Have you ever felt like you had to hide you spiritual, witchy, or “woo woo“ side from friends and family? I hope I’m not the only one raising my hand (awkward…).

Is that a Pentagram!?

I was having a phone conversation with my uncle, about a month ago, and he was telling me what it was like to come out as “gay” to my grandmother, back in the mid-late 1960s. He told me that it was widely unaccepted, at the time, and it was something you definitely didn’t talk about. He told me that he had even gotten engaged to a woman, but had to break it off when he knew this “secret” would now affect someone that he really cared for. Long story short, my grandmother kicked him out of the house, and they didn’t speak for quite a few years. They eventually reconciled, but a lot of damage had been done.

So how does my uncle’s story of “coming out“ relate to being a spiritual person? Well, I view my spiritual side as more of my own religion; I have tools that I use, rituals, chants, meditations, and beliefs about why we are on this planet, where we go after we “die,” etc. When hanging out with my non-woo woo friends, or family, or even co-workers, I feel like I have to hide what I consider to be a huge part of my identity. My uncle had hid his sexual identity for many years and, now, I feel like I am hiding my spiritual identity; my religion. I will say that my uncle had to go against societal norms, family beliefs about males & females, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to open up to his mother, only to have her shut him down. I won’t say my situation is exactly the same, but the concept feels the same.

When I hang out with some of my closest friends (we go waaaay back to primary school), there are times that I contribute to conversations and give anecdotes from a very Catholic point of view because the majority of my buddies have a very Catholic background. I was baptized & raised Catholic so, I have no problem bringing that musty old part of me back out. There are aspects of Christianity that are incorporated in my current belief system ( as well as Hindi, Buddhism, Ancient Egyptian, etc. etc.).

I Admire People Who Can Just BE THESELVES!

I feel like I am a pretty genuine person, I wear my crystals, do my tarot readings, meditate, go on a smudging spree throughout the house every now and then, and I hang out at “full moon” parties. BUT, when friends, my students, co-workers, family, ask about my jewelry, the tarot cards sticking out of my purse, or the singing bowl sitting on my coffee table, I hesitate to explain because I’m afraid of feeling “different.” Not “wacky” different (everyone already knows that about me), but “scary” different. I say scary because I know people often fear what they don’t understand, and thus reject it.

This blog post comes at an ironic time because the story that my students are working on is called “All Summer In A Day” by Ray Bradbury. The main character is labeled as “different” and thus bullying ensues from the other characters in the story. I am teaching my students about being genuine and learning to accept others for their differences…

Full Moon Party, Anyone?

As I bring this blog post to a close, I will admit that I have slowly opened the closet door, and I tread ever so carefully with my high vibe, purple, polished toes and “frequency” anklet, onto the mandala patterned rug. Last weekend, I had a deep spiritual conversation with an older Jewish couple and after a long sip of Chardonnay, I told them about my tarot business. You know what? They had so many questions, and although it was not something they “vibed” with, they respected what I did and loved that it was my way of trying to help others.

Maybe I will give my classroom a good smudging before the weekend. If the students ask about the scent come Monday morning, I will tell them the truth.

I would expect nothing less from them.