Shhhhh. . .
How To Walk the Wiccan Path and Deal with a Family Members Discomfort
Do your friends know you’re Wiccan? How about your family?
Do you have to keep your beliefs a secret at your workplace?
I am fairly open about my practicing Wicca.
Unfortunately, I do have a family member who suggests that I keep a low profile when I attend a work-related event with him. He works in an industry that includes people who speak out a lot about their Christianity. So I turn my talisman with a pentacle around when I’m at a work-related event with him.
Many times I have argued that this form of “hiding” impinges on my freedom as a witch.
At one point, we had one of his friends, a born-again Christian visit, and we kept the door to the room with my shrine closed.
All other times, I wear my pentacle jewelry with pride and talk openly about my beliefs.
I observe that, in America, one does business with a significant number of people who profess that they are Christian and that they hold conservative beliefs.
When I’m in a business situation with my family member, I honor his situation. I am NOT dishonoring the Gods by turning my talisman around, and I am honoring my family member’s concerns.
I am still a witch. Now if someone asks me about it, I will tell them the truth. I am a Wiccan High Priestess. I will not cower in the corner, but that hasn’t happened yet during my family member’s work-related events. I still wear my pentacle; I just do it incognito.
As a matter of fact, I always wear my pentacle. It brings me comfort, and I feel it gives me protection.
Those individuals who are Anti-Wiccan appear to be ignorant (definition: lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated in the subject at hand) about Wicca.
It bothers me when a person chooses not to learn, then the situation may become dangerous. When does the price of silence become too much to bear?
At present, we’re at a junction.
First, it is a blessing that many of our predecessors have hacked a path in the wilderness of fear and ignorance that other people have about Wicca. When a significant number of Wiccans openly express the beauty of Wicca, more people in this world start to appreciate who we Wiccans really are.
Fostering this appreciation is one of the reasons that I write this blog.
At this time, I have found my own path. I stand ready to share Wicca with others. And still at my family member’s work-related event, I do not broadcast my beliefs (I keep my talisman turned around).
As I continue to write this blog and my books, I’m encouraged to see other Wiccans continuing to have a positive influence in the world. May we all continue to express the beauty of Wicca.
Now, I invite you to share with us. Have you faced opposition in some form of conservative community? How do you deal with the situation?
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
GoddessHasYourBack.com 
Great post! I agree where I do not completed hide who I am and what I do, but sometimes in places in my life such as work or relatives homes I choose to not bring it up. I feel people can be easily caught off guard by it. Of course I do have my Pagan bumper sticks plastered all over my car 🙂 someone will eventually notice ❤
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Jillian,
Thanks for your comment. I would love to see more people with bumper-stickers on their cars. 🙂
Blessed be,
Moonwater
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I went to Catholic school and my mother is a practicing Christian. It wouldn’t put a damper on our relationship but she still asks me to attend her church. I think it would freak her out though due to her lack of understanding. I guess it is my job to help her understand. I don’t think she will though and it’s hard because I just recently had to move in with her due to my long term relationship came to an end
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Ms. Black,
You have asked very important and complicated questions.
I will provide some ideas.
And, please know that I cannot know enough about a particular situation from just a few written lines that someone posts in a comment on this blog.
When I have done pastoral counseling in the past, I have had extended conversations.
In the meantime, I will provide some ideas that you can consider in the middle of relying on your own intuition and perhaps, you may even need to seek other counsel.
Now, onto your very complicated question: “I went to Catholic school and my mother is a practicing Christian. It wouldn’t put a damper on our relationship but she still asks me to attend her church. I think it would freak her out though due to her lack of understanding. I guess it is my job to help her understand. I don’t think she will though and it’s hard because I just recently had to move in with her due to my long term relationship came to an end.”
I consulted with my colleague who has some information about Catholic school, parents who are practicing Christians, and more.
You mention: “I think it would freak her out though due to her lack of understanding. I guess it is my job to help her understand. I don’t think she will though.”
Often a pastoral counselor notes that the client has expressed a truth that THE CLIENT KNOWS. I invite you to listen to yourself and what you wrote.
Many practicing Christians have been greatly misinformed about what Wicca is and what it is not. For example, I had to use a number of pages of my book “The Hidden Children of the Goddess” (pages 11 to 79) to identify what Wicca is and what Wicca IS NOT—but the media with lies in horror films—has given people UNTRUE and WRONG impressions. For example, Wicca has NOTHING to do with the Christians’ idea of the devil. Wiccans do not believe in the devil; the devil is the Christians’ idea.
Now, if you find that Wicca really is your path, you may need to think about how you interact with your family members. I wrote a helpful blog article “How To Walk the Wiccan Path and Deal with a Family Member’s Discomfort”.
Please be careful as you make your decisions.
In my own life, it took YEARS for one of my family members to let go of her fears, instilled by her Christian upbringing, so that I could have “okay conversations” with her.
Please know that some Christians appear so close-mined that they will disown a family member who professes to be Wiccan.
In that case, some Wiccans stay true to who they are, and simply do NOT talk about or let such closed-mined family members into their confidence.
Blessed Be,
Moonwater
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Sorry for earlier response. I was on a different subject obviously lol. I think she has an idea that i am “up to something” but she isn’t sure. She hasn’t connected all the dots since she too burns candles but then it’s the weird nature based items that were unpacked like my stick that looks like a wand or why do you have sea salt. It was quite humorous when she asked why I had my moonstone outside under the moon. It just happened to be a new stone that needed some cleansing and charging. Anyway, I will give her positive hints here and there and try to make small comparisons to her beliefs so she can grasp. I think it would be easier to tell her if I wasn’t under her roof but then again, I haven’t been under her roof in years and never told that though Jesus was a loving man and I do believe he is a son of his God but I just don’t like her God. I can tell her that Buddah has some great teachings and that doesn’t make her flinch.
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