In this first episode, I take the plunge with the incomparable MaryBeth Bonfiglio, of Sicilian ancestry, whose dynamic and varied work is not simple to summarize. She is a writer, writing instructor and guide, an intuitive, a midwife, and a folk/root worker dedicated to exploring the ancient wisdom of her Sicilian heritage. Her Radici Siciliane gatherings, which attendees have described as “not a vacation, [but] a pilgrimage and a rite of passage and a week-long ritual,” take people to remote and traditional areas of Sicily to explore ancient folkway practices—such as tarot cards, ancient recipes, traditional dance and storytelling, cheesemaking, basket-weaving as well as creating a space for attendees to explore their own ancestral healing.  

She's originally from Upstate New York, but lives in Portland, Oregon with her three daughters and longtime husband.

Things discussed in this episode: 

How assimilation changes traditions and family life.

Wanting to deny your heritage to fit in.

Reclaiming your heritage and its traditions.

Ancient customs can be reminders on how to live well and according to what matters most.

Our ancestors' poverty forced them to focus on living well, on living in community, and enjoying the good moments of life, which is something we should remember.

How having children brings out our need to return to our ancestral traditions. 

Rewriting stereotypes heaped upon cultures.

Reading tarot cards as an ancestral connection.

Doing work in our ancestral lands.

Ancestral worship traditions as powerful tools.

In modern pop culture, Buddha is cool, Jesus is not cool.; Yoga is cool, rosary is not cool, and how this can drive us away from our own culture's spiritual practices. 

The study of Epigenetics.

Ways to reconnect with your culture and its traditions, even if you're generations removed from the first immigrant's source.

Resources:

Guest:

marybethbonfiglio.com

radicisiciliane.com

Instagram: @marybethbonfiglio and @radicisiciliane

The Italian American Podcast

Bella Figura Podcast:

bellafigurapodcast.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: dolores_alfieri_taranto