Do you show your spirituality in public?

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blue_moon
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Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by blue_moon »

I've been - sort of - hiding myself in the past 10/ 15 years - what made me sick emotionally. I started suffering from depression - I stopped drawing and I grew up as an artist, I stopped dancing, singing... I grew up bilingual and actually stopped speaking English - which was the first language I spoke. I didn't read anything anymore about witchcraft and wicca - my tarot deck and books were stored away in a box together with my pentacle athame and all my gems even.

Something was missing really bad and I was really longing for this spiritual feeling! I had others talk me into going to the church in town - and during those 60 minutes my feelings went on a roller coaster between disgust and uplifted happy spirit. This was just not right for me! I wanted to live my spirituality so much I actually tried to go on with this (!?)

I started seeing a therapist around Beltane this year - never talked about religion - but she saw who I was - a child of nature, longing to be grounded and feeling freedom with the wind. I dug out my pentacle again and placed it on my sideboard in the bedroom, build a new bookshelf with room for my books, started a new BoS and went through my old one - and I sort of feel like I'm putting my pieces pack together, becoming one.

Living in this christian community I am a little bit scared and unsure how much of myself I can show.

So I was wondering, how do you deal with your surroundings? Do the people around you know about your inner self? Do visitors see it, when you invite them into your house? do you keep your altar outside?

We had a party yesterday - friends and family came to visit - I was a bit anxious but I decorated my bookshelf! My witchy books take up a whole shelf, I placed my gems and pentacle and candles out there and even sat down and and started to paint.
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corvidus
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by corvidus »

blue_moon wrote:Living in this christian community I am a little bit scared and unsure how much of myself I can show.

So I was wondering, how do you deal with your surroundings? Do the people around you know about your inner self? Do visitors see it, when you invite them into your house? do you keep your altar outside?
A general guideline I follow is, be discreete. Personally, i've grown out of the impulse that I need to be recognized for what I am on the inside. That's just ego bullshit most of the time. Even in majority christian communities you'll be able to find like-minded individuals, or at least individuals who accept you for who you are.

Another thing I've noticed, most people are much more involved in their own going abouts to notice the minor details. I would suspect that the ones who do notice are the ones who are also interested in it, even on a superficial level. It would be a good opportunity to have a simple conversation about it.

Also, that sounds like a fun party!
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blue_moon
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by blue_moon »

That's usually the way I handle it to "not having to be recognized for what I am".
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Nyd
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by Nyd »

I'm in Germany...not many Christians here. My close friends all know about my interests, but I don't thoroughly discuss it with them. Acquaintances probably get a certain vibe from me, also because I dress witchy/ gothy, have symbolic tattoos on my hands and wrists etc. I know it is not their interest so I don't discuss it with them.
I reserve that for like minded. Maybe you can find a coven or circle through an internet search? Or simply meet ups?
:needrune:
Nyd byþ nearu on breostan; weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum
to helpe and to hæle gehwæþre, gif hi his hlystaþ æror.
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blue_moon
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by blue_moon »

I don't think a coven would be the right thing for me (I like rituals and spells - but personally skip a lot of this formality) -
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Vesca
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by Vesca »

If you're wondering whether or not people who you don't really know or talk to can somehow know about your inner, deepest, personal thoughts... then no, they can't. Not unless you tell them, or show them, and often if you show them they still won't know unless you are explicit or they already know from personal experience (ie they may know what an altar is if they see one because they themselves may have one at home).

But no, people can't read your mind.

How would you go about "showing" your spirituality in public? Would your wardrobe change? Your hair? Makeup? Would you wear a pentacle or other symbol openly? Would you get tattoos in places that are difficult or impossible to cover? Would you go about "merry meeting" every stranger on the street, and then proclaiming to them that you are a witch?
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blue_moon
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by blue_moon »

No vesca ;) I'd actually change nothing - except for my inner viewpoint.

You are so right ;) the others can't read my mind and will only recognize what they know.

But still I'm interested in the way you others "handle it".
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SnowCat
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by SnowCat »

I don't flaunt mine, but I don't hide it either. If someone asks about a tattoo, or piece of jewelry, they get an honest answer.

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mrsdavid1975
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by mrsdavid1975 »

I am open with everything about myself and my life. I never push it out there though. I don't run around " IM A WITCH!!" And wear all black and purple and pentagrams haha. But I think most witches carry an energy other witches recognize. No need to throw out a beacon.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by YanaKhan »

I'm not really hiding anything either, but I too don't go around telling everyone I'm a witch.
And I agree with mrsdavid, I've only met 2 other witches (that openly admit they are witches) and somehow we knew we are witches and can communicate about spirituality.
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by evil ed »

There is an older lady who is a waitress at our local small town breakfast spot. One day she was wearing labradorite earrings and pendant, so I struck up a comversation about crystals, very low-key though, and ever since, we add a new crystal/stone as part of her tip. On Halloween she was wearing howlite skull cabochon earrings, and the mounts were hand made silver, not something stamped out by a machine. When I mentioned all of this to her, she opened about using crystals for divination, and that she is Pagan. We (my Wife and I) in turn, opened and told her of the paths we follow.

We don't broadcast it in public, but we do use crystals as sort of a "Masonic handshake".......
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something Wiccan this way comes!
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mrsdavid1975
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by mrsdavid1975 »

Heh. This is true too ^. And wow! That's a great tip!!
EtherealMoonRose
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by EtherealMoonRose »

Apart from wearing my Charoite necklace and dressing rather eclecticly/bohemian- no. Although I have never met a like minded individual unfortunately, but I do live in a small remote town.
"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night"
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by RinRin1985 »

I have a lot of trouble with this issue myself. My closest friends and my husband and sister all know about my Wiccan path, but my parents are none the wiser. They are Christian extremists in the sense that they believe any and all Wiccan practices are of the devil. They don't understand the connection between human and nature. I haven't told them a thing about my choices. I'm afraid of being judged by them, and possibly even shunned. They DO know that I don't subscribe to their belief system, that I have an agnostic nature, but they have no clue about the Wicca. This plagues me every day! I don't know how to tell them, and I don't know if I ever will! It's definitely a tough decision to make to "go public". So I completely understand where you're coming from! I hope one day we can both move past our insecurities! :)

RinRin
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blue_moon
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Re: Do you show your spirituality in public?

Post by blue_moon »

Yes rinrin - exactly!
My sister used to know. We started the path together back when we were teenagers but then separated. My husband also used to know - but since I didn't practice openly and was even hiding away my tarot deck for the past 10 years.
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