Hello all. I'm new to this site, but not the craft. Although the older I get the more I study it with intent. I believe heavily in the power of the spoken word and in supernatural beings/deities. I'm learning a lot and appreciate this site. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but was raised in an extremely religious household. I do appreciate my Christian background as it grounded me with the with a strong belief in the spiritual. I've been attuned to entities/voices ever since I can remember, (but was silenced). Not anymore.
Im slowly coming out with my "other" beliefs (away from christianity), but don't want to alienate myself from my Christian family. Does anyone have any guidance on how to be true to myself, and not losing everyone? Anyone else been down this path?
You don't have to leave Christianity to practice magic. Jesus did a fair amount of magic himself, both cursing and blessing. There are lots of Christian witches, and the Bible both contains and parallels relevant magic principles.
As for words having power, and your debate of remaining in or leaving Christianity, please consider the following:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21)
Such advice abounds in the Bible. So don't worry if you decide to remain in your faith; you're not alone, nor wrong in doing so.
It's a tough call. I was raised Anglican and my dads side is Irish Catholics [and we all know how well those two groups got along in Ireland, right? Also it should be noted I'm Canadian, but my dads side is very proudly Irish] I've had a roller coaster of telling everyone and staying in the broom closet, but my current view is if someone asks, I'll tell them [provided they're not holding torches] and for the most part I've been accepted in various forms. A few family members are happy I found a religion that works for me [and even sends me texts on certain holidays they remember like Halloween, Yule, and on the first day of seasons] the majority of the people either don't care, or pretend they don't know. I remember one time we were going to visit my grandparents after my mom was done at church, so I suggested going with her and leaving right after, when we got to my grandparents my mom told my grandmother I joined her at church she smiled and said "oh Neko, so you're no longer the pagan?" And I began to explain "uh, no, actually"-"oh what a shame" and she walked away [please note, that's the only time I talked to my grandmother about my religion. Wonderful conversation] the handful of other people I don't tell them because I know they wouldn't be happy [my dads side specifically. I've told my cousins, but when I tried telling my dad he wasn't happy and acts like I never told him]
so I would be wise about who you tell. Start with a friend or family member you trust and know they would be most likely to accept you. Have an open conversation to test the water, like "what do you think about people who believe *insert belief*" [pick something you believe like reincarnation, or other deities over magick or spells] then ask them to listen to you, ask them not to interrupt, and at the end you will answer any questions they might have for you. Then, when they have questions for you, show them the same level of respect, don't interrupt, and hear them out. Finally, ask them to keep your views to themselves until you have a chance to tell people yourself [i didn't say that to my mom and she told everyone for me]
Should you choose to keep it to yourself, you can still worship, like meditate or pray before meals and it wouldn't seem odd. If you live on your own you can decorate your home as pagan as you want. If you don't, you can use low key ways to have your faith out, like a rock garden or hanging colours/symbols for the elements in your room.
Re: Christian Background By: sweetfemme / Beginner
Post # 6 May 27, 2019
Well I have to be careful with what I say here. I think perhaps you need to do some soul-searching and try to figure out what you believe. If I am not mistaken, the bible forbids the practice of witch craft. I am unsure what other beliefs you have, but those beliefs may not coincide together. So perhaps take some time and examine your beliefs.
Again, I am not sure entirely what your beliefs are, so if this article does not apply to you then feel free to discard it. Lark, who is a user on here wrote an excellent article on Christian Wicca.
Again, ignore this if you are not trying to practice both Christianity and Wicca. Although I think this article has great points for people contemplating two religions, or conflicting practices.
My big question is, are you holding onto Christian beliefs because you are afraid of being alienated from your family? Or because you are unsure of what you truly believe?
Unfortunately we cannot determine or control the actions of other people. If they were to find out then perhaps they may decide not to communicate with you temporarily or permanently. Being true to yourself sometimes means losing people, I certainly won't lie to you. There are a various opinions on whether or not we should be out, loud &proud, or in the broom closet. I choose to live away from my parents which allows me to be more open about my practice, if I wish to do so.
My family can be described as inactive Christians. They celebrate the commercial aspects of the holidays but no longer attend worship services. They would not disprove of my practices in a sense that they want me to be Christian, but the perceived lunacy of practicing magick.
I was in your place many years ago, we did attend church services and I loved the community. Although I was heavily into tarot cards and was beginning to practice witch craft. With much examination my heart lead towards a Pagan route, and I no longer was a Christian. My old community was replaced with a new one. Living far away from my family home has helped me be out more while maintaining peace with my parents.
Thank you for your reply. I'll clarify that I don't currently identify as wicca or christian. And I would not try to combine the two, as I believe they can not, as both are quite opposite. Wicca believes in many gods (???) and the Bible only one. If I understand wicca correctly, but I am learning.
Thank you for responding!
: )
Thank you for your response! I am being overly cautious with who I tell. Little by little I can tell certain family members and friends.
I will move forward carefully without compromise.
Finding the balance.
Re: Christian Background By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 9 May 29, 2019
Wiccans are polytheists which means we believe in the existence of many Gods and Goddesses. However, Wiccans generally call upon a Moon Goddess and a Horned God in their practices. In Brisith Traditional Wicca, which is the original form of Wicca, we call upon a God and a Goddess whose names are oath-bound and never revealed to those not initiated into one of the British Traditional Wicca branches.
Two excellent books on this topic are " The Witches' God " and " The Witches' Goddess " by Janet and Stewart Farrar.
historically, Wicca has a male and a female deity [there are a few Wiccan paths that focus just on the "divine feminine" or "divine masculine" but the vast majority has one male and one female because it's a fertility religion] if you're still shaping your path [and you're legally an adult] i wouldn't concern yourself too much with telling people. a philosophical conversation about paths with people to see how accepting they are, and their views on other faiths is one thing, but coming out of the broom closet when you're still finding yourself can be rather difficult because people will have questions, and if you don't have answers for them they might try to discredit your beliefs. [it's happened to me a few times, some a little worse than others, but luckily i was an adult and the people i was talking to didn't have any say in how i live my life, i just felt bad i couldn't defend my views better]
i suggest you make a list of what you believe [if you believe in magick, try to define it for yourself, if you believe not causing harm, what is "harmful" in your opinion, if you believe in deity, how many?] once you make a list, put it away and continue to study for a time [i usually say 3-4 months] then pull out the paper, read over it and edit it [you've learned more about magick, you feel you can do harm in defense, you've connected with more deities that you first didn't believe in] put it away and repeat the process 2-3 more times until the year is done, you should then have a pretty solid platform of beliefs, you can then write an oath and code of conduct for your path. if after this process you want to come out to more people, you have a bit of a safety net in case you get nervous, or they ask something you didn't expect [i remember the first time i told my mom i was a witch and not Wiccan, and i explained the different poorly, and she got upset and said "that sounds evil, go back to Wicca, it was nicer" she still tells people i'm Wiccan, and i don't care, so fine, i'm Wiccan, honestly i'm Eclectic and follow the Wheel of the Year, so fine, if it sounds less scary, call me Wiccan]
