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    Coming out of the Broom Closet

    What is your story on letting others know you are Pagan? How has it effected you for better or worse? Has it changed your relationships with them? What challenges have you had to overcome?
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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    #2
    Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

    I actually need some advice in this area. I found Wicca a few years ago and now pretty much everyone knows. I told my friends and now fianc
    ~Earth My Body~Water My Blood~Air My Breath~Fire My Spirit~

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      #3
      Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

      I know I've told my story previously. I'm one of the rare few that was never in any sort of closet. My family is pretty open.

      However, I never went out and blurted out at a family gathering "I'm a WITCH" because I didn't feel it was necessary. I don't hide who I am and what I believe, but outside of a discussion about religion, I usually don't go blathering on about it either. I never have.

      I think maybe I understand the desire to get it out there; to tell people, but I really never thought my spirituality was up for debate, so I saw no point in discussing it with people who might not be appreciative.

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        #4
        Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

        I straight up told my brother, mother, and friends. My dad kinda just took context clues. One of my coworkers just asked me about my pentagram necklace today. Other than that, Im not in the broom closet or anything. I never was, I think.

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          #5
          Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

          I am overly open if people ask, but I haven't gone out of my way to "come out of the broom closet" with my family. I find no need to hassle them with the blunt "I never believed in your God" kind of conversations. They are not open enough to hear that conversation and I like my life as least complicated as possible.
          -=Ex Ignorantia Ad Sapientiam; E Luce Ad Tenebras=-

          My art and writing http://khaotyk-artwerx.tk/
          (whole site is marked adult, the adult and gore sections are in their own section so you can opt not to view them, adult and/or gore stories are marked with an *)

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            #6
            Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

            Sage: don't worry about it, they never asked and it never needed to be stated. If you lie about it its one thing, but like you were being respectful of their beliefs that is a good thing. you don't need to throw your beliefs in peoples faces. Just like how you wish your grandma would stop calling you about saving your soul. You believe your beliefs and they believe theirs. don't feel bad about it. If the topic came up, its then up to you. If it came up, tell her you always kept it quiet around her to respect her beliefs and her household. At that point the ball is in her court to be whatever person she wants to be about it.

            As for me I haven't quite "come out of the broom closet" because I don't feel the need to. I've told people that I know share beliefs, and the one that doesn't share the beliefs with me likes to discuss/debate religions and such. he likes to pick apart religions with historical accuracies. I had once when I was younger asked my mom for a book I had found on "white magic" (yes I was VERY young... probably around 12 when I started.. so I wasn't very knowledgeable) and she responded with a "no! our family doesn't do that sort of thing! put that book back!" which was amazing because she was never a religious person, we never went to church, and religion is never really brought up. so its easy to not talk about it.

            However I am waiting for the in-laws to come down... they say grace at dinner every day and are regular church-goers. last they knew we went to a church around here, before my wife converted away from Christianity... oh this is gonna be fun. lol. I'm actually glad the questions don't come up because I personally don't like explaining myself to people.
            "Sometimes bad things happen, and theres nothing you can do about it, so why worry?" ~ Timon

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              #7
              Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

              when I first converted I had this overwhelming need to "Tell the world" but I think that was the christian still in me lol and I felt bad when people talked religion with me and i had to 'lie' but i have come accross the realization that when someone says 'god' and I respond with 'god' even tho we mean them in different ways I'm not really lieing to them cause i do believe in a god i jsut believe in a goddess to and so i'm not really lieing i'm just note telling them everythign. i dont respond with I'm not christian I'm wiccan. you knwo what I mean?

              and yeah Dufonce I've been thinking about when my mom comes down.... that is certainly going be be fun. but she's pretty oblivious so we shouldnt have a problem... other than grace.....
              "Close your eyes, take 20 paces farther than you thought nessesary and just when you think you've lost your way completely.. you'll be there. open your eyes" Alice Hoffman

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                #8
                Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                [quote author=Dufonce link=topic=49.msg745#msg745 date=1286716693]
                ... If it came up, tell her you always kept it quiet around her to respect her beliefs and her household. At that point the ball is in her court to be whatever person she wants to be about it.

                Very valid point. Thanks for that!

                [/quote]

                Good luck with your inlaws.. that could be interesting.. I got blessed with mine. They've been more supportive than my blood! lol
                ~Earth My Body~Water My Blood~Air My Breath~Fire My Spirit~

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                  #9
                  Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                  My family and most of my friends know. I don't go out of my way to tell everyone, but I don't hide it either, so over the years those close to me found out one way or another. (One exception, I did bluntly come out and tell my fiance shortly after we first met. I just got out of a horrible relationship where religion was an issue, and thought it'd be better to clear that up sooner rather than later.)
                  Most of my family are not Christians - those who are, are open minded - so it was never an issue with the family. To be honest, I got more crap from them for being a pescatarian than a pagan. :P Friends have been another issue... some stuck with me, others cut off contact with me because of it (which hurt, but was for the best I guess). Some friends who were okay with it, well, their families were more of a problem at times, but usually it wasn't a problem - or they never knew. And, as I mentioned earlier, I was also in a relationship where it was a major problem. Majority of people though? Don't have an issue with it.
                  Hearth and Hedge

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                    #10
                    Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                    I'm still in the broom closet with my grandparents. With my family there was no "coming out"; they figured it out pretty fast. I just wish they'd figure out I'm not Wiccan.
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                    "...leave me curled up in my ball,
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                      #11
                      Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                      Hrm. I first started as Wiccan I guess you would say, with a few friends of mine and I didn't try to hide if from my mom. She never commented about it, but in the end it wasn't for me at all. It was a good way to bring my friends together, but I was an immature child back then sad to say, and I don't think our intentions were all that good.

                      My dads side of the family (parents are divorced) are catholic, but I hardly ever spent time over there, only summers, so nothing ever clashed. I would say I conceal my beliefs from them since they aren't catholic, at least at the moment because I'm dependent on them. It's something I learned being gay too, to just be quiet about stuff until you don't *need* them to survive. Sure, they may accept it, but they may not and what do you do if they do disown you, or kick you out. I'm waiting until I'm dependent on my own, then they can have the two blows. Though the religion blow isn't so much as what I believe, as what I DON'T believe from catholicism(spelling? I keep getting the red squiggles!)They are very pigheaded about things ._.

                      As an effect of the need to remain secret, I've developed my own way of doing things. I'm mentally incapable of using material symbolism now I think, the thought is just so alien and I don't understand it, and other stuff that I don't know how to explain; sort of like how we mentally set our limits based on the world around us, ya know? I do miss my old friends though; I can say it was enjoyable being religious *with* people.

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                        #12
                        Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                        My mom, dad and brother have never been Christians. I mean if they are asked what is their religion, they would probably say Christianity, however they have never believed in it. Neither have I. I was baptized, but never had it in me. I did try though, to accept it, to embrace it, went to church every Sunday and used to pray every day (nobody forced me, this was the moment I felt there has to be something out there, I think I was about 16 then), still it was only me saying some words, meaning nothing really. I haven't told my parents and brother I am a pagan, but this is I guess only because we don't discuss religion. We have never had this conversation.

                        My husband is not very religious either. He even refuses to go into a church, but I haven't asked him why, I don't think he would answer and besides he probably has some very personal reason not to. He knows I am not a Christian, just I haven't really told him I am a pagan. He has accepted I have interests different to his and I read a lot of occult books and everything, just we seem to have no need to discuss it. He has always accepted me for who I am which is something I have to remind myself more often Especially when I am angry at him.

                        Anyway, his mom is very very religious. She is a good Christian and she knows I don't go to church, I don't pray and stuff, but she has no idea I am a pagan. For her, pagan is equal to magician, witch and she doesn't approve such people. I guess like most of the Christians she is scared, she is afraid of hexes and curses and witch=curse in her mind. I don't think I should tell her what I believe in, she is a very good person, I don't want to trouble her with such things. We are in good relations, so why hassle?

                        I never actually went out of the closet, as i never were in it for real. Most of my friends know I am a pagan, still we seem to avoid the subject.
                        When everybody is thinking the same, nobody is thinking enough!

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                          #13
                          Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                          yeah stella my step-mom is like your mother in law. tho mine would disown me and prolly get the police involved on some way or another to get my child taken away from us.... i find that some pople jsut dont need to know... like they say Ignorance is bliss and (from our church) we had an entire sermen on "the devils symbols" which included the Penticle and the Goat head and whatnot. telling us that its evil and of the devil and all that shit so thats where some people get it cause some churches actually preach it and strengthen the steriotype that wicca/pagan's are evil...
                          "Close your eyes, take 20 paces farther than you thought nessesary and just when you think you've lost your way completely.. you'll be there. open your eyes" Alice Hoffman

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                            #14
                            Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                            [quote author=Rowanwood link=topic=49.msg364#msg364 date=1286653289]
                            I know I've told my story previously. I'm one of the rare few that was never in any sort of closet. My family is pretty open.

                            However, I never went out and blurted out at a family gathering "I'm a WITCH" because I didn't feel it was necessary. I don't hide who I am and what I believe, but outside of a discussion about religion, I usually don't go blathering on about it either. I never have.

                            I think maybe I understand the desire to get it out there; to tell people, but I really never thought my spirituality was up for debate, so I saw no point in discussing it with people who might not be appreciative.
                            [/quote]

                            Basically this.

                            I neither hide it, nor flaunt it. It just is, and it's always been that way. Over the years, friends and family have kinda figured it out.


                            Mostly art.

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                              #15
                              Re: Coming out of the Broom Closet

                              Where I am from, only the true Catholics and illiterate people laugh at us Pagans, like Jehovah witnesses (not meant talking against them, but that's what they do).

                              Sunday Heathen Catholics like my parents do not care, as long as I do not paint the whole room black and draw an inverted pentacle.

                              So they know I am Pagan, and they do not care about it.

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