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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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.