Hot Topic: Coming Out of the Witchy Closet

I picked up this topic this morning when I read this post over at Witchy Gumbo, which found their inspiration by reading this post over at Kally's Cauldron. The topic of people coming out of the witchy closet has been a hot one for a long time. I don't want to add any controversy, so I'll just tell my story. I personally am out of the closet. I don't wear my pentacle all the time, or run around talking about spells or anything like that, but if someone asks me what religion I am, I openly tell them. Thankfully where I live, most people either thump a bible at you (which while that is highly annoying, it isn't harmful), they ignore you, or they want to know more. I live with my sister, who is Christian and we peacefully co-exist out of respect for each other's opinion and religions. Of course it helps that my sister is a little bit of a Christo-Witch, but the point is we respect each other's opinions.

What I find funny, is that since I've moved in with her, we've had an onslaught of religious fanatics show up at the door. The sad thing is, these people didn't come here until I moved in. It's like they can smell or sense that I am OTHER and they feel like they have to preach to me. The first people to show up were Mormons. It was actually the first day I was moving in and I was trying to move my stuff upstairs and watch my 2 year old nephew at the same time (you may think that sounds easy, but navigating a parking lot and 2 flights of stairs up to the third floor packed down with stuff plus trying to make sure a 2 year old little boy that you can barely see over all the crap in your arms doesn't get run over or decide to play Evel Knievel on the stairs is a job by itself) when a couple of nice looking young men dressed well carrying backpacks (the backpacks told me they were Mormons) came up and asked if I needed help. I asked them to carry my TV and dog crate up because um... well they are heavy and I didn't feel like carrying them up while trying to keep my nephew from doing something crazy. Well they carried that stuff up for me, then asked if I wouldn't mind listening to "their message," which they guaranteed me would "bless my life in so many ways." I told them it was my sister's house and if they would like they could come back when she got home.

Eventually they caught up with us and my sister stood outside with them for over an hour while I hid from them and pretended like I didn't exist. They haven't been back. However, yesterday I had just got my nephew from his father to watch for a little while and someone came and knocked on the door. I answer the door after saying "Who the hell is it now," because our house was starting to feel like Grand Central Station (or at least what I imagine Grand Central Station to be like, I've never been there...) and outside the door is a man holding a bible. He states that he is a Jehovah's Witness and wants to hold a bible study here at the house. ARGH!!!! All I wanted to do was tell him I am Pagan and that I don't want to hear anymore messages about Hell and Jesus and all this other stuff because my life is already blessed, but I knew if I said that he would have gotten more fanatical. I told him again that it is my sister's house and he'll have to talk to her about that. He apparently is going to come back sometime to talk to her.

My point is, I wish everyone would learn to respect others and their religious choices. There are those fanatical Christians that can make it hard, if not impossible, for others to be able to come out of the closet. I guess I'm not as "out" as I could be, especially since I haven't just told the people that like to bother me that I'm not Christian and don't intend to be, but it is my opinion that everyone should be able to choose how, when, and why they are "out". No one should feel pressured or pushed. Coming out of the witchy closet is a huge decision, and although our religion is protected by law, there ARE still some places that laws don't matter to. For some people it is safer to stay in the witchy closet. Some of us are afforded a luxury of being able to be openly Pagan. Other's have to be out when it is safe and in when it isn't. It is a highly personal decision, just like our religion is highly personal as well, and I think everyone should have the right to choose for themselves.

Book Review: Priestess of the Forest by Ellen Evert Hopman

This is the last book I have to review for now. I requested this book from Llewellyn Press and they sent it to me in exchange for a review. I absolutely love this book. While it took me a little while to read it (well longer than normal for me) I fell in love with it. This book left me feeling so nostalgic, and not even sure what I was nostalgic for. This is one of those books that speaks to your soul. The story in this book rings true to your heart. It is well written and so much fun to read. It is also written in the old bardic way so if you pay close attention to the story you'll learn lessons of the Druidic path.

I think what I loved the most about this book was the lessons in herbcraft. Like I said if you pay close enough attention you learn lessons from this book and it is chock full of herbal lessons. Not only does it teach of Druidic beliefs, it speaks to the healer's soul because the heroine in this book is a healer.

This book is filled with herbal, Druidic, and life lessons. This is a wonderful book to read to your children, although there are some parts that could be edited for children such as some of the love scenes. While the love scenes are written tastefully and do not bring smut books to mind, some may feel it inappropriate for their children, but if you are raising Pagan children, this is a terrific book to help them understand Pagan beliefs.

Now, for the part that leaves me feeling sad. You all know that I am about co-existing. I think if everyone would just be respectful and not shove each other's religions down each other's throats and respect each other's differences things could be peaceful. This book illuminates the reason that co-existing, while working for certain people (like my best friend's Marissa and Miss K and myself), may never work on a global scale. I respect the Christian religion. My best friend Marissa is Christian, Miss K is Jewish, and they are accepting and understanding; however, most Christians aren't. They believe their religion is the one true way to get to God and that anyone who isn't part of their religion will go to what they call Hell. This book has two characters that I just want to punch. Yes I know, violence isn't the answer, but it would have made me feel better if I had been alive during the time this book is set in. But, this book also shows the virtues of remaining graceful in the face of worrisome change.

As I stated at the beginning of this review, I absolutely loved this book. I give it 5 stars and hope that everyone will grab a copy of this book and read it!

Book Review: Solitary Seance by Raymond Buckland

So, even during moving I can still find time to read and do a book review for you guys! Earlier I emailed Llewellyn Publishers and requested a couple of books to be able to review. They sent them to me in exchange for me reviewing them. Here's the first one. Solitary Seance by Raymond Buckland is a very informative book. I really enjoyed reading about the different ways that a person can contact spirits. However, the book was a little short and seemed a little vague on certain points.

There were several things that surprised me when it came to ways to contact the dead. I had no idea I could contact them using the Tarot, for instance. If you want to read about different ways to contact the dead this is the book for you. If you want something that digs deeply into seances and their history, etc. find some other book. All in all, while slightly disappointing, this is a wonderful book to introduce you to solitary seances. Really the only reason I find this book slightly disappointing is because I was hoping for more. I wanted to dig deeper and broaden my understanding. I did broaden my understanding of different techniques and got to have a couple of conversations with my grandma, but all in all I had hoped for way more from this book. I do recommend this book because it is a good, quick read.

My Women's Empowerment Research

I'm a major positive body image advocate (well at least in my mind lol) and I go on these crazy binges that consist of finding plus size fashionista blogs, positive body image commercials, and all kinds of things that make me as a curvy plus size woman feel good. During my current binge, I found this:



This video is awesome. It's a little show by a woman named Sarah Haskins. She pretty much makes fun of the commercials directed at women and talks crap about how terrible they are. It is absolutely hilarious!

Okay guys, the party is over. Don't be sad. It will be back next year. I'm going to take a couple days to rest up and read stuff and then I'll be back with a couple of book reviews for you! Also, I'm mailing out the prayer beads and Jon's book today. Sorry it took so long Jon, I looked in my car and was like "What is this book still doing here!"

The Winner of the Final Giveaway

The winner of the final giveaway is: Ponderosa Pagan! Congrats hon! Contact me with your mailing info and I'll forward it on to Wee Witches!