Witchcraft after hours is a concept that refers to the practice of witchcraft or magic that occurs outside of traditional or prescribed hours. It involves engaging in magical rituals, performing spells, or working with psychic energy during the night or predominantly during the dark hours. This notion is often associated with nocturnal magical practices, where the energy and power of darkness are believed to amplify and enhance magical workings. The concept of witchcraft after hours is rooted in the belief that certain times of the day or night hold different energies or vibrations. The nighttime, particularly the dark hours, is considered a potent time for magic as it is associated with mystery, symbolism, and the unseen. Many witches and magical practitioners believe that the cover of darkness provides a veil of secrecy and protection, allowing them to tap into hidden energies and work undisturbed.
Many witches and magical practitioners believe that the cover of darkness provides a veil of secrecy and protection, allowing them to tap into hidden energies and work undisturbed. Witchcraft after hours may involve various practices, including divination, spell casting, herbalism, energy work, and ritualistic ceremonies. Practitioners may choose to work with moon phases, such as the New Moon or Full Moon, as these are believed to exert strong energetic influences.
Witch’s Brew- A Living Strega Who Mixes her Own Brand of Folk Magic
I first met Lori Bruno fifteen years ago while working as a reporter in Salem, Massachusetts’s, covering the so-called Witch City’s mix of art, maritime history along with its vibrant pagan community. At the time Bruno, 68, was introduced to me as a true Italian strega, one who practiced Sicilian witchcraft. Bruno, had just opened a new shop in town and I was asked to cover it for a story. Having grown up in a religious home where even the Smurfs were forbidden for their mystical influence, I had some negative preconceived ideas about witchcraft. But, during a sit-down visit to her home, Bruno quickly won me over. With her broad smile and Boston accent, she felt instantly familiar, like a long-lost Italian relative I’d never met. She called me, “Bella”, made me tea and we chatted for hours in her kitchen about our common southern Italian roots and strange Italian superstitions.
When my editor at Italian America recently assigned me a story on La Befana I joked that I knew the real-life Befana and offered to call her up. An online search yielded Bruno’s phone number, and soon we were chatting like no time had passed. These days- after a covid-induced hiatus- the eighty one year old witch is back to giving psychic readings and running her Salem shop Magika that sells books, candles, and other new age merchandise.
It’s no surprise the long-time witch is thriving. Bruno’s combination of grandmotherly warmth, Italian folk magic and psychic ability has garnered her much attention through the past five decades including a spread in The Wall Street Journal ten years ago during the housing crisis, when she was hired by new home-owners to perform cleansing rituals on foreclosed homes believed to hold bad vibes.
A second-generation Italian whose parents hailed from Sicily and Naples, Bruno grew up in Brooklyn in the 1950’s in a neighborhood rich in cultural diversity. Immigrant neighbors, many of them Italian, would regularly come to her house to visit her mother who was known for her healing powers. “She would take away headaches and say prayers for the Evil Eye,” Bruno recalls. “She would do readings and tell people about the dead.”
Bruno’s own first supernatural experience came at age 12 when she looked over at a classmate in school and suddenly experienced a vision accompanied by a cold chill.
“Her lower back looked gray,” Bruno recalls. “I went home and told my mom and she said that little girl had cancer of the kidneys.”
Over the years, Bruno has built up her psychic albitites, using them to help the community. After working for NASA for nearly ten years in the 1960’s creating technical drawings, she gave up her career and devoted herself fulltime to psychic service. Since then, she has worked with police to find missing people, counseled married couples and cast fertility spells for barren women.
Several years ago, a woman came to her unable to conceive and asked for help having a baby boy. Bruno accompanied her to a fertility treatment. “The doctor came in and I was giving her unsalted cashews,” Bruno remembers, adding, “have you noticed cashews look like a fetus?” While the doctor performed treatment, Bruno casts a spell she believes helped the woman conceive.
“She had a boy,” She concludes. “I am the child’s godmother. [The couple] is Christian but they have a Strega Nona.”
Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?
Bruno’s healing practices are a witch’s brew of cultural beliefs; Roman, Egyptian and Catholic statues all fill her Salem home. A typical work day may include prayers to Michael the Archangel, the Egyptian goddess Isis, or the Black Madonna, a dark-skinned version of the virgin Mary that many believe holds unique healing powers. Bruno keeps a lit candle in front of the Black Madonna at all times and prays regularly to “the great mother”, before performing healing rituals.
Bruno attributes her healing powers to her Sicilian roots. The island’s cultural diversity through the centuries, she says, has made it fertile ground for magic. “At one time Sicily was a mix of Jews and Italians,” she reflects. “The Jews know all about bad magic, good magic. On the kabbalistic tree of light witchcraft exists in the first three triads. Low magic works with earth currents and herbs. When you want to learn more, you climb the ladder. My family learned more.”
According to Bruno, two kinds of magic were practiced in Italy with the earliest recorded references to witchcraft dating to the sixteenth century when many -mostly peasants-were put to death for their beliefs. Benandanti, Bruno says, is magicfocused on healing and blessing people; historically, those who practiced it blessed crops, marriages, babies being born. Melandante, on the other hand, focuses on inflicting harm on others. One of the most well-known Italian superstitions, malocchio, or the Evil Eye is believed to be brought on by an insincere compliment when someone secretly envies another’s qualities or possessions. It reveals itself in the form of a headache and can only be cured by someone gifted with healing abilities, usually a woman who whispers a secret prayer.
As a healer, Bruno has often helped relieve people of malocchio. The process she says involves pouring three drops of olive oil into a bowl along with a sprinkle of salt. She then punctures the drops of oil with a lit match and waits for the oil to form a line or a circle, which indicates the gender of the person who brought on the bad luck. The person is then blessed with a secret prayer. In Italy, Bruno says, the most superstitious have learned to ward off the evil eye before it happens, wearing talismans or making the symbol of horns with their hand.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Evil Eye, but I know I carry superstitions of my own. The last time I saw Lori Bruno for our kitchen interview, I remember being surprised when at the end, she took down a painted Italian pitcher from a shelf and handed it to me as a parting gift. Convinced the vessel may hold some secret spell, I left it on the “free” table in the newspaper’s employee break room.
These days, I like to think I’m a little more open-minded. Having never experienced a psychic reading, I decided recently to give it a try and asked Bruno for a phone consult.
The results were amazingly right-on. After giving a creepily good read of my love life, she honed in on other things, saying “You will always be creative. I see things growing all around you.” Then, at the end, in typical Strega Nona style, she added, “I love you, Honey. God Bless.”
La Befana, Italy’s Witch of Winter
Who needs Santa Claus, the stodgy old man on the sleigh when there’s an Italian witch on a broomstick to brings presents to the bambini? La Befana, according to age-old Italian legend and tradition, makes her appearance on January 6, the day the Wise Men are believed to have arrived at baby Jesus’ manger. This day, known as The Feast of the Epiphany, is a national holiday and marks the end of twelve days of Christmas and New Years’ festivities.
The Night of La Befana was mentioned as early as 1549 in a poem by Agnolo Firenzuola where she was portrayed as an ugly old woman flying over houses on a broomstick, entering through the chimneys and leaving sweets for good children, or garlic and coal for bad ones.
La Befana’s roots are a mix of pagan and Christian beliefs. Some scholars believe her story originated with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a pagan celebration starting just before the winter solstice. At the end of Saturnalia, Romans went to the Temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill to have their fortunes read by an old crone.
Others point to her Christian roots. “Her name derives from the word for epiphany, Epifania,” says Art History professor Rocky Ruggiero. “Legend has it that she showed the three magi hospitality on their way to Bethlehem.”
According to folklore, La Befana was invited to join the Wise Men on their journey to find the Christ child, but declined their invitation, choosing to stay home and attend to her housework. Later, when she realized the child’s importance, she regretted her decision. Legend has it that ever since she’s roamed the earth searching for the Wise Men, rewarding good children and gently admonishing the bad.
Unlike Santa Claus (Or Babbo Natale as he’s called in Italy) La Befana has been a holiday tradition in Italy since the 13 th century. Though some Italians embrace the American tradition of Santa Claus, Christmas in Italy is far less commercialized, and La Befana remains a more popular figure. Her arrival on January 6 th is celebrated with traditional Italian foods such as panettone and special cakes and cookies called befani. In honor of the Three Wise Men, Italians go to church and enjoy spending the day with family. Children who have been good receive candy, and those who’ve misbehaved get lumps of coal – or these days, more likely, black rock candy.
La Befana is most associated with Rome and central Italy but the custom spread to the rest of the country during the 20th century. Today there are festivals throughout Italy, including a four day festival from January 2-6 in in Urbania in Le Marche region, and a large Befana Christmas market in Rome’s Piazza Navona.
Salem strega Lori Bruno feels a special kinship to La Befana, reaching out to her when she encounters a mother or child in need. “Now that I’m a grandmother I talk to her; I say Befana we need you to help the children.”
Bruno attributes her healing powers to her Sicilian roots. The island’s cultural diversity through the centuries, she says, has made it fertile ground for magic. “At one time Sicily was a mix of Jews and Italians,” she reflects. “The Jews know all about bad magic, good magic. On the kabbalistic tree of light witchcraft exists in the first three triads. Low magic works with earth currents and herbs. When you want to learn more, you climb the ladder. My family learned more.”
The use of candles, crystals, herbs, and other magical tools is also common during these nocturnal rituals. The practice of witchcraft after hours can vary greatly depending on individual preferences and magical traditions. Some may prefer solitary practices, working alone in quiet solitude, while others may gather in groups or covens to perform rituals and spells collectively. It is important to note that the ethics and intentions of the practitioner greatly influence the nature and outcome of their magical workings. While witchcraft after hours can be a deeply personal and empowering practice, it is crucial to exercise caution and responsibility. Just like any other form of magic, it is important to approach these practices with a clear intention, ethical considerations, and respect for oneself, others, and the natural world. Additionally, sound knowledge, study, and guidance from experienced practitioners are recommended to ensure safety and efficacy in magical endeavors. In conclusion, witchcraft after hours encompasses the practice of witchcraft or magic during the night or dark hours. It involves harnessing the energies and symbolism associated with darkness to enhance magical workings. This practice can encompass various rituals, spellwork, and divination techniques, as well as the use of ritual tools and collective or solitary practices. However, it is essential to approach these practices with ethics, intention, and responsibility to ensure positive and safe outcomes..
Reviews for "The Witch's Moonlight: Exploring After-Hours Witchcraft Practices"
1. Sara - 2 stars - I have to say, "Witchcraft after hours" was a huge disappointment. The plot was incredibly slow and lacked any real excitement. The character development was weak, and I felt no connection to any of the characters. The dialogue was also very dry and lacked emotion. Overall, I found the movie to be quite boring and would not recommend it to others.
2. Mike - 1 star - "Witchcraft after hours" was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, with wooden performances and awkward delivery of lines. The special effects were laughable and looked like they were done on a tight budget. The story was confusing and lacked any clear direction. I regret wasting my time watching this movie and would advise others to avoid it.
3. Emily - 2.5 stars - I had high hopes for "Witchcraft after hours," but unfortunately, it fell short. The pacing of the film was off, with slow-moving scenes and a lack of tension. The cinematography was average, and some of the editing felt choppy. The story had potential but failed to deliver a satisfying conclusion. While there were some interesting concepts, overall, the execution was lacking.
4. David - 1 star - I can't believe I wasted my money on "Witchcraft after hours." The acting was dreadful, and the actors seemed disinterested in their roles. The dialogue was cringeworthy and lacked any depth or originality. The film relied on cheap jump scares rather than building genuine suspense. I would advise others to save their money and skip this movie.
5. Jessica - 2 stars - I was honestly bored throughout "Witchcraft after hours." The plot was predictable and unoriginal, following tired tropes of the horror genre. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any real depth. The scares were ineffective, and the movie relied too heavily on jump scares. Overall, I found it to be a forgettable and underwhelming experience.