Ways of the Strega

"An Introduction"

by Arawn Machia

From the earliest of times the secrets of the Strege have both intrigued and confused the general populace. Stregeria, the religion of the Strege, unlike the neo-pagan/wiccan traditions, dates back several thousand years, and this perhaps accounts for the curiosity and scepticism with which it is viewed.

I have known Raven Grimassi for many years and consider this individual to be mio amico e mio maestro (my friend and my teacher). Raven's teachings are sound and the content which is shared both with his students and in this literature predates Roman religion.

This is research with which I am more than familiar. What Raven suggests is not new; it is the same beautiful religion presented to me by my grandmother from the time I was a child until her death some twenty years later. Never did I find an inconsistency in her teachings.

My personal experiences support the claims of both the author and my grandmother, which are identical. Travelling throughout the United States and Italy, I have found a consistency in both beliefs and practices among the Strege. This comes as no surprise as the Strege are taught from the beginning of their studies that no teaching may be altered in any way. While an individual Strege may add to his/her "Book of Shadows", none of the original teachings may be changed or removed.

This provides for and possibly explains the continuity of the Veglia, which are more than mere after dinner chats or family meetings. The vegalia provides a time for the grandparents and other respected elders and "wise ones" of the clan, town, or neighborhood to instruct family and friends about the mythologies, fables, songs, dances, and other aspects of La Religion Vecchia (the Old Religion). Most Italians have heard of malocchio, and many wear an Italian horn - even if they don't know what it means.

While the Italian culture is assimilated more and more into mainstream America, the rituals, rites, and beliefs of the Old Religion continue among the Strege today.

If one were to ask one of Celtic descent about witches, they would direct you to the Farrars or the Frosts. If one were to ask a ceremonial magician about magick, they might direct you to the Ciceros or Aleister Crowley. If one were to ask an Italian about the Strege, they would direct you to the little old lady down the street. There is an unbroken lineage in the spirituality and magick of the Italians that has remained alive in every Italian family, albeit dormant in some. The local Strege still practice the arts taught to them by their parents and grandparents. They are the mages, diviners, and healers of the Italian community. Who needs a psychic fair, when Tia Rosa of Tio Salvatore can float a drop of oil in a bowl of water and tell your future? Who needs a priest, when Dona Maria of Don Antonio can minister to your spiritual needs? When the doctors have failed, Nona can go into the backyard, pick some herbs, do a ritual, say a prayer and heal.

These practices are not just folklore and superstition. Antiquity supports them. The authentic Gospels of Aradia were written in the early Fourteenth Century and re-affirms what Italian witches have known since before the birth of Jesus.

The Gospel of Diana written approximately 1500-2000 years before the Gospels of Aradia present identical teachings. Much of what archaeologists have uncovered as the religious practices of the Etruscans and Sabines have been practiced but he Strege for thousands of years. The survival of the Old Religion is supported by the Roman Poet Horace, who wrote in his work the Epodes of Horace about a dialogue between the and an Italian witch named Canidia. In Epode 5, he associates the goddesses Diana and Proserpina with witches in a mystery cult. In Epode 17, he suggests that these goddesses are patron goddesses of witchcraft. He states that witches use a book called Libros Carminum by which they "call down the moon", make philtres, and evoke spirits. Other Roman writers of the First Century B.C. such as Lucan and Ovid support this theme in their writings. This leads us to the conclusion that the association of witches with Diana was generally accepted in Italy during this period. The Etruscan god Verbio was traditionally regarded as the guardian of the forests of Diana in the same capacity as the priest/king Rex Nemorensis is regarded in Stregeria. This would then suggest that the worship of Diana and Stregeria are considerably older than both the Roman and Greek cultures.

Furthermore, a literal translation of the Greek New Testament, Acts 19:27, renders the following: "And not only is there danger that is trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana be regarded as worthless and that She Whom all of the west coast province of Asia Minor and the inhabited earth worship should even be dethroned from Her magnificence. " The biblical writer recognized that indeed Diana was worshipped by all over . . . . .that Stregeria was the basis of all other nature-based religions. These and other truths are discussed in Ways of the Strega. I recommend this book to Strege, other Craft traditions, and anyone who seeks to better understand the voice of the Goddess.

Blessed Be!
Arawn Machia