Raven Grimassi, born Gary Charles Erbe, was an American author and practitioner known for his writings on Wicca, Stregheria, and witchcraft. He dedicated over 45 years to the practice of witchcraft and co-directed the Ash, Birch and Willow tradition. Grimassi played a significant role in popularizing Stregheria, a form of witchcraft with Italian roots, presenting it within a neo-pagan framework through his numerous books. His maternal grandfather, a train station master in Naples, was involved in Italian witchcraft and secret societies. Grimassi's work explored various aspects of witchcraft, including its historical roots, spiritual practices, and magical traditions. He received accolades for his contributions to the field, including "Book of the Year" awards. He passed away in 2019 from pancreatic cancer.

Born Gary Charles Erbe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Raven Grimassi's background included significant Italian heritage through his mother, Flora Gemma Erbe, who was born in Pagani, Campania. His parents met in Italy during his father's military service in World War II. Grimassi's maternal grandfather, Giovanni Rescigno, was a train station master in Naples, a Freemason, and reportedly an Italian witch who was involved with the Order of the Pentagram and potentially linked to the Carbonari revolutionary movement. This familial connection to Italian folk magic and secret societies provided a foundational influence on Grimassi's later work. After living in Pittsburgh, his family settled in San Diego, California, where Grimassi attended local colleges, studying to become a psychiatric technician.

Grimassi became involved with Wicca in 1969 and subsequently developed his own system of witchcraft, the "Aradian Tradition," which he began publishing in 1981. He was also a co-directing elder of the Ash, Birch and Willow tradition. His work significantly contributed to the understanding and practice of Stregheria, a religious practice of witchcraft with origins in Italy. Grimassi presented Stregheria through a neo-pagan lens in his writings, most notably in "Ways of the Strega," which was later retitled "Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe." While some reports suggested he claimed a "family tradition" of witchcraft, academic perspectives, such as those of Professor Sabina Magliocco, acknowledged that Grimassi adapted elements and did not claim exact replication of historical immigrant practices, recognizing his initiation into a domestic tradition of folk magic and healing.

Raven Grimassi authored over 20 books that explored a wide range of topics including Wicca, Stregheria, witchcraft, and neo-paganism. His influential works received critical acclaim, with "The Wiccan Mysteries" earning "Book of the Year" and "First Place – Spirituality Book" from the Coalition of Visionary Retailers in 1998. His "Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft" was also recognized as "Best Non-Fiction." In 2018, Patheos named Grimassi among the 25 most influential living pagans. His career transitioned to full-time writing in the mid-1990s, supported by the success of his published works. He also collaborated with his third wife, Stephanie Ann Zarrabi (Stephanie Taylor), on divination kits and operated a magick shop called Raven's Loft.

“Grimassi never claims to be reproducing exactly what was practiced by Italian immigrants to North America: he admits Italian-American immigrants "have adapted a few Wiccan elements into their ways".”

“I had the pleasure of meeting Raven Grimassi during the summer of 2001, unfortunately after the final draft of my article had already been submitted to The Pom. He was very gracious and helpful to me. From information he revealed during our interview, I can say with reasonable certainty that I believe him to have been initiated into a domestic tradition of folk magic and healing such as I describe in my article.”