An Interview with
Morgause Fontleve

Strega

The word "strega" in Italian, means, simply "witch". However, "La Stregheria", or "witchcraft", has come to assume a specific meaning in the English-speaking world, especially since a series of books by Raven Grimassi have popularized the idea that there is a specific tradition, with its own particular "style" and content. However, this popularization does not seem to have captured the "essence" of the Italian Streghe; one reason may be the secretive nature of the Italian Shamans.

Ethnologists and experts say that the word strega has nothing to do with the Latin word Stryx. There is a difference between Stregoneria and Stregheria; Stregoneria is the Italian word used for describing malevolent magical practices intended to harm others or cause illness (jettatura - casting the evil eye). It is pre-Christian sorcery; sortilegio, erbaria and fattucheria. The Catholic Church outlawed these practices which were replaced by Christian beliefs mixed with traditional folk magic beliefs.

The word "Stregheria" is an archaic word (with roots in pre-Etruscan times) for witchcraft that is now applied in place of the word "Stregoneria." Those wishing to differentiate themselves from Christian Stregoneria, now use the term Stregheria. The use of the word Stregheria is now reclaimed by those who are not ashamed or fearful of their Italian Pagan roots.

The central figure of the Strega Path is the revolutionary Aradia. She is The Holy Strega. She is also known as Aradia di Toscano, La Bella Pellegrina, or the Beautiful Pilgrim. Strega tradition says she was born in Tuscany on 13 August 1313 and was taught the Old Ways, by her Aunt. As a young woman, she would walk through the Alban Hills near Lake Nemi (sanctuary of Diana Huntress) and contemplate the fate of the people of Italy who were downtrodden and exploited by the feudal lords and the Catholic Church.

At the age of 12, Aradia experienced enlightenment in which she realized that she must challenge the existing order. After hearing the word 'Moon Shadow' whispered in the night, she began her spiritual teachings. Aradia gathered witches, outlaws, runaway slaves; single mothers, etc. and together they dwelt in the forests around Nemi during the 14th century. To them she taught the Ways, La Vecchia Religione. The Covenant of Aradia offered her followers the path to freedom and personal empowerment.

Aradia also taught that the traditional powers of a witch would belong to any who adhered to the way of the Old Religion. Aradia called these Gifts. Her disciples formed Boschetti, which later due to persecution went underground and formed what today is known as the Triad Clans. Three traditions make up the Old Religion: the Janarra, the Tanarra, and the Fanara. When Aradia first introduced the Old Religion to the people of Italy, she taught her followers the secrets of the Earth, the Moon, and the Stars. With the beginning of the persecution of witches in Italy, the Religion split. Each group was entrusted with one section of the mysteries and of preserving them under the guidance of a Grima. The different branches separated. The Fanara, Keepers of the Earth Mysteries were centered in northern Italy. They kept the secrets of ley lines, and other forces of the Earth. The Janarra and Tanarra both occupied central Italy. The Janarra are the Keepers of the Lunar Mysteries. They are entrusted with the mysteries of the lunar energy, and other powers of the Moon. The Tanarra are the keepers of the Stellar Mysteries. They hold the mysteries of stellar forces. Common to all three traditions are the arts of Herbalism, divination, magic, ritual, and other aspects associated with the Old Religion.

Italian Witches joined Masonic groups and other secret societies such as the Italian Carbonari (that established lodges in Scotland circa 1820) to protect themselves. This secret society multiplied and spread to Germany, France and England where it was also known as Forest Masonry. There is an interesting similarity here to Italian Strega who call their groups "groves"(Boschetti). This Forest Masonry influenced the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It is significant that Garibaldi was both head of the Italian Carbonari and also Grand Master of both Memphis and Misraïism.

Uni was the Etruscan Goddess of Female Mystery (protector of cities and the women who resided within). Her totem figure was the Owl, symbolic of insight, clairvoyance, and the hermetic principle of conveying messages. Central to the Etruscan mystical idea of deity was the notion of 'manus' or 'numen', or power, which they believed underlined all of creation and which manifested itself to humans as the gods. Manus became concentrated in certain places and could be harnessed to assist humans. Those who could discern the motions of this power, who could tap into it, would be in touch with the divine and would be favoured in their lives. Consciousness of this power is not enough: one must possess the wisdom to become a conduit for it.

BELIEFS OF THE STREGA

We believe that the Great Spirit or Source of All things comprises both masculine and feminine attributes and transcends gender. It is both everything and nothing. All humans have a spark of divine within themselves, the soul. We are the microcosm of this macrocosmic divine creature; the cells of this multicellular organism, and are therefore intrinsically connected to all that lives, breathes or reverberates with energy. We are spiritual beings who temporarily inhabit a physical body.

We believe in reincarnation and view death as a process of spiritual liberation from the physical dimension. We believe in psychic abilities and the supernatural as normal conditions which have been suppressed by the Judaic/Christian culture, but may be restored through the practice of the Old Ways. We believe not in magic but in knowing the Laws which govern the Universe. Knowing, harnessing and utilizing these Secret Laws to our advantage then brings about magical occurrences, the manifestation of energy that is directed by the mind towards a desired goal. But every strega knows that the Laws cannot be defied.

We believe in the Law of Action and Reaction, and that what we do, think of and say affects others, and what others do affects us. Therefore we always strive to mind our actions, our thoughts and words. We believe in responsibility and consequences. The Law of Three has never existed in Italy and Italian Streghe to not ascribe to the Wiccan Rede. Karma is an oriental concept that some witches now have adopted, but in times gone by, it was more a case of "you reap what you sow". You were free to do as your conscience dictated to you, aware that you would reap what you had sown.

We believe in love, life and harmony as the spiritual foundation of our ways. We express our spiritual beliefs through rituals, through enjoyment and the celebration of the Treguende/festivals. We believe in Earth Energy, we acknowledge places and objects of natural power existing upon our planet. We believe in feeding and paying homage to the spirits which inhabit these places of power. We believe in spiritual evolution. We believe that everything in Nature is of equal importance. Everything is linked and entwined beyond separation. We believe it is our responsibility to take care of everything . but do not hesitate to take what we need. We believe not in guilt, nor remorse. What is done is done. We live for the moment and do not proscribe ways of living, morals or rituals to others.

THE COVENANT OF ARADIA

Observe the times of the Treguende, for these sacred dates are the foundation of the powers of Stregheria. When good is done to you, do good to another. If someone wishes to repay you for a kind gesture, bind them to helping three others. This will clear the debt and carry forward the positive energy.

Do not abuse the arts of Stregheria to appear powerful. Do not lower the standards of the Art and thereby bring contempt upon the Old ways. Speak little and do not divulge the Mysteries to those who are not worthy of keeping and propagating them. Do not take the life of anything unless it is to preserve life/honour; yours or another's. Do not give your word of honour lightly, for you are bound (unto death) by your words and by your oaths. Do not accept any authority over you unless it is of the Gods. Instead, cooperate with others but do not be a slave and remember, at all times to preserve your honour. Give respect to others and expect respect in return. This is your right!

Teach all who appear worthy and aid the continuance of the Old Religion. Do not belittle other religious dogmas, but simply voice your own belief. Strive to be at peace with those who differ and to instill in them a spirit of tolerance, if acceptance is beyond their capability. Do not purposely cause harm to another, unless it is to prevent harm to yourself or another. Strive to be compassionate to others, and to be aware of the hearts and minds of those around you (for this will affect you). Be true to your own understanding and turn away from those things which oppose the good in you, or are harmful to you. "Meglio soli che mal accompagnati!" (Better be on your own than in bad company!) Hold reverence to all within Nature. Destroy nothing, scar nothing, waste nothing, and live in harmony with Nature, for the ways of Nature are our own ways. Nature is your Mother. Nature is your Teacher.

Remain open in your heart and in your mind to the Great Ones who created all that is, and to your brothers and sisters alike. Never let knowledge make you forget where you come from and instill in your heart superbia and ingratitude.

GIFTS OF ARADIA

To bring success in love
To bless and consecrate
To speak with spirits
To know of hidden things
To call forth spirits
To know the Voice of the Wind
To possess the knowledge of transformation
To possess the knowledge of divination
To know and understand secret signs
To cure disease
To bring forth beauty
To have influence over wild beasts
To know the secret of the hands.

THE BLOODLINE

Some Italian Witches say that their craft is entirely traditional and hereditary, and was "handed down by the mother to the daughter." Those involved in Stregheria in more recent years know that it can be passed down from aunt to niece, from one lady in the village/town to someone from another family, with the propensity for the Old Ways. In these cases blood is exchanged from a vein in the arm, and the new member is given a mark under the left thigh as a sign that she is part of "la familia". Such ceremonies are performed at midnight during Treguende. Due to the persecutions of the Catholic Church, most of the Craft went underground. We now have witches, who are devout Catholics, go to church, confess, pray and light candles to saints, but who will still cast spells, make potions, philters, do healings, etc. Are these streghe? Yes, but of a different denomination. They no longer adhere to the Pagan Ways.

The vast majority of streghe in Italy are of this orientation. They mix Enochian magic, Catholicism and sympathetic magic. They do not hesitate, for a fee, to do negative workings on someone. By strict Grimassian definition, they are practitioners of Stregoneria. Mago and Maga are common titles used by these modern-day metropolitan witches. None of the abovementioned people will admit to being witches. They are Catholics who use old family recipes to cure disease, to help the needy, etc. Remnants of Pagan practices have however filtered down through time, both through Catholicism and the ways of the family. In the days gone by of Italy, there were the Benandanti and the Malandanti. The witches who did positive workings and those who did negative workings and hailed from different areas in Italy. Furious battles ensued. They were armed with Mediterranean fennel and sorghum sticks. We must not forget that they were linked to the Carbonari, Andrangata, Camorra and Mafia, the malavita and would go to extremes to protect their own and their honour. During my years in Italy I had the good fortune to get to know some old ladies from Portomaggiore, Palermo, Napoli and Valtellina. Like the abovementioned Streghe they told tales of the olden days, taught me about spells, incantations, il malocchio, le nenia, the art of reading glitarocchi and le Sibille, the magnetism of touch, etc. I lived with them, helped them in their daily chores, cooked for them, helped them bath and listened to their stories in return. These women could scorch, bring love, dissension, or healing with a gaze or touch. Nina la Siciliana taught me about magical coffee, which would cause irreversible infatuation as well as secret of the blood mysteries. Tosca pé di Ragno taught me all about herbs and mushrooms.

INITIATION AND ITS EFFECTS

I can only speak of my own experience. Elviretta was 90 years old when I first met her. A bony wraith who was practically blind and who lived with her adoptive granddaughter Graziella in a small apartment on the outskirts of San Donato, Milano. She was the daughter of an unwed couple from Portomaggiore near Ferrara. Elviretta was a Contadina, of peasant stock. Born in the last part of the 19th century, she had witnessed the first and the second world wars had seen and followed Giuseppe Garibaldi and his red shirts, she had been subjected to the national socialist restrictions under the rule of Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. She lived frugally; a true socialist peasant. The only luxury she ever permitted herself was a
generous swig from the Grappa bottle after lunch. It warmed her up and lit up her otherwise age-dulled eyes. It also put her into the mood for story telling.

I lived next door to Elviretta and whenever she needed me (even if it was to change the channels on the TV, as she was petrified of the box) she would knock on my wall with her bony fist. I visited her every day. I would read to her, chat to her, keep her company, cook her a meal or whip up a cup of espresso corretto con grappa for her. She taught me. Elviretta smelled of talcum powder and the sweet fruity bouquet of grappa. She would talk to me, tell me about the old ways and the old days in the campagna, when she had baked bread for the folk in her village and helped deliver babies in nearby villages and towns. She taught me about being a Strega, how they had met and made love with the strikingly beautiful "horned man" in the fields and forests. She would speak to me and stroke my back and tell me about the secret ways of dealing with everyday problems, how to charge food and drink with one's intent, how to cast or remove the malocchio, how to protect yourself against other's negativity and psychic attach as well as spirit rape. She passed me her power, slowly, a little at a time.

An Italian Strega cannot die without leaving her craft to someone, without passing her gifts on to someone, and this Elviretta did through touch and finally through handing me her pentolin (pot) on her deathbed. The Catholic priest was then summoned by the family (who were not interested in the Old Ways and deemed it to be evil) to grant her his last blessing before she expired. Elviretta died looking me in the eyes. Something of hers will always remain with me.

The village of Baceno on the Italian Apls was the setting for another of my initiations. Tosca pé di Ragno and her partner Cesare accompanied me on our secret journey around the medieval church with the tall bell tower, through the fields, to a small, dark canyon, where the ground was moist and the atmosphere otherworldly. I had first met them on the sentiero delle fonti di Uriezzo, gathering mushrooms (porcini, chiodini and the infamous amanita panterina). In ritual one day, they fed me the latter in a frittata (omelet) with onions, stinging nettles and Brigante Cheese. Out of an earthenware chalice I sipped on dark red, bitter Barbera wine. My head swam and I was overcome, by a deadly sort of nausea. Tosca spoke to me. Incessantly. Words of wisdom that were imprinting themselves in my brain. The potentially lethal poison, worked its way through my metabolism and I felt like death warmed up. They laid me to rest in a shallow grave, covered with pine needles, hide and rocks. In that my state of near-death, in this cocoon in the bosom of the Mother, I learned that I could exist outside my body. This small death afforded me this precious insight into one of life's three mysteries.

Italian Streghe believe that the three greatest mysteries are: birth, sex and death. Any outward rite to do with these three is considered a sacrament.

I don't know how long I lay in the earth in a state of limbo. La Tosca brought me back to life with an herbal tisana and three drops of her blood, which I ingested. The herbal tea was obviously an antidote to the poisonous brown-speckled mushroom. This initiation freed me from the pre-conditioned fear of the finality of death. I had learned that when the physical body perished, that the true me would live on as it had during that death-dream state. My little death had become the gateway to eternity. The gateway to my own divinity. My own immortality.

In the campagna near Piacenza I underwent another initiation. I was walked up a steep incline to an old dilapidated mansion. It was the dead of winter and far away in the distance I could see the sun set on the snow-capped Alps. The walls of the dilapidated mansion were covered in day-glow graffiti. Eerie phrases about Freddy Kruger had been etched on the walls and crumbling plaster crunched under our feet, as we walked across the big hall with its now cold fireplace. The Old Lady sat on a rocking chair and her family mumbled soft and low. It was a hypnotic circular dance that induced trance and loss of cognizance. I was in the centre and they revolved around me, muttering their cantilena, while the old dame rocked and kept time like a metronome.

Later, much later, in the dark of night, they led me out to the wrought iron railway bridge next to the dilapidated mansion. They bound and blindfolded me. Below me I could hear the river run deeply. It called unto me. Over and over it beckoned me to jump into its icy embrace.

I hit the ice-cold water and lost consciousness for what must have been a few seconds. The breath being knocked out of me. As I surfaced, arms bound behind me, two young men fished me out of the icy waters. I was swaddled in warm blankets and take to the fire in the nearby watermill.

I knelt before the Old Lady and lay my head on her lap. I was unbound and the blindfold was removed. "You have heard the voice of Our Mother, Now drink from her veins!" And I suckled new life from my teacher's forearm. And I was named a witch. I had drunk my way into the Tradition. Initiation had conferred on me the Bloodline of those Streghe Piacentine.

In some traditions, males initiate females through sexual intercourse. I feel that this can be traumatic. The Great Rite can be done symbolically. Initiation through blood is also very dangerous and not advisable nowadays. But these were the ways back then for those who were not born into a certain bloodline but who were worthy to become part of it.

Now, as I understand the word initiation, in my own limited experience, it involves the mysteries of death, birth and sex and the transference of ether/power/new life.

To the Initiated, you give part of yourself who becomes your child. You become the filter/scudo, for all the ills and misfortunes that will befall the initiated in the future. A deep bond of love and mutual respect develops itself between Initiator and Initiated. You are irreversibly connected for this and other lifetimes. In certain cases where the initiation does not "take", the initiated will rebel against his/her initiator.

The Initiated relinquishes his ego to "death" at the hands of the initiator. He does this with complete trust that life (a better and enlightened life) will be restored to him and abandons himself to his symbolic death and rebirth as a "witch". That sort of trust involves unconditional love.

The ingestion of the teacher's blood means that we become the repository for the continuation of the bloodline. The Essence of the original Strega thus lives on in us. It restores us to life; it feeds us and sustains us. We honour it by living exemplary and by teaching the Old Ways.

In La Vecchia Religione, the three great mysteries are death, birth and sex. Love rules all three. Janus presides over the threshold between lives, Dana presides over birth, and Fana and Faunus preside over the mystery of sex.

Training, learning, coming of understanding, death and rebirth, as a witch is what initiation is all about. The effects of initiation will be felt almost immediately. The Initiated Witch will undergo changes and blossom to their fullest magickal potential. The New Witch and those who know him will become aware of these changes and the metamorphosis, which inevitable happens.

© Morgause Fontleve