I just posted this in one of the FB group in which I participate. I thought that folks here might find it interesting...
New topic (bound to be controversial!)
Let's talk about how Italian words are used by Westerners (specifically, English speakers).
Often, English speakers will modify foreign words to make them sound better within an English sentence. For instance, in English, a person who practices "Wicca" is referred to as "Wiccan". However, a person who practices "Stregheria" is "a Strega", not "Streghan". Personally, I feel that if someone is going to use a foreign word, it's important to understand the word in the native language from which it originates and use it in that context. Of course, it can get even more complicated when we start to get into colloquial expressions! If one still chooses to anglicize a foreign word after knowing it's origins and use, then at least it is an informed choice.
Below are common Italian words that we use in this forum. I'd like to offer how *I* use them. This is not meant to tell others that they aren't using them correctly but is instead offered as a way of explaining how I heard them used when I was in Sicily:
Stregheria - archaic word Witchcraft. As Raven says, "The 18th century writings of Giorlamo Tartorotti refers to "Stregheria" as the survival of the cult of the goddess Diana". I use Stregheria to indicate "Pagan religious Witchcraft" based in the Italic cultures.
Stregoneria - the common word in modern Italy used to indicate Witchcraft. As Raven says, "In mainstream Italian culture "Stregoneria" means harmful magic and is associated with the Devil". (Vinnie notes - just as the word "witchcraft" does in most mainstream Western cultures.) I use Stregoneria to indicate witchcraft as a magical practice regardless of religious, spiritual, or ethical association; i.e. folk magic and tradition as a practice rather than a vocation.*
Strega (una strega) - singular, female witch
Stregone (uno stregone) - singular, male witch
Streghe - plural of strega; i.e. a group of female witches (also commonly used to indicate a group of witches of mixed sex)
Stregoni - plural of stregone; i.e. a group of male witches
della strega - possessive singular; i.e. The witch's broom (La scopa della strega)
delle streghe - possessive plural; i.e. The witches' broom (La scopa delle streghe)
Words that are not Italian but commonly used by English speakers:
Stregan, Streghan, Stregherian - These are American derivations of Italian words but not actually Italian. They are often used to indicate a practitioner of witchcraft (stregheria or stregoneria). However, a person who practices stregheria (or stregoneria) is not "stregan" or "stregherian". A person who practices Stregheria is a "a strega" or "a stregone" (English) [or "una strega" or "uno stregone" (Italian)].
*Nota bene: I was always told that in Italy/Sicily, the word Strega was always negative and never used as a self-identifier. I was very surprised to find that to be the case "for the general, non-magical public" but not necessarily for the magical community. For the general public, like in parts of our culture, Strega (or any type of witchcraft) most definitely has a very negative connotation. However, that's starting to change. There are dozens of shows (mostly for teens and pre-teens) where the good guys are witches. Kinda like the Disney show "Witches of Waverly Place". What I did notice was that the word Strega was almost never used on its own by the *general* populace. It was always clarified with something like: strega cattiva, strega buona, strega bella, strega maga, etc. to indicate what type of strega, as if the word (on its own) was simply an indicator of a practitioner of magic (folk or cultural).
I encourage all my students to get a basic understanding of Italian music, culture, food and language in order to understand the context from which Italic Craft is derived. I hope that you found this "buon argomento di meditazione" (good food for thought).
Benedizioni
Because, eventually, everyone always talks to Vinnie.
Showing posts with label Streghe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Streghe. Show all posts
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Strega in Sicily...
As some of you know, I recently spent a month in Sicily for vacation and reconnecting with my ancestry. While there, I (eventually) met what we in the USA would call Streghe.
I was always told that it Italy/Sicily, the word Strega was always negative and never used as a self-identifier. I was very surprised to find that to be the case "for the general, non-magical public" but not necessarily for the magical community.
For the general public, like in parts of our culture, Strega (or any type of witchcraft) most definitely has a very negative connotation. However, that's starting to change. There are dozens of shows (mostly for teens and pre-teens) where the good guys are witches. Kinda like the Disney show "Witches of Waverly Place". What I did notice was that the word Strega was almost never used on its own by the *general* populace. It was always clarified with something like: strega cattiva, strega buona, strega bella, strega maga, etc. to indicate what type of strega, as if the word (on its own) was simply an indicator of a practitioner of magic (folk or cultural but not ceremonial).
Most of the Catholic magical practitioners that I met held the same opinion: strega = diabolism, just like the general population over here. The Catholic practitioners had a huge variety of names that they self-identified with, most commonly benedicaria.
The pagan magical practitioners that I met often used Strega-XXX or simply a dialectical word. I heard: "magara", "maiare", "maga/mago/magoi" (which my family uses), and even "fattucchiere", "maghiardzha", and "pratico". It seems there's no end. Those pagan religious witches that I personally met often used one word to describe the magical practice (what we do) and another for their spiritual practice (what we experience/believe). Apparently, context is KEY. A word may be appropriate in one setting but WRONG in another setting.
One of the most interesting things is that I was told is that "religion is what the community does and since the community is Catholic, everyone is Catholic if they are going to be part of the community". Apparently, you can be "socially Catholic" but religiously or spiritually something else - just don't talk about it.
I didn't notice any "pagan community" to speak of as one might find in the USA or Europe probably because the Church is so pervasive in all parts of live and culture. However, when it exists, it seems to be just a couple people who got together and it was considered a spiritual practice or a vocation. That lead to an interesting discussion of "covens" which I was told were NOT training groups or where someone learned but were instead "gatherings for magic and celebration" - congrega (if unrelated) and clan or tribù (if the people were related) were the words that I was told were most common.
Just goes to show you that the words religion, spirituality, vocation, and magic are incredibly varied and often depend on context.
Just some food for thought.
Ciao,
Enzo (short for Vincenzo)
I was always told that it Italy/Sicily, the word Strega was always negative and never used as a self-identifier. I was very surprised to find that to be the case "for the general, non-magical public" but not necessarily for the magical community.
For the general public, like in parts of our culture, Strega (or any type of witchcraft) most definitely has a very negative connotation. However, that's starting to change. There are dozens of shows (mostly for teens and pre-teens) where the good guys are witches. Kinda like the Disney show "Witches of Waverly Place". What I did notice was that the word Strega was almost never used on its own by the *general* populace. It was always clarified with something like: strega cattiva, strega buona, strega bella, strega maga, etc. to indicate what type of strega, as if the word (on its own) was simply an indicator of a practitioner of magic (folk or cultural but not ceremonial).
Most of the Catholic magical practitioners that I met held the same opinion: strega = diabolism, just like the general population over here. The Catholic practitioners had a huge variety of names that they self-identified with, most commonly benedicaria.
The pagan magical practitioners that I met often used Strega-XXX or simply a dialectical word. I heard: "magara", "maiare", "maga/mago/magoi" (which my family uses), and even "fattucchiere", "maghiardzha", and "pratico". It seems there's no end. Those pagan religious witches that I personally met often used one word to describe the magical practice (what we do) and another for their spiritual practice (what we experience/believe). Apparently, context is KEY. A word may be appropriate in one setting but WRONG in another setting.
One of the most interesting things is that I was told is that "religion is what the community does and since the community is Catholic, everyone is Catholic if they are going to be part of the community". Apparently, you can be "socially Catholic" but religiously or spiritually something else - just don't talk about it.
I didn't notice any "pagan community" to speak of as one might find in the USA or Europe probably because the Church is so pervasive in all parts of live and culture. However, when it exists, it seems to be just a couple people who got together and it was considered a spiritual practice or a vocation. That lead to an interesting discussion of "covens" which I was told were NOT training groups or where someone learned but were instead "gatherings for magic and celebration" - congrega (if unrelated) and clan or tribù (if the people were related) were the words that I was told were most common.
Just goes to show you that the words religion, spirituality, vocation, and magic are incredibly varied and often depend on context.
Just some food for thought.
Ciao,
Enzo (short for Vincenzo)
Monday, June 10, 2013
Continuity, Tradition, tradition, and survivals
Ciao a tutti,
Forgive the rambling but I'm going to do this off the top of my head. :-)
The past couple weeks, I've been thinking about the concept of Traditon(s), continuity, and tradition(s) (lowercase) as they apply to modern Paganism and Witchcraft practices. I was thrilled to listen to the recent episode of Seasons of the Witch where Raven and Stephanie interviewed Prof. Sabina Magliocco. You can listen to the broadcast here: Anthropologist Sabina Magliocco Interview.
It was very refreshing to hear a learned scholar discuss these issues from the perspective of academia as well as from personal experience. I found it quite helpful to wrap my head around some of the terminology. It seems that Tradition, tradition, survival, and continuity are used differently in lay-circles verses how they're used in academic circles and I now understand a bit more why that is the case.
For instance, take a look at any of a number of the Catholic Feste (festivals) practiced in modern day Italy. From our perspective (Pagan), we can clearly see the Pagan origins of these practices. Does that make them Pagan practices dressed in Catholicism? If I understand the academic view properly, the answer is no.
The origin of that same "continuity of practice(s)" may have been once been part of ancient Pagan worship (Tradition) throughout their festivals (tradition) but was transformed into a Catholic tradition over time. The Festivals (tradition) are Catholic (Tradition) with a continuity of practice that reaches back to ancient times. But, since it is being practiced WITHIN the Catholic (Tradition) religious structure, it is a Catholic Festival. The origin of that same "continuity of practice(s)" may have been once been part of ancient Pagan worship (Tradition) throughout their festivals (tradition) but was transformed into a Catholic tradition over time.
Many modern Streghe who did not have the benefit of being raised in La Vecchia Religione are now rediscovering their Pagan roots and reviving various practices within a Pagan context. In essence, recreating or re-membering Pagan Traditions (traditions) through the exploration of tradition practiced by their ancestors as well as "reclaiming" traditions that were once part of Pagan practices.
I haven't found a lot of interest in "Reconstruction-ism" amongst my Italian friends. Instead they seem be more concerned with practicing a living Tradition base on the traditions of their ancestors and some do this by reclaiming the practices that they clearly see in modern Festivals and transplant them (back) into their magical Pagan worldview. I don't see that as being either disrespectful or less authentic. They are, in a very real sense, reconnecting to their ancestral past by plugging themselves into that continuity of practice.
In modern "Western" Paganism, a Tradition (upper case T), usually is understood to be a series of magical or spiritual/religious practices (and possibly beliefs) that is handed down through several generations in such a way as to be either unchanged or at least clearly reconcilable as the same set of practices. We've all heard the story about the Tradition that is being practiced by someone taught by their now deceased Grandmother (inset any relative really) that has been practiced continuously and unchanged since before mammoths roamed the earth.
In actual practice (sorry for using that word so often!), traditions (lower case and upper case T) change over time and it is often are hard for practitioners to even recognize this process except in hindsight. Often, what we think of as a Tradition of unchanged practice is really a Tradition of slowly evolving practice(s). That's one way that a Tradition says alive and relevant.
In terms of "Traditional Italic Craft", the idea of Tradition is a bit complicated when added in the idea of "continuity of practice". What we call Traditions are less "defined organizational structures" (like many Traditions in modern Paganism) and more small group (Family) practices that hold continuity to their roots and are slowly shaped over time into what we as modern practitioners think of as a "Tradition".
What we think of as Italy (including Sicily) has a wealth of information/history that is clearly rooted in ancient Pagan and magical history and practices, the most obvious being the pantheon of Roman Gods and the belief in many different forms of magical explanations (Fata, charms, superstitions, etc.) There is a rich history of a magical worldview (to use a phrase from Sabina Magliocco).
In my personal experience, much of Traditional Italic Craft (at least in the USA) is the culmination of series of practices and beliefs with continuity to the ancient pagan roots of the practitioners - even some clearly found in the Catholic Feasts. If some modern day Italians and Italian-Americans choose to enliven their own practices by moving some of these various "continuity of practices" out of a Catholic (or social) framework and back into a Pagan framework so as to be meaningful, then I think that can be a very good thing.
I see it as one way that modern Streghe (Italian Witches) can explore and shape their worldview in their search for cultural, religious, and spiritual identity while at the same time affording them a continuity to their ancestry and the practices of the past.
I supposed Traditional Italic-Craft in the USA can be seen to some extent as "traditional" (clear links to Old World forms), "transitional" (some elements from the Old World crystallize, while others adapt to the new context), AND "innovational" (in which new folklore is developed to make up for older forms that have been lost). The description of traditional/transitional/innovational comes from (Klymasz, 1973) which I read in an article written by Prof. Magliocco at
http://tribalpaganism.livejournal.com/10321.html.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
Benedizioni,
---Vincenzo
P.S. Apologies to Prof. Magliocco if I misunderstood any of the usages!
Forgive the rambling but I'm going to do this off the top of my head. :-)
The past couple weeks, I've been thinking about the concept of Traditon(s), continuity, and tradition(s) (lowercase) as they apply to modern Paganism and Witchcraft practices. I was thrilled to listen to the recent episode of Seasons of the Witch where Raven and Stephanie interviewed Prof. Sabina Magliocco. You can listen to the broadcast here: Anthropologist Sabina Magliocco Interview.
It was very refreshing to hear a learned scholar discuss these issues from the perspective of academia as well as from personal experience. I found it quite helpful to wrap my head around some of the terminology. It seems that Tradition, tradition, survival, and continuity are used differently in lay-circles verses how they're used in academic circles and I now understand a bit more why that is the case.
For instance, take a look at any of a number of the Catholic Feste (festivals) practiced in modern day Italy. From our perspective (Pagan), we can clearly see the Pagan origins of these practices. Does that make them Pagan practices dressed in Catholicism? If I understand the academic view properly, the answer is no.
The origin of that same "continuity of practice(s)" may have been once been part of ancient Pagan worship (Tradition) throughout their festivals (tradition) but was transformed into a Catholic tradition over time. The Festivals (tradition) are Catholic (Tradition) with a continuity of practice that reaches back to ancient times. But, since it is being practiced WITHIN the Catholic (Tradition) religious structure, it is a Catholic Festival. The origin of that same "continuity of practice(s)" may have been once been part of ancient Pagan worship (Tradition) throughout their festivals (tradition) but was transformed into a Catholic tradition over time.
Many modern Streghe who did not have the benefit of being raised in La Vecchia Religione are now rediscovering their Pagan roots and reviving various practices within a Pagan context. In essence, recreating or re-membering Pagan Traditions (traditions) through the exploration of tradition practiced by their ancestors as well as "reclaiming" traditions that were once part of Pagan practices.
I haven't found a lot of interest in "Reconstruction-ism" amongst my Italian friends. Instead they seem be more concerned with practicing a living Tradition base on the traditions of their ancestors and some do this by reclaiming the practices that they clearly see in modern Festivals and transplant them (back) into their magical Pagan worldview. I don't see that as being either disrespectful or less authentic. They are, in a very real sense, reconnecting to their ancestral past by plugging themselves into that continuity of practice.
In modern "Western" Paganism, a Tradition (upper case T), usually is understood to be a series of magical or spiritual/religious practices (and possibly beliefs) that is handed down through several generations in such a way as to be either unchanged or at least clearly reconcilable as the same set of practices. We've all heard the story about the Tradition that is being practiced by someone taught by their now deceased Grandmother (inset any relative really) that has been practiced continuously and unchanged since before mammoths roamed the earth.
In actual practice (sorry for using that word so often!), traditions (lower case and upper case T) change over time and it is often are hard for practitioners to even recognize this process except in hindsight. Often, what we think of as a Tradition of unchanged practice is really a Tradition of slowly evolving practice(s). That's one way that a Tradition says alive and relevant.
In terms of "Traditional Italic Craft", the idea of Tradition is a bit complicated when added in the idea of "continuity of practice". What we call Traditions are less "defined organizational structures" (like many Traditions in modern Paganism) and more small group (Family) practices that hold continuity to their roots and are slowly shaped over time into what we as modern practitioners think of as a "Tradition".
What we think of as Italy (including Sicily) has a wealth of information/history that is clearly rooted in ancient Pagan and magical history and practices, the most obvious being the pantheon of Roman Gods and the belief in many different forms of magical explanations (Fata, charms, superstitions, etc.) There is a rich history of a magical worldview (to use a phrase from Sabina Magliocco).
In my personal experience, much of Traditional Italic Craft (at least in the USA) is the culmination of series of practices and beliefs with continuity to the ancient pagan roots of the practitioners - even some clearly found in the Catholic Feasts. If some modern day Italians and Italian-Americans choose to enliven their own practices by moving some of these various "continuity of practices" out of a Catholic (or social) framework and back into a Pagan framework so as to be meaningful, then I think that can be a very good thing.
I see it as one way that modern Streghe (Italian Witches) can explore and shape their worldview in their search for cultural, religious, and spiritual identity while at the same time affording them a continuity to their ancestry and the practices of the past.
I supposed Traditional Italic-Craft in the USA can be seen to some extent as "traditional" (clear links to Old World forms), "transitional" (some elements from the Old World crystallize, while others adapt to the new context), AND "innovational" (in which new folklore is developed to make up for older forms that have been lost). The description of traditional/transitional/innovational comes from (Klymasz, 1973) which I read in an article written by Prof. Magliocco at
http://tribalpaganism.livejournal.com/10321.html.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
Benedizioni,
---Vincenzo
P.S. Apologies to Prof. Magliocco if I misunderstood any of the usages!
Friday, September 28, 2012
News for our customers!
News for our customers -
Mike and I have been extremely busy redesigning our business model, improving the technical specs of our various website projects, and giving the sites a "makeover". Our goal is to have the redesigns up and running by the beginning of October. I can't guarantee that it will be up for October 1st, but it should be live sometime during the first week of October.
Currently we have Arsenic & Old Lace for our main commerce site, tarot readings, and resources. Unfortunately, at a commerce focused site, the Tarot Readings and Resource Section tended to get lost. To add to that, we have StregaCrafts as our "boutique shop", what seems like dozens (!) of "homepages" on various Pagan Community and forum sites, and finally, Vinnie's blog (of occasionally interesting things) at blogspot.com.
Until now, we've felt like we were spread all over the place with no real connection between our various projects: go to blogspot for Vinnie's blog, go to X Community Site for discussions, go to Arsenic & Old Lace for occult supplies, go to StregaCrafts for custom products, go a subsection of Arsenic & Old Lace for resources (book reviews, blogs, etc.), go to yet another subsection of Arsenic & Old Lace for Tarot Readings, etc.
Rather than have one or two really "busy" sites, we're breaking things down into several discrete and less busy sites that will be dedicated to specific purposes:
Arsenic & Old Lace (http://www.arsenic.com) will become our main "portal" site to all of our other activities and products with a "universal menu bar" to help folks navigate our offerings. From here, folks will be able to find links to whatever we're working on.
http://www.OneStopOccultShop.com will become our main Occult and Witchcraft commerce site carrying over 7500 products of major brands like Anna Riva, AzureGreen, 1618Gold, etc.
http://www.StregaCrafts.com will be for our hand-made crafts and custom magic products;
http://www.VinnieRusso.com will focus on Vinnie and his Tarot Consulting;
and http://www.Streghe.US will be dedicated to resources, book reviews, blogs, and article with future plans to integrate forums and members' pages. If you have suggestions for content, or would like to contribute content, then please let us know!
This will be a long-term, ongoing project and we're open to your suggestions!
Ciao,
---Vincenzo
Mike and I have been extremely busy redesigning our business model, improving the technical specs of our various website projects, and giving the sites a "makeover". Our goal is to have the redesigns up and running by the beginning of October. I can't guarantee that it will be up for October 1st, but it should be live sometime during the first week of October.
Currently we have Arsenic & Old Lace for our main commerce site, tarot readings, and resources. Unfortunately, at a commerce focused site, the Tarot Readings and Resource Section tended to get lost. To add to that, we have StregaCrafts as our "boutique shop", what seems like dozens (!) of "homepages" on various Pagan Community and forum sites, and finally, Vinnie's blog (of occasionally interesting things) at blogspot.com.
Until now, we've felt like we were spread all over the place with no real connection between our various projects: go to blogspot for Vinnie's blog, go to X Community Site for discussions, go to Arsenic & Old Lace for occult supplies, go to StregaCrafts for custom products, go a subsection of Arsenic & Old Lace for resources (book reviews, blogs, etc.), go to yet another subsection of Arsenic & Old Lace for Tarot Readings, etc.
Rather than have one or two really "busy" sites, we're breaking things down into several discrete and less busy sites that will be dedicated to specific purposes:
Arsenic & Old Lace (http://www.arsenic.com) will become our main "portal" site to all of our other activities and products with a "universal menu bar" to help folks navigate our offerings. From here, folks will be able to find links to whatever we're working on.
http://www.OneStopOccultShop.com will become our main Occult and Witchcraft commerce site carrying over 7500 products of major brands like Anna Riva, AzureGreen, 1618Gold, etc.
http://www.StregaCrafts.com will be for our hand-made crafts and custom magic products;
http://www.VinnieRusso.com will focus on Vinnie and his Tarot Consulting;
and http://www.Streghe.US will be dedicated to resources, book reviews, blogs, and article with future plans to integrate forums and members' pages. If you have suggestions for content, or would like to contribute content, then please let us know!
This will be a long-term, ongoing project and we're open to your suggestions!
Ciao,
---Vincenzo
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