I met Christine a year ago at my very first full moon ceremony. She stood out from the crowd not only because of pounds of silver bling she was wearing but mostly because of her vivid personality. Her beady eyes (that we determined to be dark green-brown) were always sparkling. After the ritual she was first to come up to me and and start a friendly chat.
Second time I stayed longer and we talked more about her. Christine comes form Stregheria – the Italian witchcraft tradition. Her grandparents, who basically raised her, came from Italy by boat. Christine grew up in Spanish Harlem. She recalls grandmother taking her to Latin mass at 5am and then sage-ing themselves and the house.
“I was a young child when I started seeing people. And didn’t know then, but my grandmother was teaching me herbs and potions. I was always with her. I would be frightened of the voices that I hear. I would clutch my ears and cry myself to sleep always afraid to tell anyone I would see and talk to people. Some I knew, some not and most of them were dead… But as I got older I realized that it was actually a gift, light popped on, so to speak.“
It took me quite a while to convince Christine to do her portrait. She is always up to something – vending in Pagan Pride, Witchfest and other fairs, making oils and and casting spells, moderating Witch Way – her facebook group. But after she decided to sell her house in Brooklyn and move to Tennessee, I finally had a good reason to actually make it happen.
I follow Christine up the narrow staircase to the 3rd floor of her townhouse in Greenpoint. Here it is – just like in a fairy tale – an attic room filled with little vials, funnels and herb bags – true alchemist’s lair. Dream catchers, chimes and feathers everywhere. She sits down at her work table and starts showing me the herbs she has been working with.
If you ask Christine something about herbs, her eyes would light up as she starts telling you about them. Seems like the whole room lights up with her energy. She picks up basket with lavender that she prepared for sale at Pagan Pride and brings herbs to her nose. Inhales and let’s out the clatter of her pointy shoes against the wooden floor.
Then I glance at her altar and ask to tell me about her tools. Christine gets up and picks up one after another telling me of each their stories.
The Wand.
The Athame. 
Spell in the bottle (bulb). 
Crystals to enhance energy. 
The Book of Shadows, the main and the working one.
Tarot Cards gifted to her by the friend.
The Altar and small secondary one for certain spells.
In the end I ask her to stand up and pose for me in the hallway, so I could see all the pouches around her belt. Lots of different stuff in there: herbs, stones, some are gifts, some are just witch necessities.
“Come, let’s go outside to see my plants” she says, “don’t worry, my neighbors already think that I am crazy” she adds while opening the door to her backyard.
