Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe [Paperback]

Raven Grimassi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2000

Italian Witchcraft (previously titled Ways of the Strega) by respected author Raven Grimassi is more than just a book about Witchcraft. It is a complete Book of Shadows. In it you will find the history of this ancient tradition, its legends and myths, as well as the rituals and rites that you can do today. You can be a Strega!

The book includes a full set of rituals that you can do. You'll find rituals for all of the Italian Witchcraft holidays including Shadow Fest, Lupercus, Tana's Day and more. You'll also find rituals for the Full Moon, births, funerals.

There is a practical side to this book, too. It is filled with instructions so that you can cast spells and work with the powers of incense, oils, herbs, and candles. You'll learn to work with the magick of the Moon and Stars. You'll be able to do protection rituals and learn how to cure someone who has received the "Malocchio" (Evil Eye).

Many of the mysteries revealed here have never been published before. You'll learn secret gestures of power and secret symbols. And you can use them all! Also revealed are the secrets of the tools of the Italian Witch. You'll learn how to prepare the "Spirit Blade" and the ritual wand. You'll learn how to make the Spirit Bowl and use to consecrate other tools and talismans.

If you're looking to discover real Witchcraft, or if you're already a Witch but are thinking about other traditions, this is the book for you.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

         Italian Witchcraft (previously titled Ways of the Strega) by Raven Grimassi is really an achievement. This outstanding  book about Stregheria examines the history of the tradition, showing its antiquity through a variety of sources. It also has the complete myth of Aradia and the teachings of the Holy Strega. Finally, it contains a workbook with all of the rituals for the holidays as well as many of the magical techniques. In short, it is a complete Book of Shadows! And most importantly, you can use it to make the changes you need in your life.
In the chapter titled "The Art of Casting Spells," the magical methods of the Strega are revealed. Raven writes that "The art of spell casting incorporates many different aspects. Most spells include the use of various types of candles, herbs, charms, oils and so on. Also common to most spells is the verse or incantation." He then goes on to reveal all of the methods, including different types of verses to use and herbs for different magical purposes. You'll learn that you should use white candles for rituals of protection, pink ones for friendship and green ones for success. You'll also learn the Protective Pentagram Spell, the Spell of the Witches' Pentagram, the Spell of St. Anthony (to win or reclaim a lover), and much more.
I think you'll find that this will be one of the most valuable books you can have. Whether you are looking for historical information or practical techniques, this book will satisfy you. Always interesting and intriguing, you'll find yourself studying the histories, honoring the myths and practicing the magick.
The path of the Strega may be the path that leads you to greater success and happiness. You owe it to yourself to find out.

About the Author

Raven Grimassi is a Neo-Pagan scholar and award-winning author of over twelve books on Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. He is a member of the American Folk Lore Society and is co-founder and co-director of the College of the Crossroads.

Raven's background includes training in the Rosicrucian Order as well as the study of the Kabbalah through the First Temple of Tifareth under Lady Sara Cunningham. His early magical career began in the late 1960s and involved the study of works by Franz Bardon, Eliphas Levi, William Barrett, Dion Fortune, William Gray, William Butler, and Israel Regardie.

Today Raven is the directing Elder of the tradition of Aridian Witchcraft, and together with his wife Stephanie Taylor he is developing a complete teaching system known as Ash, Birch and Willow. This system is the culmination of over 35 years of study and practice in the magical and spiritual traditions of the indigenous people of pre-Christian Europe.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 2 Sub edition (February 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567182593
• ISBN-13: 978-1567182590
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > History > Europe > Italy

More About the Author

I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, to an Italian immigrant who married an American soldier at the close of World War II. My earliest training was in what I call a "peasant witchcraft" tradition, which consisted of Witchcraft and Folk Magic practices of Old Italy. Over the past four decades I have been a practitioner of several Witchcraft and Wiccan traditions. At present I am the directing Elder of the Ash, Birch & Willow tradition, which is a system of "Old Ways Witchcraft" not originating from any single region of Europe, but instead embracing what is held in common among many lands.

I currently have over 14 books in print and write on the topics of Witchcraft, Wicca and Magic. Many people seem to peg me as an author on Italian Witchcraft exclusively, but in fact only two of my books are about that specific subject. The primary focus of my work is about pre-Christian European beliefs and practices that appear in contemporary systems. In doing so I look to the commonalities of European traditions that appear in various regions instead of just one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing, March 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe (Paperback)

As a professional folklorist and a native of Italy now living here in the U.S., I was very interested to read this book. It contains authentic elements of Italian folklore and folk magic, mixed with various aspects of Italian Witchcraft. But as the author clearly states in the introduction, portions of the material are also mixed with some modern Wiccan elements. I found very little of this mixture, but it is present as the author readily admits several places in this book.

Grimassi states in the introduction that he created a system called the Aridian Tradition for Americans to practice, which is a blend of old and new material. There are two chapters dealing with the modern Aridian Tradition, chapters three and twelve. The remaining 20 chapters all contain older and authentic Italian material, much of it verified by the field research of several folklorists, including J.B. Andrews, Lady de Vere, Roma Lister, and Charles Leland.

For some additional background reading on Italian Witchcraft and folklore, I would suggest The Evil Eye by Elsworthy, and Etruscan Roman Remains by Charles Leland.

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La Vecchia Religione, March 18, 2000

By 

"abracadabraman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe (Paperback)

This is an absolutely fantastic book! Raven Grimassi, you've done it again! Following your own creed of 'adding, but not taking away', this is an expanded and updated version of 'Ways of the Strega' which so many of us found a strong attraction to years ago. For anyone interested in where the 'Craft' really comes from, where the 'roots' are, and returning to the 'source', this is an essential read. For those looking to understand the 'how's and whys' of what grandma (or 'nonna') used to do, and what they remember from childhood, this is a great place to look. The sections that have been updated from 'Ways' are really interesting, particularly the Tuscan tradition info, and the comparison between what some claim were 'Gardner originals' with what has existed before. As with 'ways', alot of information is hidden amoungst the passages, requiring the reader to seriously think about the ideas presented; one the tricks to how Raven writes, with several levels of meaning available to the aspiring student, making it fun and necessary to reread the book several times. So if the full moon calls you to look skyward and remember the 'Old Ways'; to remember Diana, Artemis, Aradia, Hecate, to think of warm nights in Tuscany, and celebrating Mother Earth, then this will be something you'll definitely find intereting......

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than before, August 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe (Paperback)

As the author addresses in the new preface, Italian Witchcraft is a revised edition of Ways of Strega. I enjoyed the new chapter on Tuscan Witchcraft and found it very enlightening. There are several corrections made in Italian Witchcraft that helped to clear up some earlier misunderstandings, which I appreciated. The expanded chapters also added much to the earlier material from Ways of the Strega.

Although I enjoyed Ways of the Strega, I found Italian Witchcraft to be an even better presentation of the Old Religion. The new appendices shed much light on the influences that transformed witchcraft over the centuries. Grimassi presents a great deal of compelling evidence to show that Gardnerian Wicca was heavily influenced by Aegean/Mediterranean paganism and witchcraft. Grimassi has remained consistent in his views of how Italian Witchcraft influenced modern Wicca, and his arguments are reasonable and logical. His Wicca books also demonstrate the Aegean/Mediterranean influences on the modern version of this religion. Grimassi does not present Wicca and Italian Witchcraft as being the same things, but instead he demonstrates that they are first cousins.