How do I imagine/hope that leaving the broom closet will turn out?.You might want to ask yourself the following questions: So take all this into account before you decide how open you want to be. For some witches, stepping out of the broom closet would certainly incur a gigantic amount of judgement or a shit-ton of questions. If you’re the only one who knows about your path, then it’s often easier to experiment and explore, knowing that you don’t need to explain or justify anything. Don’t convince yourself that you should be out and proud about your witchiness. Sometimes, telling too many people what you’re doing risks encouraging their interference, or you might end up thinking overtime about how others perceive your path rather than focusing on what you need from it. In fact, incubating your practice and its processes in secrecy can be beneficial. Having to keep a lid on your practice doesn’t make you a less efficient or legitimate witch.

Let’s face it, being able to open up to everyone in your life without any fear of reprisal is a massive stroke of good luck and not every witch finds themselves blessed in that way. They might emerge from the closet to only a handful of people, asking them to keep the information private so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. The stakes may be too high for witches from deeply religious households or conservative communities, so in order to protect themselves, they may have to keep their practice clandestine.

Bring your spiritual beliefs/practices up in a conversation.įor others, stepping out of the broom closet could be highly disruptive and even unsafe.

Attend a relevant local event, such as a mind-body-spirit festival or a witchy gathering.

Join a witchy discussion group on social media and/or follow witchy hashtags.

Post something about the craft on social media.

Leave witchy resources on your bookshelves.

Have an altar space and/or some witchy imagery on display in your home.

Start expressing your witchy identity through your clothing and accessories.

Then, you might feel like doing any of the following:

See how that conversation goes and lean into what you think should happen next. If you want to come out as a witch, you could start by speaking to one key person in your life about the ideas and practices you’re exploring. It often takes courage and confidence to step out of the broom closet, making it a meaningful rite of passage that demonstrates your sincerity. The whole process of publicly owning your witchy identity can be electrifying! Whether you’re just telling a handful of key loved ones or starting social media platforms to invite the world into your practice, revealing that you’re into the craft is a way of affirming your commitment to it. It can feel better to be transparent about spiritual beliefs. Keeping such a significant spiritual path a secret feels weird and wonky for many witches. How important is it to be “out and proud” about your witchy practice? There’s no right answer!Įvery witch must explore this question for themselves, and for some it’s an essential part of the journey. In this extract from Rebel Witch, Kelly-Ann Maddox talks about ‘coming out of the broom closet’ and shares some questions to ask yourself before you do so. Whether you’re an experienced witch or on the cusp of crafting your own spiritual practice, it can be a difficult descision to share your spiritual path publicly. It’s the witching season and what better time to build a practice that looks, sounds and feels like your very own psyche?

The broom closet