*Sliding Scale: $30-50
To the Italian American witches, healers, artists, and seekers of the Hudson Valley (and beyond if you are willing to travel!)—this is for you.
Whether your people came here generations ago or only just arrived, there is a whisper rising in many of us now—a call to remember. And not to hold tight to some nationalistic way of being, in fact it’s the opposite of that. It’s to unravel a bit, to remember a deeper way of being, how our people believed in the unseen and cared for each other.
These gatherings are in houses to reconnect with the magic, devotion, and deep earth-rooted wisdom of our Italian lineages. To gather in community, and to heal what was broken in the crossing over the sea, losing language, assimilating, hiding their magic to “fit in.”
If you’ve felt that pull . . . if you’ve been yearning for others who know what it’s like to carry a culture half-kept and half-lost, to be liminal . . .
If you know there’s more to your heritage than food and feast days (those are extremely important but so are the stories, rituals, and ways of being within them, they can’t just exist on their own)—that there’s medicine and mystery waiting to be reclaimed, that there is healing to be tended to—then come.
Majaria is an in-person circle for Italian Americans and those interested in Italian mysticism who are called to the path of ancestral healing, folk magic, and cultural remembrance.
We’ll meet to share stories, rituals, remedies, and rites—both remembered and reimagined—rooted in our diverse Italian and Sicilian traditions.
We will connect, make, ritual, and be paesani.
You will be welcomed.
Note: This container was founded by Marybeth Bonfiglio, who is with us in absentia due to being in Sicily connecting with land and people there.
What to Expect:
A circle of kin—local(ish) folks of Italian descent gathering with intention, humility, and heart
Offerings and rituals—from divination and folk remedies to prayer, food, and seasonal practices
Stories and teachings—passed down or pieced back together, personal or communal. Stories and wisdom brought back from Sicily, as well as stories you want to share and piece together in community. Practices of rhythm, song and drumming brought back from Sicilian teachers.
Deep cultural inquiry—a space to explore the complexities of being Italian American: assimilation, survival, and sacred inheritance
Shared magic—laughter, wine, grief, recipes, songs, and spells—what was passed on to you? Bring it to the circle!
Between circles—a private chat group to stay connected, share insights, and decide who’s bringing the cannoli
You don’t have to speak the language.
You don’t have to know the recipes.
You don’t have to prove your bloodline or birthplace.
If you’ve heard the call—that is enough.
You carry the spar of the majara—the cunning women, the midwives, the folk healers, the bone keepers.
It’s time to tend that flame. Together.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Caroline Contillo (she/they) is a facilitator, performer, and steward of the relational field. She has been going to Sicily with Radici Siciliane to study drumming and music with ritualist Barbara Crescimano and somatics with facilitator Michael Strom. Caroline has been supporting Marybeth Bonfiglio in cultivating joy and practice between people who are connecting with their Southern Italian and Sicilian ancestry here in the Hudson Valley. She brings fifteen years of facilitation practice and a deep interest in contemplative and somatic traditions. She also brings her sense of humor which comes from over a decade of comedy and performance work. She has a keen sense of connection with place and revels in the way The Bridge is an active participant in the work.
*SLIDING SCALE DISCOUNT CODES:
10OFF ($40)
20OFF ($30)
NOTE: There is 1 free spot available for this class to ensure accessibility to those with limited financial means who otherwise would be unable to attend. To request the free spot, email connect@thebridge-kingston.com.
Cancellation Policy: Refunds or Class Credits are available by request for customer cancellations within 48 hours of the event start time.