Just wondering if anyone else.., keeps their practices secret? Options

Hello everyone, I live with my parents (since im but a teenager) and I'm keeping all my practices and beliefs in magick a secret from my parents because they are very skeptical to things such as that and they would think Im crazy if they knew half of the magick I know/practice. Does anyone else keep their practices a secret from friends/family or am I the lone ranger? Any advice on holding secretive rituals/ getting required materials without anyone knowing? Am I doing the right/wrong thing?

Please note that it is highly likely if my parents found out what I do they would make me stop (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fie.gif)

Hell, I'm 23..married..and still keep my practices secret. Though I don't have to from my husband since he shares my beliefs, and actually has me help him out a bit in that area. My mother on the other hand was always very open to things like this. So I didn't have to hide anything from her. She would have me work magick for her and read tarot (A LOT!). She had me read so much that I gave her, her own deck to use so we could barter. I'd read for her, if she read for me. I could read for myself, but I thought that it would help limit her need for readings if she knew she had to work for it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

But, now she's getting married to a man who's a pastor. So, I've really gotta keep my practices on the hush hush. He's a very spiritual person, but NOT open to things of this subject. I've tried, and his first response is "I'm not interested in Devil worship". So, I have to wait until my children are of suitable age to even teach them, that way they know WHY they can't tell grandpa about magick and such. Hehe.

There's nothing wrong with keeping your practices secret. It's one thing we do best. To know, To will, To dare and To keep SILENT.
It's a good thing to practice and comes in handy. There's nothing more annoying in the occult world than a practitioner who blabs about his workings. That, and keeping silent actually helps your work...so think of this as a great lesson for you to learn on keeping secrets..specially from those closest to you. That way, when you DO tell someone, it'll mean that much more, and also you're not inclined to shout it from the rooftops or to any "pagan poser" who saunters by.

There's many ways you can practice in secret without letting your parents in on it. Such as, doing ALL practices in your room. Waiting until they're asleep. Honestly..this may sound funny but it's good advice, if you REALLY want to hide magickal paraphinalia look up some websites that sell marijuana accessories. They have some very ingenious devices made specifically to hide ..things. Such as, a coke can that has a opening on the bottom. On thinkgeek.com they have a safe you can install into the wall that looks like an ordinary light socket. These are just simple ones. If you don't have the money or don't want to explain to your parents why your recieving things like that in the mail, stashing them in a corner of your closet works well too. Or, out in the open as decorative objects. Just make sure they're out of reach of anyone who's likely to pick them up and touch them. (This is were an invisibility spell or protection spell to deter people from noticing or picking up the object comes in handy)

The best advice I can give you is to work small now with your stuff. Keep it minimal until you move out. You can frequent garage sales and flea markets for magickal stuff if you don't want your parents to know. Specially if they're the type that always asks "Well..WHY do you need that..?" or "What you gonna do with it" and then you tell them and of course it's replied with the ever despised skeptical eye roll.
And they either say, "you don't NEED that" or "Aren't you a little too old for that shit?"

Truth is, people have done more to diminish ones magick with a sneer than has ever been accomplished with a stake. At least after the burning we still practiced, but just became darn good at hiding it. With the skepticism it's completely deflating your self esteem and magickal power.

If your parents are also the type to clean your room for you while you're at school, and you're afraid of them discovering your secret stash of books and herbs then there's a simple remedy. Keep your room clean. It's not only good practice in discipline, it's good practice in the occult. There's a lot of mischievous entities that LOVE messy and disarayed rooms, and if you keep it clean you'll avoid attracting them. (which is great since your room will essentially be your working area). And, with a clean area, you'll attract good spirits to your area. Notice than whenever you clean your room it not only feels good but also feels lighter than the dark heavy feeling of a messy room.

You could always work some magick to help your parents become a little more open as well. Make sure not to go against their will and force them to do something..but just to drop that skepticism and become a little bit more open minded. Be sure to specify that you don't want the spell to reverse upon you. My husband had done one on our landlord when we moved out (she wasn't happy that we were moving and claimed we were pulling a fast one on her and made some off colour comments to us). The spell worked fine, but he ended up with a terrible rash on his feet, I and my daughter got sick all on the same day. So, word to the wise, cover your rear.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Hope that helps a bit.

This post has been edited by Angalor: Jul 12 2006, 11:05 AM

I'm still in High School, and you know how people are when someone is different. So I've only told one person. and she expeiriences the paranormal all the time so she doesn't care.

Also, my dad is an anglican minister, but i'm not sure if he would mind, because as of today, the only thing i've yet to preform is the LBRP, which involves christian beleifs...
Either way, Secret.

Nice to know i'm not alone:P

I'm still in High School, and you know how people are when someone is different. So I've only told one person. and she expeiriences the paranormal all the time so she doesn't care.

Also, my dad is an anglican minister, but i'm not sure if he would mind, because as of today, the only thing i've yet to preform is the LBRP, which involves christian beleifs...
Either way, Secret.

Nice to know i'm not alone:P

There is another totally unrelated reason to keep one's craft a secret - signal to noise ratio. WHenever you do magick, that magick is open to the effects of any other energy which can be aimed at it. If someone else knows that you're doing magick, and thinks you're crazy for it, there is a causal link between their opinion, through whatever relationship they have to you (it's actually those people who love you most who can potentially be the most trouble here!) and your magick, which can make it work for the worse.

I myself let both of my companions know the basics of what i'm studying at the moment, and they know that I do regular magick for one thing or another, that I protect our home and our interests... beyond that they aren't really interested, but they are careful to monitor their feelings and thoughts on the matter, that they will have nothing but a positive influence on my work.

If you do feel that you must expose someone to that aspect of yourself, you best come to understanding the rational side of what you're doing. It doesn't take much to explain magick in a rational fashion, just a great deal of thought, and perhaps an appreciation for Rationality and Reason conceptually... I think many practitioners abandon reason all together, as some kind of antiquated human function. But, the problem isn't contemporary reason itself, it is how reason is employed for understanding. Magick is natural, and most people will realize and accept that when we explain to them How it works for everyone and why.

It's when people go about claiming to be an all powerful magician that people will question your sanity. I have never said the words, outloud, to anyone "I do Magick." Because that sentence will instantly turn most people off. Saying something along the lines of, "Well, I think that the mind is a powerful thing, and I've had some unique experiences that defy conventional reason." Makes the person hearing it realize - partially by using more words, which for most people is the significator for reason in another's line of thought - that there is something of interest in your head. THe longer you can go without saying 'magick', 'spell', 'ward' or anything of that nature, the better. I have never had a conversation like that that didn't end with the other person beginning to accept the reality of magick.

My family are all very conservative, but my siblings wanted to know more about my views on spirituality when they were questioning themselves, and those conversations lead eventually to discussion of our impact on the universe, and ultimately magick.

Years later, my mother, who once kicked me out for doing 'black magick' years and years ago, now regularly asks for readings, and even asked if there was anything I could do about her business' slow period. She's even given my e-mail address to friends of hers who she's told "My son has a gift for advice." So I do magick, then give some advice that will help the other person - who did ask for my help - attract the benefits of that magick, and there you have it: middle aged, methodist and babtist southern women, all taking help from a 'family' mage. It's a source of much amusement for me...

Even so, all of my work itself is kept completely secret, as far as intentions, rituals, etc. That way, i'm the only one influencing the direction of my energy, no one else inadvertantly putting their two cents into it.

peace