Stregheria
Stregheria is a form of Witchcraft native to southern Italy. The word means „Witchcraft” in old Italian, its modern form is "stregoneria", but the followers, the Strega, only use the word Stregheria. The most significant and most credible account of the ways of the Strega can be found in a book titled Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches from 1899. The book was written by an English folklore expert, Charles G. Leland, who himself had Italian and Gipsy background. He based on his book on stories and spells reportedly given to him by an Italian Witch, called Maddalene. The Aradia contains the most important practices and rituals of Stregheria.
In Stregheria, the Goddess is called Diana, who represents Darkness, Darkness night, and in a more
abstract sense the Primordial Womb, from which everything was born. (Diana is actually widely regarded as the Roman representation of Artemis). According to the myth of Stregheria, Diana divided herself into two: she stayed the Darkness, her other half became the Light. His name is Light
bearer in latin: Lucifer. The apprentice may be suprised to hear this name, since in popular culture it is mostly used as a name for the "Devil". In reality, Lucifer was originally the Roman God of Dawn and Light, hence his name.
According to the Strega, Diana and Lucifer created the world. They also had a daughter, called Aradia, whom they sent down to Earth, to help humankind, especially the poor and unfortunate. She was regarded as Diana manifested in human form, and she is referred to as La Prima Strega or The First Witch in Italian. The name Aradia also appears in other Witch cults as a name of the Goddess, and it is most likely that it shares the same etymological origin with the name Artemis. Aradia taught Witches how to cast a Magic Circle around themselves, how to call upon the Powers of the Four Directions. She showed them how to gather for Witch-feasts ("Treguenda"), how to celebrate under the Full Moon, how to heal, and how to curse. Stregheria is the first Witch-cult, which had its teachings available to the public, and that was the first time that it became clear, that there is still a Witch-cult today that reveres the old Gods.
Stregheria is a form of Witchcraft native to southern Italy. The word means „Witchcraft” in old Italian, its modern form is "stregoneria", but the followers, the Strega, only use the word Stregheria. The most significant and most credible account of the ways of the Strega can be found in a book titled Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches from 1899. The book was written by an English folklore expert, Charles G. Leland, who himself had Italian and Gipsy background. He based on his book on stories and spells reportedly given to him by an Italian Witch, called Maddalene. The Aradia contains the most important practices and rituals of Stregheria.
abstract sense the Primordial Womb, from which everything was born. (Diana is actually widely regarded as the Roman representation of Artemis). According to the myth of Stregheria, Diana divided herself into two: she stayed the Darkness, her other half became the Light. His name is Light
bearer in latin: Lucifer. The apprentice may be suprised to hear this name, since in popular culture it is mostly used as a name for the "Devil". In reality, Lucifer was originally the Roman God of Dawn and Light, hence his name.
