how I practice semi-openly while still being a secret witch
As of right now, I currently live with others, and I prefer to keep the fact that I'm a witch on the downlow. However, this is less about hiding what I do and more about modifying and finding different ways to refer to it.
If you live in a household that isn't openly hostile to alternative spiritual practices, and your privacy is generally respected, but you're still not quite ready to openly admit you're a witch, here's a few ways I go about explaining my practice when asked wtf I'm doing.
If you have or want a permanent altar in your room, you can refer to this as your meditation/prayer space. I keep anything too obviously witchy off mine, so no pentacles or other symbols or items that might raise questions, but candles and incense slide under the radar with this approach for me.Â
If you have deities or ancestors that you'd like to represent or dedicate space to, you can use abstract representations such as images/figures of animals, flowers and plants or simply a candle, crystal, or other inconspicuous item that correspond to them. Whatever your family or householdâs religion is, you can also use associated imagery or symbolism in your craft as well, where appropriate. For example, to honor my great-grandmother, I keep a few of her old rosaries and a pocket bible on my altar.
Tying in with the meditation space idea, if you have that set up and want to practice but people are home and you're worried about being barged in on, just explain to them that you're going to take your meditation/prayer time and would prefer not to be disturbed. Since my family knows Iâm in therapy and receiving mental health treatment, Iâve explained to them that regular meditation is a part of that recovery process and something I need the time and space to do uninterrupted and now I donât have to wait to have the place to myself to perform work or worry about someone coming home unexpectedly early.
Generally just refer to your practice as meditation or prayer and most people won't bat an eye, since these terms are usually easier to hear than witchcraft. In my personal experience, being more open about the fact I am doing spiritual work, without going into details, Iâve raised less suspicion than when I was creeping around, clearly hiding something.
With spellwork and prayer, you do not have to say chants or incantations out loud if you are worried about being overheard. You can mouth the words, or simply think them with intent. Anyone that tells you that you must be verbal or need elaborate aesthetic rituals that are very obviously witchy to perform magick is on their high horse.
Arts and crafts can also be a form of spellwork, but to anyone looking from the outside it just looks like you're really crafty or into DIY. This is also a great way to personalize your altar/meditation space.
If your divination method of choice is tarot, there is loads of information out there about the psychological approach to tarot which can make it seem less like mystical fortune-telling and more like therapeutic introspection through pictorial prompts. I definitely practice reading with those I live with using this approach, and at the very least it doesn't raise any alarm bells to have my decks out in plain view anymore. Prior to this though, I practiced reading with standard playing cards, which just looks like a game of solitaire.
Most witchy interests can be passed off as non-magickal hobbies. Honoring and working with nature can be environmentalism or gardening, working with crystals can just be a rock collection. Kitchen witchcraft is just an interest in cooking. An interest in space, the ocean, mythology, etc. doesnât necessarily mean youâre a witch and most people wonât assume it does unless you give them a reason to tie it to witchcraft.
Of course, your living situation might be different than mine. If you live in a stricter household or if your boundaries and privacy are often violated, some of these methods might still not fly with those you live with. If you need more secrecy to keep yourself safe, then that's 110% okay and doesn't make you any less of a witch! Use your best judgement about what works best for you and your circumstances. Do not put yourself in danger or at risk for the sake of what you think your craft is supposed to look like. I just see a lot of posts geared towards those either working in deep secret or those working completely openly, and I wanted to throw out some tips for anyone else living between those two extremes.
And of course, feel free to add on to this if you have any other tips for those of us in the middle.
