Join me for this online event: Ancestral Herbs and Tree Medicine of My Italian Great-Grandmother, the Strega
I am having a great time putting together this talk. It has inspired me to reflect and review the past nine years since I published The Strega and the Dreamer and put together new material about what this journey has been and how it continues to unfold. April 28th 6-8pm PST $10-$30 Donation Sign up and get tickets here A benefit for the Sonoma County Herb Association/Exchange Join Theresa C. Dintino in a live conversation about her great-grandmother’s teachings from the Strega tradition of Italy, including her favorite herbal allies, the meaning of the Cimaruta, (adorned branch of rue) the...
Read MoreA Teaching Gifted to Me by My Great-Grandmother, the Strega
My great-grandmother was a Strega, an Italian wise woman, witch and healer. I am of this lineage. The lineage was lost or broken in my family and I have spent the last 20 years endeavoring to return it to myself and my family. In 2005, in a shamanic journey, I met my great-grandmother, the Strega, in a cave where she was busy crafting something which I could not, at first, see. After repeated visits I was finally able to determine that what she was crafting was something that I call “Wombs with Wings.” It took me fifteen years to understand the meaning of this image. Wombs with Wings Wombs...
Read MoreThe Strega and Befana: The Italian Good Witch of Epiphany
Growing up, my Italian Grandmother never considered Christmas to be over until we arrived at Epiphany on January 6, which she called “Little Christmas.” Because she was actively Catholic, she would pray in that tradition. But I remember Italian candies, tangerines and nuts coming out on that day and candles lit to the names of little elemental being friends to be remembered. Catholics see the Epiphany as the day that the Three Magi arrive to the baby Jesus and offer him gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. But in Italy, the celebration among the village folk is a celebration to and in...
Read MoreWhy Ancestor Work is Important
The ancestors are a major part of divination and many other kinds of spiritual work. This can be perplexing for some who have no relationship to their ancestors and downright disturbing for those who feel they do not like their ancestors. The way I like to look at it is: an ancestor is anything that has given birth to us in some way and therefore continues to be an evolving part of us. Yes, the stars are our ancestors, bacteria are our ancestors, and humans too are our ancestors, even if we prefer that were not the case. At this time on the planet we all have a lot of ancestors. We continue...
Read MoreThe Goddess Diana: the Tree, the Forest, the Grove
I have, for many years, been bothered with my inability to fully connect with the descriptions and definitions of the Goddess Diana of Italian lore. Being of the Italian Strega lineage I felt that of course, it should come automatically to me. But the truth is, until we have a direct experience with something, we often do not fully connect. We can read all the books we want but if we do not feel it in our bodies, it does not make sense. That is the way it is for me anyway. I knew Diana as the oak tree. That I could understand intellectually because my work is completely intertwined and...
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