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The term broom closet refers to Pagans/Wiccans who do not 'publicly' declare they are Pagan/Wiccan.





I am one of those people. An article recently posted on this site by snowycrow had me thinking about my own reasons for staying in the ‘broom closet’ and not coming out as a Wiccan. I have been in the broom closet in essence from day one five years ago.





There are only a few people who know that I am Wiccan, and they do not know because I have ‘told’ them but, because it is quite obvious from the pentacle and witches knot ring that I wear twenty-four seven.





The only person I have ‘told’ that I am a Wiccan is my common-law husband who has been very considerate of my decision.









Why am I in the broom closet you may ask, well I live in the Southern Bible Belt, a place where Christianity rules above any other religion and is always in the forefront of all social issues. In my neck of the woods, Pagans/Wiccans are seen as devil-worshippers and people who pay homage to human/animal sacrifice. In reality this is definitely not the case. I have had Jehovah Witnesses come to my front door and ask me: “What does the star and brooms mean on your porch?” I respond to them by saying: “What do YOU think it means?”



The Pros of coming out:



There are several positive aspects to being out as a Pagan/Wiccan. For starters, it allows you the freedom of not hiding your true self. When you’ve shared who you are with others, it makes it that much easier to be honest and open about other things. Finally, there’s a sense of liberation that comes with being out. By making your presence as a Pagan known, it allows like-minded people to find you when they need your assistance. Likewise, if you need them, you’ll be able to find them if they’re out. Even if you’re not one of those in-your-face Pagans, and are simply out to friends and family, there’s a freedom born of openness. Once you’re out, you don’t have to worry that other people are going to find out -- because you’ve already made it known, on your own terms.



The Cons of coming out:



For some people, the idea of coming out as Pagan/Wiccan is terrifying. They may feel that they’ll be persecuted by local fundamentalist groups, or that they will be in danger of losing jobs, children, etc. Some Pagans choose not to come out because of fears related to past history. There is sometimes a concern that outing oneself as Pagan/Wiccan could lead to a repeat of the Burning Times that existed during the Middle Ages.



Another thing to bear in mind is that once you’re out, it’s a one-way street. You can’t suddenly take back that you’re Pagan/Wiccan, because people won’t forget. This is why it’s not a bad idea to come out gradually -- rather than waking up one morning and wearing your brand new “I’m a Witch, Deal With It!” shirt, it may be better to first let family know, then friends, and finally become open with others. Regardless, it’s something you can do at the pace that feels best to you.



In any case, it is not a good idea to put somebody else out of the closet without their permission. Coming out is a personal choice and is not for someone else to announce what you believe. In other words, I can tell you what I believe but you do not have permission to tell someone else what I believe, unless I have given you that permission.



Until the time comes that I feel safe to come out of my closet, I will sit quietly in the shadows, or just visit iamawitch.com.

Take a deep breath and relax. Close your eyes.... breath in again and release. Let it go.



As you continue to breath in and out, consciously slow your breathing... breath in through you nose, and release through your mouth... and relax. .......Breath in... out.. Relax.



As you relax, begin to imagine yourself out in nature. On a hill, by the ocean or wherever you will feel the beauty and see the sun. Become aware of the sun, and feel its warmth. Feel the sun shining down on you and warming you. Focus your energies on the sun and bring that focus to the top of your head.







As you continue to breath slowly, let each breath draw the energy and light of the sun down into you body... let the warmth flow from the top of your head down to your neck. Let it flow into your shoulders and feel the warmth and let your shoulders relax.



As the sun moves down, feel it move into your arms and your arms grow warm and relax. Feel the sun in your chest, growing and warming your chest and flowing down. The warmth of the sun flows into your stomach and the muscles around your stomach relax and the tension flows out of you.



With every breath in and out the tension flows from you and the warmth of the sun moves down through your body. It flows into your legs and your legs relax.... the warmth flows down into your calves and your calves relax. Your feet feel the warmth of the sun, of your being and they relax.



Focus your attention on your spine. Feel the warmth growing there at the base of your spine. Become aware of your center - how you are connected with the ground. As your awareness grows begin to let the warmth and the sun energy build there. Now, as that energy in your spine builds, send it down into the earth.



Picture your spine extending and growing longer, extending down through the floor. In your imagination, picture your spine like a tail growing and extending downward. Send it down through this building into the earth. Feel the soil, rich, nourishing. Keep extending your spine down to the Mother.



Send it down, past the topsoil, into the deep rich soil beneath that. Feel yourself extending. Let your spine travel further, extend.. . . go down into the moist level beneath this layer... down to where the rich black earth waits... and as you take energy from this layer of rich earth keep sending your spine, your tail, down into the Mother.



Go down to the bedrock, and let yourself keep passing down past the layers... to the water... and past... keep going down.... ‘till you come to the fire hot core of the earth and sense all the energy that is there..... Wrap yourself around that core... dip into the core of the Earth and anchor yourself there. Breath in, out, and relax... knowing that all of the energy that is within the Earth will flow into you.



It is a cold, misty-gray day at the end of October. You find yourself walking among the barren hills of a stark, bleak landscape. All afternoon, a large black raven has been your constant companion, and you know that she is guiding you to the place of release and renewal you seek. As you make your way over a softly curving hill, you come upon an ancient sacred well made of crumbling fieldstone.



Beside the well is an old weeping willow whose branches are gently blowing in the cold, late-Autumn breezes. The raven has perched herself on the edge of the well, so you know you have reached the place of purification for which you have traveled all this dismal day.



When you come closer, you see trinkets and tokens have been left at this sacred site. There are stones and crystals in the hollow places between the fieldstones with which the well was built, so very long ago.



You see translucent obsidian and black quartz crystals used for healing release. There are tokens hanging from the branches of the weeping willow. You see symbols crafted in simple gray pewter, and pendants set with bright stones that stand out in contrast to the muted colors of this place.



There is a pendant with a golden green peridot, the stone of healing renewal, and another set with an aquamarine, the stone of sacred ceremonies. Tied in simple bundles, there are also fragrant herbs hung in the willow. Their scent is fresh, and you feel comforted to know that others have recently come before you to this site.



You have brought a simple wooden cup, plainly fashioned, to draw healing water from this well. Since this is a sacred site, you feel both reverently hopeful and respectfully humble in your quest for personal purification. You ask that you might be transformed, being aware of everything that has brought you here along the path of your emotional journeys and spiritual quests.



If you feel the need to do so, you may remember your sorrows at this time of releasement. You look up and notice that two other kindred spirits have joined you and the raven. A little gray owl has perched on a branch of the willow, and a little wild-cat, a lynx, has curled herself into a ball among the roots of the tree. You feel comforted by their presence.



You close your eyes and continue with your thoughts. When you open your eyes, you find that the animal spirits are no longer with you. In their places are three women that you have come to know well.



The Maiden is resting against the base of the tree, the Crone is standing inside the softly swaying branches of the weeping willow. On the edge of the well, the Mother sits regarding you in a gentle, yet fiery manner that reflects Her most maternal aspects.



The Maiden is wearing robes of a muted golden-green color. The Crone is dressed in black, and the Mother’s cloak is a soft, silvery gray. You now notice that you are wearing a simple white robe.



You greet each aspect quietly, and They listen as you tell Them why you need to draw directly from the source that this well represents. When you have expressed your feelings, and clarified your emotional state of being, the three aspects of the Goddess offer to help you in your process of purification. You thank Them for Their support.



After a while, the three women take Their leave. When They have left, you take the unmarked wooden cup and reach for the bucket that is tied to the edge of the well. As you lower the bucket into the deep, dark waters, you can see yourself reflected in the mirrored depths within. There, in the center of your forehead, is a design of triple Moons, each outlined with light. You feel an emotional empowerment beginning a cycle of self-renewal within.



You drink from the cup of water that you draw from this sacred well. When you are ready to leave, you notice that your cup has been transformed. It now bears the design of the triple Moon upon its side.

There is rarely, if ever, a true wasteland in which we must live.



There are only the occasional, forlorn stretches of barren landscapes that we must cross, following a lonely road. So long as we remember the Source from which we came, and which is our ultimate destination, we will find this same Source provides for us along the way. When we accept what the Source provides, and learn to seek it, purely, we soon find that the wasteland within fades into light and beauty.



And as you feel the energy flowing hot and alive, flowing into your veins begin to come up, bringing all the energy of the earth's core, of the Mother with you. Come back up through the layers. Back past the deep earth, past the water. Come up, keeping all the energy of the Mother with you.



Come up past the rich soil and the darkness ... come up. Come up past the top soil, the top layers... come up through the building... and the energy stays with you... come up now to this room. Slowly, open your eyes and return bringing with you the energy of the Earth. And you are back.



Whenever you are ready, you can open your eyes to the light within your self.

I am a Witch.



Servant of the Goddess and God.



Guardians of the elements, magick, and nature.



I bask in light and dark,



honoring the four seasons, attuning to nature’s cycle.



I know the Wiccan Rede: “An Ye Harm None, Do as Thy Will…”



For “whatever we send out comes back times three.”



I am a lover of nature, understand



it’s ways, helping it to grow,



humans as well, as a part of it.



I am open to everything, understanding everything,



leaving my mind open.



For it is when we leave it open,



we understand fully, and we embrace it as reality.



To commune with it, live by it, and to bring harmony in all of us.



I am a Witch.



Blessed Be!

COMMENTS

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sweetlips221
02:01 Mar 18 2009

well written and interesting ***smiles**

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POST COMMENT

The dancing flames of candles have been used as a Witches' tool for centuries. By setting the proper atmosphere, candles are used to help increase a spell's power, or to influence a particular power. Candles absorb one's personal energy and release this energy when burned Candle colour is very important when performing magick, for each colour emits a particular vibration and attracts certain influences. The following list is meant to be used as a guide in choosing a candle colour for your personal use. Please remember that colour is another "tool" and you need choose what works best for you in your magickal workings. If you do not have the colour mentioned for a particular need, allow your intuition and the Goddess guide you in choosing one for your purposes.







The candles you use should be ones you yourself make out of beeswax, using natural dyes and essential oils, if desired. Beeswax sheets are available at most hobby stores, and are a fast and easy way to make your own candles at home. Realizing this is not always possible, you may use what is readily available to you. Prior to using any candle in your workings you should cleanse the candle and anoint it with a small amount of oil during the waxing phase of the moon. This consecrates the candle and charges it with magickal energy. You can also carve or paint appropriate magickal symbols onto your candles, to further empower the candles with those energies. The heated tip of your athame works well for this purpose. It is best to use one candle per ritual or spell, and to not use a candle that has been used previously for another purpose. It is also best to allow the candle to burn out by itself, as blowing it out may disperse the energy contained within.











White:



A balance of all colors; Spiritual enlightenment, cleansing, clairvoyance,

healing, truth seeking; Rituals involving lunar energy. May be substituted for

any color candle.



Yellow:



Activity, Creativity, unity; brings power of concentration and imagination to a

ritual; use in rituals where you wish to gain anothers confidence or persuade

someone, or in rituals that require solar energy.



Gold:



Fosters understanding and attracts the powers of cosmic influences; beneficial

in rituals intended to bring about fast luck or money, or in rituals needing

solar energy.



Pink:



Promotes romance, friendship; standard color for rituals to draw affections; a

color of femininity, honor, service, brings friendly, lively conversation to the

dinner table.



Red:



Health, passion, love, fertility, strength, courage, will power; increases

magnetism in rituals; draws Aries and Scorpio energy.



Silver:



Removes negativity and encourages stability; helps develop psychic abilities;

attracts the influence of the Mother Goddess.











Purple:



Power, success, idealism, psychic manifestations; ideals for rituals to secure

ambitions, independence, financial rewards, or to make contact with the

spiritual other world; increases Neptune energy.



Magenta:



Combination of red and violet that oscillates on a high frequency; energizes

rituals where immediate action and high levels of power or spiritual healing are

required.



Brown:



Earthly, balanced color; for rituals of material increase; eliminates

indecisiveness; improves powers of concentration, study, telepathy; increases

financial success; locates objects that have been lost.



Indigo:



Color of inertia; stops situations or people; use in rituals that require a deep

meditational state; or in rituals that demand Saturn energy.



Royal Blue:



Promotes laughter and joviality; color or loyalty; use to attract Jupiter

energy, or whenever an influence needs to be increased.



Light Blue:



Spiritual color; helpful in devotional or inspirational meditations; brings

peace and tranquillity to the home; radiates Aquarius energy; employ where a

situation must be

synthesized.



Blue:



Primary spiritual color; for rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or

peace; confers truth and guidance.





Emerald Green:



Important component in Venusian rituals; attracts love, social delights, and

fertility.



Dark Green:



Color of ambition, greed, and jealousy; counteracts these influences in a

ritual.



Green:



Promotes prosperity, fertility, success; stimulates rituals for good luck,

money, harmony, and rejuvenation.



Gray:



Neutral color useful when pondering complex issues during meditation; in magic,

this color often sparks confusion; it also negates or neutralizes a negative

influence.



Black:



Opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious; use in rituals to induce a deep

meditational state, or to banish evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals;

attracts Saturn energy.



SABBAT CANDLE COLOURS:







Samhain : Black, orange



Yule : Red, green & white



Imbolg : Red, pink & brown.



Eostara : Green, yellow & gold



Beltaine : Dark green



Litha : Green, blue



Lughnasadh : Yellow, orange



Mabon : Orange, brown & yellow









ASTROLOGICAL CANDLE COLOURS







Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) : Light Blue or Pale Yellow



Pisces (February 19 - March 20) : Aquamarine



Aries (March 21 - April 19) : Red



Taurus (April 20 - May 20) : Green



Gemini (May 21 - June 21) : Yellow or Orange



Cancer (June 22 - July 22) : White or Dark Green



Leo (July 23 - August 22) : Gold or Yellow



Virgo (August 23 - September 22) : Gray or Marbled



Libra (September 23 - October 22) : Royal Blue



Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) : Black or Red



Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - December 21) : Dark Blue or Purple



Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) : Black or Dark Brown









DAY OF THE WEEK CANDLE COLOURS







Sunday : Yellow



Monday : White



Tuesday : Red



Wednesday : Purple



Thursday : Blue



Friday : Green



Saturday : Black

The Four Lesser Sabbats



Spring Equinox (Ostara) March 21

Summer Solstice (Litha) June 21

Fall Equinox (Mabon) September 21

Winter Solstice (Yule) December 21



The Four Greater Sabbats



Candlemas (Imbolc) February 2

Beltane (Walpurgis) May 1

Lammas (Lughnassadh) August 1

Halloween (Samhain) October 31





Winter Solstice: (Yule, December 20-23, varies on the standard calendar according to when the Solstice will occur astronomically)

The name "Yule" derives from the Norse word for "wheel". This is the longest night of the year and the turning point when the days shall afterwards grow longer as winter begins its passage into the coming spring. It is the time when the Goddess (in her Divine Mother form) gives birth to the Sun God Child who shall eventually become her lover and father of the next child in the coming solar cycle. The Goddess, after giving birth, once more assumes her Virgin/Maiden form. Others celebrate the victory of the Lord of Light (or the Oak King) over the Lord of Darkness (or the Holly King) as the turning point from which the days will lengthen. Winter Solstice is a time for feasting and exchanging gifts. Traditional adornments are a Yule Log (usually of oak) and a combination of mistletoe and holly.



Candlemas (Imbolc, February 1 or 2, Many American Wiccans celebrate on the 2nd probably because of a confusion with Groundhog's Day) Originally celebrated on February 1st, this ancient Irish holiday was called Imbolc which means "in the belly". This festival is often called Brigid after the Celtic Fire Goddess Brigid, to whom this day is sacred. Her threefold nature rules smith craft, poetry/inspiration, and healing. Brigid's fire is a symbolic transformation offering healing, visions, and tempering. This is the time of Waxing Light. The infant Sun God born at Yule begins to grow and manifest His light as our days grow longer. It is a time of individuality, new beginnings, inspiration, returning light, purification, and chastity. Some traditions hold this to be the time of initiations.



Spring Equinox (Ostara, March 20-23, varies on the standard calendar according to when the Equinox will occur astronomically)

The Germanic Goddess Ostara or Eostre (Goddess of the Dawn), after whom Easter is named, is the main deity of this holiday. The Spring Equinox defines the season where Spring reaches it's apex, halfway through its journey from Candlemas to Beltane. Night and day are in perfect balance, with the powers of light on the ascendancy. The God of light now wins a victory over his twin, the God of darkness. In the Welsh Mabinogion, this is the day on which the restored Llew takes his vengeance on Goronwy by piercing him with the sunlight spear. For Llew was restored/reborn at the Winter Solstice and is now well/old enough to vanquish his rival/twin and mate with his lover/mother. The coloring and giving of eggs at this time is a common pagan tradition. Eggs are clearly one of the most potent symbols of fertility, and spring is the season when animals begin to mate and flowers and trees pollinate and reproduce. In England and Northern Europe, eggs were often employed in folk magic when women wanted to be blessed with children. The great Mother Goddess, who returned to her Virgin/Maiden aspect at Candlemas, welcomes the young sun God's embraces and many wiccans believe that she conceives the new Sun Child now. (to be born 9 months later at the Winter Solstice).



Beltane (Walpurgis, April 31 or May 1)

This is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the other two being Imbolc and Ostara. This festival and it's counterpart, Samhain, divide the year into it's two primary seasons - Winter and Summer. Whereas Samhain is about honoring death, Beltane is about honoring life. This festival heralds the beginning of summer and honors the joining of the God and the Goddess. Those wiccans who don't place the conception of the new Sun Child at Ostara place his conception here at Beltane. As such it is a common time for wiccan engagements and trial handfastings (a year and a day). Beltane translated means "fire of Bel" or "bright fire". Bel is known as the bright and shinning one, a Celtic Sun God. Beli is the father, protector, and the husband of the Mother Goddess. On Beltane eve the Celts would build two large Bel fires lit from the nine sacred woods. This is an invocation to the Sun God Bel to bring His blessings and protection to the tribe. The Bel fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Household fires would be extinguished and re-lit with fresh fire from the Bel Fires. Another prominent part of Beltane is dancing around the Maypole. The Maypole is a tall phallic pole decorated with long brightly colored ribbons, leaves, flowers and wreaths. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience as it is a conduit of energy, connecting all three worlds at a time when these gateways are more easily penetrable. As people gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth's womb, bringing about Her full awakening and fruitfulness.



Summer Solstice (Litha, June 21st or 24th) Directly opposite Yule on the Wheel of the Year, this is the Longest Day of the year and the time when we honor the Sun God as He ascends to His height of power before beginning His descent towards death and rebirth. The Mother Goddess is now heavily pregnant with the divine Sun Child representing the growing bounty on Earth. Couples in the Old Ways often didn’t get married until after they had a baby on the way, incidentally; it was necessary for farming couples to have children to help work the farm, and if a woman and man couldn’t prove themselves fertile before making a promise to stay together, it would not be a blessed marriage. That is why the Goddess is impregnated at Beltane but not actually married until Litha. In some Wiccan traditions, this is also the time that the Oak King (Lord of the summer) will be killed by the Holly King (Lord of the winter) turning the Wheel from the summer half to the winter half of the year. Midsummer Eve is the evening for harvesting your herbs for the coming year. It's also the best time to gather branches and make new wands and staffs. The herbs and flowers gathered this night are considered exceptionally potent. St John's wort, burdock, thorn, and nettle, harvested on Midsummer Eve are hung on doors and windows and placed around the home for protection. Couples who handfasted the year before at Beltane, tend to marry in a more formal handfasting at Midsummer or Lughnasadh. Divination on matters of love are especially powerful Midsummer's eve.



Lammas (Lughnassadh, August 1-2) Lughnasadh, which means "Lugh's assembly", is named for the Celtic deity Lugh who presides over the arts and sciences. Lughnasadh, in fact, has an even older name, Brón Trogain, which refers to the painful labor of childbirth. For at this time of year, the earth gives birth to her first fruits so that her children might live. Thus this is one of the four great celtic fire festivals, this particular one having it's emphasis on the first harvest. Now is the time when the powerful gods of the grain harvests are honored. One traditional Lammas custom was the construction of the kern-baby, corn dolly, or corn maiden. This figure, braided into a woman's form from the last harvested sheaf of grain, represented the Harvest Spirit. (In America, the tradition is continued in the making of corn husk dolls.) The doll would be saved until Spring, when it was ploughed into the field to consecrate the new planting and insure a good harvest. This is just the first of the Three Harvest Festivals (the second and third being Mabon and Samhain). This is a time of waiting, the Goddess now waits for the new Sun Child to be born and changes aspects from Mother to Crone as She oversees the harvest of the Earth.



Fall Equinox (Mabon, September 21)

The autumnal equinox is commonly called "Mabon" after the Welsh god Mabon ap Modron, which means literally "son of mothers." Another name for this festival is from the Gaelic, Alban Elfed, or "Light of the Water." Now, as at Ostara, the days and nights are equal once again. This is the second of the three fall harvest festivals. Mabon marks the completion of the grain harvest begun during Lughnasadh. Celebrations revolve around the gathering of crops and thanksgiving for the abundances of the harvest, and rituals to insure the success of next year's harvest are characteristic during this harvest time. This is a time for reflection on the past year, a time to slow down a bit and ponder on the meaning of life and death. I suppose you could call this the Wiccan Thanksgiving.



Halloween (Samhain, October 31)

From the old Gaelic meaning "summer's end", this is third and last of the harvest festivals. Lying directly opposite of Beltain, this is one of the two great Celtic holidays which separates Summer from Winter. Many traditions consider this the eve of the New Year (as day begins with sundown, so the year begins with the first day of Winter). This is the best night for all forms of divination because the veil between the world of the seen and unseen is at it's thinnest allowing us to better see the unknown. This is the time to revere our ancestors and to say farewell to those that have passed this last year. The Crone Goddess, the ruler of the Otherworld, bids farewell to the Sun God as He passes over into death to face His rebirth at the upcoming Yule. As the Sun God journeys to the Underworld, He gathers unto Himself all those who have passed over to death since the previous Samhain to guide them on their way to the afterlife.