{"id":19977,"date":"2019-02-01T01:09:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T06:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=20234"},"modified":"2019-02-05T16:43:58","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T21:43:58","slug":"book-review-italian-folk-magic-by-mary-grace-fahrun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2019\/02\/01\/book-review-italian-folk-magic-by-mary-grace-fahrun\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Italian Folk Magic: Rue\u2019s Kitchen Witchery by Mary- Grace Fahrun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Book Review<\/strong>
\u201cItalian Folk Magic: Rue\u2019s Kitchen Witchery\u201d <\/strong>
<\/em>by Mary-Grace Fahrun<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em>Publisher: Weiser Books<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em>Published: Paperback, 2018<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em>Pages: 122 <\/em><\/strong> <\/em>
Published: Paperback, 2018<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nI\nam of Sicilian descent, as well as German, so I was drawn to this\nbook to learn more about the practices of the country from which my\nmother\u2019s parents came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBy\nrecording oral history, Mary-Grace Fahrun shares what she learned\nabout customs and traditions from the matriarchs of her family. It\nstarted by collecting recipes and folk remedies. They came with\nstories, superstitions, incantations and prayers. She began Rue\u2019s\nKitchen to preserve these customs and practices as well as those of\nItalians of all faiths all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nReligious\nrituals, magical spells, blessings, folk medicine and cooking are all\n\u201cinextricably woven into the fabric of Italian culture \u2013 no\nmatter where Italians are geographically located,\u201d and Fahrun, who\npresents them woven together like a tapestry and a way of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cI\nwas taught everything in Italian,\u201d wrote Fahrun, who is fluent in\nItalian and about a half dozen of its dialects. The book is her\nguided tour through her magical life, presenting the principles so\nthe reader can create their own magical life. Italian witchcraft \u201cis\nnot a religion. It is a practice anyone can incorporate into their\nspirituality regardless of religious belief,\u201d she states, but adds,\n\u201cThere will be strong themes of devotions to saints and earth-based\nspirituality because they are both important to the fabric.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nfirst chapter focuses on the kitchen, the most important and sacred\nroom of the house. Here, every element is present. Herbs are magical,\nand magical tools are the same utensils, dishes and cookware used to\nprepare meals. You\u2019ll learn how to clean, set up and treat your\nkitchen like the temple it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOther\nchapters deal with sacred spaces and home altars, and the magic in\nfood. When addressing magic or medicine, there are a variety\napproaches for conditions that range from mental and spiritual\nintervention to the red ribbon and incantation used to relieve\nheadaches and the ointment made of garlic paste and olive oil to\napply to skin infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nA\npage explains what she calls the most powerful incantation: \u201cnon \u00e8\nniente\u201d or \u201cit is nothing.\u201d I remember my grandmother telling\nme that and thinking, \u201cWell of course it\u2019s something. I\u2019m\nhurt.\u201d But Fahrun, who is a nurse, found those three magic words\nhealed even chronic wounds when said with \u201ca detached, almost\ndismissive, attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThere\nare recipes for days of the week and months of the year, explanations\nof proverbs and superstitions, and chapters that delve into amulets,\ndivination, spells and charms, rituals and curses. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nI\ncame to better understand the meaning of things my\ngrandmother and \u201cthe Italian aunts from Hartford\u201d did. It\u2019s\ninspired\nme to learn more about my grandparents\u2019 hometowns \u2013 legends,\npatron saints, customs, history, etc. \u2013 from research and from two\nrelatives who have visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nbook\u2019s cover design by Jim Warner also deserves a mention. It\nhonors the book\u2019s contents with the hand from the cimaruta, the\ncornicello (the red horn amulet or talisman worn to protect against\nthe evil eye) and the hand gesture to ward off evil on ribbons wound\nthrough a garlic braid studded with blooming rue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf\nyou are Italian, or drawn to the culture, this book makes a wonderful\nentry point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian Folk Magic: Rue’s Kitchen Witchery on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\nthe Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lynn\nWoike<\/strong> was\n50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before\nshe consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She\ndraws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her\nSicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae,\nBuddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling\nfrom each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses\nReiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making\nher job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the\nwork it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with\nher large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can\nfollow her boards on Pinterest<\/a>,\nand write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review \u201cItalian Folk Magic: Rue\u2019s Kitchen Witchery\u201d by Mary-Grace Fahrun Publisher: Weiser Books Published: Paperback, 2018 Pages: 122 Published: Paperback, 2018 I am of Sicilian descent, as well as German, so I was drawn to this book to learn more about the practices of the country from which my mother\u2019s parents came. By recording oral history, Mary-Grace Fahrun shares what she learned about customs and traditions from the matriarchs of her family. It started by collecting recipes and folk remedies. They came with stories, superstitions, incantations and prayers. She began Rue\u2019s Kitchen to preserve these customs and practices as well as those of Italians of all faiths all over the world. Religious rituals, magical spells, blessings, folk medicine and cooking are all \u201cinextricably woven into the fabric of Italian culture \u2013 no matter where Italians are geographically located,\u201d and Fahrun, who presents them woven together like a tapestry and a way of living. \u201cI was taught everything in Italian,\u201d wrote Fahrun, who is fluent in Italian and about a half dozen of its dialects. The book is her guided tour through her magical life, presenting the principles so the reader can create their own magical life. Italian witchcraft \u201cis not a religion. It is a practice anyone can incorporate into their spirituality regardless of religious belief,\u201d she states, but adds, \u201cThere will be strong themes of devotions to saints and earth-based spirituality because they are both important to the fabric.\u201d The first chapter focuses on the kitchen, the most important and sacred room of the house. Here, every element is present. Herbs are magical, and magical tools are the same utensils, dishes and cookware used to prepare meals. You\u2019ll learn how to clean, set up and treat your kitchen like the temple it is. Other chapters deal with sacred spaces and home altars, and the magic in food. When addressing magic or medicine, there are a variety approaches for conditions that range from mental and spiritual intervention to the red ribbon and incantation used to relieve headaches and the ointment made of garlic paste and olive oil to apply to skin infections. A page explains what she calls the most powerful incantation: \u201cnon \u00e8 niente\u201d or \u201cit is nothing.\u201d I remember my grandmother telling me that and thinking, \u201cWell of course it\u2019s something. I\u2019m hurt.\u201d But Fahrun, who is a nurse, found those three magic words healed even chronic wounds when said with \u201ca detached, almost dismissive, attitude.\u201d There are recipes for days of the week and months of the year, explanations of proverbs and superstitions, and chapters that delve into amulets, divination, spells and charms, rituals and curses. I came to better understand the meaning of things my grandmother and \u201cthe Italian aunts from Hartford\u201d did. It\u2019s inspired me to learn more about my grandparents\u2019 hometowns \u2013 legends, patron saints, customs, history, etc. \u2013 from research and from two relatives who have visited. The book\u2019s cover design by Jim Warner also deserves a mention. It honors the book\u2019s contents with the hand from the cimaruta, the cornicello (the red horn amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye) and the hand gesture to ward off evil on ribbons wound through a garlic braid studded with blooming rue. If you are Italian, or drawn to the culture, this book makes a wonderful entry point. Italian Folk Magic: Rue’s Kitchen Witchery on Amazon *** About the Author: Lynn Woike was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}