Are you open or in the broom closet?

[Sercee]

I'm just curious how many people here are open about their spirituality and how many have to or choose to hide it.

I'm very open with mine. While I don't talk about Wicca to my grandparents, the rest of my family knows and are thankfully very supportive of my decisions. But we are all in different situations. What is yours?

[[Kate]]

I am open with my spirituality but I don't talk much about it. My mom supports me, but since we do not share the same views and she knows nothings about wicca it is hard to discuss.

[Sobek]

i would say im open, but generally speaking i dont make a point of bringing my beliefs up in conversation unless someone wants to know.

[fishtoes]

I think there should be more options here. There are many degrees between "in" and "out," you know?

There are a lot of people that don't know, but that's just because I choose not to bring up religion particular people. There are those who know but understand so little that they choose not to ask. And there are those who know so much they probably regret they asked in the first place

[Sercee]

That's true, fishtoes. But the reason I only put in those 3 degrees is a) there are so many degrees in between that it would take too much time and space and b) religion, as with anything else you do or believe in, is not usually shared with everyone anyway. By 'open spiritually' I don't mean running around and flaunting to the world 'I'm a witch/pagan/whatever' just not having to hide your altar under your bed and pretend you're something you're not.

[WolfWitch]

I'm out but only in the right company. My mother will never know that her only son is a Pagan. I love her to death but growing up around her as close as I was, I know that she would not understand. It's a headache and a hassle that i won't go through. My sisters and for that matter, the bulk of my family don't know either. I have one nephew and a cousin that know and that is it. My wife's family know (save her father, the ex methodist minister.) because we see more of them than my family and it was going to be inevitable. I also have a friend in service with me that will NEVER know as he is not only a very bory born again christian, but also a Navy SEAL. To quote the Monarch, "Oh great, now he's gonna come over here and get all sick house on our asses. I LIKE my ASS Gentlemen!" Having someone who can put me in a serious hurt locker and feel rightous while doing it is something I'd like to avoid. kind of like the plauge.

But this is just me.

WW.

[kittiekat93]

i have to stay quiet about it because my family is catholic, though we dont go to church anymore. my gramma would shit herself if i said anything about magic (even the kind that is obviously fake) she has dedicated her whole life to stomping on any of my beliefs and making me believe hers (which i dont, i just say i do)

[Suki1016]

I'm not in the open at all. Only two of my friends know and thats only because they're wiccan too. None of my family know and they most likely never will. It would cause way too much trouble to tell them sadly. I really wish I could tho. Oh well.

[Sobek]

thats respectable(the above few not outers), alot will argue that being open is being comfortable with it but i think thats got nothing to do with, alot also think it's cowardice to hide who you truely are. but i dont find it so at all to save yourself from what we all know happens.

[Kifes42206]

I am pretty open about my religion, many of my friends know and all of my family its nice because my mom is a really big supporter of me and when i dont know something or have a place with my magic she always helps. I tell my good friends and explain to them that wicca is not bad and that most of the things they know are probably wrong everyone always gets the wrong idea until i explain.........but im not a person to hide it im proud of whi i am and if someon has a problem with that then they can talk to me about it not spread rumors.

[GenevieveDawn]

Everyone that I consider a close friend knows. I always tell the person I'm dating as well - that's always interesting. My family will never, ever know. My parents are in their 70's and some things are just better left unsaid.

[Addalaide]

I am kinda in between it all, my mother is Chatholic...kinda, and all thought alot of her chatholic friends whould not be bothered by it, she whould tare me a new one...to put it bluntly. And she whould try and "save" me tell the day she dies, she really hates my aunt because she is Pagan, al thought she belived in the christion God. My father whould...i have no idea really, i know he thinks its stupid but he whould suport me. My sister...hates my aunt and thinks she stupid so thats what she whould end up doing with me.

So yeah my side of the family all but my aunt dont know. Me and my fionce just dont talk about it, i leave out my books and things and he knows i collect certin things but its kinda a dont ask dont tell thing we have.If he asks me directly i wont lie. When he asked me in-directly i surger coated it and just told him i think its very belivably, and thats prety much all he knows i think about it. He asks me about things, like he wanted to know about Samhain(yeah probly spelled it wrong i know) and i told him a little, i didnt go into alot of details.Hise side on the other hand i dont care if it pisses them off ( all but his grandparents i whould be upset if thay got mad ) His dad dosnt know and he hasnt seen any of my things, but he dosnt care probly.

But yeah what that sums it up to is my family will know only if thay raid my e-mails and apartment, his family...blah on them...and He i dont think cares about it enught to even ask.

[Ice_Witch]

I think I'm rather open about it. I told my parents a year ago and first they said it was stupid and they'd through away my Books about it. Now they mostly take it as a phase, well my mom rather accepts it and she sais that as long as I get good grades she'll let me.

That gave me a bit more confidence and now I don't care if anyone asks I'll just tell them, most of the kids in my class know already anyway(all boys except me . Sorry, off topic). This girl in patircular made fun of me once about a month ago. I'm got at embroidery and placed a pentacle on a couple of my shirts and I was wearing one of those shirts at lunch, this girl(two years older than me) came up to me and asked "Do you think you're like a witch or something?" She said and I simply stared at her and said yess and what was it to her, she laughed with a couple of friends and several other students also started laughing about it. I actually was about to laugh because of the mood but then the guys in my class actually talked back at her asking her who she was to mock people's beliefs (We're all good friends in class even though they get mayorly anoying after a while). She left and here I am! (AHHHH! Off topic again!!! SORRY!!!)

Well, I consider myself rather open in my spirituality.

[Addalaide]

Its ok, I know alot of people who dont belive witches are like real real, like my sister knows my aunt calls herself a witch, but she still says shes just crazy its not anything real. Last time i had the opertunity to educat someone on it i was with my mother, and i belive she new i was about to tell her, so she said Addie shut up its stupid and not even wirth discussing, and the hair dresser just giggled a while. So my mom is very very very much aginst it, and she even knows about it all because she was *kinda* pagan, she refuses to talk about it and says my aunt is going to hell.

[Sercee]

I've just made a discovery with my mom. She asked me the other day about it, specifically if I was a witch. I had to word my answer carefully because I realized she was trying to see if it was something I was serious about or just a scare tactic/rebellion thing. I haven't done that in a long time, but I was very guilty of it when I was living at home still. She doesn't understand completely, but she's starting to get the idea... to the point that she figures she's "Christian but a little bit pagan". I just had to laugh because she's actually more than a little, but it was nice to hear her say it...

Anyway, that went off into a tangent.

Addelaide: You spelled Samhain correctly, btw!