Well... It's probably cheesy, and you may think of me as a 'fluff' wiccan/witch, as many of the members here seem to be older than I, however I do think lots of kids, or rather people just under eighteen, may need help with this. I saw a similar sort of thread, but it deals with sort of different content as the concerning woman (man? It is the internet, you know. No way of telling) had already come out and had gone about it in a wise way.
However... I, personally, am at a loss as per what to do. My parents and whole family are Christian, a few Catholics peppered throughout since we've got polish roots, and they aren't very accepting. Lately, since I started buying books on the subject of Wicca, they (being my family) seem to be bringing God, in a Christian or Catholic sense, and religion into the day a lot more than is usual. I feel so dishonest agreeing sometimes with what they say, but I just.. Choke, sort of, when I try to speak to them about it. Unfortunetly, I've no coven with which for them to speak (I plan on entering a degree program to become a high priestess and leading my own someday, I love helping people.) and I doubt they'd listen to much that I said on the matter. They think that Wiccanism and witchcraft is demon worship. My counselor, who is a very devout Christian and very wise in many aspects, also does. When I first started seeing her (13) and told her of my budding interest she inquired and probed about it as if I was considering committing mass murder. Truly, I do not believe she can help me on the matter being biased in that sense. But, I am meeting with her in an attempt to get tactics on talking to my family about it anyways.
Regardless.. I would love to have advice on how to 'come out' about being wiccan, to very very sensitive and.. sometimes rash family members.

Please, any help that you may give me will be very appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Hello and welcome Heather.  First, take a deep breath and relax.  You've made a great decision to come here, and I am certain many of us can offer useful advice to you on some level.

Let me begin by saying that I am in my late twenties and happily living in the broom closet, so to speak.  I am not Wiccan, but I am a practitioner of magic.  My family is Jewish, so my family's reaction would be less an issue of concern over devil worship and more along the lines of thinking I am going through a terribly early mid-life crisis.  However, I am fortunate that there are strong magical traditions innately present in my religious heritage, so the concept of magic is not so foreign to my culture.  Now that I have established that I am in a very different situation from you, let me pretend to offer reasonable and sage advice.

As I am assuming you are in your mid-teens and still under parental supervision, I would advise you to wait a bit longer until coming out of the broom closet.  Life will not be easy for you if you announce your choice while still living with your parents.  I know this is difficult for you, as you feel you are decieving your family, but this is the option I would take.  When you are off on your own, whether at college or just living alone, then I would make the choice.

If you are determined to come out of the closet now, I would reccommend exploring the more mystical aspects of Christianity and using this to help acclmate your family to the idea.  Investigate traditions of angelic magic, prophecy, and healing.  Explore the life of Saint Frances of Assisi.  These are very well established areas in Wicca and magical practice.  Not only would you be able to openly explore them, but your family will likely be more tolerant, if not interested in them as well.  

My next piece of advice is to find a new couselor.  At this point in your life, you need to have people you can talk to freely.  We are a wonderful place for that, but if you are seeing the couselor for medical and emotional issues, you need to find someone else.    

Remember, you are welcome and accepted here.  Lady Elaine has created a wonderful haven for us with a great vareity of magical sources.  We will be happy to answer your questions, or if you just need to vent, feel free.

Many blessings.

Hi Stacey,

First I would like to thank you for your advice  
But, I'm not really in my mid-teens. Even in a literal aspect it's really my late teens  
I'm 17, and next year I'll be 18, I've got a job, I work, live a normal life, and put in a decent 8 hours a day like every other person. But it seems like my family is determined to, at every situation, reaffirm my Christianity. While I agree it would be awesome to wait till I was out of the house (O year, go by swiftly) they question everything I do intensely, such as saving the straightest sticks I find to sand and carve into wands, or having a sudden re-interest in crystals as I had when I was a child.
It seems as though, if I do not tell them something, they'll start questioning my sanity.. which, they may do even if I tell them. Still.. To suppress my interests further would be psychological torture for me, and being that I am legally required to live with them, there is no way for them not to see my actions. When I get the books and other supplies I've ordered in the mail, there is no doubt in my mind that a 'talk' will follow soon after. I suppose I would rather follow the old childhood law of doing things your parents disapprove of: Confess to it before they find out on their own.

Wicca is in no way a sin to it's practitioners or those who are open-minded enough to understand it. However to those who attribute untrue, nasty things to it.. well they would certainly disapprove.

Hi Heather,

I think Stacy has given you very good advice about waiting until you have left your parents home to come out of the closet. The angle I'm looking at is a little different than hers, though, and one you may not have taken into consideration.

As you know, the Christian religion is an exclusionary one. It is also one in which it is impossible for most adherents of that religion to accept Withcraft because the basic tenants of that religion forbid it. To most Christians, Witchcraft is an abomination and depending on what denomination, even having books and materials associated with the craft in their home, in their view, puts their souls at risk of damnation.  In pursuing your path, in a way that is at all obvious to them, is a form of disrespect. We can not even hope for respect and acceptance if we first do not give those things.

I have been practicing the craft for quite a few years now, but, when I was new to it I wanted everyone to know and accept my chosen path. I was crushed when a Christian family member or friend rejected me because of my spiritual beliefs. Time and maturity taught me that the rejection happened because the spiritual path they they had chosen would not allow them to accept my beliefs or have anything to do with them. I learned when to share my beliefs and when not to. I learned also, that it is not always about me and my wants. A good Witch knows when to be silent.

Be blessed.

Hm... It's not that I want to be obvious to them. There's just only so many places and ways to hide things and cover them up. It irks me immensely because they're never devout Christians until something displeases them but.. I do suppose I can see where you're coming from. I don't want to cause issues with them.. but the fact remains that I'm not going to torture myself anymore by refraining from practicing my religion. I never did plan on trying to force it on them however. I don't know.. it's awfully confusing. Either option I choose I sacrifice my freedoms or theirs. But, every reading and whatnot that I have undergone these past days indicates that it'll tear me apart until I tell them...  
I'll meditate on it for some time I suppose.

The thing is, Heather, you ARE free to practice your religion, just not in your parents home, who you know are going to have a problem with it. Freedom does NOT equal disrespect. When you are out on your own you can have your altars, burn your candles and incense, or anything else you feel is meaningful to your rituals. In the meantime, save that stuff for outside the Christian household.

"Do as ye will harming none". These are wise words that seem very simple but have a very deep meaning. To a Christian, someone practicing Witchcraft in their homes is harmful to their very souls. You don't have to believe that yourself just take into account that they DO believe it.

Sometimes, it's just not all about you.

Heather,

I understand that this is a very significant decsion for you to make and that it may drastically impact your life.  What I would be remiss to not mention is that this decsion is indicative of most major choices you will be facing in your adult life.  Obviously, it is your decsion to make, but I urge you to listen to your head as well as your heart when making such a choice.

It is a rare individual who is able to make their way through life without compromise or regret.  In fact, unless one intends to live a hermetic life, it is all but impossible.  In many ways, the compromises we make define us.  However, compromises are funny things--they are the choices that cultivate the most peace and balance within a relationship, yet neither of the two parties are getting exactly what they want.  However, when compared with the consequences of a definitive choice and course action, the results of a compromise are far more gentle and flexible.  

As your situation stands, here are the most likely outcomes based on what you have written:

1) You come out of the closet, and your parents will react poorly.  From what you have said, this may result in you getting kicked out and/or disowned.  

2) Your parents have you commited to a mental facility.  You are 17, thus still not considered an adult by law.  From what you mentioned, this sounds like a possible choice your parents may make.

3) Your parents tighten the proverbial leash, negating everything you had hoped to achieve by coming out.

4) Your parents ignore it as a phase you will pass through.

The most valuable wisdom I can offer you at this point, Heather, is that when you make am extreme and decisive choice or action, you must be prepared for an equally extreme response.  This is not always a bad thing, but it can be a powerful and injuring event in your life.  It is transformative in the same manner as a volcanic eruption---it is a release of energy that is beautiful, violent, and deadly, but will lead to new life in the fertile land it will eventually produce.

We are all cautioning you to compromise because we do not want to see you hurt.  No one in their right mind who has ever experienced a similar event would advise you to make such a choice.

Please clear your mind and think before inacting your choice.  

Many blessings.

Though I honestly don't think THEY believe it at all.. They don't ever go to church, or pray.
I suppose the best choice for me is to further give up my freedoms to my family. I am used to it, and there can be no more mental damage done. I'll not go in detail as to my family life in this forum, it's not on topic at all. However.. I suppose what must be done must be done, even if it tears me apart. I never did plan to simply shout out I was wiccan... which is what I'd interpret a rash decision to be. But, at the same time, I'd rather have an easy year than a hard one. I'll still buy my supplies, because now I have a job and the means to do so. But I'll not do anything with them or at the least, not on their property.

In the same token though merely having a wiccan in their presence would likely harm their souls. And until I'm of legal age, and can move out, that wont change, because I'm not weak enough for suicide.

Thank you all for your advice, even if it may not be pleasing to hear. I suppose it is best to do the right thing the hard way, and have consequences you fully control (ex; religious suppression), rather than do the wrong thing the 'easy' way (coming out is never easy but for the sake of comparison) and have consequences you no longer control. (ex; parents committing me to a mental facility. Though if they'd let you do that just on account of being wiccan, I for one would sue the hell out of the corporation running the facility upon reaching legal age. )