Magick At the Crossroads - Italian Folk Magic and the Old Religion

By Gianmichael Salvato

A groundbreaking dive into uncovering the truth about long-accepted claims by neo-pagans and practitioners of pop-culture witchcraft that their traditions are somehow based on an imaginary "cult of witches" witnessed by a Philadelphia folklorist in Tuscany, whose roots pre-date the Christian church. Theological anthropologist and lifelong practitioner of the Italian and Afro-Sicilian esoteric and magical traditions, Franciscan contemplative, Gianmichael Salvato (Francis-Maria of the Sacred & Immaculate Hearts) exposes the problematic fallacies upon which pop-culture witchcraft stake such claims, while encouraging practitioners to hold fast to their traditions, by simply accepting that they are mid-20th century esoteric religions. Meanwhile, he shares his own family's tradition, and the tradition of thousands of other Italian and Sicilian practitioners, from the days of antiquity to a postmodern world, and talks about intersectionality with the ancient Mystery Traditions that didn't serve as the foundation or origin of witchcraft, but which relied on the skillful herbal knowledge and connection to energetic frequencies used by Sicilian and Southern Italian esoteric practitioners (particularly women) -- at first for the Great Mysteries of the ancient Greek world, and later, in continuity, for the syncretic esoteric Catholic Mysteries, especially the Great Mystery of Eternal Life. Founder of the Inner Alchemy Mystery School, Gianmichael Salvato has been teaching this insightful and controversial new way of understanding modern occultism on stage and in workshops for the past nine years. This expanded Second-Edition book, whose previous publishers refused to include the full text, is now published, for the first time, in its entirety.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359701360

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Copyright ©2019 by Gianmichael Salvato. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage or reproduction, without express written permission from the Contemplative Order of Compassion Publishing Division, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articals, research, and reviews.

SECOND (EXPANDED) EDITION

Third Printing, 2022.

Appendix contains Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches, by Charles G. Leland, published 1899, London. Public domain.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Salvato, Gianmichael, author

Title: Magick At the Crossroads - Italian Folk Magic and the Old Religion

Identifiers:

ISBN: 978035970127-8 (alk. Paper)

ISBN-13: 9780359701360 (ebook)

Subjects: 1. Witchcraft | 2. Magic - Italian | 3. Folklore - Italian |4. Stregheria | 5. Paganism | 6. Stregoneria

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

20181201_151321

Gianmichael Salvato (Philadelphia, PA) is a gender non-conforming author (pronouns: they/them/their), naturopath, anthropologist, alchemist, intersectional feminist, genderqueer activist, herbalist, contemplative mystic and magical practitioner. They’re also the founder of the Inner Alchemy Mystery School, and the Servant-Leader/Pastor-in-Residence of the Contemplative Order of Compassion.

A lifelong hereditary practitioner of Italian and Afro-Sicilian folk magic, drawing on more than fifty years of personal study and practice, Gianmichael draws deeply from the well of Sacred Wisdom of the Ancestors and Spirits beyond the Veil, as well as the esoteric Catholic and Franciscan mystical and contemplative traditions.

Gianmichael strives to live by these simple principles: personal responsibility, claiming one’s own Power, speaking one’s own Truth (at all costs), living that Truth, following no creed, and always maintaining and respecting individual Sovereignty.

They live with their husband, Craig Daube, and continue to work toward the eventual building of an expanded residential centre of co-creators according to the central guiding principles of the Contemplative Order of Compassion. (http://ContemplativeOrderOfCompassion.org)

This work is dedicated to my beloved aunts, Maria Granato, Irene Salvato, Angelina Caffola, and Gilda Dasconia; to my grandmothers, Lena Salvato and Thelma Pavlisk; to my uncles Pietro (Petey Grant) Granato, Leo Martello, Romalo Caffola, and Albert (Tootsie) Salvato; to my beloved teachers, Swami Abishektananda, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Dr. Louise L. Hay, Dr. Kennedy Shultz, and Maharaj Neem Karoli Baba. Special thanks and love also go out to the members of my Tribe within the Contemplative Order of Compassion, and at the Inner Alchemy Mystery School for your support and love. And to my husband, best friend and companion on this journey, Craig, for putting up with me, making the necessary sacrifices to see this through, and for always believing in me and having my back. I love you, thank you all, and remain at your service always.

Finally, I dedicate this second and expanded edition, for which I fought long and hard to regain publishing rights, so that critical context and parts previously edited out despite my objections could be returned to their rightful place in this work, to the courageous and inspiring people of Ukraine — the lands which once included the birthplaces of my maternal grandparents — with the desire that the sacred sovereignty, dignity and peace that is their birthright be returned to the Ukrainian people. Slava Ukrayini!

CHAPTER ONE

Forward

FOREWORD

I WAS TRULY moved when the author approached me to write this forward. True, we had not been friends for very long, but we recognised the witch in each other very quickly.

I had recently released a poem on Facebook I called ‘The god who comes and calls’ and with that I made a friend in Gianmichael.

We got talking more, and we looked at each other’s work, I found a brother with whom I discussed ideas and thoughts on The Craft. To say we do not differ on opinions on occasion would be a lie, and we have several times agreed to disagree. This is just really a clear example of a mature friendship; we dispute things on occasion and if we disagree even after listening to each other then that’s fine too.

Gianmichael and I have discussed many ideas and relatable experiences whilst not being of the same tradition. Some of our disagreements are simply matters of vocabulary, as we learn each other’s vernacular and get close to each other’s meaning.

I have been on this web series The Brew, which is always an engaging and wonderful experience. Allowing us as LGBTQ Witches to discuss themes around paganism, witchcraft and magic from an LGBTQ perspective, Gianmichael is a driving force for LGBTQ Witches, and always finds those who can contribute to the discussion.

Given the subject of the book I know of no one else who could have written it with such authority and maintain a measured and calm approach throughout. When addressing the subject of ‘Witch Wars’ he brings an alternative to these political games and offers a fresh perspective from a tradition few people really know.

This book elaborates on misunderstandings and misinformation, but the author does not rely on saying what his craft is not.

Here Gianmichael offers a view of witchcraft from the perspective of the tradition in which he was raised, and shares some of the narrative and magic of Stregoneria. My time on ‘The Brew’ concerned a discussion on how narrative is our oldest form of magic and what we share in stories and what magic it holds.

Gianmichael’s honesty and reflections on his past show a sincere, wise, flawed, and magnificent human being who faces the shadows of his past, casting a light on them, relatable and powerful, and who offers a hand to those who feel cast down.

It offers a perspective that true witchcraft requires from the perspective of a tradition that I myself knew very little about. I feel privileged to gain this insight. I would urge the reader to take the same approach to this book. Engage with it, and let the words work their own magic as you read them like a sorcerer’s incantation.

Marcel Proust once said: ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes’

Books can allow this to happen, and if there is one insight I can give into reading this book, it’s just that: ignore any ideas or thoughts you have on the subject and understand in magic we are only ever just becoming, treat this as a new lesson as much as possible and embrace it, even if you do not agree, just let it wash over you, so you can engage with this perspective fully. Give yourself new eyes and read the words with your new eyes and thus discover.

The author may have been approached me to write this due to a recent blog I published for The Centre of Pagan Studies. In this blog I discussed getting to the bones of Witchcraft and reflecting on the kind of magic it is, e.g., how it is often it is unspoken, and looking at its distinction from other forms of magic and occult practices.

I end this forward with a quote from a recent blog post I made which sparked some conversation between us, one I think synchronises with some of the theme and spirit of this book:

Witchcraft is the union of instinct, imagination, thought, intent and environment. It is where heart and mind meet and where the wisdom of your bones and the power of your blood awaken.

Richard Levy June 2019

The Centre of Pagan Studies - London, England

CHAPTER TWO

Introduction

HAVING PRACTICED ITALIAN (more accurately, Afro-Sicilian) folk magic for nearly fifty years, at the time of this writing, one of the very few rules I’ve imposed upon my practice has been to avoid the Witch Wars – battles fueled by ego, arrogance, deceit, and ignorance, which I am told have existed for nearly as long as the written histories that replaced the ancient, oral tradition of the Craft of the Wise. And I cannot say that such disputes have been without merit or value in terms of the larger, evolutionary picture of Witchcraft in the postmodern world.

Just as gold is refined by the goldsmith's fires, so too has the ancient path of the esoteric practitioner been refined by the fires of conflict, persecution, and infighting. To be clear, I don’t believe that persecution, marginalisation or fighting are ever an acceptable solution; but when such unfortunate things occur, the cosmos seems to have a way of ensuring the opportunity to use those experiences as lynch-pins that keep the vehicle from going completely off the rails. As such, personal and communal growth can be achieved – not because of, but rather despite the conflicts.

The oral tradition plays a critical role in my experience as an hereditary practitioner in the Southern Italian and Afro-Sicilian traditions of folk magic and esoteric Catholicism. And because oral tradition is frequently a colourful, often fantastical means of transmitting a sense of identity, which can easily be mistaken for transmission of history, my own journey has been fraught with a sometimes-dizzying number of changes in philosophical and anthropological stances. Someone suggested that it’s possible that my apparent decision to stay out of the Witch Wars was likely because I was dealing with my own internal spiritual wars, which directly led to the development of the material for this book.

And I am inclined to agree!

Unlike many of my friends in the Craft, both in the United States and throughout Europe, my spiritual and metaphysical journey was simultaneously sheltered, yet distinctly broader than the accounts most of them shared with me. There were admittedly times when I envied how much simpler and more believable their journeys have been (which I think you will understand as this material begins to unfold, shortly).

Why couldn’t our family’s magical journey have begun with my great, great grandmother discovering that she had an intuitive way about her? It’s so much easier to convey and demonstrate the historicity of something that was born in the Common Era. But that was not to be the case for my family. Even when I tried to obscure the older parts of the story, they always seemed to find a way to see the light of day.

So, in a way, this is my story… it’s my family’s story… and it’s my small contribution to the greater society of practitioners of magic, sorcery, and pagan spirituality. Now I am not quite arrogant enough to imagine that this book will end the disputes, arguments, and debates that keep the Witch Wars on-going. But it might offer a perspective some have not considered.

This book is going to shed some light on one perspective, wrapped in the clothing of a narrative that is as rich in metaphor and mythos as it is coloured by historical references. It should not, in my opinion, be taken as a literal history of my family, nor of the origins of Italian folk-magic. Instead, I will share the story as it was given to me, leaving intact as many of the narrative details as possible; while respecting the Mystery Tradition from which it arose. That means that there will be a subtext, in some parts of the story, which is not shared with the reader directly, but whose essence I will attempt to weave into the narrative in a way that respects the secret tradition, without losing context.

I’ve frequently said on stage, at workshops, and on the podcasts and radio programs I’ve been interviewed on, or hosted, that the biggest reason I’ve stayed out of the Witch Wars has been that they seemed to revolve around the British, Celtic, Gaelic and American traditions of Witchcraft, of which I am not directly associated.

In fact, while it’s true that like my adoptive uncle, Zio Leo¹,² as I grew up calling him, I referred to my practice as "stregoneria (witchcraft, in Italian), no one else in my family would ever do so. Like Zio Leo, I thought that reclaiming a word that was used to attack our ways was useful, as an activist. But the longer I did so, the more I began to realise, particularly as I entered my fifties, that our practice really could not accurately be called witchcraft", since that word had come to represent a neo-pagan reconstructionist religion that bore no resemblance to the hereditary practices of folk magic and Catholic conjure that had been a part of my entire life.

In my own tradition, the first fifty years of one’s practice are a period of intense personal study, development and practice. And I took that very seriously, for reasons I will get into, in the following chapters. That meant, however, that I didn’t have a lot of time or energy to devote to the study of other traditions, once I completed my doctoral studies in theological anthropology. So, I felt that I was far from adequately well-versed enough in the Wiccan, British Traditional, Celtic/Gaelic, or Norse Pagan traditions to weigh in, when battles flared-up.

That began to change, shortly before my fifty-fifth birthday, when the political divisiveness of the corrupt and treasonous regime of the Trump/Putin Criminal Cabal led to painful disagreements that nearly fractured my relationship with two of my dearest friends — my parents.

Because neither of my parents practiced the esoteric tradition I’d learned from my grandmother, aunts and uncles, I’d long agreed to keep my practice hidden beneath the veneer of my priesthood and later episcopacy within the Eastern (Esoteric) Rite of Catholicism that developed as a means of protecting the practitioners of the ancient folk magic and animistic healing ways of our ancestors. With their repudiation of me and my practice, I no longer felt compelled to keep it low-key, and so I began to connect with others, on social media, and in local covens.

Curiously, that was where I first learned that something of a Witch war existed within my own spiritual traditions as well – something I’d never heard about over the past fifty years! The debate, it would seem, was over the classic chicken or the egg argument – whether the Vecchia Religione (Old Religion) or Stregoneria (Esoteric Practice) came first in Italy.

At first, I could only see what was on the surface of the debate, and it seemed, as these Witch Wars often do, that all of this arose from a somewhat petty contest of egos, between two of the preeminent practitioners of Italian folk magic.

And digging into the writings and videos of both of these self-styled authorities, I found some fairly significant departures from the traditions they teach, which seemed pretty significant. I didn’t want to become part of those wars. So, I remained quiet about it.

But I did strike up something of a casual friendship with one of them, which helped me better understand his perspective, even if we didn’t always agree on everything.

And it was his suggestion that I might want to come out of the quietude of my techno-hermit lifestyle, to tell my story, and share a perspective he was eager to discuss in person one day. Unfortunately, that practitioner, Raven Grimassi, passed-on from this plane of being about a year later. We never had the opportunity to meet, or to flesh-out these ideas I am going to write about here. But I did have an opportunity to express the concern and even disdain I have for the way he and others misrepresented the esoteric spiritual traditions of Italy. And I wish we’d had more time to have more conversations about that, because I remain convinced that he and others both distorted the work of my Zio Leo Martello, and did a profound disservice to Italian and Afro-Sicilian folk magic practitioners throughout that country and the Italian/Sicilian diaspora.

Magick at the Crossroads is an effort of love. It seeks to become a vehicle of peace and reconciliation, without attempting to reflect any sort of academic or spiritual authority over any other perspective, tradition or theories of the development of these ancient practices.

Rather than trying to definitively uncover the origin story of Italian Magic and Pagan Spirituality, this book instead offers my origin story. As such, it’s not really open to debate. It doesn’t seek validation, approval or permission. But it does represent my sincere hope that it can serve as the humblest of fodder for the seeker’s personal journey and inquiry into the timeless question of belonging.

And while we may identify this as my origin story, it’s worth noting that because it occurs within the brilliant tapestry that is Magic, in another sense, this is one thread of our common origin story as well.

It’s only natural that we thirst for our own origin stories and those of others. After all, that is, in no small part, why the X-Men and other superhero stories have become such huge film franchises. By learning the origin stories of others, it becomes easier for us to examine our own. It gives us a possible context from which to begin. And it allows us the refined perspective that our origin stories don’t always have to be exclusively and historically intact to hold a respected place in our traditions, quests, and pursuit of meaning.

There is a legend from the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, which says, In the beginning, there was only darkness everywhere, darkness and water. And the darkness gathered thick in places, crowding together and then separating, crowding and separating.

It is not an uncommon motif, in Creation myths. We need only recall the familiar accounting in the Abrahamic traditions, notably in the first chapter of Genesis, where we read, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

There is just something reassuring about reading the words, In the beginning…

Why Am I Writing This?

I think perhaps that is because it creates a tangible (albeit mythical) reference point from which we can build our associations and further mythos as a people. As far back as the 9th century BCE, we find the first written accounts of such origin stories. The Hindu Upanishad offers the following foundational narrative, In the beginning, there was only the Great Self, reflected in the form of a person. Reflecting, it found nothing but itself, and its first word was, ‘This am I.'

And so I begin this recounting of an origin story, handed down through the oral tradition for some seven hundred years, and memorialised in written accounts sporadically ever since. I’ve undertaken this effort mindful of my own skepticism concerning some of the details contained within, cognizant of the role of sacred myth, primitive explanations for phenomena and noumena that we now understand differently, and of the human imagination in recounting such tales.

Wherever possible, I’ve relied on third-party research, scholarship and tradition to establish a foundation for the ideas I present here. My intention is not to become embroiled in the Witch war debates, nor to discredit the scholarship of so many on the subject. I am deeply grateful for the work and research of brilliant minds, including Paul Pearson, Randy P. Conner, Allison M. Cox, Laura Kounine, ‎Michael Ostling, Charles Leland, Doreen Valiente, and others.

That said, this represents what I hope will be considered a new account – not necessarily an academic accounting, but more of an attempt to unpack the family myths, from deep within the realm of possibilities; which for better or worse, I am now ready to claim as my origin story.

Written in part to perhaps memorialise the past fifty years of my own spiritual journey, but more importantly, I hope, to inspire a new way of looking at our history as practitioners of the Ancient Mysteries.

One cannot help but realise that our society is deeply divided, wounded, and more in need of healing and enlightenment now, than perhaps at any other time in recorded history.

From tyrannical, corrupt governmental regimes to racial and gender discrimination and violence; we are a people in need of a Middle Way. And it is my desire that this book might inspire dialogue within the community of Witches, Conjurers, Cunning-folk, Mages and Pagans, to bridge our differences, and come together to create a better world for future generations.

I am please to say that the estrangement that briefly separated me from my parents did happily end with full reconciliation, and opportunities to mutually respect one another’s perspectives. And that is what I hope this book might