Italian Folk Magic: Benedicaria, Stregoneria And Stregheria

Italian Folk Magic: Benedicaria, Stregoneria and Stregheria

When it comes to Italian folk magic, there are three branches that you need to know about.

Benedicaria is the Italian style of Catholic folk magic. You might see some similarities between Benedicaria and Latin American practices of Santeria or Louisiana Voodoo. For example, I have noticed the use off eggs as cleansing agents within all three traditions.

Saints, archangels and various Madonnas are often called upon for help during Benedicaria work.

Stregoneria is the Italian word for witchcraft. It is used to refer to all types of witchcraft but in an English context it is used to specifically refer to witchcraft of Italian or Italian-American origin. As such, a lot of Stregoneria practices and customs can also be found in Benedicaria. The main difference is the fact that Stregoneria does not need to involve Catholicism in any way.

Historically, those who practiced stregoneria were usually women. They were called witches but actually acted as healers. They used a mixture of local herbs and natural medicine combined with spiritual traditions or “magic” in order to heal people. They would heal everything from a physical sickness to a spiritual sickness. As medicine advanced, these natural healers became less sought out.

Because these healers were labeled as witches, some claimed they used evil and dark magic to conduct their work. They could heal but also curse people. Despite the fear mongering, many of these local healers were able to continue their work. A lot of these practices survived even to today. the Malocchio and methods to get rid of it is a good example of a well known spiritual healing practice surviving.

Stregheria is a style of Italian-American influenced magic. It was created by Raven Grimassi, an Italian-American and child of an Italian immigrant from Naples. Grimassi was heavily influenced by Wicca when he created this system of magic and rituals.

Grimassi claims that the Stregheria tradition has roots from ancient Italy and the ancient Etruscans. However, there is no historical evidence that validates his statement.

Those who practice Stregheria also follow the book Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland. This book claims to be a religious text of pagan witches in Tuscany that survived. However, the sources in this book are extremely questionable and many believe that Leland made up most if not all of the book. Leland’s book tells the story of a goddess named Aradia – said to be the daughter of the goddess Diana and the biblical Lucifer.

Stregheria, in reality, looks to be a modern religion with heavy wiccan influences.

🌊Mermaid Magic Spray🐚

Use to attract mermaids, spray on a mermaid altar to give it mermaid vibes and protection, on yourself as a perfume to smell like a mermaid and to give off mermaid vibes, and as an air freshener during mermaid meditation and magic. (It smells absolutely divine, like a sweet, citrus, ocean smell.)

This also makes a great addition to a bath (just make sure to add a carrier oil)

*You can use the plant version of any ingredient instead of the essential oil, if you do this, I recommend making a tea and then straining it so you don’t clog your bottle. Also you don’t have to use every ingredient, if you only have 1 or 2 it’ll still work

🌊Ingredients:

-moon water (or just regular water whatever you want)

-a pinch of sea salt

-opalite/opal, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, or ocean/clear quartz to charge

-a teaspoon of lemon juice (cleansing, lunar energies, healing)

-a teaspoon of vanilla extract (inner peace, meditation, anti-anxiety)

Lavender essential oil (cleansing, relaxation, love, beauty)

Orange essential oil (happiness, healing confidence, energy boost)

Rosemary essential oil (sea magic, mermaid magic, protection, wisdom, concentration)

Ylang-ylang essential oil (mermaid magic, anti-anxiety, happiness, creativity)

🐚Place the ingredients in the spray bottle and charge with the crystal you chose (if you chose lapis lazuli be careful, it’s not water proof)

🐚charge once a month under the full moon if you feel like it needs a boost (this is completely optional)

*if you use just the oil blend please dilute with a carrier oil before you put it on your skin

Thanks to @naomi121406 for help with this post!🌊

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🌊 Sea Witch Resources 🌊

🌊 a sea witch’s spell ingredients - common ingredients for hte sea witch

🌊 sea water replacement - recipe for making sea water at home

🌊 sea grounding - quick guide for grounding in sea water

🌊 sea charging - a guide for using seawater to charge energies

sea witchcraft spells 🌊 

jolly sailor bold - for drawing in a lover, or draw one back from leaving

soft shores bath spell -  for peace and tranquility in one’s life and energy

ariel singing glamour -  a glamour to help your singing voice be like a mermaid’s

mermaid’s breath -  a spell for the ability to survive in emotional or situational circumstances a bit out of your depth or comfort zone

what the water gave me - pop culture spell to relieve burdens of the mind

lapis water binding spell - to bind someone to a place they cannot escape

celestial bath spell - to bring in new, calm energies

a touch, a tempest -  for power in your hands, and enhance control of one’s life

sea foam latte -  bath spell and coffee scrub for motivation and clarity

come hell or highwater -  spell to prepare you for difficult times ahead, and give you the power to rise.

mermaid work  🌊

how to contact a mermaid - a basic guide

different types of mermaids - a short overview

various powers of mermaids

offerings for mermaids

mermaid tips - a few scattered tips

sea witch altar ideas

  🌊 part 1 🌊  part 2

an ongoing guide …………last updated 3/28/2017

Unpacking Witchcraft - Spell Types

A spell is a manifestation of intents, ingredients, and influences combined to bring about an intangible effect. However, there are a number of different of types of spells, intents, and methods. 

CURSE— A spell designed to cause a person or place harm or misfortune of a grand scale. Occasionally used to protect when it used against a concept, “cursing out” infections and medical problems.

HEX— Commonly thought as similar to a curse, though it comes from a German word for witch. Commonly interpreted as a weaker curse, or a midpoint between a jinx and a curse on a scale of annoying to devastating.

JINX— A spell to cause momentary bad luck or annoyance, but can occasionally come back to bite someone later. Usually paired with irony, or used to bring about the opposite effect of what someone says out loud or hopes for.

BANISHING— A type of spell, designed to get rid of something specific, whether it be a concept, a person, spirit, or otherwise, and to keep it away.

WARDING— A type of protective spell in which you create and put up magical walls, usually against a specific thing, such as spirits or negative people, but could be used for evangelicals and teenagers that theoretically loiter on your lawn.

BINDING— Similar to banishing. Instead of removing a person, object, or situation from your vicinity, you prevent a person or creature from performing a particular action.

GLAMOUR— Often used for beauty spells, are a type of spell used for creating an illusion over a person or object. They can be used for a number of purposes, to make someone more attract, or to make an object harder to find, or a person be more or less likely to be noticed.

CONSECRATION— The ritual blessing of an object or place by cleansing it and instilling with a specific energy. Cannot be done to living creatures.

POTION— Any drink made to have a magical effect.

JAR SPELL— A spell made and contained within a jar, often herb sealed with wax.

these are just a few types, feel free to add your own!

Pink(ish) water aesthetic