Raven Grimassi (1951–2019)
Author of Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins & Teachings
About the Author
Raven Grimassi (1951-2019), then award-winning author of over twenty books, was a practitioner with almost fifty years of experience in esoteric traditions and a leading authority on witchcraft, the occult, and spiritual development. Visit houseofgrimassi.com to learn more about his legacy.
Works by Raven Grimassi
Spirit of the Witch: Religion & Spirituality in Contemporary Witchcraft (2003) 171 copies, 2 reviews
Crafting Wiccan Traditions: Creating a Foundation for Your Spiritual Beliefs & Practices (2008) 75 copies
Ways of the Strega: Italian Witchcraft: Its Legends, Lore, & Spells (Llewellyn's World Religion & Magick Series) (1995) 74 copies
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Erbe, Gary Charles
- Birthdate
- 1951-04-12
- Date of death
- 2019-03-10
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- Raven is a published author of many titles on witchcraft and Wicca. He is also a recognized expert on Italian witchcraft and the foremost authority on the works of Charles Godfrey Leland in this particular field. Grimassi is also the Directing Elder of the Arician Tradition, a system of Italian witchcraft.
Raven Grimassi is a Neo-Pagan scholar and award-winning author of more than eighteen books on Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. He has been devoted to the study and practice of witchcraft for over forty years. Raven is co-founder and co-director of the Ash, Birch, and Willow tradition.
Grimassi’s background includes training in old forms of witchcraft as well as Brittic Wicca, the Pictish-Gaelic tradition, Italian Witchcraft, and Celtic Traditionalist Witchcraft. Raven was also a member of the Rosicrucian Order, and studied the Kabbalah through the First Temple of Tifareth under Lady Sara Cunningham.
Raven currently lives in New England with his wife and co-author Stephanie Taylor-Grimassi. Together they direct The Fellowship of the Pentacle, a modern Mystery School devoted to preserving pre-Christian European spirituality. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Naples, Italy
Springfield, Massachusetts, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
This book is awful.
I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. I'm willing to believe that he just doesn't see the logical fallacies he's presenting as facts, and that he just doesn't actually know how to do good historical research, nor how to compile good research into a sensible book.
Frankly, the pseudoacademic nonsense in this book would get a high-school student in trouble.
Raven clearly wants to prove that his 'tradition' of Italian Witchcraft is an unbroken line back to show more ancient times. But the historical research he cites doesn't support the idea, for all that he insists it does. I'd have had more respect for him citing channeled knowledge, then torturing the historical record into giving false support.
I tried to read this, more than once. I tried. I hoped that, among the chaff, there might be some information worth having. I can't find it by about 1/2 way through the book. I give up. I can find much better ways to use my time. show less
I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. I'm willing to believe that he just doesn't see the logical fallacies he's presenting as facts, and that he just doesn't actually know how to do good historical research, nor how to compile good research into a sensible book.
Frankly, the pseudoacademic nonsense in this book would get a high-school student in trouble.
Raven clearly wants to prove that his 'tradition' of Italian Witchcraft is an unbroken line back to show more ancient times. But the historical research he cites doesn't support the idea, for all that he insists it does. I'd have had more respect for him citing channeled knowledge, then torturing the historical record into giving false support.
I tried to read this, more than once. I tried. I hoped that, among the chaff, there might be some information worth having. I can't find it by about 1/2 way through the book. I give up. I can find much better ways to use my time. show less
Pretty extensively researched history on witchcraft with some passive aggressive jabs at historians (into it). The first half of the book gave me a few things to ponder on re: chilling in the forest and my personal favourite, are UFOs just a contemporary interpretation of what Faeries were to generations past? (THAT'S A FUN QUESTION).
The second part of the book was just reading some dudes grimoire and that certainly is not my thing.
The second part of the book was just reading some dudes grimoire and that certainly is not my thing.
The Italian history and stories are interesting. Unfortunately, Grimassi uses almost no archaeological/scholarly evidence, mashes together witchcraft (a practice) & Wicca (a religion), and his thesis seeks to refute a claim I've never heard (that witchcraft started only with Wicca). The book also repeats sections word for word in different chapters. His passion for his Italian heritage shines, but his scholarship lacks authority.
As I am reading this, I am wondering more and more about the indended audience for this book. Is it for people who are suspicious of witchcraft and are against it? Unlikely they will pick this book up. Is it for just starting witches or simply people who are curious? Quite possibly, although I would not recommend it as a guidebook. Is it for already practicing witches? Judging by the title, it should be, but it doesn't seem that way. It seems that the book was conceived with a more show more philosophical goal in mind, i.e. possibly to explore theological dimensions or answer questions like 'why we do what we do'. However, it just seems like an attempt to provide a summary or an overview of tens and hundreds of traditions floating around and maybe to serve as a vague guide for someone just starting out. There are bits and pieces of this or that tradition, and as a whole, this book just seems rather purposeless. To me, it does not read as a discussion of spirituality should. My opinion might change as I continue reading it, but so far I have been disappointed. show less
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- Works
- 30
- Also by
- 1
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- 2,543
- Popularity
- #10,102
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 17
- ISBNs
- 45
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 5