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Coming Out of the Broom
Closet: Being Wiccan in a Non-Wiccan World
Okay, so you're a witch. Now, how do you let others know? Do you let others know?
Everyone in life has to face making certain decisions in their lives. These decisions may entail letting people in on parts of your life that may not be obvious to the outside world. Some things you do not have to decide about. Most people do not have to decide to reveal what color their skin may be. Most people do not have to reveal their gender. In this country, most people seem to feel that you do not have to reveal what your spiritual path may be as the majority of people in this nation are presumed to be Christian. Sometimes, you may have to make a decision that may seem to compromise your normal existence in this world. One such decision involves whether or not to reveal to people that you are a Wiccan, that you are a Goddess worshipper, that you are a witch!
An additional consideration when coming out as a witch is deciding whom you will tell that you are Wiccan. Some Wiccans feel safe letting everyone know that they are a witch while others feel safe in only letting a select few know this fact.
Families can prove to be a mixed blessing (or curse, depending upon one’s perspective). Many people in one’s family can be very supportive of your being a part of an alternative spiritual path. They may not understand your choice, but they can still accept you as you are. Others in your family can be more than supportive; they may share similar views or be Wiccans themselves! Of course, there are also the cases where the members of your family may feel that you belonging to a different religion (not just non-Christian or non-Jewish, but a different denomination than the one they belong to) will automatically consign your soul to their version of Hell!
The next location people run into questions when it comes to coming out of the broom closet is the work place. Is it safe to let your co-workers and your employers know that you are Wiccan? Should you let them know that you are not of the dominant religious group? Can they do anything to you or threaten your employment in the U.S. if they find out that you are Pagan?
Legally, nothing can happen to you just because you are Wiccan. Places of employment are not supposed to be able to discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. This does not mean, however, that discrimination cannot happen. I know of one company over here in Colorado Springs, Colorado that asks on their employment application the name of the Christian church that you go to and the name of your pastor. Without having a name of a church and a pastor, you cannot be employed by that company. This is obviously discrimination and yet it is allowed. (Technically, it has been explained to me that a religious organization can discriminate, in terms of employment, against persons from other religious backgrounds. This protects their right to promote their own religious values so that they are not tampered with by a non-believer.)
If you are already employed, you need to consider the potential reaction of your employer and your co-workers. Like family, you can expect a wide spectrum of responses. One of the more amusing responses (or tiring ones for some witches) is that some of your co-workers may become spell-beggers (how can I make so-and-so fall in love with me?) or ask you for constant readings!
Other co-workers may be the victims of their culture and still maintain some very negative attitudes towards witchcraft and witches. Some of these may do nothing worse than either leave you alone or leaving religious tracts on your desk (if you want, you can get these people into trouble with your supervisor for leaving religious tracts on your desk on the grounds that that is a form of religious harassment). Others may actively try to cause trouble for you on the job!
I remember one job where I was the program manager at a group home in Aurora, Colorado. My boss, the director and owner of the agency, found out that I am Wiccan. She immediately took me aside for a “talk” out of possible concerns that the parents of the children in my care and any concerns that my employees may have had due to the possibility that I “worship the devil.” I was in the position of having to reassure my boss that I would do no harm to any of the children and that my religious beliefs were in no way a threat to the children, their parents, or my employees. Never the less, during my whole time with the company, I did run into constant resistance from one of my employees who was offended that a heathen and a devil worshipper was put in charge of “her” group home!
Now, since there are possible problems that can result from sharing with others your religious beliefs, why even bother to tell anyone in the first place? I mean, why expose yourself to the hassle and to the possible danger? Most people who do share these beliefs with other people do so out of a need to be honest about who they are. They feel that they have nothing to be ashamed of by being a witch.
Others have come out of the broom closet and shared their religious ideas with people when their friends, families, or neighbors would ask them why they have a knife on a table or what some of their statues are. Now, here is a unique reason for someone to come out of the broom closet. If you do not let others know that you are Wiccan, you make it more difficult to meet other Wiccans! In other words, staying in the broom closet can deprive you of the chance to meet and possibly work with others who share you beliefs. By staying in the broom closet, you cause yourself to be isolated and alone!
A very important reason to come out as a Wiccan is to educate people out of the misconceptions that we have all been exposed to at some point in our lives. I have heard of one witch who actually goes around leaving copies of Scott Cunningham’s book, The Truth About Witchcraft, in much the same fashion that Christians may leave copies of their religious tracts for people to read. Hopefully, she is not doing this with the intent to convert people to Wicca!
Now, as a warning, I do have to advise you that there is always the possibility of problems with the court system for parents who are Wiccan and who may be involved in custody disputes. Even though the law says that the courts cannot discriminate against a parent because he or she is Wiccan, the courts will do exactly that if they feel, for whatever reason, that the Wiccan parent is a threat to well being of the child. This perceived threat may be based simply on the fact that one of the parents may be Wiccan. The other parent, and the court system, can easily portray the Wiccan parent as a Satanist and as a threat to the well being of the child. I have even heard of one case in Texas where the judge has gone so far to say that if the parent is not Christian, then that parent is a threat to the well being of the child! Obviously, some of this is due to the perception of witches as evil devil-worshippers. Other concerns that some of these same judges may have, however, is due to what some people see as an explosion in the growth of different types of cults. Some people assume that Wicca is not a true religion, but is simply a cult! (Ask Dr. Laura about this misconception. She is an advocate of it.)
Always remember this, though. Despite the problems that may result from coming out of the broom closet, there are many rewards to the actual act of proclaiming yourself a witch! Coming out can … and does … help with many of the issues surrounding being a Wiccan in the world today. Coming out as Wiccan has helped to make may people more determined to be themselves and to preserve their faith. Coming out of the broom closet also allows others to see us as human beings ultimately, to see that we are not growing horns, to see that we are not offering human sacrifices, to see that we mean good to the world at large!
If you do make the decision to let others around you know that you are Wiccan, there are a few basic guidelines that may help you.
[1] Stay calm while you are telling others that you are Wiccan. Don’t act nervous!
Now here is a major piece of advice. If you are dependent upon your parents for support – especially financial support – then you should wait until you are on your own before sharing this information with them. There is no reason to shoot yourself in the foot, so to speak, before you are able to be independent. Honesty is great. Sharing who you are with others is great. But it is better to get an education and to be financially independent rather than wind up on the streets or worse for your efforts at honesty! Also, if you are new to Wicca, I have heard it said that it may be better for you to stay in the broom closet for your first year of study to give yourself additional time to ensure that this is the right path for you to go on.
If you are young and new to Wicca, coming out of the broom closet can be very difficult for you in that your family can exert a tremendous amount of pressure on you. If this pressure is too much, that does not mean that you are not cut out to be Wiccan. It just means that you may have to delay your studies for the time being … or does it?
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