Thoughts upon the Festival of Thesmophoria - Part 3

Subliminal occult symbols flashed on live tv during MLB game

We all likely have our own opinions of the "who, what, when, where, how, and why" of this, but I just wanted to look at the symbols that they used. In other words, what do they think is racy? Actually, you don't even have to play the video because it's all right there. It's curious that they used a "board" against a background, rather than just a white screen with the signs on it. Perhaps they should hire me for this, since if I was the designer I would have used a Freemasonic/Saturnian black-cube square with the outer black/white squared pattern slightly visible, and with the signs in white within the black-cube. Actually I'm not "Saturnian," but more of a "Sun and Saturn equalist."

Right off the bat, it's clear that they have a mixture of ancient symbols from northern Europe to India. The one lone political/non-spiritual symbol is the Communist Hammer and Sickle. Since the sickle is a Druidic/pagan symbol by itself, I guess that partly qualifies it. Hmm, no Swastika? I guess they couldn't put "both," despite the fact that the banksters had a field day funding them both back in the day. It's interesting that they used the Teutonic Valknut since they seem to hate anything northern European. They have both the Pentacle Star and the Inverted Pentagram Circle, which seems to suggest a difference between them.. in their minds. There is a difference, so some element of honesty there.

They have some signs which are generally thought of as Celtic. Most of the rest are Freemasonic, Alchemical, and Hermetic symbols; with a few overlapping Egyptian signs thrown in. The interlocking keys design is used by the Catholic Church, but perhaps there could be an earlier origin. Of course they have the quintessential, worldly-yet-omnipresent, All-Seeing-Eye, and also Aleister Crowley's Unicursal-Hexagram used to symbolize his dark Egyptian magical system called Thelema. However, no Saturnian Hexagram? C'mon, you gotta have the Swastika and the Hexagram (aka Star of David)... those are the funnest ones! Ironically, the two were linked at one time in the deep past. Personally, I no longer view either one of them as connected to their modern assignment.

Who said dinosaurs are all gone?

Crocodiles are leftovers from the age of dinosaurs. They provide a good clue as to how large reptiles moved and behaved. Large cats vs. crocodiles and alligators provide a good example of the historical mammal-reptile struggle. Sharks are also a leftover from the dinosaur period.

Tying your heritage together

One's heritage, in it's numerous facets, doesn't have to be compartmentalized. Whether it's ethnic, spiritual, family, regional, or personal... it can be gently bonded together. I had mentioned the

example of Paige Montague (Sionnach the Celt) who is a Celtic Neo-Druid with Odinic influences. She may produce a video wearing a Hammer of Thor necklace and with a Scottish flag present. Although we so-often hear terms like "Irish Catholic," you can just mix it the way you want to mix it. You can even combine symbols to make something of a personal arms. In a way, she has in a sense "grown up on YouTube"; and I think she could be a great leader at some point. In my way of thinking, she really gets it.


Pit Bull vs. Bobcat.... WHO WINS??

Some Pit Bulls owners have even bragged about how their Pit have killed cats. Okay, lets see it.... Pitbull vs. Bobcat.... I guess the image sorta gives it away...





There is no Pit Bull in the world who could raise a paw to a fully grown, wild Bobcat... with superior power, lightening speed, and razor sharp fangs and claws.


Raven Grimassi on Coast to Coast AM Monday evening ("Moon's Day")... Tonight!

He's going to talk about a great subject which has been covered here, connecting with ancestors and familiar spirits. While a Ouija board can be very dangerous, connecting in a natural way will not result in unwanted entities... only those which you already have a soul linkage to. It will be a Full Supermoon tonight as well!

From CoastToCoastAM.com:

Divination/ Evolution

Date:	Monday - October 26, 2015
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Matt Ridley, Raven Grimassi

In the first half of the program, neopagan scholar and award-winning author of over twelve books on witchcraft, wicca, and neopaganism, Raven Grimassi will discuss his work using divination to navigate the Earth plane and pierce the veil to contact spirits and beings from other dimensions. 

In the latter half, author Matt Ridley will detail his latest work on defining how trends emerge. He will argue against conventional assumptions that major scientific and social imperatives are dictated by those on high and, instead, will make the case for evolution in the universe as well as in many facets of our society and culture. 

Website(s):

• houseofgrimassi.com
• mattridley.co.uk

Book(s):

• Old World Witchcraft
• Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch
• The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge

The Lombard migration in North America: Part II

I had been meaning to post the article from part one, but I had misplaced it. The translation was the best that I could do. I suspect that I misinterpreted several sentences, but the main gist of it was clear I believe. The history of Lombardians in North America is a subject which is extremely difficult to outline and put the pieces together. I don't believe that the interview even scratched the surface of the subject! Any article about Lombardian-Americans should always mention Paolo Busti, Giacomo Beltrami, and Mother Cabrini. There were other well-known settlers and missionaries in places like Wisconsin. Joe Montana and Yogi Berra are at least half Lombardian.

From the article:

The main destinations to which this emigration was focused are St. Louis, Missouri, Herrin and Rockford, Illinois, Barre, Vermont, Iron Mountain, Michigan, Walla Walla, Washington, and then in Texas, in San Francisco (in particular in the area of San Rafael), in New Mexico and Arizona.

I'm well aware of "The Hill," which was a Milanese-speaking district in St. Louis after the Civil War. I once had a great article about The Hill that I had posted in one of my early websites, but I somehow lost the text. I'm not familiar with Herrin, Illinois, but I know there is a Lombard club today in Rockford. Barre, Vermont--from what very little I know--sounds like an extremely interesting history. There is some type of festa Italiana there during Memorial Day, for a week, each year. We've covered Iron Mountain in Upper Michigan, close to where my family settled when they came to this country. There were a few Lombard clubs in other parts of Yooper country (Upper Michigan/northern Wisconsin). The Ironwood-Hurley area and Duluth, Minnesota are two other areas where there existed Lombardian community.

From my own research, I have found quite a number of Camunian surnames in Washington state, and of course, we can't forget the Camunian history of Monongahela, Pennsylvania. I had posted a video here regarding Lombardian-Americans in Walla Walla, Washington; which is interesting in that it was an obscure far west location when they first migrated there. There isn't much to draw from as far as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in terms of information at this time. I know that there is some type of Lombard club in San Rafael that I wanted to look into. I had posted a little information about Lombardians in San Francisco before, and there was once a "Societa Lombarda of South San Francisco" long ago.

Of course, there is also the presence in northern California--southern California and northwest Nevada as well--of Ticinese descended people that once formed Swiss clubs in various locations. A few are still around, in particular in Marin County; also Imperial County in southern California. Ticinesi are Lombardian by language and culture. I've covered some ground here that I had covered before, but this article draws a wider perimeter to look at; and it should all tie-in at some point. There is at least some interest in our heritage, but it seems to be so fragmented and not placed under the umbrella of "Lombardian-American" as it should be.

Awhile back, I recall reading a few segments of what was I think a fairly new but obscure book about Italian immigrants in western Canada in the early twentieth century. The part that I read was regarding laborers in southeast British Columbia and southwest Alberta. It didn't mention much about where this community originated. Now I can see that this is another area that needs to be looked at. It was very interesting, much like the wild west. A century ago, western locations like this, or Walla Walla, were rural and very far from Lombardy.

I know that there is a sizable Bergamask club in Toronto, and apparently there is a more recent Brescian-Bergamask emigre community in Ontario. Sometimes I just wonder... how come I feel like the last to know? Ontario isn't very far from where my family settled in Upper Michigan, and it's part of the same "Great Lakes Region" I believe. That's part of the function of this blog. To make at least some attempt to put the fragmented pieces--separated by time, distance, and other factors--together in one reference. Apparently, I should state the obvious. We would like to have contact with Lombardians from around the world. It's like a greater family clan, scattered across the globe. Sadly, even though there is indeed some organization, we're not part of it yet.

I suppose that it might be said that the St. Ambrose Church in St. Louis is the symbol of the Lombardian existence on this continent. There is some type of organized Ambrosian church here, but I just don't know much about it. There are other Ambrosian churches around in different states. The Ambrosian Rite is from Lombardy, and is also called the Milanese Rite. It is part of the Catholic Church, but I don't think it's quite Lombardian-identity in the same way as the Greek Orthodox Church is "Greek."

What does all of this really mean? We would like to form a "Lombardian-American Society" of some type. Naturally we would like to see an equivalent in Canada as well. It can't merely be some P.O box in some out of the way location, and nobody ever hears from it. It must be brought about in a way that it creates some interest, and encourages people to put some energy into it. When all facets of Lombardian culture, especially as they have existed in some form in North America, are put together and examined; then the endeavor begins to take form. There is a "Lombardian-American endeavor," but when will all of it's bricks come together to form our citadel?

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Three simple long-range goals of the Camonica Club

We have posted our goals here in the past, but perhaps they were not entirely clear. Our goals are very multi-faceted, so there is no definite answer to what our goals are when they are laid out in paragraphs.

For example, we may be interested in looking into the Ambrosian Rite of Catholicism, as it is Lombardian in origin, and certainly a part of our culture. However, that would really belong in the greater scheme of looking into all things Lombardian, and not because we all need to become Ambrosians.

Our chief goals could be herded into three parts. Within each part, there is more of a maze of smaller items that we may want to look into at some point. However, the following are our three main long-term goals.

1) Lombardian-American Society: To develop an association, voice, and organizational structure for those of Lombardian heritage in the United States. The number of people of Lombardian origin in this country is significant enough to justify a "Lombardian-American" cultural identity. There should be a headquarters of some type. A cultural center, probably located somewhere in the Great Lakes region, which would have at least several paid positions. A simple radio studio would be a must, as the opportunity for a community podcast over the internet is a possibility which cannot be passed up. A book and media library in order to conduct research into our heritage, especially our history on this continent, would be a must as well. There is a Tuscan-American Association, which has entirely beaten us to the punch in this area. Naturally we would look to develop local associations in different states as part of this plan. This is a goal even more important than our Camunian plan below.

2) Camonica Club of North America: With the number of people of Camunian ancestry being much smaller than the already small number of people of Lombardian ancestry, it would only make sense to combine all of us who live anywhere on this continent. Camunian heritage means something a little different than the Lombardian whole. In this way, it is almost like an extended family concept. One goal would be just simply to promote our heritage to our kindred. A longer range goal would be to form some type of milieu in every state and province. That could be just one person to start with. In other words, a "Camonica Club of Michigan," a "Camonica Club of Washington," or a "Camonica Club of Ontario." Perhaps one of those "Italians working abroad," who may live in Mexico City or someplace, could be a representative there. We don't have to think of ourselves as being limited by distance. Kindred who live in Alaska or Panama could see each other as distant family.

3) Temple of Cern: This is one area which definitely needs definition. The Camonica Valley has, for a long time, been considered very Catholic. Of that, there is no question. Our Camunian families who migrated to this continent would very likely have been strongly Roman Catholic. However, Greek-Americans are very solidly Orthodox Christians, but have no problem with their pagan past. That pagan past is not brushed under the rug. And remember, the pagan period of Greece was a very long time ago; while our pagan past flourished up to roughly four centuries ago. I mean, lets face it, the entire Italian peninsula was solidly Catholic.... except us! THINK ABOUT THAT!! Our ancestors were not merely a different denomination of Christianity, therefore subject to persecution, but many were pagans. Yes, it's true. There must be something a little different about us, perhaps something in our collective conscience. I think it is our cultural imperative to revive at least an interest in our old Cernic tradition.

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Ticinese Union of London

Unione Ticinese di Londra

A Brief History of the Union Ticinese

The Unione Ticinese is one of the oldest Swiss clubs in the United Kingdom. It was founded in February 1874 by Stefano Gatti, a restaurant-owner and entrepreneur whose family had arrived in London from Marogno in the Val di Blenio a few decades earlier. It was a mutual aid society intended to provide care in sickness and company in health to the increasing number of Ticinesi working as waiters, but also as ice men and other professions, usually as emplOscar Gambazzi, Giuseppe Eusebio, Frank de Maria, revised by Peter Barber, Vita Ticinese a Londra : 125 Years of the Unione Ticinese (London: Unione Ticinese, 1999)oyees of more successful Ticinese immigrants in London. Most members came from the Blenio and Leventina valleys.

Subsidised hospital care and sickness pay were provided and almost from the first members had the right to burial in Society graves in Kensal Green and later in East Finchley. After a rocky start, due in large part to political tensions within the colony and inside Ticino itself, the Society flourished. For the first 70 years it was dominated and financially supported by wealthy Ticinese restaurateurs, and notably by the Gatti and later the Meschini families. It centered its activities on the district between Leicester Square and the Euston Road in London where the largest single concentration of Ticinesi was to be found, though there were smaller colonies in almost every resort along the south coast and in the London suburbs. For many decades members usually met at the Schweizerbund in Charlotte Street, though on special occasions banquets were held at the grander Ticinese-run restaurants, such as the Gattis’ Royal Adelaide Gallery , Monico’s on Piccadilly and Pagani’s, which was owned by the Meschini family.

Since 1945 the Society has altered radically. Its main support now comes from the members themselves. Often these are not native-born Ticinesi but friends of Ticino or descendants who want to learn more about the canton from which their ancestors emigrated. The establishment of the National Health Service and the increasing prosperity of members of the Ticinese colony has led to the gradual abandonment of the Society’s legal role as a benevolent society while the geographical dispersal of the Society’s membership throughout the country has inevitably led to a change in the pattern of its activities. Most notably, the Corale or choir, which was a central feature of the Society as late as the 1950s and early 1960s gradually withered away because of the increasing difficulty of organising rehearsals – and finding sufficient members familiar with the old songs. Dining in restaurants has given way to equally excellent meals prepared by the Society’s catering committee.

Over the same period there has been an increase in the number of lectures and outings. A well-attended barbecue in the Sussex countryside in late June has become an annual event. In its efforts to raise the profile of Ticino, the Society has fostered close links with the Museum of London as well as with the Swiss Embassy in London, other Swiss societies in the United Kingdom and governmental and cultural organisations inside Ticino. Its extensive records, particularly those dating from the 1920s, have been deposited with London Metropolitan Archives and are available over the internet as part of the Archives to Archives (a2a) network (http://www.a2a.org.uk/).

Yet in many ways, the Society would still be familiar to its founding members. Several members of today are descendants of founder or early members. The last days of October sees the annual Castagnata, a celebration in roast chestnuts and wine of what was until recently the staple diet of the Ticinesi. In early February the anniversary of the Society’s foundation is commemorated in appropriate style, often combined with a celebration of Carnevale. The Society’s members continue to have the right to burial in one of the Society’s graves in East Finchley. Elderly members receive a panettone around Christmas time when there is an annual gathering at which small children receive gifts from San Nicolao. The Unione Ticinese remains a family-oriented Society which extends a warm welcome to all who want to join, whether Ticinese-born or not.

If you want to learn more about the Society and the community from which it sprung, these books are available from the Unione Ticinese at £7.50 (including postage and packing within the United Kingdom):

Oscar Gambazzi, Giuseppe Eusebio, Frank de Maria, revised by Peter Barber, Vita Ticinese a Londra : 125 Years of the Unione Ticinese (London: Unione Ticinese, 1999).

Peter Barber and Peter Jacomelli, Continental Taste. Ticinese emigrants and their Café-Restaurants in Britain 1847-1987 [Camden History Society Occasional Paper 2] (London, Camden History Society, 1997).
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The Lombardo-Venetian Flag: A Symbol of Heritage or Oppression?

One question, which I have never heard asked or mentioned, is whether or not the flag of the Kingdom of Lombardo-Venetia is rightfully a heritage symbol, or a symbol of Austrian/Hapsburg oppression? Although called a "kingdom," it was in fact the Hapsburg kingdom that was being referenced there. This is a flag that is used by some as a heritage symbol today.

The Lombardian-Venetian link may be confused a little bit with the fact that Eastern Lombardy is tied into the history of the Venetian Republic. Some see it as more "West Veneto" than "East Lombardy," but that is with a smaller minority of people.

Lombardia and the Veneto were two distinct nations at one point, until both were conquered by the powerful Austrian army. They even had their boots planted firmly on Trentino until less than a century ago. The revolts of 1848, while only initially successful, did lead to the eventual breaking with Austrian rule. During this difficult time of subjugation, the Lombarians and Venetians, which were already tied together historically, were tied together even closer. I don't know who designed this flag, but it does have both Lombardian and Venetian symbology on it, not Austrian.

This was about hanging tough during Hapsburg oppression. To me, this is the issue here. I'm realistic, the Venetians did some pushing of their own historically. In many ways, the Council of Ten had been much like the Hapsburg Dynasty. In my opinion, this flag IS a heritage symbol. It's not an Austrian flag. The crest has the symbols of both San Marco and the Visconti family on it. This can also be viewed as an era where both the ruling class and the general population were in the same boat. I know that, historically speaking, similar situations may be different, with puppet politicians of the colonized region selling out their nation and people. I don't get that sense here at all. I believe that this flag is a symbol of Lombardo-Venetian heritage, steadfastness, and eventual liberation.

[Left: The alternative flag for the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom]

I think that we should accept this flag, however, what is called the "alternative flag" is very suspect. The symbol of the double-headed eagle was used by a number of nations, but mainly Germanic and Slavic I think. I don't really know if this was the official Austrian flag for this colony or not. There could have been two flags for the same region. One in an official capacity, and one as an internal regional flag, with perhaps a hint of rebel in it. Maybe somebody out there can help us out here?


This time period wasn't what one would call brutal, like a barbaric subjugation. It was, as far as what I have been able to gather, very unpleasant. There were forced marriages of women to Austrian soldiers, for example. In addition, there seems to just generally have been quite a bit of undue liberties leniency granted to Austrian soldiers as far as the law was concerned. That could be interpreted in different ways, so I will just leave it at that for now.

Lastly, I believe that the Lombardian Carbonari and the Venetian Carbonari were primarily interested in resisting the Austrians and achieving autonomy at the least, and less with joining an Italian multi-ethnic state. I think that sovereignty was their eventual goal.

Note [12-28-08]: It should be noted that there is an Austrian symbol in the middle of the crest, above the Lombardian and Venetian symbols. Therefore, in order for this to be thought of as a heritage symbol, that would need to be removed. The main point was that some well-intentioned people have used this as a heritage flag, without any challenge on these points.

Bresciani nel Mondo

In the last entry, I discussed the value of the many regional and provincial sub-groups around the world. I mentioned that I would probably be too busy with the PAL to do this myself, but I changed my mind. I plan on founding "Bresciani nel Mondo."

You almost have to do a little research online to see what the status is for whatever it is that you want to be a part of in this area. Some areas are largely represented, and this even includes provincial heritages! For example, Bergamo and Brescia sit sit by side in Lombardia, have similar historties, yet there is a large Bergamaschi nel Mondo, yet no Bresciani nel Mondo. In other words, you may have to just go ahead and "found" something if it doesn't exist. Also, some Italians are hard-asses about Italian-Americans. They have this belief that we are "Italian wannabees," which usually isn't true.

In the previous entry, I mentioned not really knowing if there was a local presence of heritage of Liguria, Genoa, Tuscany, or Lucca. I still don't really know. If not, someone is really missing out. The root stock Italian-Americans of the Bay Area still don't really understand that this area was really the only one with this type of Northern Italian heritage. It's unique here in America. Maybe you could point to parts of Michigan or Pennsylvania, but nothing like here. I know Lucca in northern Tuscany, and South San Francisco, are "Sister Cities." This is due to the many Lucchesi who settled there long ago.

I have mentioned, more than once, of how Italian-Americans, especially around here, have completely lost their sense of heritage. I was at my parents home during last years World Cup. This is the exact same location where I was in 1982 during Italy's world cup victory then. I can recall very clearly that there was a lot of noise as the clock ticked down then! When I say noice, I mean noise outside! It was eerie in 2006, in the same location, that there was NO noise at all. Am I expected to believe that we have disappeared? Obviously the demographics in that neighborhood have changed in those 24 years, but that doesn't explain everything.

As you may have noticed, the website was ruined due to a glitch in angelfire's system. This was a big disappointment, because it was being redone and was between a save. Even if it was saved, all the code would be lost. Seems we're all just one virus or glitch away from humility in terms of this electronic communication we depend on so much. The link for the new PAL website is at the upper left hand corner of this blog. I'll just put it here.

Before I close out here, I just wanted to mention one more time, how fun it can be to start this type of local group. You have a reason to contact many people all over, as you could have a website, are writing and doing research. I remember I called someone once and said that I was writing an article, before I asked a few questions. If the person knows that you're writing a newsletter or something, they will respond a little better. It's not just that, it may foster a little more connection between the two of you.