Even in this day and age the topic of belief is normally not a point of conversation it one of the three subject that are not mentioned in polite society. This social taboo may be the reason that we still have fears as adults to talk about our spiritual beliefs.
In schools children are taught religious education as part of the curriculum but as we grow religion has a less important. Plus the level of information in schools is really not that informative is designed to pass exams and not designed to understand a belief structure fully.
Now with this limited information on religion, which is bias toward Christianity and if paganism is mentioned it done so in passing. Many people don’t really know what paganism is and have a very limited view of the craft, its still considered as fantasy by some.
As pagan we come from a history of persecution and forced conversions. This history still remains raw to many of us and we fear that it may happen once more. Even today there are still news items where children are killed or tortured because they are witches or news stories where “witchcraft” is linked to satanic worship.
These news stories have a very negative view of what witchcraft is at the moment around the web is the story of Delaware Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell and her claims of witchcraft. I have purposely tried to avoid mention her as all I feel is that she is another stupid person as she has made a link to blood rites and satanic rites in a youtube statement which only goes to put us in a negative light once more.
These negative views affect us only in a very minor way, as we understand the truth but they do have an affect on the way other see us. So when it come time for us to tell others that we are a witch, pagan or Wiccan or any other path we have to face their ignorance.
Know my view on whether paganism / witchcraft should be open or kept secrete is still divided, on one hand I am happy to see paganism in the public eye but no disrespect I am a very logical person and everything that I have seen on TV always make us look a little loony mainly due to the editing so much so I am often embarrassed to associate myself with the media impression of witchcraft and paganism. Not because of any other reason apart from the way pagans witches and Wiccan come across. On the other hand I feel that witchcraft is a personal path and should be kept secrete and only shared with those who know!
But whatever my personal views of the path their comes a point where you do have to mention to family and friends your beliefs and explain what you believe in. With friends it quite easy as we find friends with similar interest or how understand that there is something a bit different about us they have seen the books on the shelf and noticed the signs so it comes no surprise to them. But family that can be a difficult situation since we move away from them and communicate by phone, email and meet at family gatherings and we don’t seem to have that intimacy with family as we do with friends but there is always a connection with them. Our parents are people that we wish to please and we do seek their approval our social backgrounds have a huge impact on the people we become so if you come from a Christian or Muslim or Jewish telling your parents can be a difficult conversation Buy Cialis Online to have as you may feel that in some way you have let them down and can be afraid that you will face rejection.
For myself I found it easier to tell my parents I was gay mainly because it was not a choice it was who I was, but I chose to become a witch and that was a little difficult. And in those days there was not much information available on Wicca and to be honest witchcraft had a much more negative view than it does today.
Even with the fact that my family comes from a magickal background, which was ended, when my grandfather turned his back on his heritage and became Christian facing my parents and telling them I was a witch / pagan was a difficult subject to bring up. It was when I was in my early to mid 30’s when I did tell them that I was a pagan. Shockingly my family where ok with it uncles and aunts began asking if I would cast spells for them or read for them my father was more concerned that I would be naked and wearing woad but had to explain that I don’t look great naked and blue was not a colour that suited me and that I would look like blobby smurf so their was no need to worry.
The thing about coming out of the broom closet it about timing it when you feel confident enough that you have chosen the correct path for you. I took many years and many paths to feel confident enough in my spirituality that I was sure that I had found the correct place to be a solitary witch with an eclectic style. If I had said when I was 13 /14 that I was a Wiccan I would have been wrong and may of been discouraged from my path as I was brought up catholic and went to catholic school so I knew the view of witchcraft the Catholics have, so I new it was the wrong time.
As the years have moved on and Wicca, paganism and witchcraft have entered public life making it easier to come out of the broom closet but you still have to choose who to tell and what to tell them. Terms like white witch (a term I loath as it diminishes us as witches we are not black or white or good and evil we are just witches) became acceptable in a sense and using that to identify yourself is ok but it still has a some what negative view to some.
If asked I am a pagan or a witch depending on how I feel normally it pagan as it get people asking what that and you can explain openly and fully what you believe no matter what path you are pagan always works fine. If I declare myself as witch I do it to be militant and defiant, a way of pissing people off, it instantly puts a wall up keeping them on the other side ok I only do it to Christians. No disrespect to Christians I have worked in a few Christian environments where I have been faced with daily let save the pagan talks as they felt my soul need saving, I found that when I called my self a witch they left me alone either because they felt my soul was beyond saving or they feared the magick “curses” I would put on them.
But these are some of the issues you face when you come out of the broom closet. People’s fears and superstitions are the biggest hurdle you have to face when you choose to tell people that you believe in something different from the “norm”.
So before you choose to tell the world you need to think-
1. Am I sure that my spiritual journey has ended and I am on the right path to the divine?
2. Am I telling you to shock you or seek your approval?
3. Will me explaining about my beliefs cause you distress?
4. Is this the best time to bring the subject up?
5. Am I confident enough to face the questions that they will ask?
6. How do I define my spiritual path? Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, witch etc
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Originally posted 2011-02-22 03:39:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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