Coming Out of the Broom Closet

"Coming out of the broom closet" has become a rather common term in the world of practicing witches.  It refers to the time when the practicing witch decides to tell all of their family and friends about their choice to practice the craft.  For most witches, this is a very difficult decision to make.  After all, the burning times were not really that long ago and still haunt our memories.  So today I ask you, "have you come out of the broom closet?"

I, like many American Witches, was raised in a Christian home.  This is not to say that my parents were devout Christians.  My mother was very Christian in spirit, but never forced her beliefs on others.  She told me various Bible stories as a child, and I remember thinking that they were just cute little fairy tales with a moral to learn from.  However, my mother did me the biggest favor by encouraging and allowing me to study with any and every religion that tickled my fancy.


I studied with the Baptists, Latter Day Saints, Non-denominational Christians, Buddhists, and Wiccans.  At the age of 14 I was baptized into the Baptist Church.  I tried to make the religion work for me, but it never felt right.  There were too many questions that could not be answered, and I could not overlook them.  I began to secretly gravitate toward Wicca.  A spiritual battle waged inside of me for the next several years.  I found a freedom in Wicca that I never thought was possible, but I still had some very Christian beliefs.  By the time I was 22, the battle was over and I identified as Wiccan.

In 2011 my family and I moved to Macon, Georgia which is right in the heart of the Bible Belt.  For safety reasons I had to keep my religion a secret.  Georgia is not the most accepting of witches, so we went to church for appearances.  Only my closest friends knew the real truth.  Thankfully they were all very accepting and non-judgmental, but not everybody would have been.  After a couple of years of living this facade, we moved back to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Upon my return home, I catapulted out of the closet.  I had now grown spiritually, and was no longer worried about appearances or judgment.  It was not easy, and I did face a lot of people's questions and curiosities.  Much to my surprise nobody has been judgmental toward me and my religious choices.  Now I am an apartment manager in Sin City.  Every one of my tenants knows the truth about me (usually prior to renting an apartment), and they all respect my choice.  Most of them even come to me for magickal assistance and I am commonly referred to as the "Witch Doctor" since I almost always have a home remedy for them.  I have built myself a semi-permanent ritual circle here on property.  Not only is nobody offended by it, they also keep it protected from the wanderers.  Not bad for a mostly Christian group of friends and tenants that I have acquired.

My entire family is also aware of my choice and not one of them have given me a bit of trouble about it.  I am raising my two sons in the Pagan religion and they love it.  They often inform others in our social circle that they are witches.  Of course, it makes it easier on them since they are home-schooled.  They get the benefit of a mundane and magickal education without the fear of ridicule that might come with public school.  I do, however, encourage my children to study any religion that interests them, and I can thank my mother for instilling that belief in me.

Although my battles were many, I would not have it any other way.  I used to live my life seeking the approval of everybody around me, but I have found that I am more happy in my out of the closet lifestyle than I ever was before.  I think the biggest reason that people respect my decision is because of the fact that I am so brutally honest with everybody about it.  It is by far the best decision that I have ever made.

If you are thinking about coming out of the broom closet, there are a few points to ponder first.  There are still some areas of the world where you can actually be killed for practicing witchcraft.  If you happen to live in one of those places, you may want to stay in the broom closet for your own safety,  If not, you need to think about the other effects such a decision may have on your life.  For instance, if you are married or in a relationship, how would your spouse feel?  Some people would not be comfortable in a relationship with someone who is practicing witchcraft.  Life for Pagan parents can be more difficult depending on your geographical location.  Children can be brutal when it comes to religious differences and most parents do not desire to inflict unnecessary struggles on their little ones.  Family is where the biggest concern really comes in.  Our family members are usually our biggest critics.  Depending on the religious background of your family this will either be the easy part or your biggest battle.  You are ultimately the one who will have to live with the decision to include others, so choose wisely my friends.

-Lady Ariel

Connect of Facebook
Connect on Google+
www.ourwitcheslair.org
Email Lady Ariel