Exotic and Mundane

Folk magic is like a cup a tea. Leaves, exotic and mundane, get mixed around. Time and pressure are involved. In the end, a satisfying infusion takes place. And like tea, it's part of everyday life.

I have been a student of Wicca. I have, as a child, called myself a Christian, too. I've tried to be a Neo Pagan and I've gotten to experience the world of Vodou. In the end I've found that magic isn't dependent or exclusive to a religion, because like tea it can be infused everywhere, in any saucer or pot. It was truly folk magic, whether Hoodoo or Stregonaria or Brujeria, that resembled the earthy, alluring, poetic style captured by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, the magic of folklore and fairytales.

Eggs rolled over the body and cracked in a tub; Pennies and candy arranged at the four corners of a crossroads; Candles and amulets dressed in oil; Blue beads and silver worn to repel the Evil Eye-- In my mind this is all much more primal and effective than "invoking the God and Great Goddess," attributing magic solely to the word of fertility when it serves a wider, all engrossing drive.

By February 24th, Streghe Pages will be revised as The Crucibile: A Folk Magic Journal. The Crucible will serve an ecclectic brew steeped in many leaves. Hoodoo, Rootwork and Conjure will be explored as well as Stregonaria, Italian faith healing, and Gnosis based Christianity. Pagan religious structures will also be explored from an animistic perspective.

Details on the nature of this shift can be found in the previous entry or by contacting me below.

On Lilith

The devil is in the details.

Lilth has no canon.  She has no official iconography, mythology, back story or religion.  Over analyze her and the details fall apart.  Lilith has associations, scattershots of a legacy reaching as far back as the Sumerians.  She is similar to Tiamat, Nammu, Lammashtu and Bellit-Illi, local spirits of child birth, sex and murder.  She is supposedly the wind spirit Lilitu or a handmaiden of Innana.  She is also the ex-wife of Adam in Judeo-Christian mythology, the Queen of Demons.  In Islam she is related to several Djiin.  She is viewed as a goddess by Women's Liberation movements, Wicca and Neo-Paganism.  Psychologists say she is a neglected part of the Dark Feminine.  She is also known as the Queen of Witches, Sheba and the Black Madonna.  Try to unravel the sequence and you're back at zero.

In the past, I've experienced Lilith. She was the first spirit I've worked with who produced physical manifestations of her presence. It inspired a kind devotion throughout my teens and early twenties. Being open in my interest, I received many questions from Wiccans and Neo Pagans. Many of them wondered how I could work with her as the energy from the Garden of Eden and believe in spirits like Hera and Isis.  They wanted to know why I couldn't pray to Lilith as a goddess. The answer is simple: she isn't. She simply isn't a Christian, Jewish or Pagan energy. She belongs to no one.

As such, I've discovered Lilith is not the most approachable entity on a long term basis. She will not accept altars or daily devotions for very long. She needs to be free to approach you when she chooses, flitting in and out of your life when it's appropriate.

If you are working with Lilith and absolutely need an altar, I suggest keeping it in a room separate from any other saints or spirits. She accepts, in my own experience, jewelry, incense and gifts or wine, rum or whiskey. She responds to red as a candle color and her totem animals are jackals, black cats, panthers and the owl.

Stregoneria and the Future of Streghe Pages

As many of you know, Stregoneria is a relatively modern term denoting Italian and Italian American folk magic.  Being a folk magic framework, it is not a religious practice, though many of its enthusiasts are Catholics or Pagans of some kind. In several ways, it is comparable to Hoodoo and Brujeria, though this is still being researched.  As is the identical case with Stregheria (and yes, I am rolling my eyes right now), it translates (more or less) to "witchcraft."  The frustrating thing about this terminology is that the later, Stregheria, is hard to separate from Neo Pagan, Gardenian influenced Wicca and the efforts of writers like Raven Gramassi.   And while there is nothing wrong with said influences or paths, I prefer to work and practice and write within a folk magic perspective.  This has always been the case, since this blog was created in 2010.

In the past I have been able to proceed, using Stregheria to denote witchcraft and folk magic with an Italian or Italian American slant. But lately, I find it's hard to write the above word without implying Diana-based or Neo Pagan Wicca.  And I've increasingly inspired these associations by using the word Stregheria.  It should also be fairly obvious that I work with Gnostic and Catholic saints, energies and terms associated with a Judeo Christian paradigm and the lwa and orisha of Vodou, Santeria and what we're calling African Diaspora.  I am, at heart, a folk magician, who enjoys animism and spirits of various paths.  I am not a Pagan or a Christian, per se, though I do have some Gnostic slants in my worldview.  And the older I become, the more traveled and cultured and experienced I become in folk systems, the more I discover that Italian American magic is not my exclusive influence, neither in writing or daily practice..

So what does this mean for Streghe Pages?

I'd like to write for a larger group of readers.  I'll always search for ways to educate others about Italian and Italian American folk magic, but I'm also very interested in Brujeria and Hoodoo, as well as Conjure and Root Work.  I'd like open other avenues, moving forward.  In the next week, I'll be reviewing this blog and revamping the name, URL and style. Streghe Pages will live on.  That is guaranteed.The entries with an inherent Italian basis will continue to be linked in the page marked The Strega Diaries at the upper right.  This will continue to educate readers on Italian folk magic and organize a resource.  All upcoming entries, of course, will be added to the main page first, but archived and collected in The Strega Diaries, if they pertain to Italian and Italian American magic, for easy reference. 

I Work With: Baron Samedi

Baron Samedi, the lwa of the dead, is always hungry. He is perhaps the most iconic of the Vodou lwa, in appearance and attitude. Renowned for obscenities, vulgarity and a lust for life, he walks a fine line between the living and the dead.

In my experience, Baron Samedi is interested in personal transformation, the protection of children and magic. He communicates using the vehicles of sleep and trance. He has expressed himself most vividly to me during shifts in consciousness. Like most well known lwa, he has certainly been known to walk a personal path with his initiates. He strikes a Shamanic balance with the world of Vodou. He is, in my mind all, an excellent teacher and mentor. His caring, sensitive side is often underplayed in public forums.

Offer Baron Samedi rum, whiskey and cigars as his favorite staples. Remember that when we are discussing spirits, we are discussing personalities. As such, the Baron is fond of music, spicy foods and sunglasses. He has tastes, likes and dislikes! Once I offered him red wine and he showed up in a dream afterward to insist I never offered it again! His totem colors are black and purple. He is known by Papa Gede in Santeria. Baron Samedi can affirm your faith in spirit, in life after death and your own intuition. He can teach us all to value life.

I Work With:Saint Jospeh



San Giuseppe, the patron of carpenters, the
unemployed and people providing for their families has a long history with folk magic. As related in a previous entry, the benevolent saint entered my orbit during a time of unemployment.  Since then, he has become my patron saint.

Saint Joseph is petitioned for a variety of needs and reasons in magico-religious traditions. As Saint Jospeh the Worker he helps the unemployed secure employment and the employed stay at work. As a builder of homes and provider he is traditionally invoked to sell houses. Traditionally, his statue is buried in the yard or, in apartments or buildings where a lawn is lacking, a flowerpot. He is also invoked for a peaceful death, as he was surrounded by Jesus and Mary at his end.

Renowned for his compassion, Saint Joseph may ask you to exercise charity in your own life. He is often depicted with lilies, the death flower and yellow or purple robes. Yellow is the color of his novena candles and purple relates to his place in Heaven. With his special place in God's court, he can relate our petitions to the highest levels. For this reason (and to demonstrate his familiar compassion) he is shown carrying the infant Jesus. His special day is Sunday. Remember as you are praying or working with Saint Jospeh, that you are forming a relationship with this generous, gifted man, a humble but energetic saint.

I Work With: Danballa and Aida Wedo

In Haitian Vodou, Danballa is credited with creating the earth or world egg. He is usually depicted as a white serpent with his wife Aida Wedo, the rainbow. The two serpentine lwa (spirits) are inseparable and never travel without each other, according to my earliest teacher. Indeed, in my experience, one is never very far behind the other.

I first encountered Danballa when I was praying to the Hebrew deity Asherah (often viewed as the estranged wife of the Judeo-Christian God in the Old Testament). While meditating, I sensed a white tower and later, the vision of a black man in a white robe appeared. Later, I discovered this man was Legba, though I never heard his name or read it at this point. Suddenly, the skeletal outline of a snake hovering through space filled my mind. In the next instant, I heard my name. It was loud enough to break my concentration, as I was sure it came from the room. What I did next surprised me. I sat on the floor and cried. That's how beautiful the voice was.

This is the only experience with Danballa I can share, though I have experienced further contact with the lwa and his wife. The nature of these incidents are far too personal to share on a blog. In person, I've been happy to share the faith affirming stories, with friends and extended family. Personal miracles and affirming faith are, in my mind, some of their specialties.

Danballa is often snynchronized with Moses or Saint Patrick. He appears, to some, as a tall old man with a light skin tone and long white hair with a long white beard. Aida Wedo is often depicted as an actual rainbow or a woman with a serpent's head. They both enjoy offerings of white food (eggs and rice, especially) and candles and, in my experience, frankincense.

I Work With: Saint Michael

 

We are all familiar with Saint Michael: Christians, Jews, ceremonial magicians and faith healers. A favorite icon of synchretic animism, he has been likened to Hermes, Mercury, and Danballa. In the Judeo-Christian context, he is the most prominent arcangel and the leader of God's armies.

Saint Michael has been credited as the patron of soldiers and faith healers. He is also petitioned by folk magicians (especially the Italian strega and the Mexican bruja).  In these systems he is called upon to break curses, protect individuals from enemy snares and help us shield ourselves during work with more dangerous saints like the Santa Morte (or Santa Muerte in Spanish).

St. Michael, as God's protector and the friend of humanity can also protect the god in you. It is best to approach St. Michael traditionally, with his established prayers and red candles. You can recite folk prayers (they exist in abundance) or a Catholic novena. Spend some time meditating on his image and properly get to know him. He is always available.

I Work With: Isis

Isis is the Greek name for Auset, an Ancient Egyptian spirit of sovereignty and magic. Like Hera, her worship is believed to predate the worship of her contemporaries. Her roots may stretch back to a predynastic avian spirit archaeologists dub the Bird of Prey Goddess. Isis, in the historical meantime, has been called many things--Great of Magic, Power of the Throne, Queen of Heaven, Savior of the human race. This last one is most interesting to me, because it makes Isis accessible to common people.




Isis is worshipped as a goddess, as a divine being, but she was also depicted ruling Egypt as the first queen. As Osiris is away on his travels, Isis is depicted introducing weaving and spinning into our world. When her husband dies--physically dies --she grieves for him. Clearly the word "god, " had some less abstract conotations than it does today. As Osiris is the first person to die, he becomes the king of the dead, of the Underworld. While Isis and Osiris are envisioned as living, breathing people, they are also something more, as the two were born from the personifications of the earth and sky. In my mind, Isis is a precursor to human kind, a kind of ancestor.

Another of her appealing aspects to me is her capacity as a magician. Isis is a talented sorceress. She uses her magic again and again during Egyptian myth. In order to revive Osiris, on a temporary basis, she collects pieces of his body from all over the world. He is painted green in Egyptian art, representing his association with vegetation. During this time she conceives Horus. Her magic is also used to wrest the secret name of Re, the sun spirit, giving the sorceress and her son the highest power in the Egyptian pantheon. Isis then, is the most powerful being in the Egyptian universe, having authority over Re, Osiris and Horus. She is often referred to as the "Mistress of Magic."


Isis was historically worshiped by slaves and the lower class by the time her influence spread to Rome. Not only was her status a threat to conservative Roman religion, it also presented a problem to budding Christianity. The worship of Isis in all its sincere devotion could not be erased completely, so her iconography was transferred to the Virgin Mary, another exceedingly human divine figure.

It is interesting to note that the Romans and the Hellenes displayed her in black, considering her worship in Italy. My teacher, Marie Antonia, has told me that black is predominantly worn by streghe because as Italians, we're always mourning. Isis, after all, is mourning her slain husband.


Isis, in my mind, is the perfect witch's deity.
She was a living, breathing person who helped herself become more divine, who in the end reached Gnosis. My Isis altar depicts her in her Roman form, simply because this representation speaks loudest to me. Truth be told, I am still crafting a relationship with her, as she only recently announced her presence to me, during a period of emotional upheaval. If anyone works with Isis in a traditional framework, void of Neo Pagan paradigms, I'd be happy to hear from you! I'm particularly interested in speaking to folk magicians who work with Isis. Thank you for your time. 

I Work With: Hera

 

There are few spirits from the pre-Olympian world as attainable and self aware as Hera. A creatrix in her own right, Hera is written as the elder sister of Zeus. This tradition --well remembered by the time oral lore was recorded by poets like Homer--reminds us that Hera, as an historically worshipped entity, is older than Olympian religion, Zeus worship and what we now call Greek Mythology.  Authorities believe the conflicts in her marriage with Zeus reflect may reflect historical struggles between their respective cults. So Hera, as a spiritual energy, emanates as a varied figure through multiple planes.

In the context of epic and sacred poetry, Hera is often emphasized as the wife of Zeus. Within this unbalanced role, she has plenty of room to engage her vindictive side.  Often times Hera is shown punishing Zeus's lovers or the children born from their affairs. She turns Europa into a cow and takes every step to ensure Alcmene, Heracles's mother, is unable to deliver her baby into the world. In one version of the story, Hera sits on Alcemene's doorstep with her fingers crossed together, sympathetically binding her womb. In retaliation over the birth of Athena (or Zeus's boasting that women were unnecessary in creation process), she strikes the earth and causes Gaea to unleash the demon Typhon.

Who was Hera before the Olympic age? Ancient art depicts her in the crown, garb and gestures of an entity we call the Great Goddess (in modern times). We also know that Hera was revered as the "Flowering adolescent," the wife and the widow. Each function was given her own temple in Arcadia. An all female game now called the Heraean Games, were held in her honor each year, with prizes given to victors from each age group. What remains of Hera historically from this context is hazy, but her personality, as related by the poets, reveals an embittered, multi-layered individual with power over heaven, earth and the underworld. 

Concerning her connection to Juno, the Italian spirit of light, and her importation into the Roman world, we'd have to examine The Aneid. The Queen of Heaven and wife of Jupiter is heavily based on Hera, perhaps hinting at a preconceived syncretic worship well in place throughout Italy before the Roman Empire. In my mind, they are truly the same spirit.

So how then, do I work with Hera? How do I understand and empathize her? To me, being an animist, I often use the word spirit instead of god. But Hera seems to be farther reaching than the everyday spirit. I work with Hera as a sort of Great Sprit, to introduce a Native American concept. Hera is the face of the universe, when I feel the universe needs a face. She is a spirit of agendas, capable of amazing compassion and spite. She is not unlike the god from the Old Testament. She will favor her children and harm their enemies. Concerning her presence, I've experienced her at my bedside before I even had an altar to her. Her presence is easy to detect at home or indoors, if you call to her personally. It's also easy to experience her outside, on long walks beneath her totemic skies, being both rural and urban (Hera is often depicted seated in the halls of Olympus, but was also said to wander earth and hell lonesome by herself).

You may approach Hera any number of ways. I will often invoke her with white candles and and the recitation of her Homeric hymn. She enjoys gifts of jewelry and higher quality incense (nothing synthetic, please). Arrange peacock feathers around her altar, if you'd like. I have a handful from a lot near Albuquerque, where they wobble lose on the street. I've cut the eyes below the stems and scattered them around her gifts. Hera also enjoys crisp and cool fresh water and a glass of wine or pomegranate juice. The whole fruit will do as well. Aside from peacocks and hens, her favorite bird is the cuckoo. The months of February and June are important to her, in her role as Juno. Approach Hera with respect and sincerity. This is a spirit who has been historically worshiped as a queen.