic and emotional impulses. Her sacred colors are yellow and red, easily translated into candle magic and ritual. When working with her, remember you are dealing with the mother of regeneration. Venus changed her form several times to become the presence we know today. In the end, she's retained her core character.

Madonna del Granato

(Originally published February 20, 2012)

Recently I began searching for a Madonna to place on my ancestor altar. I had a few interesting leads but the form that spoke to me was one "Madonna del Granato," the Madonna with the pomegranate. As a fan of syncreticism, I found special value in this apparition, a Mary tied to my patron Hera.
As a child I grew very attached to Hera.  She was a very resourceful female, unwilling to turn a blind eye when someone harmed her. As a teenager, I found this protection extended to her children.

Mary, like Hera and Juno, has been called the Queen of Heaven. She is synchronized with many ancient spirits including the huntress Diana. Her various apparitions appeared in many countries throughout the world and in Capaccio, Italy there is a church near Hera's Argonaut-built temple where she is called the Madonna del Granato. In ancient times Hera was depicted with her favorite fruit, the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility and promise. Predictably, when the pagans of present day Capaccio and Paestrum converted to Christianity, they applied the red fruit to Mary and the Madonna del Granato was born.

As a strega, this Madonna is particularly interesting to me. She represents a link to my ancestors and the powers of nature ruled by Hera. I've only begun to work with this spirit and I hope to share more with you later. Please leave comments or private e-mails if this topic appeals to yo

Ascended Masters: Fata Morgana

On the surface, Arthurian Legend has little to do with Italian witchcraft.  Geography aside, there is enough contrast in literature and tradition.  But what if we're discussing the King's half sister, Morgan le Fay?

     Morgan's spirit seems to be concerned with borders, oceans and transition.  For this reason, I refer to her as a spirit of transcendence.  When the Normans arrived in Italy during the 11th century, they applied her name to a famous illusion off the Straits of Messina.  These straits, it should be known, separate Sicily from mainland Italy.  In The Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer, the straits are home to Scylla and Charybdis, two notorious monsters bested by Odysseus.  It is here, according to Italian folklore, that Fata Morgana keeps a home.

     As an ambiguous sorceress, Morgan was established by writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Mallory.  According to tradition, she plotted against Arthur and stole the famous sword Excalibur.  She is also a healer, credited with curing her wounded brother and presiding over a sisterhood on the isle of Avalon.  Morgan's acts vary depending on who's (re)telling the story.

    Further back in Celtic lore we have Modron, a Welsh spirit who shares many of Morgan's kinder roles and the names of her children.  Like Jesus, Morgan is a synchretic mystic who made herself divine through associations with older spirits.  The Irish Morrigan (a warrior who can take on the form of a crow), Greece's Earth Mother Gaea and the Welsh sorceress Cerridwen have also been linked to Morgan le Fay.

     Call upon Morgan to help you attune with glamoury, enchantment, and the Great Work.  She can also teach you to appreciate synchronicity (according to Malory, she learned magic as a nun) and change.  Morgan makes an excellent mentor.  Her energy is easy to recognize.  She's likely to appear to you in many forms.