Busy creating content

Ciao a tutti,

It's been very busy here!  I've spent that last couple weeks working on products like reformulating and pricing our incense. We've even had a few nibbles about wholesaling the incense to some stores.  :-)

For the past week or so, Mike and I have been looking at redoing the Streghe.US website. I think it needs a new look, better UI, a place (permanent home) for my blog, and...   forums.  Yup. We're looking at getting forums set up specifically for Italic Craft. 

The forums would be for all manner of topics on Italic-American traditions and practices as well as for folks native to Italy and Sicily.  Although the focus will be primarily Italic Craft as spiritual and religious practices (Stregheria) there will be room for Italic Craft as a magical practice (Stregoneria) allowing overlap with more broad discussions including mystical and folk practices (Benedicaria, la magia popolare, etc.) regardless of spiritual path.

The plan is to have user profiles and let folks either register at the site or use their existing IDs for other sites such as FB but to not left folks post to the forums unless they register.  I would like to get it set up so users can create their own groups so they can narrow down particular areas of interest to them.

Suggestions are welcome!

Benedizioni,

---Enzo

Italian words used by Westerners (FB post)

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

9 Days and Counting

9 day and counting until I leave for my trip.

While gone, I play on keeping a travel log of my journey and my thoughts. This seems like a really good place to keep.

As part of getting ready, I've been reviewing my social networking presence. The number of "groups" that I am part of is really very large - much larger than I thought.

Since I don't want to be bombarded with wading through groups messages while I'll be away with spotty internet connection, I'm going to be (at least temporarily) removing myself from groups on FB and other networking sites.  If you admin one of the groups that I drop out of, please don't take it personally!

Yesterday, I had to go to 3 banks just to get my "travelling cash" in Euros. I never though that getting foreign currency would be so difficult.  Also, my custom luggage tags arrived.  They're VERY visible and colorful so I'll be able to tell which bag is mine at a glance. :-)

This morning I spend about an hour researching descriptions that I plan on integrating into the book draft. It's amazing the more you understand about a culture, the more you understand the connotations (and root meaning) of a word and recognize how it's changed over time - especially when the word has crossed cultural boundaries over time. I was specifically looking into "Stregoneria, Magia, Sortilegio, Stregheria, Benedicaria, La Vecchia Religione, praticos (wise people), guaritori (healers), fattucchiere (fixers), donne che aiutano (women who help) and mago, maga or maghiardzha (sorcerers)".

That's all for today!

Benedizioni,

---Vincenzo

Stregoneria and Hoodoo

Ciao a tutti,

I think that it's important to never stop learning.  That's one of the reasons that I've (lately) been looking into Hoodoo practices.

Wikipedia says:
"Hoodoo, also known as conjure, is a form of predominantly African-American traditional folk magic that developed from the syncretism of a number of separate cultures and magical traditions. It incorporates practices from African and Native American traditions, as well as some European magical practices and grimoires. While folk practices like hoodoo are trans-cultural phenomena, what is particularly innovative in this tradition is the "remarkably efficacious use of biblical figures" in its practices and in the lives of its practitioners."

When I started to look closely at the *structure* of the magical practices and operations of Hoodoo, I noticed a startling similarity to the structure and practices of Stregoneria (witchcraft as a system(s) of magical practice(s) derived from Italic cultures).  I suppose that it should have come as a surprise that there appear to be so many similarities.  Many of the American-Italic immigrant practices of folk-magic also use the saints and other cultural icons to add flavor and oomph to their magic.

Another quote regarding Hoodoo from Wikipedia is:
"The goal of hoodoo is to allow people access to supernatural forces to improve their daily lives by gaining power in many areas of life, including luck, money, love, divination, revenge, health, employment, and necromancy. As in many other religious, magical, and medical folk practices, extensive use is made of herbs, minerals, parts of animals' bodies, an individual's possessions, and bodily fluids, especially menstrual blood, urine and semen. Contact with ancestors or other spirits of the dead is an important practice within the conjure tradition, and the recitation of Psalms from the Bible is also considered magically effective in hoodoo. Due to hoodoo's great emphasis on an individual's magical power, its basic principles of working are generally felt to be easily adapted for use, based on one's desires, inclinations and habits."

I normally refer to Stregheria being the *Pagan, religious* practice of Witchcraft and magic derived from the Italic cultures while Stregoneria as witchcraft as a system(s) of magical practice(s) derived from Italic cultures.  In a way, Stregoneria can almost be seen as the "Hoodoo of the Mediterranean".

I'm no expert on Hoodoo but it seems that it is predominantly structured with a very heavy gloss of Christianity.  Stregoneria also shares this trait.  The closer I look at these practices, the easier it is to see the "Pagan view" just below the surface.  Many of these practices would seem effective no matter what gloss is overlaid on the magical procedure(s). Culturally, that has been Christianity - partially just because that's the way it is. Partially because the predominent cultural view in this country is some version of Christianity so "clients" are more at ease with magic and the supernatural when coated with glamour with which they are familiar.

I've met a number of Hoodoo practitioners for whom the "gloss" of Christianity is intregal to their worldview. I've also met some who feel that the gloss is just that and is primarily for the clients peace of mind while the practitioners themselves may have very different religious or spiritual outlooks that has nothing to do with Christianity. It's something that I hope to look closer into.

Do you have any personal experience or training in Hoodoo?  If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  I think that paths of Hoodoo and Stregoneria have some amazing similarities.

Ciao,

---Vincenzo

Using the Saints as part of the Italian Craft

Using the Saints as part of the Italian Craft


In Italy (and in the USA) much of "traditional" Italian culture now a-days often has at least a gloss (if not a thick coating!) of Christianity. This is because Christianity is still the overwhelming dominant religion and probably will be for some time.  It’s been like that for hundreds of years and it has left its mark on the culture, even for those people who aren’t Christian or are actively of another faith.  It permeates the culture and customs. There is no getting around that unless you want to cut yourself off from huge aspects of Italian culture.

There are quite a few Italians that I know who are not Christian. Even so, the culture that birthed them (and that they are part of) still has certain aspects (folk, magic, and other) that are Christian in origin or at least in flavor.

Some of these Christian-based customs are starting to be seen by many as being less religious-Christian and more simply “cultural and personal customs” that "we do because it’s what we do as a community”. In other words, sometimes, the cultural customs that are Christina-based in origin have become community-based customs that have little religious significance but are still powerful for community and social purposes.

For instance, in Italy, it is still very popular for each town (or region) to have a patron saint and to celebrate the feast day, often organized and led by a local church.  Although many of the people who participate in the celebration are Christian and hold that day as a special religious holy day, there are other people who participate and celebrate the day as a “day of community celebration” and don’t attach any personal religious significance to it.

In essence, the Saint become not an icon/representative of the Church (which they may be) but becomes an icon of cultural expression and power regardless (despite?) that the feast originated with Catholic origins and is still celebrated as such. Think of Christmas celebrations in the USA. Many are indeed Christian religious celebrations. Many are non-religious yet still tap into that power and community aspect from a cultural perspective.

Many Streghe who are Pagan (non-Christian) have come to terms with being birthed from a culture that is predominantly Christian and incorporated aspects, via culture, into their practice.  How’s it done? Not through our Stregheria (pagan religious Witchcraft) but through our Stregoneria (witchcraft as a system of magical practices) and culture.

We acknowledge Christianity’s influence on customs and culture and try to get to the pre-Christian or pagan roots of the customs and magic when possible. When this is not easy to do, or even possible, we have two choices.  One is to cut ourselves off from an overwhelmingly Christian aspect of our culture. The other is to acknowledge the cultural and community importance of certain customs and make personal associations and attachments to them that work for us as individuals and families (smaller communities).

A good example is how many of the non-Christian Streghe I know make excellent use of the Cult of the Saints.

The "Cult of the Saints", describes a particular popular devotion or abandonment to a particular Saint or Saints. Although the term "worship" is sometimes used, it is intended in the old-sense meaning to honor or give respect. I like to use the term “veneration”.  For Christians, the Saints are petitioned to help out in just about any matter that you can imagine. This is almost always done by devote Catholics in a Christian-religious manner, i.e. following the dictates and customs of the Catholic Church.

When the Streghe interact or petition the Saints or include the Cult of the Saints in their Stregoneria (magic as a system of practices), it takes on a different perspective.  To an outsider, on the surface it may look very similar to what a Christian may do but it is only a gloss.  The Saints become less specifically Christian “entities” and become more “cultural and community powers”.  They are treated with the same reverence and respect as any other “spirit allies” that the Strega works with.  In other words, the Streghe works with the Saints from a personal and cultural perspective, not a Christian dogmatic perspective.

The Streghe consciously (and jointly) enter into a relationship with the Saint(s) with the Saint acting much the same as a spirit ally (albeit of a different order). Through the acceptance of, and exchange for, the Streghe’s energy in the form of respect, reverence, and offerings (incense, wine, feast tables, prayers, etc.), the Saint(s) offers assistance in matters in which they hold influence. It’s important to remember that this is part of Stregoneria (witchcraft as a system of magical practices) rather than Stregheria (pagan religious Witchcraft).

The important thing is that this is done with the utmost respect and honesty and that the Strega knows exactly who the Saint(s) are that s/he is dealing with and practices accordingly. You might realize that this sounds a lot like a number of other syncretic spiritual practices. Imagine that?

So, it is entirely possible for a Strega who practices Stregheria (Pagan religious Witchcraft) to also have part of their Stregoneria (magical practice of witchcraft) include the Cult of the Saints and not have a conflict of interest.  It is not a religious matter, but a magical matter base on personal and cultural association.

Of course, there are Pagan Streghe who have chosen to NOT include the Cult of the Saints (or other customs that have become cultural) in their practice. That’s perfectly valid. Neither is a better or a more correct. More power to them! More power to us all!

Benedizioni,

---Vincenzo