Filming this made me realize I wear a LOT of black…. but thanks to everyone who asked to see some veiling outfit inspiration! #veiling #practitioner #aweekofveiling

I have often asked myself why this shop and what it sells means so much to me…. and I realized that as I reconnected and became more embodied in a journey of dual faith & Italian American folk magic, I found so many amazing artists, weavers, miracle-makers, but not one place that held them all. I wanted to create things from the lens of an Italian-American folk practitioner, and make space for items that maybe were not as well known or accessible to people in my community. I wanted to highlight fellow folk practitioners, folk Catholics, & Italian American practitioners while also creating items that fit within not only my practice, but the practice of other folk practitioners. My shop is driven by a connection to my ancestors, my peers, my teachers, my spirits. I made oils originally only for myself, containing allies I worked with daily and for needs that I had. Slowly, I have expanded over the past 2 months. I have more ideas & collabs coming soon that I am very, very excited about. Candles by @blackcandlecottage Rosaries by @manus_anima New vintage scopa decks from Italy & over 100 new veils are coming to the shop. Reminder that all oils excluding Panacea & Saint oils will be 20% off Thursday-Saturday. After this, they will be pulled for a brief reformulation & some new labels! Don’t worry - they’ll be back super soon, and they’ll look better than ever. I’m growing - and they’re growing with me!!! #oilsale #restock #practitioner #folkmagic #italianamericanfolkmagic #veils #veiling

What are some lessons you have learned as you’ve grown in your practice? A note: Every practitioner & practice is different, and these lessons may not make sense for you - that’s okay! These exist the lens of Italian American folk practices, folk witchcraft, & spirit working. A lot of these lessons took me a while to understand. It included blunter, sharper truths that I wanted to avoid, but ultimately made my practice easier. Beliefs intrinsic to IA folk medicine embedded themselves into my practice and came with bigger conversations and lessons. A lot of my original beliefs about witchcraft & practice came from online spaces - and while all online spaces have benefit, I’ve realized very quickly that the biggest things to learn {personally} come from peers, teachers, and in person community who I’ve formed deeper relationships with. I am still actively learning in many ways, shapes, forms. I hope I continue to learn from those around me for the rest of my practice. #folkmagic #folkwitch #practitioner #witchesofinstagram #italianamericanfolkmagic

no takes, no voiceover, just vibes. #amorninginmylife #folkmagic #practitioner

An important note: I am speaking from my experience as an Italian American folk practitioner, and this video is not a means to prescribe meaning or definition onto others in different folk practices or traditions. I have always been aware of the fact that both pagans and Catholics disagree with my practices, despite the fact that so many of them are fighting to lump me in with one or the other. But what I do isn’t really “pagan”, unless you want you be incredibly historical and technical, which you can. I prefer not to, and prefer a term that is more personal & fitting to me. What I do isn’t Catholic either - I make holy water of my own, barely go to mass, if ever, and prefer to pray and petition on my own, without the help of a priest. It is, by Catholic terms, heresy or sacrilege. This by far isn’t an extensive conversation on folk magic or the magic of Italy & Italian-Americans. It is merely surface level, a snippet into the practices that vary, that grow, that change with the folk through generations and diaspora. There are so many people more knowledgeable than me whose works and classes have been a gift in my journey, and I encourage you to read from them. For those who have all the incentive to post a comment trying to argue, prescribe labels, or insist that they know more than me & my practice based off one video (especially if you refuse to lean into the resources given to help with context & more information….) I wish you all the best. Che dio ti benedica. For the seekers, the reconnectors, the folk practitioners, the academics, and everyone in between, welcome. In bocca al lupo. Book & class reccomendations for my seekers: Black Madonnas Italian Folk Magic by @rueskitchen Italian American Folklore The Things We Do: Ways of the Holy Benedetta Classes by @marybethbonfiglio , @therootcircle Works by @possumbina Magic: A theory from the South by Ernesto diMartino Power & Magic in Italy by Thomas Hauschild Burn a Black Candle by @blackcandlecottage There are also always my Youtube videos, which several in the past have gone in depth on these topics. #folkmagic #practitioner #folkwitch #italianamericanfolkpractitioner