Quote:
Originally Posted by *Rasenna*
Well, I defer to your expertise here.
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To clarify, I am not saying you are wrong about the Sabbat as the defining point, nor am I reversing my position on the importance of Stregheria and the Sabbat connection.
What I was trying to say is that after hearing from a variety of seemingly credible Witches in Italy, I think we need to acknowledge that a person can be an authentic Italian Witch without practicing the formal Sabbat structure. However this is because we are looking at an offshoot from the Old Religion that apparently lost its former ties to the Sabbats. So these people are cousins and therefore still family. They still possess the religious element of Witchcraft because they continue a relationship with pagan deity. Italian Witchcraft is, after all, the Old Religion of Italy. Still I exercise caution when it comes to any Italian Witchcraft tradition claiming to be void of the Sabbat.
Now the Sabbat aside, there are certain elements that still need to be present within an Italian Witchcraft system in order to actually be one. If these are absent then we are actually looking at Stregoneria or Folk Magic instead of Italian Witchcraft.
Here is a list:
1. A dominating lunar orientation, but not to the exclusion of solar elements
2. A goddess figure associated with night, moon, and stars
3. A horned-god figure associated with woodlands and with agricultural themes (solar mythos)
4. Spirits associated with night, nature, and the four elements
5. Initiation rites
6. An inner mystery tradition (esoteric aspects)
7. Spellcraft
8. Crossroads workings
9. Herbal arts (magic and healing)
10. Ritual circle and altar structure (orientation to the four directional quarters)
11. Grigori (Guardian spirits)
12. Ancestral veneration
13. A Priesthood and Priestesshood structure of some sort (even something as simple as a solitary Witch knowing that he or she is a priest or priestess of the old gods)
14. Ritual cords (a variety of uses)
15. A system of signs, symbols, and charms
16. An Otherworld connection
I think this is a fairly complete list. If someone notices I have left something out, please let me know.
On a final note, the Aradia connection is not a defining aspect as we have always acknowledged that not all Italian Witchcraft traditions are descended from her. Clearly there were Witchcraft traditions before the time of Aradia, and in later times some of these had no contact with what Aradia set in place. Aradia is a defining point only for the Triad traditions.