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Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
This edition originally published by Troy Books Inc. 2018.
Charles G. Leland's 19th-century book on Italian witchcraft and sorcery has become one of the primary source-texts for the witchcraft revival. Leland's Italian informant Maddalena reveals evocations, conjurations, spells, rites, and charms of operative magic from the peasants and witches of Romagna and the Tuscan Mountains. This edition's wonderfully informative foreword by Gemma Gary includes perspectives on the origins and contemporary influence of Leland's work.
Charles G. Leland's 19th-century book on Italian witchcraft and sorcery has become one of the primary source-texts for the witchcraft revival. Leland's Italian informant Maddalena reveals evocations, conjurations, spells, rites, and charms of operative magic from the peasants and witches of Romagna and the Tuscan Mountains. This edition's wonderfully informative foreword by Gemma Gary includes perspectives on the origins and contemporary influence of Leland's work.
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1899
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About the author
Charles Godfrey Leland
357 books37 followersCharles Godfrey Leland (August 15, 1824 – March 20, 1903) was an American humorist and folklorist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Princeton University and in Europe.
Leland worked in journalism, travelled extensively, and became interested in folklore and folk linguistics, publishing books and articles on American and European languages and folk traditions. Leland worked in a wide variety of trades, achieved recognition as the author of the comic Hans Breitmann’s Ballads, fought in two conflicts, and wrote what was to become a primary source text for Neopaganism half a century later, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.
Leland worked in journalism, travelled extensively, and became interested in folklore and folk linguistics, publishing books and articles on American and European languages and folk traditions. Leland worked in a wide variety of trades, achieved recognition as the author of the comic Hans Breitmann’s Ballads, fought in two conflicts, and wrote what was to become a primary source text for Neopaganism half a century later, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
July 2, 2025
Charles Godfrey Leland’s work, including “Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches,” is similar to that ofmany other armchair anthropologists of the nineteenth century. Certainly, Leland was a traveler. However, he entrusted the collection of data to a woman named Maddalena instead of conducting ethnographic research on his own.
Regardless, this is one of the key foundational texts that earlier neo-pagans like Crowley and Gardner used in order to recreate pagan rites and, eventually, the religion known as Wicca. As a result, this is a key reading for those interested either in the religion or in the history of the Wiccan religion.
Regardless, this is one of the key foundational texts that earlier neo-pagans like Crowley and Gardner used in order to recreate pagan rites and, eventually, the religion known as Wicca. As a result, this is a key reading for those interested either in the religion or in the history of the Wiccan religion.
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May 11, 2022Diana was the first created before all creation: in her were all things; out of herself, the first darkness, she divided herself; into darkness and light she was divided. Lucifer, her brother and son, herself and her other half, was the light.
And when Diana saw that the light was so beautiful, the light which was her other half, her brother Lucifer, she yearned for it with exceeding great desire. Wishing to receive the light again into her darkness, to swallow it up in rapture, in delight, she trembled with desire. This desire was the Dawn.
Important in the historical context of modern occultism, but rather vapid. And racist.
Written through an Abrahamic lens with all the mentions of heaven, hell, Satan, etc.
Interesting mythos but questionable authenticity—especially regarding the way Leland refers to his own work as trustworthy and refers to others as not.
And when Diana saw that the light was so beautiful, the light which was her other half, her brother Lucifer, she yearned for it with exceeding great desire. Wishing to receive the light again into her darkness, to swallow it up in rapture, in delight, she trembled with desire. This desire was the Dawn.
Important in the historical context of modern occultism, but rather vapid. And racist.
Written through an Abrahamic lens with all the mentions of heaven, hell, Satan, etc.
Interesting mythos but questionable authenticity—especially regarding the way Leland refers to his own work as trustworthy and refers to others as not.
Read
July 28, 2011In Northern Italy there are vestiges of an ancient faith that maybe still practiced by the common people. It is a vestige left over from the ancient Etruscan religion. The Etruscans lived in Tuscany, Italy. The main Goddess for the practitioners of this faith is the Goddess Diana. She is the Goddess of the moon, queen of the fairies and protector of the down trodden. She is also the goddess of witchcraft.
Charles Godfrey Leland traveled to Italy in the Mid to late 1800's and gather all this material about the ancient Etruscan religion.. It was gathered from local sources and he was helped by a young female. In Northern Italy there are Strega or Italian witches who still practice Etruscan magic and are expert in it's ways.
The book is very simple to read filled with stories and some rather easy to do spells. The spells are not at all complicated and there is no circle casting as one would find in Wicca or Ceremonial Magic. Usually a spell is something as simple as making an invocation to the goddess and leaving an offering. For example take the family that is poor and is in need of money. They leave an offering to Diana of flowers and leaving them by her statue. The family becomes wealthy as a result. many of the invocations also threaten the deity if there request is not met. This seems to be a common motif even in Italian Christian practices. Much different from Wicca. If one wants a fuller representation of the Italian witch faith then one can read further in the author's other works such as "Etruscan Roman Remains" and "Legends of Florence"
Aradia who is called the Queen of Witches was sent down to help the suffering people of Italy who were oppressed by the nobility and the clergy men. Often time they were forced to work as slaves and their property was confiscated arbitrarily by the Church of oppressive noblemen. The people were not strong enough to fight back so Aradia taught them magic witchcraft and the use of poison to counter the oppression.
Aradia was also the daugher of Diana and Lucifer (not to be confused with Satan). The elder gods created Diana and from her other half came the sun god Lucifer. In Roman legend he is called Apollo. After separating from Lucifer Diana suddenly has a longing for him. She tries to persue him but he only succeeds in evading her. Finally while down on Earth she couples with him by disguising herself as a cat. From that union came Aradia.
The Witches gather together monthly on the full moon, their celebration a sabbat. There is feasting on wine, moon cakes and their is ecstatic gathering and breaking of the overly strict laws of modesty.
For those looking for a more simple magic to follow this book maybe a start to something that you are looking for. To do Stregeria all one needs is intent, invocation and then maybe the offering or spellcraft. Many people like me get swallowed up in the long complicated rituals and lose focus of the objective.
The book is also a window into the lost world of Etruscan, Roman magic and religion.
August 18, 2020
Aradia is considered the foundation text for modern witchcraft, especially British Traditional Wicca. It was from this book that Aleister Crowley “borrowed” the invocation of Diana and Aradia for his Thelemic text The Book of the Law, which Gerald Gardner paraphrased for his own original BOS that Doreen Valiente later rewrote into her liturgical masterpiece The Charge of The Goddess (versions 1 & 2).
It amazes me the importance of this book given its size. In many ways it reads like a children’s book on Italian folklore. Only in this case the folklore is about witches. The writing style certainly is easy and suitable for all reading levels. You can read Aradia in one sitting. The content, however, is anything but suitable for young readers or anybody who thinks witchcraft is all white light and pretty crystals.
Aradia is hardcore. The person who authored this text (there is some debate whether Leland’s collaborator “Maddalena” ever actually existed) clearly had a deep seated hatred of aristocracy. Cursing, poisoning and controlling type love spells are all advocated as a means to exact revenge on economic oppressors (i.e. land holders). Liars and thieves are perceived in a rather favorable light as members of the lower classes forced into lives of crime for survival.
Throughout recorded history witchcraft has been an illegal practice. It was illegal in pagan Rome and a crime punishable by death. Aradia reaffirms the status of the witch as a person who lives on the edge of society: the person you go to when you are powerless and have no one else to turn to for help or justice.
ARADIA or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland is a must read for all witches if for no other reason than it's historical value. I thought it so important that I replaced my paperback copy with the 2018 collector's edition from Troy Books. The new edition from Troy Books is bound in burgundy faux leather with black end papers. The color art by Gemma Gary is exquisite and stamped in gold leaf. This edition is worth every penny for any serious Occultist.
It amazes me the importance of this book given its size. In many ways it reads like a children’s book on Italian folklore. Only in this case the folklore is about witches. The writing style certainly is easy and suitable for all reading levels. You can read Aradia in one sitting. The content, however, is anything but suitable for young readers or anybody who thinks witchcraft is all white light and pretty crystals.
Aradia is hardcore. The person who authored this text (there is some debate whether Leland’s collaborator “Maddalena” ever actually existed) clearly had a deep seated hatred of aristocracy. Cursing, poisoning and controlling type love spells are all advocated as a means to exact revenge on economic oppressors (i.e. land holders). Liars and thieves are perceived in a rather favorable light as members of the lower classes forced into lives of crime for survival.
Throughout recorded history witchcraft has been an illegal practice. It was illegal in pagan Rome and a crime punishable by death. Aradia reaffirms the status of the witch as a person who lives on the edge of society: the person you go to when you are powerless and have no one else to turn to for help or justice.
ARADIA or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland is a must read for all witches if for no other reason than it's historical value. I thought it so important that I replaced my paperback copy with the 2018 collector's edition from Troy Books. The new edition from Troy Books is bound in burgundy faux leather with black end papers. The color art by Gemma Gary is exquisite and stamped in gold leaf. This edition is worth every penny for any serious Occultist.
August 4, 2018
I was excited to read this, but ultimately disappointed. I went into this book knowing that it was highly influential in the construction of Wicca and that its claims to be an accurate/anthropological presentation of an Italian witch cult were false, so I only hoping to be entertained and I just wasn't. If you are looking for something amazing about a real Italian witch, I suggest reading this http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170...
July 6, 2009
There's a problem with 19th century religious studies texts is the blatant "my research is better, and oh by the way, read this other work I've written." Not only that, he admits that he's rewritten a lot of the translated texts, to keep with his "feeling" of what the "intent" of the Italian was. His bias is basically shoveled into the work.
I have to admit that there's some useful stuff in there, but I can't really recommend it.
I have to admit that there's some useful stuff in there, but I can't really recommend it.
September 11, 2012
Perhaps my taste for mythology has dried up over the years or I'm too focused on the practical to enjoy it.
Regardless, Aradia is a good collection of mythology and poetry. In my younger years, I would have loved it. I'd say it's more appropriate to witches without a trad/denomination, practitioners of Stregheria, or Dianic Wiccans than it is to me.
Still, I suppose one of the tests is being able to tackle it and know that at the end.
Regardless, Aradia is a good collection of mythology and poetry. In my younger years, I would have loved it. I'd say it's more appropriate to witches without a trad/denomination, practitioners of Stregheria, or Dianic Wiccans than it is to me.
Still, I suppose one of the tests is being able to tackle it and know that at the end.
August 18, 2014
I don't see this book being very popular with many pagans. It's revered by 'some' witches, who find inspiration in it's poetic tale. Too many pagans these days are too literal to enjoy what I consider a piece of art.
In Australian slang, it's a bit of creative bullshit. You get out of it what you like.
The trouble with the text is it's not that long, and the author is not that good of a writer.
But people enjoy it as a bit of a heretical indulgence. It's interesting that some of the problems with the Catholic church discussed in the book still exist today.
If people not from Italy don't understand why Christianity is mentioned so much, then I think you lack cultural understanding of the region, especially with Rome being right there.
I recommend this for pagans following the Witchcraft path, and I suggest you take it not as "Gospel" (aka literal), but as an inspirational text.
In Australian slang, it's a bit of creative bullshit. You get out of it what you like.
The trouble with the text is it's not that long, and the author is not that good of a writer.
But people enjoy it as a bit of a heretical indulgence. It's interesting that some of the problems with the Catholic church discussed in the book still exist today.
If people not from Italy don't understand why Christianity is mentioned so much, then I think you lack cultural understanding of the region, especially with Rome being right there.
I recommend this for pagans following the Witchcraft path, and I suggest you take it not as "Gospel" (aka literal), but as an inspirational text.
November 5, 2020
A Classic... But Horribly Creepy
This book's first sentence describes incest with reverence, and sexual assault and rape pervade through this book. It is horribly dated and uncomfortable to read. I wanted to love this book but could scarcely find select passages of phrases that I found to live up to what I understand paganism to be, much less expressed it well. With the elements of the charge if the goddess aside, it is just a confusing retelling of Roman myths with a bit if Christianity thrown in. Yikes. Not to mention Leland's rambling disconnected, train of thought style and self-important air was annoying to put it lightly. Some classics are meant to be read, others to remain in history and academic footnotes where they belong.
This book's first sentence describes incest with reverence, and sexual assault and rape pervade through this book. It is horribly dated and uncomfortable to read. I wanted to love this book but could scarcely find select passages of phrases that I found to live up to what I understand paganism to be, much less expressed it well. With the elements of the charge if the goddess aside, it is just a confusing retelling of Roman myths with a bit if Christianity thrown in. Yikes. Not to mention Leland's rambling disconnected, train of thought style and self-important air was annoying to put it lightly. Some classics are meant to be read, others to remain in history and academic footnotes where they belong.
August 30, 2007
It was OK. Too disjointed for my tastes. I get that they are stories passed down from generation to generation, but that doesn't make them good. Some are difficult to find a point to. Of course, it is a must read if you are into Stregarian Witchcraft. But only because the characters in the stories are important in the tradition. I just have a problem with the complete lack of continuity, or even correspondence between even the same god or goddess. It's like, here's a story, here's some more random stories in no particular order, the end. There aren't even very many stories (the book is very thin). I would feel better if there were more material even.
February 14, 2020
This did not give me the info I had hoped for about Paganism. As a follower of Diana/ Artemis I had high hopes. But this book greatly disappointed. Maybe the author was trying to show off a bit pre spiritualism days. An he thought he'd show off his writing ability which in honesty, did nothing for me either. So I'll seek my info elsewhere. However, It id only take me one afternoon to get through this.
September 23, 2013
Four stars for the sometimes overwhelmingly exquisite poetry throughout.
October 7, 2020
Interessante dal punto di vista antropologico la figura di Diana.La ricerca di un'emancipazione femminile ai tempi dei romani.Ovviamente per il resto lascio il diritto di apprezzare il libro in base all' ideologia personale.
February 9, 2021
Preciso ler este livro em inglês ou italiano para ver se o que me incomodou foi na escrita do autor ou na tradução
Fora
Fora isso adorei
Fora
Fora isso adorei
November 4, 2022
I'm rating this 2.5 stars.
After my last review, I was going to make it easier for myself and not write a review for this book or just write a short one paragraph review but after reading this book, I have to let all my anger and annoyance out. This is going to be a long one, you've been warned. I've been working on this for hours trying to figure out what to talk about and what not to.
Because this one and my last book were such long reviews, I'm changing my next book and reading something else before that because I know I'm going to have a lot to talk about for that one (negatives and positives), judging by the title and summery.
I don't remember where I first heard of this book, but I have been meaning to read it for a while and I bought it because I was so excited to read it (I love religious mythology and learning about religions and history, I'm especially curious about Pagan cultures and am currently reading many books on these and also researching online), but this was not what I was hoping for and while trying to make it seem like such an amazing religion where you're allowed to think for yourself, what I got instead was Leland and AJ Drew's (I wish I had read an edition that didn't have AJ Drew's commentary, it was not needed, Leland's wasn't either but AJ Drew's was just very very unnecessary) commentary trying to convince me that this is such an amazing free thinking religion but then some of the poems seem contradictory to that and there is so much Abarhamic religions hate from all sides in this book. If this is actually teachings passed down orally from generation to generation then I can understand the hatred for Christians but not the Jews (why do so many groups in history hate Jewish people, am I missing something they did? I seriously don't understand the hate). Whereas there was only one mention to my religion Islam in the introduction by AJ Drew,
"We tell ourselves that it is incorrect to state that something is evil---that we should not say the Allah that calls for terrorism is evil because there is another view of Allah who does not." (page 16-17)
First of all, why drag Islam into this? What does that have to do with Pagan Italian religions? Second, this is just perpetuating the misunderstandings that all Muslims are horrible people and that it's an evil religion because a small group of people who call themselves Muslims are doing these things. This person obviously doesn't know anything about Islam to say this rubbish. One of the most important and I used to think well known things about Islam is "Love for all, hatred for none," which immediately shows that these haters of Islam don't know anything about it except the misunderstandings that have been hearing for years. Yes I know this commentary was added in 2003, so the 9/11 attacks were still very fresh to people. But that doesn't excuse this poorly aged bull shit! Yes, I'm a Muslim and I swear sometimes. If a bunch of non religious people formed a terrorist group to kill people of certain religions (I'm not talking about 9/11 now, I'm talking about those other terrorist groups that did stuff this century), people wouldn't blame all athiests, they would just say that this small group of people are mentally ill or are just bad people. Some good examples are: the white (not sure if he was part of any religion) man who burned a Mosque down in Quebec or a very recent one where another man tried to run over some people outside of a mosque in New Zealand a few years ago even though they weren't hurting anybody, it was just their religion he didn't like which he thought was enough to kill them😡. It seems that many people have forgotten about these incidents. I'm not saying that the terrorism is justified, killing innocent people is never justified in real life (although I feel differently when it comes to fiction), but you also have to understand where they're coming from. When people keep demonizing your faith because a small group did something horrible and or because people don't even try to understand your religion, there are going to be people who are angry and when no one listens to them, they will go to extremes, which ends up making it force everybody because it just confirms to people like AJ Drew that our God is evil. When in reality, these people are not considered Muslims anymore because they hurt and killed many people, which is against the religion, again it's LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE. So please stop saying crap like "Allah that calls for terrorism..." because that is simply NOT true. By the way, before I move on to the actual gospel, I want to clarify that while I am Muslim and I do not consider those terrorists as real Muslims, I will admit that there are some things I don't agree with in Islam, like no swearing at all, no sex before marriage and don't celebrate Halloween because it's a Christian holiday (even though it's not 100% a Christian holiday and is actually a holiday shaped by some Pagan religions, Christianity, Irish, Canadian and American traditions), basically I'm not hardcore religious but I have been more and more interested in the Celtic religion so who knows if I say Muslim for my whole life.
Anyways, sorry about that rant, that one sentence just angered me so much because I've bee seeing crap like that online for years and I'm just so tired of it. You would think that by the 21st century we haven gotten better at accepting other people's religions but we haven't. I'm talking about everybody, not just white Americans.
He/she also says,
"We think that we should not state that the Jehovah that calls for the bombing of abortion clinics is evil because there is another view of Jehovah that calls for forgiveness and love." (page 17)
I'm going to be honest and say that I don't know anything about this religion but I can still tell that this sentence is in poor taste and has aged spoiled milk.
He/she also tries to make it seem like Charles Leland was the most important person when it comes to Pagan religions, which I disagree with because first all I haven't even heard of his name until 2020 and also in the years that I've been learning about these religions, not once did I hear his name or of his books (including this one). Maybe what he's written has been important to some but it doesn't seem very widespread and many are still not sure if Maddelina was even a real person and he made everything up or if these teachings were just in her family. So I suggest taking everything with a grain of salt.
There are so many other things that I could talk about from the introduction alone but I've gone on long enough, so I'm going to move on. Now that that's out of the way, I can get to the actual gospel and what Leland added to it.
Here's something I want to address that is mentioned in the introduction and relates to the first chapter in the gospel, World War 2. While I do agree that if the Germans hadn't gone to war, nothing would have changed for the better. It should have been worded better though because it sounds like AJ agree with all the atrocities of the war. While in my opinion on World War 2 is that the biggest reason for the war happening is the treaty of Versailles, that was one of the biggest mistakes in history, which made it hell to live in Germany. The UK, France and US also screwed with Japan as well, which prompted them to go to war as well. No I'm not say that killing and torturing people was justified, like I said before, it's never justified and killing lots of Jews, gypsies, disabled people was when they went too far. What I'm saying is that if they hadn't fought back against the French, then they would be stuck living like they were because of the treaty. But does that mean I agree with
If you read everything I said above (it's ok if you skipped it or part of it, I know I go on for too long when I'm angry), then you can understand that this book is already off to a bad start all thanks to AJ Drew (whoever they are). Unfortunately, the beginning of the actual gospel isn't great either. It starts out with Diana telling her daughter Aradia to teach their followers to poison their Lords. I know ancient Gods were different than the ones we have in the common religions of today and that things were different back than but it's dangerous to tell your followers that it's ok to kill people because they are oppressors. I just don't know what to say to this. Another thing mentioned on the same page, that made me already have a bad feeling of this book is,
"And when the priests or nobility
Shall say to you that you should put your faith
In the Father, Son, and Mary, then reply:
Your God, the Father, and Maria are
Three devils...
For the true God the Father is not yours;
For I have come to sweep away the bad,
The men of evil, all will I destroy!" (page 22)
Before I get to my feelings on this passage, if this poem really was passed down from generation to generation, then I do understand the thought behind this because the Christians are trying to wipe out your religion and force you to become one of them and call your God/Gods devils so I understand the calling them devils as well and saying that they're God is not the true God, yours is. But this only works if the reader was alive in those days or knows European and early Christian history. Otherwise it just sounds like they're looking down on another religion and saying that only ours is real and everyone else's Gods are fake, and I accept all religions as long as they're not hurting anybody (although even ancient cultures with human sacrifices I can still accept like the Aztecs because life and death were different to them than they are to us) and also as long as they don't claim that their God is the only real God and everyone else's is either a devil or not real. What makes your religion so special to say that crap? I don't hate Christians because most Christians nowadays don't think and believe the stuff that early Christians thought and believed. Take what you want from that passage but that's how I interpreted it as.
The next part I had a problem is a few chapters later, I don't remember what page the following quote is from, I just have a picture I took of it on my phone so I that I could share on instagram how hypocritical this is (although later on we see a spell to rape a girl, so I don't know what to think anymore). While I was reading some reviews after finishing the book, I saw that people did mention the spell with the girl but how did no one mention this?! The hypocrisy is strong in many modern western women (I am a western woman but I can see clearly through their hypocrisy). Apparently it's ok for a woman to rape a man (yes I know they're both Gods and ancient do all kinds of ridiculous things but I wanted to point this out because what Leland said about Diana and Lucifer's relationship would be called if it was the other way around) Also, like the Romans and Greeks before them, they took deities and figures from other religions and made they their own and not even changing the names. Lucifer had a pet cat and then:
"Diana prevailed with the cat to change forms with her, so she lay with her brother, and in the darkness assumed her own form, and so by Lucifer became the mother of Aradia. But when in the morning he found that he lay by his sister, and that light had been conquered by darkness, Lucifer was extremely angry; but Diana sang to him a spell, a song of power, and he was silent, the song of the night which soothes to sleep; he could say nothing. So Diana with her wiles of witchcraft so charmed him that he yielded to her love." (found it, it's on page 42)
I don't even need to explain, it's pretty obvious what's going on here. While writing this review, I realized that there are some similarities to when Zeus raped Heracles' mom, only he turned into water and then left her to deal with the aftermath.
I do enjoy dark romances but in those cases you as the reader and the other characters know he's not a good person while here they're saying it like it's a normal and ok thing to do. Plus those books are not religious texts teaching people stuff, they're just for entertainment and I enjoy reading them and they're just for fun, not meant to be taken seriously or for anyone to do anything from those books. We know this as adults who love reading dark romances.
Like I said, I know it's normal with Gods (especially ancient Greek and Roman Gods) but we only ever hear about women being victims but when it happens to men, no one talks about or think that men can be victims too. Just like the hypocrite that AJ Drews seems like from what he/she wrote in this book, they completely ignore this and don't mention it in their commentary on the next page. Chapters later, there is a love spell which will turn a girl into a dog and bring her to the man's house, turn back into a human and he will rape her and then she will turn back into a dog, go home and turn back into a human and not remember what happened or think of it as a dream. Which is not something religious texts should be encouraging. What I find interesting is that on the next page AJ Drew comments that it shouldn't be taken literally because people don't turn into dogs (I'm pretty sure we all know that) and that the spell is not talking about just sex. Ok... I don't buy that. Here's a part of what AJ Drew says,
"The spell is not speaking of an actual transformation into the shape of a dog nor is it merely speaking of sex. Expressed here is the sanctity of relationships similar to that of Diana and her faithful dog. It speaks to us of the importance of loyal relationships and how we each long tremendously to have those relationships in our lives." (page 62)
I think you're the only one that sees it like that, AJ because the other reviews I've read on here interpreted it the way I did, granted I didn't read all of the reviews because I didn't want to, but no matter how much I think about it, I don't see it as anything other than rape. You can interpret it how you want to but that's how I see it. It's on page 61 of the version of the book I have. I didn't quote that part because I just want to end this review and I wasn't even planning on quoting what AJ said but then I thought I should because I didn't know how to paraphrase it. There are also stories in this where a man is trying to force a girl to be with him so she calls for Diana's help to get him to stop. So I honestly don't know what to think about their Diana🤔
The next few things are small problems I had because I'm such a mythology and history freak that I can't accept even the tiniest bit of misinformation. There is a paragraph later on (I can't remember what page and I'm not going to look for it) where Leland talks a bit about the sun and moon and the Roman Gods Apollo and Diana and he says Diana is the night and Apollo is the sun or light in another form (I don't understand what he means by another form because from what I've read, they don't actually turn into the sun or moon, they just control them but maybe I could be wrong?). Diana is the Goddess of the moon, the hunt and I think maidens (not too sure about that last one) and that the night is Nox's domain (Nyx for the Greeks). Yes I know Leland wrote that in the 1890s and there was no internet back than but I would still think that someone who's supposed to be so smart in mythology and keeps mentioning Greek and Roman Gods throughout this book would know what he's talking about. I also don't like that they kept mentioning AJ Drews and maybe Leland's other books (I can't remember for sure because I've been trying to write this review for 3 hours now) and acting like Leland is so amazing and how much he contributed, that got annoying really fast. AJ Drew also kept mentioning Wiccans even though from what I've read, it's a new religion created in the 20th century where they don't believe in harming anyone, which contradicts what the poem in chapter 1 says. So while maybe some of this might be accepted by some Wiccans, I don't think all of it is. I also don't agree with threatening your God if they don't give you what you want, that seems really disrespectful to me.
After talking about some of my problems with this book, I'll mention a few things I liked: in chapter 4 there is a spell where if the person who you lent money to doesn't pay you back, then they will have the covers thrown off of them while they're trying to sleep and be bugged all night. As petty and silly as that revenge is, it's funny. I also liked The Children of Diana, Or How the Fairies were Born.
Overall, this book might have been better if there was no 21st century commentary and not much commentary by Charles Leland. It still would have been a disappointment but I wouldn't have been as mad in the beginning of reading this book as I have when I started reading it on Wednesday night. I did like the fairy tale atmosphere, that's always comforting to me and I usually get that when reading old stories and love it. I don't like this version of Diana and it's weird seeing her as someone who gave birth (that's not a bad thing, it's just weird) because she's usually a virgin Goddess, even in the Percy Jackson series where Artemis and Diana don't have kids because they swore to remain virgins. I've heard that there are better books to learn about witchy religions, other Pagan religions and Wicca than this one, like The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner, which I will look into and I might end up enjoying it.
Because I was so excited to read this, I bought it and now after reading it I realize that except for a few of the poems/myths, I don't care about this book as a whole (especially the the commentary from the late 19th century Leland and the commentary from the 21st century AJ Drew, like I said above, that is just extra fat that isn't necessary in this book). I probably won't look at it or even think of it much, so since it hasn't been a month yet since I received this in the mail and also because it's my birthday today, I'm returning this book and getting my money back, this book is NOT worth $18 CAD. I have books I probably won't read again but I like those books and the covers are really gorgeous as well, this cover is not bad, it's just ok.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
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After my last review, I was going to make it easier for myself and not write a review for this book or just write a short one paragraph review but after reading this book, I have to let all my anger and annoyance out. This is going to be a long one, you've been warned. I've been working on this for hours trying to figure out what to talk about and what not to.
Because this one and my last book were such long reviews, I'm changing my next book and reading something else before that because I know I'm going to have a lot to talk about for that one (negatives and positives), judging by the title and summery.
I don't remember where I first heard of this book, but I have been meaning to read it for a while and I bought it because I was so excited to read it (I love religious mythology and learning about religions and history, I'm especially curious about Pagan cultures and am currently reading many books on these and also researching online), but this was not what I was hoping for and while trying to make it seem like such an amazing religion where you're allowed to think for yourself, what I got instead was Leland and AJ Drew's (I wish I had read an edition that didn't have AJ Drew's commentary, it was not needed, Leland's wasn't either but AJ Drew's was just very very unnecessary) commentary trying to convince me that this is such an amazing free thinking religion but then some of the poems seem contradictory to that and there is so much Abarhamic religions hate from all sides in this book. If this is actually teachings passed down orally from generation to generation then I can understand the hatred for Christians but not the Jews (why do so many groups in history hate Jewish people, am I missing something they did? I seriously don't understand the hate). Whereas there was only one mention to my religion Islam in the introduction by AJ Drew,
"We tell ourselves that it is incorrect to state that something is evil---that we should not say the Allah that calls for terrorism is evil because there is another view of Allah who does not." (page 16-17)
First of all, why drag Islam into this? What does that have to do with Pagan Italian religions? Second, this is just perpetuating the misunderstandings that all Muslims are horrible people and that it's an evil religion because a small group of people who call themselves Muslims are doing these things. This person obviously doesn't know anything about Islam to say this rubbish. One of the most important and I used to think well known things about Islam is "Love for all, hatred for none," which immediately shows that these haters of Islam don't know anything about it except the misunderstandings that have been hearing for years. Yes I know this commentary was added in 2003, so the 9/11 attacks were still very fresh to people. But that doesn't excuse this poorly aged bull shit! Yes, I'm a Muslim and I swear sometimes. If a bunch of non religious people formed a terrorist group to kill people of certain religions (I'm not talking about 9/11 now, I'm talking about those other terrorist groups that did stuff this century), people wouldn't blame all athiests, they would just say that this small group of people are mentally ill or are just bad people. Some good examples are: the white (not sure if he was part of any religion) man who burned a Mosque down in Quebec or a very recent one where another man tried to run over some people outside of a mosque in New Zealand a few years ago even though they weren't hurting anybody, it was just their religion he didn't like which he thought was enough to kill them😡. It seems that many people have forgotten about these incidents. I'm not saying that the terrorism is justified, killing innocent people is never justified in real life (although I feel differently when it comes to fiction), but you also have to understand where they're coming from. When people keep demonizing your faith because a small group did something horrible and or because people don't even try to understand your religion, there are going to be people who are angry and when no one listens to them, they will go to extremes, which ends up making it force everybody because it just confirms to people like AJ Drew that our God is evil. When in reality, these people are not considered Muslims anymore because they hurt and killed many people, which is against the religion, again it's LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE. So please stop saying crap like "Allah that calls for terrorism..." because that is simply NOT true. By the way, before I move on to the actual gospel, I want to clarify that while I am Muslim and I do not consider those terrorists as real Muslims, I will admit that there are some things I don't agree with in Islam, like no swearing at all, no sex before marriage and don't celebrate Halloween because it's a Christian holiday (even though it's not 100% a Christian holiday and is actually a holiday shaped by some Pagan religions, Christianity, Irish, Canadian and American traditions), basically I'm not hardcore religious but I have been more and more interested in the Celtic religion so who knows if I say Muslim for my whole life.
Anyways, sorry about that rant, that one sentence just angered me so much because I've bee seeing crap like that online for years and I'm just so tired of it. You would think that by the 21st century we haven gotten better at accepting other people's religions but we haven't. I'm talking about everybody, not just white Americans.
He/she also says,
"We think that we should not state that the Jehovah that calls for the bombing of abortion clinics is evil because there is another view of Jehovah that calls for forgiveness and love." (page 17)
I'm going to be honest and say that I don't know anything about this religion but I can still tell that this sentence is in poor taste and has aged spoiled milk.
He/she also tries to make it seem like Charles Leland was the most important person when it comes to Pagan religions, which I disagree with because first all I haven't even heard of his name until 2020 and also in the years that I've been learning about these religions, not once did I hear his name or of his books (including this one). Maybe what he's written has been important to some but it doesn't seem very widespread and many are still not sure if Maddelina was even a real person and he made everything up or if these teachings were just in her family. So I suggest taking everything with a grain of salt.
There are so many other things that I could talk about from the introduction alone but I've gone on long enough, so I'm going to move on. Now that that's out of the way, I can get to the actual gospel and what Leland added to it.
Here's something I want to address that is mentioned in the introduction and relates to the first chapter in the gospel, World War 2. While I do agree that if the Germans hadn't gone to war, nothing would have changed for the better. It should have been worded better though because it sounds like AJ agree with all the atrocities of the war. While in my opinion on World War 2 is that the biggest reason for the war happening is the treaty of Versailles, that was one of the biggest mistakes in history, which made it hell to live in Germany. The UK, France and US also screwed with Japan as well, which prompted them to go to war as well. No I'm not say that killing and torturing people was justified, like I said before, it's never justified and killing lots of Jews, gypsies, disabled people was when they went too far. What I'm saying is that if they hadn't fought back against the French, then they would be stuck living like they were because of the treaty. But does that mean I agree with
If you read everything I said above (it's ok if you skipped it or part of it, I know I go on for too long when I'm angry), then you can understand that this book is already off to a bad start all thanks to AJ Drew (whoever they are). Unfortunately, the beginning of the actual gospel isn't great either. It starts out with Diana telling her daughter Aradia to teach their followers to poison their Lords. I know ancient Gods were different than the ones we have in the common religions of today and that things were different back than but it's dangerous to tell your followers that it's ok to kill people because they are oppressors. I just don't know what to say to this. Another thing mentioned on the same page, that made me already have a bad feeling of this book is,
"And when the priests or nobility
Shall say to you that you should put your faith
In the Father, Son, and Mary, then reply:
Your God, the Father, and Maria are
Three devils...
For the true God the Father is not yours;
For I have come to sweep away the bad,
The men of evil, all will I destroy!" (page 22)
Before I get to my feelings on this passage, if this poem really was passed down from generation to generation, then I do understand the thought behind this because the Christians are trying to wipe out your religion and force you to become one of them and call your God/Gods devils so I understand the calling them devils as well and saying that they're God is not the true God, yours is. But this only works if the reader was alive in those days or knows European and early Christian history. Otherwise it just sounds like they're looking down on another religion and saying that only ours is real and everyone else's Gods are fake, and I accept all religions as long as they're not hurting anybody (although even ancient cultures with human sacrifices I can still accept like the Aztecs because life and death were different to them than they are to us) and also as long as they don't claim that their God is the only real God and everyone else's is either a devil or not real. What makes your religion so special to say that crap? I don't hate Christians because most Christians nowadays don't think and believe the stuff that early Christians thought and believed. Take what you want from that passage but that's how I interpreted it as.
The next part I had a problem is a few chapters later, I don't remember what page the following quote is from, I just have a picture I took of it on my phone so I that I could share on instagram how hypocritical this is (although later on we see a spell to rape a girl, so I don't know what to think anymore). While I was reading some reviews after finishing the book, I saw that people did mention the spell with the girl but how did no one mention this?! The hypocrisy is strong in many modern western women (I am a western woman but I can see clearly through their hypocrisy). Apparently it's ok for a woman to rape a man (yes I know they're both Gods and ancient do all kinds of ridiculous things but I wanted to point this out because what Leland said about Diana and Lucifer's relationship would be called if it was the other way around) Also, like the Romans and Greeks before them, they took deities and figures from other religions and made they their own and not even changing the names. Lucifer had a pet cat and then:
"Diana prevailed with the cat to change forms with her, so she lay with her brother, and in the darkness assumed her own form, and so by Lucifer became the mother of Aradia. But when in the morning he found that he lay by his sister, and that light had been conquered by darkness, Lucifer was extremely angry; but Diana sang to him a spell, a song of power, and he was silent, the song of the night which soothes to sleep; he could say nothing. So Diana with her wiles of witchcraft so charmed him that he yielded to her love." (found it, it's on page 42)
I don't even need to explain, it's pretty obvious what's going on here. While writing this review, I realized that there are some similarities to when Zeus raped Heracles' mom, only he turned into water and then left her to deal with the aftermath.
I do enjoy dark romances but in those cases you as the reader and the other characters know he's not a good person while here they're saying it like it's a normal and ok thing to do. Plus those books are not religious texts teaching people stuff, they're just for entertainment and I enjoy reading them and they're just for fun, not meant to be taken seriously or for anyone to do anything from those books. We know this as adults who love reading dark romances.
Like I said, I know it's normal with Gods (especially ancient Greek and Roman Gods) but we only ever hear about women being victims but when it happens to men, no one talks about or think that men can be victims too. Just like the hypocrite that AJ Drews seems like from what he/she wrote in this book, they completely ignore this and don't mention it in their commentary on the next page. Chapters later, there is a love spell which will turn a girl into a dog and bring her to the man's house, turn back into a human and he will rape her and then she will turn back into a dog, go home and turn back into a human and not remember what happened or think of it as a dream. Which is not something religious texts should be encouraging. What I find interesting is that on the next page AJ Drew comments that it shouldn't be taken literally because people don't turn into dogs (I'm pretty sure we all know that) and that the spell is not talking about just sex. Ok... I don't buy that. Here's a part of what AJ Drew says,
"The spell is not speaking of an actual transformation into the shape of a dog nor is it merely speaking of sex. Expressed here is the sanctity of relationships similar to that of Diana and her faithful dog. It speaks to us of the importance of loyal relationships and how we each long tremendously to have those relationships in our lives." (page 62)
I think you're the only one that sees it like that, AJ because the other reviews I've read on here interpreted it the way I did, granted I didn't read all of the reviews because I didn't want to, but no matter how much I think about it, I don't see it as anything other than rape. You can interpret it how you want to but that's how I see it. It's on page 61 of the version of the book I have. I didn't quote that part because I just want to end this review and I wasn't even planning on quoting what AJ said but then I thought I should because I didn't know how to paraphrase it. There are also stories in this where a man is trying to force a girl to be with him so she calls for Diana's help to get him to stop. So I honestly don't know what to think about their Diana🤔
The next few things are small problems I had because I'm such a mythology and history freak that I can't accept even the tiniest bit of misinformation. There is a paragraph later on (I can't remember what page and I'm not going to look for it) where Leland talks a bit about the sun and moon and the Roman Gods Apollo and Diana and he says Diana is the night and Apollo is the sun or light in another form (I don't understand what he means by another form because from what I've read, they don't actually turn into the sun or moon, they just control them but maybe I could be wrong?). Diana is the Goddess of the moon, the hunt and I think maidens (not too sure about that last one) and that the night is Nox's domain (Nyx for the Greeks). Yes I know Leland wrote that in the 1890s and there was no internet back than but I would still think that someone who's supposed to be so smart in mythology and keeps mentioning Greek and Roman Gods throughout this book would know what he's talking about. I also don't like that they kept mentioning AJ Drews and maybe Leland's other books (I can't remember for sure because I've been trying to write this review for 3 hours now) and acting like Leland is so amazing and how much he contributed, that got annoying really fast. AJ Drew also kept mentioning Wiccans even though from what I've read, it's a new religion created in the 20th century where they don't believe in harming anyone, which contradicts what the poem in chapter 1 says. So while maybe some of this might be accepted by some Wiccans, I don't think all of it is. I also don't agree with threatening your God if they don't give you what you want, that seems really disrespectful to me.
After talking about some of my problems with this book, I'll mention a few things I liked: in chapter 4 there is a spell where if the person who you lent money to doesn't pay you back, then they will have the covers thrown off of them while they're trying to sleep and be bugged all night. As petty and silly as that revenge is, it's funny. I also liked The Children of Diana, Or How the Fairies were Born.
Overall, this book might have been better if there was no 21st century commentary and not much commentary by Charles Leland. It still would have been a disappointment but I wouldn't have been as mad in the beginning of reading this book as I have when I started reading it on Wednesday night. I did like the fairy tale atmosphere, that's always comforting to me and I usually get that when reading old stories and love it. I don't like this version of Diana and it's weird seeing her as someone who gave birth (that's not a bad thing, it's just weird) because she's usually a virgin Goddess, even in the Percy Jackson series where Artemis and Diana don't have kids because they swore to remain virgins. I've heard that there are better books to learn about witchy religions, other Pagan religions and Wicca than this one, like The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner, which I will look into and I might end up enjoying it.
Because I was so excited to read this, I bought it and now after reading it I realize that except for a few of the poems/myths, I don't care about this book as a whole (especially the the commentary from the late 19th century Leland and the commentary from the 21st century AJ Drew, like I said above, that is just extra fat that isn't necessary in this book). I probably won't look at it or even think of it much, so since it hasn't been a month yet since I received this in the mail and also because it's my birthday today, I'm returning this book and getting my money back, this book is NOT worth $18 CAD. I have books I probably won't read again but I like those books and the covers are really gorgeous as well, this cover is not bad, it's just ok.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
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August 22, 2020
This is touted as the basis for modern Wicca and is a fairly quick read with a killer title, so I had to give it a go... unfortunately, it was not what I expected... There is some anti-Semitic and anti-Romani/antiziganist language at the beginning (and later on) that really caught me off guard and kind of put me off immediately... I know this is an old book and "that's how things were" but ugh... Then about half of the book was about things he had gathered (or had been gathered for him) about Italian witchcraft, but they were nothing like what is seen today. Lots of threatening the dieties and trying to control them, and then Leland talking about how Christians don't do that... it was all a bit much. The best part of the book was the second half where he just recounts some mythological stories he had picked up. They were pretty memorable and less disrespectful in most accounts, and without it, this book would be a complete 1-star pass for me.
If you have a free afternoon and are curious and found it for free at the library... why not? But just be prepared for some racism and deity disrespect if you do.
If you have a free afternoon and are curious and found it for free at the library... why not? But just be prepared for some racism and deity disrespect if you do.
January 25, 2019
"And because thou for ever art brilliant and fair,
Under a glass I will keep thee; while there,
With a lens I will study thy secrets concealed,
Till all their bright mysteries are fully revealed,
Yea, all the wondrous lore perplexed
Of this life of our cross and of the next.
Thus to all mysteries I shall attain,
Yea, even to that at last of the grain;
And when this at last I shall truly know,
Firefly, freely I'll let thee go!
When Earth's dark secrets are known to me,
My blessing at last I will give to thee!"
Aside from the chapter where there's a literal incantation for men to rape woman and then erase their memories about the event, it's not bad.
I loved to read the incantantions though I prefer my magic without bad connotations to it period. No blackmailing goddesses or wishing bad things upon my enemies.
The witch lore was great. I want to read more on the subject for sure.
Under a glass I will keep thee; while there,
With a lens I will study thy secrets concealed,
Till all their bright mysteries are fully revealed,
Yea, all the wondrous lore perplexed
Of this life of our cross and of the next.
Thus to all mysteries I shall attain,
Yea, even to that at last of the grain;
And when this at last I shall truly know,
Firefly, freely I'll let thee go!
When Earth's dark secrets are known to me,
My blessing at last I will give to thee!"
Aside from the chapter where there's a literal incantation for men to rape woman and then erase their memories about the event, it's not bad.
I loved to read the incantantions though I prefer my magic without bad connotations to it period. No blackmailing goddesses or wishing bad things upon my enemies.
The witch lore was great. I want to read more on the subject for sure.
March 24, 2020
Diana was the first created - of darkness.
Lucifer was the first created - of light.
And when Diana saw that the light was so beautiful, the light which was her other half, her brother Lucifer, she yearned for it with exceeding great desire. Wishing to receive the light again into her darkness, to swallow it up in rapture, in delight, she trembled with desire. This desire was the dawn.
Aradia was their daughter.
DON JUAN, by Lord Byron: Canto I
"There is a dangerous silence in that hour
A stillness which leaves room for the full soul
To open all itself, without the power
Of calling wholly back its self-control;
The silver light which, hallowing tree and flower,
Sheds beauty and deep softness o'er the whole,
Breathes also to the heart, and o'er it throws
A loving languor which is not repose."
Lucifer was the first created - of light.
And when Diana saw that the light was so beautiful, the light which was her other half, her brother Lucifer, she yearned for it with exceeding great desire. Wishing to receive the light again into her darkness, to swallow it up in rapture, in delight, she trembled with desire. This desire was the dawn.
Aradia was their daughter.
DON JUAN, by Lord Byron: Canto I
"There is a dangerous silence in that hour
A stillness which leaves room for the full soul
To open all itself, without the power
Of calling wholly back its self-control;
The silver light which, hallowing tree and flower,
Sheds beauty and deep softness o'er the whole,
Breathes also to the heart, and o'er it throws
A loving languor which is not repose."
September 30, 2018
Fui ler achando que o livro era mais voltado a Aradia, porém 90% da história é sobe a deusa Diana. Então isso me decepcionou um pouco, mas tudo bem.
É interessante saber mais sobre a Stregheria, de modo geral, claro. Tirei algumas coisas bacanas do livro.
Acho que a edição brasileira ajuda também, tem uns comentários muito bons dos revisores e publicadores do livro, então acaba sendo um complemento pro texto original.
É interessante saber mais sobre a Stregheria, de modo geral, claro. Tirei algumas coisas bacanas do livro.
Acho que a edição brasileira ajuda também, tem uns comentários muito bons dos revisores e publicadores do livro, então acaba sendo um complemento pro texto original.
March 26, 2018
A good source text if you're interested in Italian folklore or the history of witchcraft. The text is jumbled somewhat, but extremely easy to read. Curiosity and research for fiction led me to read this book and I'm glad I did, although I haven't got a clue about its veracity.
October 17, 2011
I loved the book, Really connected with it.. But then again I love most of Leland's books..
August 15, 2021
I think what you get out of this book depends on your expectations of it before you pick it up. As a piece of history, a good few of this collection’s poems and stories are interesting to read. However, due to some of the more problematic aspects of the writing (anti-semitic remark, r*pe, inc*st), if you picked this book up simply as an enjoyable read you will likely be disappointed.
There is also the fact that the authenticity of the text has always been questioned, as to whether these stories were really provided by Maddelena or simply made up by Leland. Furthermore, even if Maddelena provided this collection, whether it actually represents Italian goddess religion as a whole or her own families traditions. If the latter of which is true, I feel there is still value in the tales she has reportedly conveyed.
Despite all this, overall I enjoyed some of these stories immensely and have learnt more about Italian Witchcraft and it’s goddesses than before, despite not being a fan of its allusions to more concerning subjects. Knowing that this collection has had a major impact on Neo Paganism and Witchcraft, I feel it is still worth a read.
There is also the fact that the authenticity of the text has always been questioned, as to whether these stories were really provided by Maddelena or simply made up by Leland. Furthermore, even if Maddelena provided this collection, whether it actually represents Italian goddess religion as a whole or her own families traditions. If the latter of which is true, I feel there is still value in the tales she has reportedly conveyed.
Despite all this, overall I enjoyed some of these stories immensely and have learnt more about Italian Witchcraft and it’s goddesses than before, despite not being a fan of its allusions to more concerning subjects. Knowing that this collection has had a major impact on Neo Paganism and Witchcraft, I feel it is still worth a read.
January 5, 2024
Aradia: Gospel of the Witches is a collection of written tales and incantations gathered from predominantly oral traditions of witchcraft and heathenism in Northern Italy, which, if the author is to be believed, were still being practised at the end of the nineteenth century (though they were apparently rapidly disappearing at the time). According to Leland, the tradition was a vestige of pre-Christian paganism, centered on the worship of Artemis/Diana as the goddess of the moon and the patron of witches. The book was very influential in the development of certain branches of Wicca and other modern revivalist witchcraft movements, and I would consider it essential reading for those interested in both historic and modern witchcraft. My personal interest lies more in Northern European and Scandinavian paganism, but I nevertheless found the book very interesting, and I very much agreed with C.G. Leland's open-minded approach to the subject. Recommended.
February 9, 2024
Por sorte é um livro curto, li em um único dia, mas está longe de ser um bom livro. Como dito no livro A História da Bruxaria, esse livro do Leland tem fontes duvidosas, então não o li como fonte de estudo, mas como curiosidade por ser considera um livro clássico e teoricamente falar sobre Aradia. O livro na verdade tem o enfoque em Diana, mãe de Aradia, então fiquei um pouquinho decepcionada mas ainda sim ele foi mt interessante. Achei principalmente interessante as últimas histórias/poesias/feitiços do livro, principalmente o da página 109 sobre “Os filhos de Diana, ou como nasceram as fadas”.
No geral, valeu a pena por ser curto. Trás algumas inspirações e algumas partes me geram incômodo por não concordar com o autor, mesmo assim recomendo a leitura.
No geral, valeu a pena por ser curto. Trás algumas inspirações e algumas partes me geram incômodo por não concordar com o autor, mesmo assim recomendo a leitura.
November 16, 2023
(non è l'esatta edizione che ho letto)
Volevo conoscere le radici del legame fra stregoneria italiana e dea Diana, purtroppo questo libro non le approfondisce minimamente. Contiene principalmente scongiuri/filastrocche e poche informazioni sulla storia delle streghe italiane. Resta comunque una lettura piacevole e breve.
(not the exact version I read)
I wanted to know the origin of the connection between italian witchcraft and goddess Diana, but unfortunately this book doesn't cover it up at all. Contains mainly wisecracks/nursery rhymes and little information about the history of italian witches. It is still a pleasant and short read.
Volevo conoscere le radici del legame fra stregoneria italiana e dea Diana, purtroppo questo libro non le approfondisce minimamente. Contiene principalmente scongiuri/filastrocche e poche informazioni sulla storia delle streghe italiane. Resta comunque una lettura piacevole e breve.
(not the exact version I read)
I wanted to know the origin of the connection between italian witchcraft and goddess Diana, but unfortunately this book doesn't cover it up at all. Contains mainly wisecracks/nursery rhymes and little information about the history of italian witches. It is still a pleasant and short read.
January 9, 2020
I finally got around to reading it. It probably would have had more of an impact on me 25+ years ago. Still, I'm glad I read it. Now I can cross Aradia off my list of shit I should have read long, long ago. Advice to anyone reading or wanting to read it who may be new to the path, this book will make way more sense to you if you are well read on many esoteric subjects. I did learn that I had been mispronouncing the name Aradia for a good 30 years which is okay because everyone else I know/knew also mispronounces it. Check another off the classic bucket list.
February 9, 2021
Occultism is part of my upbringing. But this is the second book i read when my curiosity about the practice of paganism started burning inside of me.
I read it at a very young age but always come back to it.
It’s poetic and full of symbolism. You could almost sing it as you read.
I’ve tried this rituals with shocking results in the past but as I’ve come to understand the true meaning of magick i just stopped practicing them. I still love the book and think is part of the discovery of our own inner power.
I read it at a very young age but always come back to it.
It’s poetic and full of symbolism. You could almost sing it as you read.
I’ve tried this rituals with shocking results in the past but as I’ve come to understand the true meaning of magick i just stopped practicing them. I still love the book and think is part of the discovery of our own inner power.
June 10, 2023
Non totalmente da buttare: va riconosciuto il valore che questo libro ha avuto per lo sviluppo di altri culti pagani moderni.
Allo stesso tempo, ritengo che vada letto con una certa riserva. Sicuramente non è un testo che consiglierei a cuore leggero a qualche novizio: credo che servano solide basi antropologiche e storiche per poter guardare con chiarezza alle storie folkloristiche che Leland riporta. Poi, può essere una base di partenza per approfondire elementi etruschi (trattati solo sommariamente nel libro, se non addirittura a malapena citati).
Allo stesso tempo, ritengo che vada letto con una certa riserva. Sicuramente non è un testo che consiglierei a cuore leggero a qualche novizio: credo che servano solide basi antropologiche e storiche per poter guardare con chiarezza alle storie folkloristiche che Leland riporta. Poi, può essere una base di partenza per approfondire elementi etruschi (trattati solo sommariamente nel libro, se non addirittura a malapena citati).
December 22, 2023
In my opinion, the criticism of this book is unfair. It is unrealistic to come to this text and expect an Iliad like story. The point of writing this book was for Leland to pass down the spells and incantations, which is valuable. Lastly, Diana was a goddess that Roman slaves would pray to in the hopes of changing their situation. Therefore, many of the topics discussed will be difficult for modern people to understand. That doesn’t make the record of these practices any less important or valid.
January 14, 2021
Gave up on this one. I know it's short, but when I read that Leland basically badgered another woman into providing the meat of this novel, it turned me off. Apparently, he was so tenacious that she disappeared out of his life and never spoke to him again. Yuck. Makes the whole thing suspect. Anyway, it's probably required reading if you want to get into Wicca, but if you just want to learn solo witchcraft without a bunch of (basically) hierarchal jibber-jabber, go find a book on rootwork.
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