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: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: 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.

The Evil Eye: What It Is, What It Isn't and How to Avert It

You can not study folk magic without discussing the phenomenon the Italians call Malacchio, the Evil Eye. And while much has been said about this subversive spell online, I find it's been over generalized into a "look of envy." In my time as a student of traditional Stregheria, I've experienced this hex and tossed over a few rocks to discover Malacchio's wormy history. What I've taken away from this search is that the English, Wikipedia rehashing of the curse loses a few key notes in translation.

The Evil Eye is a harmful look of projection. It results in fatigue, dehydration, skin irritation and general misfortune. In rare cases, the Eye can result in death.  Generally speaking, the Evil Eye is believed to derive from envy, but it can also be transmitted through any feeling projected by its caster.  Often times, the person transmitting the Eye is doing so unconsciously.  It's also believed that the Eye is drawn by excessive pride.  Whether or not this is true, it is unethical to project.  It reminds me of court case defenses you hear now and then that when a woman is dressing provocatively she is somehow "asking" to be raped, or inviting that kind of behavior. In theory, a person casting the Evil Eye is doing so because they feel the overly proud person is eliciting attention.

Is the Evil Eye a result of the person casting it's sensitivity and/or insecurities? It may not honestly matter. Jealousy, insecurity and piety will always be a part of our nature in a, "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone," kind of way. The best thing to do is to shield yourself from the Evil Eye's nature in the traditional ways our ancestors employed.

When it comes to Italians, the following amulets were applied:

The Cornuto or corno is better known as the Italian Horn.  It is a popular charm worn by Italian Americans in coral, silver and gold.  There are a variety of reasons attributed to its presence, each rooted in tradition.  In its coral form it is used to repel the Evil Eye.  The gold and silver forms are (as usual) speculated to date back to pagan times and the veneration of the lunar spirit Luna (the horns signifying those of the moon).  In later times (if you're subscribing to that theory), it them would have been reintegrated into the adoration of Mary who is intimately linked with lunar iconagrapy.  In my experience the gold form is worn by Italian Americans along with the cross.

And then, there is the Chimaruta. What  can I say about the Chimaruta? It is a mystery.  Scholars believe it is a totemic amulet intended to ward off witchcract and it's association, the Evil Eye.  Neo Pagan author Raven Grimassi believes (with what basis I wonder?) that it represents the spirit Diana Triformis.  The name Chimaruta literally means, "Sprig of rue," and the charm itself is cast in silver.  Three branches, bearing totems, have the potential to break into smaller sub-branches.  The truth probably lies closer to the scholarly theory, as the branching charms do seem to generate an external effect.  What this effect is probably depends on the family or practicioner who wore it.  Rue is a protective plant, and is also an herb applied intimately in Italian spells and rituals.  The intended use most likely depends on the assortment of trinkets or totems mentioned earlier.   Without historical basis, furthermore, we can not assume it had anything to do with Diana Triformis. The Chimatuta most likely belongs to the realm of family secrets and folk magic, not a suppressed Pagan cult.

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. 

Saint Joseph the Worker

"O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests in desires..."

The preceding prayer has helped me immensely of late.  And it can help you.  Creating a relationship with St. Joseph, the beloved foster father of Christ, is a personal journey I undertook three months when my unemployment looked grim.  Being a transsexual has it's own set of challenges, one of which happens to be finding a job.  Little by little I lost hope and little by little San Giuseppe, the carpenter saint of my Catholic heritage appealed to me.  I began to worry for my own safety and that of my boyfriend and our pets, who depended on my finding a new source of income in the near future.

"O Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you or Jesus asleep in your arms... "

   It occurred to me, as it has to so many others, that Saint Joseph shares our concern for family being a craftsman who supported Jesus and Mary.  For that reason he has been petitioned by countless Italians who integrated him into folk magic.  A relationship with Saint Joseph can help you maintain stability and homeostasis within your work and home life.  

   As Saint Joseph the Worker he is honored on May 1 and his special day is Sunday. He is often seen in the his spouse and child as the Holy Family.  He is also at home with his work bench on Catholic Holy Cards, ready to help you resume control of your life.

Jesus as Magician

(Originally published December 10, 2011)

For two thousand years Jesus has been invoked to protect the home, the family and the individual. He has been nailed to your wall and worn about your neck.  He is a living spell, a Word of Power and--according to some--a magician.

     For twenty four years I avoided him.  The trouble was everyone had an opinion I was supposed to subscribe to.  Jesus is lord, Jesus is King, Jesus runs the show, etc.  I never had room to interpret him myself.  I never made time to examine the kind eyes, the liberal agenda and the obvious metaphysics of his life. He was born of a virgin, cured the blind, raised the dead and drove off spirits.  Jesus also performs the highest goal of ceremonial magicians, unleashing his divinity.

     There were also ancient claims to Jesus's mystical life.  If we're to believe an Egyptian bowl from Alexandria (evidently conceived between the 2nd century BCE  and 1AD), the first written reference to Jesus describes a magician.  Interestingly enough, an enemy of Christianity named Celsus wrote an account between the 2nd and 3rd Centuries describing Jesus as a magician who learned his skills in Egypt, where the bowl was found.

     Modern evidence suggests that Jesus is a synchronized deity based on "god men" like Horus, Mythras and Heracles.  I couldn't agree more.  Jesus has many roles.  He can help you understand the mystic's life better than most modern magicians.  He can teach you tolerance.  He can help make you aware of spirit and acknowledge your inner-divinity.   Jesus's associations are diverse: he is associated with the sun, the color white, blood, the cross and the color 3.  In Santeria, Jesus is synchronized with Obatala, the creator of human form.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Originally published November 11, 2011)

"Are you Wiccan?  Is that how I say that?"  Many times people are surprised when I say no.  I'm also not a Pagan in the modern sense.  I'm an animist.  What's the difference?  For one, Neo-Pagans work within a pantheon of gods while animists work with spirits and energy.  As an animist I make no classifications between deities like Zeus and Catholic saints.  Spirit is spirit.  There are spirits and elemental energies presiding over your favorite plant and gemstone.  Tools and pendants can be charged as independent allies.  I'm not about to box myself in and work with only one group of energies.  I'm not the kind of girl who likes putting the universe in boxes: the Goddess, the God, etc, etc,  It doesn't work for me.  Animism feels more organic to me; it feels real.  At this point it's more of a nature than a religion as it fits into mundane life.

    "What is Stregheria?"  If you've been reading this blog at all you'll know that Stregheria is the Italian word for witchcraft.  It is not (as some people claim) the Italian version of Wicca.  But while witchcraft is not a religion it can be taught, practiced or celebrated as a tradition.

     "Is Stregheria hereditary?"  Some people will tell you they learned their craft from a grandmother or parent.  I don't doubt this is often true.  In my case, I grew up with very religious, conservative parents.  Witchcraft was always an interest whose origin I couldn't pinpoint.  As I grew older I learned to open myself to the knowledge of my ancestors, whose memories and experiences with things like herb lore, folk magic and mysticism have always been apart of me.

  "Are you Catholic?"   I enjoy Catholic imagery.  It appeals to me.  I love rosaries and religious pendants.  My working room is decked with images of saints. None of this is because I'm Catholic but because it keeps me closer to my ancestors.  My ancestors were involved with the same saints.  They pulled them from several sources.  I can't help but feel they helped instill this in me.

Lilith: The Dark Mother in Literature, Art and Faith

Lilith, the long-haired Queen of Witches in Italian folklore is the subject of my new blog, found here.  If this interests you, you might want to subscribe for weekly mythology, folktales and religious doctrine.

On Hecate

When dealing with Greek Mythology, you are dealing with poetry in motion.  That is to say, the Greek world's stories were first recorded as poems.  Hecate, the most evasive spirit in the region, would have been first recounted by word of mouth and then famed by written word.  In this untapped form before dictionaries, media interpretations and art we find the primal goddess.

     In Hesiod's Theogony Hecate is said to be a descendant of the older, Titan generation.  Thus she is older than the traditional Greek gods.  Perhaps recognizing this Zeus grants her dominion over the three realms of creation: the heae, earth and underworld.  Great emphasis is placed on the fact that she deserves her dues, even from the King of Olympus.  Classical writers observed fear as her signature, fear belonging to mortals and immortals alike.  Her name is said to mean "She who has influence from far off" or "her that operates from afar."  She was associated with graveyards, dogs, torches, crossroads and magic.

     How was Hecate represented in Greece?  How did she manifest?  As a vital, dark haired grown woman, constantly in motion.  One hardly sees her pictured without an instrument or torch in hand.  Her second hallmark is the ability to exist in three bodies at once.  This is possibly an illumination of her claims over heaven, earth and hell.

     Modern religions, quick to over analyze, claim her triple function to be a side effect of the popular Triple Goddess of Neo Pagans: Maiden, Mother and Crone, fixating heavily on the role of crone.  I prefer to stray from this representation.  The Greeks knew Hecate's roles were vast, too vast to fit into one body.

     My shrine to Hecate is mounted on a wall.  She is intentionally placed near the bedroom door.  I burn mullein and incense for her inside but.I prefer to leave all consumable offerings outdoors at the crossroads.  Hecate, it should be known, is loud if you call on her but you'll never forget her words.

Stregheria

(Originally published 1/25/11)

Since moving to New Mexico, Stregheria, the tradition of Italian witches seems more relevant to me.  I find myself looking at perfumes, oils and charms in hoodoo catalogues and thinking, what's in this?  How can I make this myself?  A friend of mine once told me the best way to study Stregheria is too read up on herbs.  Your ancestors will take care of the rest.  He was right.  Every time my boyfriend and I cook I'm consiously aware of the building blocks we're using; what goes where, how should you prepare this, cut that?  When we made pasta with meat sauce from scratch, I knew we were eating the experience of our efforts.  Stregheria, as Charles Leland said, is a little more than a tradition and less than a faith.

When working with a long running structure like traditional Stregheria, there is always going to be belief involved.  Leland wrote in his Etruscan Roman Remains on the topic, "Closely allied to the belief in these old deities, is a vast mass of curious tradition, such as that there is a spirit of every element or thing created, as for instance of every plant and mineral, and a guardian or leading spirit of all animals..."  In this case, Leland was writing about animism, which is a core belief to traditional streghe.
The streghe work with several sources of energy.  Aside from Italy's famous spirits we can also tap into the Judeo-Christian saints and angels.  St. Lucy, for instance, is invoked in several spells to cure bad eyesight while St. Peter is invoked during baking and his mystical role of "Opener of the Ways".
About a week before moving my interest in jewelry and accessories grew.  Thrift store jewelry and rings have always been a favorite indulgence of mine.  Now I know why.  I'm attracted to the simple magic of them, the way they can discreetly alter your day.  I always wear at least one or two rings, a necklace or some kind of bracelet or band.  It doesn't have to be bear any witchy design.  It just has to be on you the right day, shining like a partner or tool.  What is your totem, your message on any given Monday that might be different from Tuesday or Thursday?  I never know what I'm going to wear until I'm facing the closet.  I never plan in advance.  The same can be said for clothes. A witch, especially a strega employs magnetism as part of her craft.

Meditation doesn't seem as urgent for the moment.  I seem to be capable of tuning in easier here, call it the atmosphere.  Instead I'm making use of dream bags and Tarot cards.  I've been more excited by the Tarot than ever! Oracle cards have a higher rank in my interest. The appetite I have for cards is the same as my interest in jewelry: innate, sudden, growing.  Naturally, fortune telling (particularly cartomancy) is a major tool of streghe.
I've come to realize in the course of writing this that the move was good for my spirit too.  I needed a new grove to nest in, to plant myself.  I learned about all I could from the trains, botanicas, buses and mixed neighborhoods of Minneapolis.  These realizations occurred as soon as I trusted myself here.  I have to admit, I'm growing as a strega and not just as a woman.