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

American Traditional Witchcraft

So, my friends, what is American Traditional Witchcraft?

I've been mulling this around for a couple weeks now and I find it quite fascinating.  No two people that I've spoken to use same definition - or even close to the same description!

In this context:
American means the people and cultures residing in America, specifically the U.S.A.
Traditional means pretty much the dictionary definition -

1

a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom) b : a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable

2

: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction

3

: cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions

4

: characteristic manner, method, or style tradition

and in this context, Witchcraft means a system of magic (as a spirituality or set of practices), generally based in a culture or sub-culture.

Now, I know that not everyone will totally agree with the above but at least it is a starting point.  If we take the above as a working description, then American Traditional Witchcraft is incredibly diverse with many different cultures harmoniously contributing to something uniquely American.

That got me thinking.  There are so many people looking for something from "the Old Country" or some form of external verification of "what really was done".  Why aren't modern Pagans in the U.S.A. looking to what is right under our noses?

It's almost as if they don't realize the immense value of what is already here.

The U.S.A. is a country build on the fabric of the diversity of the immigrants from many countries and cultures who came before us. Each of the cultures and sub-cultures that has contributed to the greater syncretic culture that we call American Culture.  This is equally true of many "American based" forms of Witchcraft.

I found this interesting bit here:

• Magic was done as early as the 1700’s in the Appalachian Mountains by those of Scottish and Irish heritage, and is more commonly called Appalachian Granny Magic, kitchen witchery, hedge witch craft or Ozark Folk Magic.
• Magic was done since the time of slavery in the south from South Carolina to Texas by those of African heritage. These practices are more commonly known as Hoodoo, Conjure and Rootwork.
• Magic was done in the 17th and 18th centuries in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvanian Dutch, German settlers. This is known as powwow magic, braucherei, or hexenkraft.
• Magic was done as by fisherman of Sicilian and Portugese heritage along our sea coasts, particularly in California, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.  This is known as Stregheria, or witchcraft.
• Brujeria, Americans of Spanish colonial heritage in the South West and West.
• Scandinavian Folk Magic in Minnesota and Wisconsin, from Sweden, Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
• Native American practices and influences.
• More recently Chinese and Japanese folk magic.

Perhaps American Traditional Witchcraft can be described as Witchcraft practiced in the U.S.A. that has a specific connecting to the culture, people, and lore of the practitioners' ancestral homeland (often through successive generations of Immigrants and their descendants) yet strives for a balanced and harmonious blending with being part of the modern day culture of America?

In my case, the personal questions that this raises are -

When does something go from being Stregheria (Italian Witchcraft, practiced within Italian culture)

to American Stregheria (Italian Witchcraft practiced as part of Italian culture in America)

to becomming Italian-American Stregheria (Italian based Witchcraft practiced as part of Italian-American culture in America)

to becomming American Traditional Witchcraft (syncretic traditions of American Culture/Magic with the Ancestral culture, usually through several generations starting with immigrating to the U.S.A).

And finally, does it matter except to help us find a common language?

Perhaps I am over thinking it.  I welcome your thoughts and personal insights into what I believe is a fascinating group of Traditions and traditional practiced that is right under our collective noses.

Benedizioni,

Vincenzo

Syncretism versus cultural appropriation?

I’ve been mulling around a topic lately that has to do with my own personal practice.  Lo and behold, the topic recently came up on Facebook on one of my friend’s pages: Sorita D’Este.

The topic?  To quote from Sorita’s page: "When is it ok to take practices and beliefs from a culture other than your own and claim it for yourself?".

My response was, "When you have a tie to the culture through research, ancestory, or calling and you do it with both respect and honesty" and "Syncretism = good; cultural appropriation = not so good, usually".

The range of other responses truly surprised me.  They ranged from the likes of "Whenever you feel the urge to!" to "If you adopt a tradition, you should adopt it 100% - no picking off the bits you don't like, no altering it just because you like it better that way. You don't claim it for yourself - what you are doing is theft, no matter how sincere".

After seeing a few of the other responses (especially on the side of "Never!"), I clarified my position by stating, "I think that one of the keys (besides respect and honesty and adaptation) is to make sure that you are not presenting it AS the original practice or within the original cultural practice. There will always be fine lines of what is or isn't appropriate. However, immigrants used syncretism (as opposed to cultural appropriation) in order to adapt to their new culture (sometimes as a survival technique) and created something that wasn't exactly from their origin and wasn't exactly what they were integrating into. Related to both (part of both?) but still unique. Of course, I'm specifically thinking of Italian culture, magic, and witchcraft as it came to the "New World" in the late 1800's/early 1900's with the mass immigration but it applies to a broader topic, too".

I really was startled to see how many folks assumed that syncretism could only equate with something bad.  Do they really think that things (spiritual, cultural, or other) exist in a vacuum? Do they think that it's impossibly to blend cultures? Do they assume that it can't be done honestly and intelligently?

I'm for positive syncretism if done with honesty and respect and done knowledgeably.  This happens all the time (albeit slowly) with immigrants who integrate to a new culture while holding onto what they find important (and a source of identity) from their old land.

One of the things that we have to remember is that the modern world is far more "international" in our overall culture and flavor that we have been at any time in the past.  There WILL always be an interchange and exchange of beliefs and practices.  With people immigrating to new countries, they will find themselves in new cultures.  The Italian immigrants of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s went through this.  They had to find a way to hold onto what they felt was important from "the old country" and balance that with the ways and culture that they were becoming a part of. Today, those American-Italian descendants are American by culture and Italian by ancestry.  Many of us are trying to "rediscover" our roots and reintegrate aspects of our ancestry into our modern lives. Not all of what was part of native Italian culture is applicable to us as modern Americans.  Some things are and can be smoothly integrated.  Some things can’t.  So, are we guilty of cultural appropriation of a foreign culture or are we re-integrating our ancestry in a positive syncretic way, or are we abandoning our current culture for the golden ideal of what we think the past ancestral culture was like?

In terms of how this applies to spirituality and specifically to modern Paganism, I don’t think that there is any one, right answer.  It’s not clear cut.  Part of the reason is that spirituality can be rooted in a culture, can be near inseparable, or can be ONE aspect within a specific culture.  Then you need to look at what exactly is being talked about. Are we talking about picking and choosing aspects from the "greater" common culture of that is foreign to your own? What about picking and choosing aspects of a culture that you have immigrated away from? Picking and choosing aspects of the greater culture that you are immigrating TO and integrating them into your life? The religious practices (as opposed to purely social) that are a subset within a culture? Spiritual or magical techniques that seem to be hallmarks of a culture or people? Practices, concepts, and/or techniques that are "Universal" but have different cultural glosses depending on their origin?

Perhaps it's a matter of perspective and time.  If we're talking about the time frame when something is integrated, is it cultural appropriation? When does it transform to becomming part of the culture or ok? After 5 years? 10? 50? 100?  Our own American Culture is syncretic and pluralistic by it's nature.

Basically, it is not so clear-cut as many folks on the extreme ends make out. The only two bits of advice that I have for modern pagans struggling with this concept is: 1) be honest with what it is, where it came from, and the part that you play in it; and 2) do your research and really understand what you are doing and what "it" represents in the original culture.

Benedizioni,

---Vincenzo