My extended family are a fairly religious bunch, and it is a wonderful mixture of different beliefs.  My father was raised Lutheran, my mother Baptist. I’ve got one godfather who is Presbyterian and another who is Mormon.  Friends occupy the spectrum from religious to agnostic to atheist. It makes for some very interesting conversations at times.  While my parents were not big on attending church services for personal reasons, as children my brother and I attended random services with various family members, school groups, and Boy/Girl scout troops. My parents always left it open for both of us to make our own choices.  If either of us had chosen to commit to the church, I’m sure both of them would have supported us. However, it was very clear for me at a young age that monotheism was not my path.

I knew at 15 I was Wiccan, but that particular path has not always been easy.  By 18, I was “out of the broom closet” to my parents and a few friends. I learned to be careful about who I talked to and what I said out loud, after being called into the school counselor’s office because someone was worried I was a Satanist. Even during college, I was still careful for the first couple of years.  By senior year though I was done.  I stopped hiding my religion. I wore my pentacles proudly, I talked about my holidays and studies to those that wanted to know. Teaching English in Japan, I had no problems saying I was Wiccan every time I was asked about religion.  That being said, I’ve lost a few friends along the way, and I’ve had to defend my path to more than a few family members.

I’ve spent half my life as a Wiccan and I learn every day I practice. I learned that the solitary path was better because my experiences with covens hasn’t been spectacular.  I learned that a blend of structure and free form feels more natural for me. I continue building my pagan library to find new ways to practice. Through all of this I’ve come to embrace the fact that stagnate paths don’t allow for growth.