Hi, I'm Tanaria

[Tanaria]

I’m Tanaria, a 2nd generation Italian American and shamanic witch. I came to la Vecchia Religione as a child. I was interested in religion and spirituality very early, and researched all the world’s traditions in a search for what fit me. I gave the Catholicism of my birth a fair shake and it was very much NOT for me. By 12, I had decided that paganism was my path. I was initiated at 13. At that time, there was no information about Strega available. I was a general purpose witch at that point, working from books like Doreen Valiente’s “Witchcraft for Tomorrow”.

I was in my late teens when this name, Tanaria, came to me in a vision. I was in a computer lab, choosing a name for an online game/community. I fell into a trance and this name came through. I knew nothing about it and had never really heard anything like it. I used it for years in that community, all unknowing.

I was 21 or 22 when I found out about Strega and my name. I was in a pagan shop aimlessly browsing one day, when Raven Grimassi’s “Italian Witchcraft” caught my eye on the shelf. I picked it up, flipped through for a moment and opened to a page that talked about the groups within the old tradition. The Tanarra were the keepers of the star mysteries, according to Ms. Grimassi, and members often took names derivative of the Goddess. They called the Goddess Tana.

Suddenly, it all made sense. But I didn’t do very much with the knowledge, to be honest. I read her book and didn’t feel a big connection to the system as she presented it. It wasn’t very similar to the folkways preserved within my family’s traditions. Nowadays, I am working to incorporate more ancestral practices into my personal tradition. I’m thrilled to find this community and hope to learn more to help me with this task.

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