How to Become a Witch, Amber K. [new books to read .txt] 📗

a question of custody, you will have to weigh the possible cost of telling your ex. Staying in the closet may be the best and only answer. Another factor is the ages of your children. Family conflict or separation can be more traumatic for little ones than for almost-grown teenagers.

Educating the Public

Suppose you’ve decided that for you, being out of the broom closet is the right choice. Because Witches are still relatively rare, you have just become the only expert on Witchcraft that most of your acquaintances will ever know. If you are planning to wear a pentagram in public or otherwise declare to the world that you are a Witch, be prepared for questions and have the answers ready. This is part of being confident in your own skin, knowing what you’re talking about, and showing the world that Wicca is something to be proud of.

Most people can straightforwardly tell you the basic tenets of their religion in a few sentences, with no fumbling. You should be able to do the same. Below, we’ve listed some of the questions you can expect and short answers that are likely to be well received. Take these, put them in your own words, and you can confidently wear your pentagram in public.

Q. Is that a Star of David? I didn’t know you were Jewish.

A. No, it’s not, and I’m not. It’s a pentagram, an ancient symbol of protection and balance.

Q. I thought a pentagram was a symbol of devil worship.

A. The upside-down pentagram has been used that way, like an upside-down crucifix, but this one is right-side-up. For me, it’s a symbol of Wicca.

Q. So what is Wicca?

A. Wicca is based on the ancient religions of Europe, mostly. It’s a religion that honors the earth as sacred, and we celebrate nature and the seasons of the year.

Q. So, Wicca is actually a religion?

A. Yes, it’s a real religion, recognized by the federal government and everything.

Q. Do you believe in God?

A. I do believe in God, but also in the equal feminine energy in the universe that we call the Goddess.

Q. But there’s just one God.

A. Maybe so, but the Divine has both masculine and feminine sides, and we often think of them as two divine persons, God and Goddess.

Q. So you don’t believe in Jesus Christ?

A. I believe he was a very loving and wise teacher, but I don’t worship him.

Q. Well, do you believe in evil? Or the devil?

A. I believe that people can do evil things, but I don’t believe in any all-evil entity, so I don’t believe in the devil.

Q. So, don’t you follow the Ten Commandments?

A. In general, I have no problem with the Ten Commandments, but I follow something called the Wiccan Rede. Part of it is that I should harm no one and do good to others, because whatever I put out into the world comes back to me.

Q. What do you mean, comes back to you?

A. You know, “What goes around, comes around.” Or “What you sow, so shall you reap.” If you do something good for someone, then you will receive more good things back. Likewise, if you do harm to someone, bad stuff will happen to you. So I try not to harm other people.

Q. Do you go to church services like we do?

A. We celebrate at seasonal holy days and the phases of the moon.

Q. The phases of the moon—that sounds like Witchcraft.

A. That’s another name for it, though it’s nothing like movie witchcraft or fantasy books.

Q. So do you do magic, like put spells on people and stuff?

A. No. As I said, I expect everything I do to come back to me, so why would I put a spell on anyone? Besides, that would be interfering with their free will, and that’s not right.

Q. Could you show me some magic right now? Just one trick?

A. Our magic isn’t like stage tricks. It’s serious stuff, more like prayer. And we don’t perform magick on demand. But if you want to learn about it, I can recommend a good book.

If you get into a religious discussion and someone starts quoting the Bible (or any holy book), you have three choices. You can decide that nothing productive is going to come of the discussion, and walk away. Of course, your “opponent” will figure that you gave up because you couldn’t argue with the “word of God,” but that’s not your problem.

Or, you can be very straightforward and say something like, “I know the Bible is important to you, but I’m not a Christian, so arguments based on the Bible don’t have any meaning for me.”

If you want to hold a discussion on their theological turf, debating as though the Bible had any weight for you, then really get to know the Bible well. You will need to have a response for every Bible quotation that gets thrown at you, and your lines must come from the Bible, too.

Of course, even if you memorize the whole book and become a world-famous Bible expert, they can always reject anything you say with the line, “The devil quotes Scripture for his own ends.” In other words, they are saying, “When I quote the Bible, I am sharing God’s word; when you do the same thing, you are being manipulated by Satan.” Go figure.

Our recommendation: don’t let yourself get caught in the whole “But the Bible says...” discussion (or the Koran, Torah, etc.). You can always say simply, “I am not Christian (or whatever), but if you are, and it works for you, I honor that. I hope you can respect my right to my own beliefs as well.”

Stick to what you are and what works for you, and you will come across as confident in your own spiritual path; there’s really no arguing against you when you are coming from a place of strength. The strength of Witchcraft is in what it is, not how it compares to other religions—so don’t bash other faiths; stick to