Post by Lady Motevia on Jul 11, 2011 14:12:36 GMT -5
Stregheria, or the Strega path, is based on the Old Religion of Italy. Stregheria is based heavily on witchcraft and magick, as well as the book Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland, written in 1899. The general belief is that Aradia was a Priestess of Diana (although some lay claim that she was Her daughter by Lucifer) and passed on the knowledge of witchcraft to her people. The people split into 3 different groups known as the Triad Clans. The Triad Clans consisted of the Fanara, who are the Keepers of the Earth Mysteries and reside in Northern Italy, the Janarra, who are the Keepers of the Lunar Mysteries and reside in central Italy, and the Tanarra, who are the Keepers of the Stellar (Star) Mysteries and also reside in central Italy.
All three traditions practice the mysteries of divination, herbalism, magick, and rituals. Raven Grimassi has started his own tradition, known as the Aridian Tradition, which attempts to bring to light the mysteries of all of the other traditions combined.
Strega follow the holidays known as the Treguendas, which are very similar to the Wiccan Sabbats. Like the Sabbats, there are 8 Treguendas and are as follows:
Shadow Fest/La Festa Dell' Ombra (October 31st)
La Festa dell'Inverno (Winter Solstice)
Lupercus/Festa di Lupercus (February 2nd)
Equinozio della Primavera (Spring Equinox)
Tana's Day/La Giornata di Tana (May 1st)
Summer Fest/La Festa dell'Estate (Summer Solstice)
Cornucopia (August 1st)
Equinozio di Autunno (Autumn Equinox)
*These are very similar to the Wiccan Sabbats, but hold different historical meanings than the Celtic Sabbats.
Strega do not follow the Wiccan Rede, but adhere to their own tenants of spiritual structure:
The Covenant of Aradia
*Observe the times of the Treguenda, for therein is the foundation of the powers of Stregheria.
*When good is done to you, then do good to another. If someone wishes to repay you for a kindness, then bind them to go out of their way to help three others, then this shall clear the debt.
*Do not use the arts of Stregheria to appear powerful among others. Do not lower the standards of the Art and thereby bring contempt upon the Old ways.
*Do not take the life of anything unless it is to preserve life, yours or another's.
*Do not give your word of honour lightly, for you are bound 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 always preserve your honour. Give respect to others and expect respect in return.
*Teach all who appear worthy and aid the continuance of the Old Religion.
*Do not belittle another's religious beliefs, but simply state your own truths. Strive to be at peace with those who differ.
*Do not purposely cause harm to another, unless it is to prevent true harm to yourself or another.
*Strive to be compassionate to others, and to be aware of the hearts and minds of those around you.
*Be true to your own understanding and turn away from those things which oppose the good in you, or are harmful to you. Hold reverence to all within Nature. Destroy nothing, scar nothing, waste nothing, live in harmony with Nature, for the ways of Nature are our own ways.
*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.
Charge of Aradia
Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month when the Moon is full, then shall you come together at some deserted place, or where there are woods, and give worship to She who is Queen of all Witches. Come all together inside a circle, and secrets that are as yet unknown shall be revealed.
And your mind must be free and also your spirit and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your rites. And you shall rejoice, and sing; making music and love. For this is the essence of spirit, and the knowledge of joy.
Be true to your own beliefs, and keep to the Ways, beyond all obstacles. For ours is the key to the mysteries and the cycle of rebirth, which opens the way to the Womb of Enlightenment.
I am the spirit of witches all, and this is joy and peace and harmony. In life does the Queen of all witches reveal the knowledge of Spirit. And from death does the Queen deliver you to peace and renewal.
When I shall have departed from this world, in memory of me make cakes of grain, wine, and honey. These shall you shape like the Moon, and then partake of wine and cakes, all in my memory. For I have been sent to you by the Spirits of Old, and I have come that you might be delivered from all slavery. I am the daughter of the Sun and the Moon, and even though I have been born into this world, my Race is of the Stars.
Give offerings all to She who is our Mother. For She is the beauty of the GreenWood, and the light of the Moon among the Stars, and the mystery which gives life, and always calls us to come together in Her name. Let Her worship be the ways within your heart, for all acts of love and pleasure gain favor with the Goddess.
But to all who seek her, know that your seeking and desire will reward you not, until you realize the secret. Because if that which you seek is not found within your inner self, you will never find it from without. For she has been with you since you entered into the ways, and she is that which awaits at your journey's end.
Gifts of Aradia
In the fourteenth century, Aradia taught that the traditional powers of a witch would belong to any who followed in the ways of the Old Religion. Aradia called these powers "Gifts", she also stressed the point that these powers were the benefits of adhering to the Old Ways, and not the reason for becoming a witch.
These are the powers:
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 whild beasts
To know the secrets of the hands
For more information, see:
www.spiritual.com.au/articles/witchcraft/stregheria-beliefs.htm
www.stregheria.com/what.htm
Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi
All three traditions practice the mysteries of divination, herbalism, magick, and rituals. Raven Grimassi has started his own tradition, known as the Aridian Tradition, which attempts to bring to light the mysteries of all of the other traditions combined.
Strega follow the holidays known as the Treguendas, which are very similar to the Wiccan Sabbats. Like the Sabbats, there are 8 Treguendas and are as follows:
Shadow Fest/La Festa Dell' Ombra (October 31st)
La Festa dell'Inverno (Winter Solstice)
Lupercus/Festa di Lupercus (February 2nd)
Equinozio della Primavera (Spring Equinox)
Tana's Day/La Giornata di Tana (May 1st)
Summer Fest/La Festa dell'Estate (Summer Solstice)
Cornucopia (August 1st)
Equinozio di Autunno (Autumn Equinox)
*These are very similar to the Wiccan Sabbats, but hold different historical meanings than the Celtic Sabbats.
Strega do not follow the Wiccan Rede, but adhere to their own tenants of spiritual structure:
The Covenant of Aradia
*Observe the times of the Treguenda, for therein is the foundation of the powers of Stregheria.
*When good is done to you, then do good to another. If someone wishes to repay you for a kindness, then bind them to go out of their way to help three others, then this shall clear the debt.
*Do not use the arts of Stregheria to appear powerful among others. Do not lower the standards of the Art and thereby bring contempt upon the Old ways.
*Do not take the life of anything unless it is to preserve life, yours or another's.
*Do not give your word of honour lightly, for you are bound 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 always preserve your honour. Give respect to others and expect respect in return.
*Teach all who appear worthy and aid the continuance of the Old Religion.
*Do not belittle another's religious beliefs, but simply state your own truths. Strive to be at peace with those who differ.
*Do not purposely cause harm to another, unless it is to prevent true harm to yourself or another.
*Strive to be compassionate to others, and to be aware of the hearts and minds of those around you.
*Be true to your own understanding and turn away from those things which oppose the good in you, or are harmful to you. Hold reverence to all within Nature. Destroy nothing, scar nothing, waste nothing, live in harmony with Nature, for the ways of Nature are our own ways.
*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.
Charge of Aradia
Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month when the Moon is full, then shall you come together at some deserted place, or where there are woods, and give worship to She who is Queen of all Witches. Come all together inside a circle, and secrets that are as yet unknown shall be revealed.
And your mind must be free and also your spirit and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your rites. And you shall rejoice, and sing; making music and love. For this is the essence of spirit, and the knowledge of joy.
Be true to your own beliefs, and keep to the Ways, beyond all obstacles. For ours is the key to the mysteries and the cycle of rebirth, which opens the way to the Womb of Enlightenment.
I am the spirit of witches all, and this is joy and peace and harmony. In life does the Queen of all witches reveal the knowledge of Spirit. And from death does the Queen deliver you to peace and renewal.
When I shall have departed from this world, in memory of me make cakes of grain, wine, and honey. These shall you shape like the Moon, and then partake of wine and cakes, all in my memory. For I have been sent to you by the Spirits of Old, and I have come that you might be delivered from all slavery. I am the daughter of the Sun and the Moon, and even though I have been born into this world, my Race is of the Stars.
Give offerings all to She who is our Mother. For She is the beauty of the GreenWood, and the light of the Moon among the Stars, and the mystery which gives life, and always calls us to come together in Her name. Let Her worship be the ways within your heart, for all acts of love and pleasure gain favor with the Goddess.
But to all who seek her, know that your seeking and desire will reward you not, until you realize the secret. Because if that which you seek is not found within your inner self, you will never find it from without. For she has been with you since you entered into the ways, and she is that which awaits at your journey's end.
Gifts of Aradia
In the fourteenth century, Aradia taught that the traditional powers of a witch would belong to any who followed in the ways of the Old Religion. Aradia called these powers "Gifts", she also stressed the point that these powers were the benefits of adhering to the Old Ways, and not the reason for becoming a witch.
These are the powers:
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 whild beasts
To know the secrets of the hands
For more information, see:
www.spiritual.com.au/articles/witchcraft/stregheria-beliefs.htm
www.stregheria.com/what.htm
Italian Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi