I have worn my pentagram "in public" for years. I grew up in a tiny town in the South in the very heart of the Bible belt. My grandmother (who was my teacher) warned me to beware those around me including my own family members as they would not understand. But when I was in my teens, I didn't care what anyone thought including my parents. My father saw my pentagram one day and locked me in my bedroom accusing me of being possessed by the devil. I tried to convince him otherwise but he would not listen. Soon, everyone in the town was convinced I was possessed by the devil and that our town had a satanic cult in it. Soon, it was in the newspaper and the rumors and general hysteria was in full force. My father forced me to have an "exorcism" given to me by a baptist preacher. Needless to say, it didn't work becuase i wasn't possessed. But they didn't understand. Alas, I had to leave the city and eventually the state. I now live across the country and have no contact with my family as they have since disowned me. I am 25 years old now and I wear my pentagram proudly. I live in a big city now and most people around here could care less what you wear let alone what you believe.

Bless you and the service you do to our community!
Blessed be!
-- Slate

I used to have a really gorgeous pentacle pendant, actually, I had quite a couple of them already, I seem to be very unlucky with jewelry though at times, I have lost every single one of mine. I did wear it all the time though, and now have a pentacle ring that I wear constantly. I have never received negative comments about mine, except for when I was at University, when I was branded as a Satanist by a group of very fundementalist young Christians. I now wear a silver Ankh, which I have had for a number of years, and seems to stick with me.

I think quite often people have a negative perception of anything they do not understand, and that there are witches who do try to portray that 'evil' look too. it doesn't happen too often that I have to answer questions about my religion, but when I do, I state the facts. I have not had to defend it as yet, except for on IRC, where we (a couple of witches) have had to deal with a lot of negativity from Christians. At the end of the day, belief is something relevant to the individual, and if I can just convince them that we do not worship the devil, I am pretty happy.

IceDragon

Hello!

I'm Laura, an 18-yr-old Wiccan currently in Texas. I've had a couple of questions asked about the two pentacles I wear (at different times), but I've been fortunate enough not to be persecuted (even in the bible-thumping South) consistently. I've been asked if I'm a satanist, and told I'm going to hell, but it was never made into a big deal. I think for the most part, the people I am around keep their negative comments to themselves, if they have any.

The strangest question I've ever had involving my pentacle was when my P.E. coach in HS asked me if it was the "lone star of texas"! (it's a solid star within a ring.)

For me, wearing a pentacle is not only a way of affirming my faith but also a way of finding other Wiccans. I go to a Jesuit college, and felt like I was the only Pagan on campus until (the day before Samhain, no less) I found someone in the cafeteria who was also wearing one, and another day that I wore it I was approached by another Wiccan where I tutor grade school kids.

There's something I think should be addressed by pentacle-wearers, and I hope I don't sound too much like my old choir director. ;) I've seen a lot of kids call themselves "pagan" or "witch", bedecked in runes and pentacles who don't know what the heck they're dealing with (a la "the craft"). *Especially* when I wear my pentacle, I try to act with love and compassion, because I feel like my necklace makes me a representative of the Craft. Ya know? I don't want people to get the wrong impression of Wicca because of one example, because I know that happens with other religions. I think that because our numbers are hidden, that generalization can hurt us more than if someone were to generalize about Christianity or Islam, etc.

Ok, i had to get that off of my chest. :)

In perfect love and perfect trust,

Laura

Hey everyone!!!!!!! It's ~kustar@shore.intercom.net~ again!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who have emailed me since I posted me original message! (There have been over 3 hundred!!!!) It's great to know that people are that inetrested in what kids today think about what's going on in our communities!!!

Since my original post, things have gotten a little better in my town - More people know me and have taken the time to understand the basics - I am not a Satan worshipper, no sacrifices, etc. And I've acquired some great friends as well!!! I'm 15 now and a freshman in high school, and life is a great deal happier. There will always be people who cannot (or will not) understand, and there's nothing anyone can do about that but try their hardest to deal with the ignorance they project. Just remember - whatever you say or do comes back to you times three or more!

So that everyone knows, I have a new email address!!!!! It's lady_moonraven@hotmail.com

Please feel free to send me your letters and comments as always - I love hearing from all of you!!!!

Hugs and Brightest Blessings,
~*Raevyn Storm*~

I wear a Ringed Pentagram all the time. Because it is ringed may disguise it from most, but I really don't care. I don't hide my religion, but I also don't announce it, I just am. I have only had one friend who asked me what it represented and I told her and she thought it was very nice. Most of my friends know what my religion is, and many are very supportive and have already left the teachings of the Christian church but have not picked up the Wiccan path, it they ever will. I wear my pentacle on a necklace and it is about the size of a quarter. My family is not aware of my religious affiliation (they still think that I am agnostic) and have never bothered to ask about my pentagram. I am proud of my beliefs and feel that wearing the pentacle openly is the same as Christians wearing their crosses openly. It is a sign of your beliefs. I recently spoke to my sister about how I am Wiccan. She new that I left the Church seven years ago but did not know that I found a new religion and she was wary because she thought I was a witch. Many of you call yourselves witches, and that is fine, but I do not call myself a witch and have not yet had the chance to open a circle yet (I found Wicca less than a year ago). Witch is a term created by those Christians who burned Wiccans and Pagans. It was used to refer to Druids and the such since it was illegal to call them what they really were. I was just thinking that most Christians today are horribly ignorant even as far as their religion is concerned. If you go into Amish or Menanite country and show them your pentacle, they won't think anything about it. They know what it means and appreciate it. The Pennsylvania Deutsch converted the pentacle symbol into the original Hex mark to protect against Satan. I can't understand while people are scared to come out about their being Wiccan, especially in the work place. If you are fired because of your religious beliefs (at least in the USA), you can sue the bastards for wrongful termination and discrimination. There are so many laws against discrimination of anyting that any attorney will take your case because it is an easy win. So screw the people who think you are satanic and evil, karma will get in the end.

And if it harm none, do as yee will.
Merry Part.
jamara@ptdprolog.net

I am a 9th grader in a town and school full of Christians. Ever since I started wearing my pentacle necklace, I have allowed no predujuce to get in the way of wearing it all the time. It really disgusts me when I see how everyone reacted at first. They started asking me quqestions like"Do you kill animals?"," Are you evil", and the one that got to me the most was"Are you a satanist", or just telling me that is what my pentacle(and my reliogion) are, SATANIST! That is the biggest pile of cr*p I have ever heard. Excuse me for sounding like A complainer,But I am really frustrated.

And lately, there is this one person at my school who wont leave me alone about it(unlike everyone elseexcept my friends, who leave leave me alone about the subject). He keeps asking me why I wear it, and that I am a satanist, and that hte pentacle is a satanic symbol. And the fact that I have a few emotional problems that cause me to be extremly shy, doesnt help much in explaining the meaning of it(and the idea of pagans, if they ask). As much as I would like to explain it, myshyness would imeatly kick in and I would hide back(as from any comment from someone I dont know very well), and just say something like"no, itsnot evil", and that would be all.

I know I should explain the pentacles meaning, and I am finnally forming a little(somewhat disorganized) speech in my head to tell that person who wont leave me alone, or anyone else for that matter. I decided it would go something like this:

"The points o the star represent the 5 elementals(list them)., and the circle connects them all as one."

Then if they still arent convinced I might just say plainly that Paganism is a earth based religion, that believes in working with nature,and go from there. Of course when I get over my shyness, I can wear my pentacle and be able to explain it with confidence.
stew@peak.org

i can't say that i'm a wiccan yet because i feel i have alot more to learn but i have been wearing a pentacle for some time.i consider myself a solitary person when i do become more involed.my husband is very understanding on what i want to be i think he wants to join me.but yes i do get asked about my pentacle. it's sad cause people think right away i'm a santanist ,i just laugh and tell them that i'm not that i'm a witch or wiccan. they just can't grasp that idea.since there is only one god how can you say that you worship the goddes and god. somtimes i get mad and upset that people can be so narrow-mined about things. some people i talk to that ask me about my pentacle are interested in hearing about it.i do wear my pentacle all the time. my kids who are in their 20's don't say much they seem to except it. i just wish everyone would just read up on being a wiccan or pagan maybe they would understand it much better but i feel as long as we have all types of relgion,there is giong to be conflict . merry meet ,merry part
sunshine

I always wear my pent in public. I have nothing to hide. If I am called a Satanist, I say "You have to believe in Satan first darling". I work hard to help change the image others have about us. My husband is in the Navy, and we lead wiccan circle on the base where we live. It has taken time to get his command to cooperate with us, and believe that we will not try to convert (proselytize) all of the other sailors to our religion. When christians try to convert me or ask me why I believe what I do, the answer is easy--with Wicca/paganism I can see the evidence that the God and Goddess exist all around me every day, can Jesus do that for me? I don't think so.
lfarquhar@mpdr0.chicago.il.ameritech.net

I am 15 and I live in Indonesia where I go to an International School. Usually you'd think that in this International environment, there would be tolerance but I am sad to say that it has not helped me at all. I get yelled at by the Christian population. I am the main source of class ridicule. Many stories are made abuot me... not only about my practice but other things. I feel hurt and I want to move from the school. I have never been bashfull about my practice, and I've always worn whatever 'special' jewelry I wanted. I would feel very alone if I did not have my friends that support me and keep as many people as they can off my back. Just yesterday I was on a hill celebrating Summer Solstice and my mom was on look out for anyone that my stumble upon me and my doings. I feel trapped.

I want the people of the world to know that this practice was here way before any other religions. The Christian people, who, I am sure you will agree, are like a common 'enemy' and have been dogging Wiccans for ages; burning them even. I chose the Sun God, Lucifer, which AMAZINGLY is the Devil of the Christian religion. I find it very ironic that the Devil of Christianity came from the exact country that the Pope lives in, don't you?

This is all I have to say and I hope that this world will become a more tolerant place, like the United Nations wanted it to be three years ago. Tolerance is the only key to peace.
S.R.dl.N.

On an individual basis you can do any one of these for pesky people that call you satanist, evil, witch...ect: ignore them completely, partally ignore them (don't look at them)and say "whatever" in an unimmused manner, or look at them and say dramatically but not angrily "yes! I am a witch! aaaa!" which either scares them away or makes them curious (so you can explain what you are really about).

On a larger scale, though, to stop the misunderstandings, we need to advertise on TV. Many people watch tv, so if we could buy a good time slot on a frequently watched channel (and I would imagine that anyone watching would pay attention as soon as they heard "witch") it would dramatically help our cause.
rosejim@indy.net

Hi!

I wear two pentagrams - one is a silver ring that I bought for myself some years ago. To me it symbolises my commitment to the Craft, and I never take it off. The second pentagram is the one that I wear on a silver chain around my neck, and haven`t taken off for years (I forget just how long it has been). The reason? My husband bought it for me when I was a girl of sixteen and he was a boy of eighteen. We had just started dating seriously and he thought that I would like it. As simple as that. That was fifteen years ago. We have now been married for thirteen years and have two children, both of whom are Pagan. I would never take either of my pentagrams off - they mean far too much to me.
warren@abercorn.globalnet.co.uk

I was raised a Christian but could never reconcile how my family could be called Christian when my grandfather was a dowser and half the family was psychic in some form or another.I never felt comfortable in church it was as though something was wrong with me, I was bad because my family was different and God frowned on such goings on even though we couldn't help our natural talents.

It took me years to stumble upon paganism the path that I had been unconciously following for sometime.It all felt right to me(okay the pentagram took me awhile to get used to,lot of conditioning had to be broken).What amazes me is the close-minded people that I work with,one is a Christian that gives the word narrow-minded a whole new meaning and yet she can do things that are completely against the very religion that she professes.

I am fortunate that I am not the only pagan on the job, nor I am secure enough to completely come out of the closet,I admire one of the people on the job who is very open,wearing the pentagram somewhere in site everyday and who has caught flack from others. I do wear my pentagram in public and although my husband does not approve he has yet to decline to go anywhere with me because of it. I often read at work and do not limit what I read or try to hide the covers, the latest book I read Embraced By The Moon, had one co-worker wanting to know if I was going to cast a spell on him and turn him into a toad,ha ha.

I deal with negativity by realizing that people are afraid of what they cannot understand and knowing that you can't make them understand if they don't want too.
Autumn

The only ones who have ever said anything to me about worshipping the devil are my peers. Those older either say nothing or comment that they have friends who are also Wiccan. The best comments are those of youngsters. I have had a lot think that the penagram means I am Jewish :). Once I explain that it means that I believe in a God and a Goddess they either don't believe me or think it's cool! I do live in South West Wisconsin, which has a high population of Wiccans, but the acceptance from most is amazing. I wear the penagram proudly.
hohearn@ibm.net

I have worn a silver pentagram necklace for about 5 years now, and a ring for 3. It is my betrothal (engagement) ring, and was given me by John who I met via the Internet in 1995 and is now my husband. Our betrothal took place at Glastonbury, in the Chalice Well Gardens, and we always keep some water from the Goddess well in the house for rituals and blessings.

Before I met John, I had a relationship which ended very badly and nearly resulted in my taking my own life. I was almost in a coma from the pills I had taken, but heard the Goddess calling me back. I feel that she had work for me to do and a true partner to find, and that she was not willing to let me pass across at that stage of my life. From what I took, I should be dead, or at the least, on a dialysis machine. By her grace I am still here and in good health again, physically and spiritually.

Apart from having it mistaken for the Star of David - I work in a company where there are many Jewish people - I have had few comments of any kind, and nothing unpleasant. I came across this site, looking for some notes to give a friend who asked what they symbol meant and why I wore it.

I am surprised that fellow wiccans in the USA, where it is supposedly a recognized religion under the USA constitution, have more problems than we do here in the UK. A government body - English Heritage - refuse to let us gather at one of the major sites of significance in the UK- Stonehenge, to celebrate the great festivals, in the name of 'conservation' but otherwise I have never come across anyone who has been seriously persecuted.

Blessed Be
jenny_fletcher@compuserve.com

I'm very happy to say that everyone who knows me knows my beliefs and respects them. No one, not friends, co-workers, nor even my bosses have ever asked me not to wear my religious symbol, nor have they ever asked me to hide it inside my shirt. What's sort of humourous is I once went with a girlfriend to a small Baptist church on Halloween night, just be- cause her father was a guest preacher there and she had to deliver some- thing to him, dressed in full witchy outfit, with a large black-and-gold pentegram necklace, a small brass cauldron, the whole nine yards, and I had little Christian ladies coming up to me and remarking how beautiful they thought it was!! One even asked me where I had gotten such a unus- ual, unique pendant! Not only that, but I even got first place for the Halloween costume contest they were having!
Kelly J. Barnett

Fnord!

It's me, your friendly neighborhood solitary/discordian/witch again!

I say with some chagrin that I have not found a pentacle suited for me yet. Either it's made of platnium, which is all nice and good, except for the really expensive part, or it has a Star Sapphire the size of my head embedded in it, which no one needs. I keep hoping to find one that has a Hodge-Podge (Discordian Ying-Yang) in the middle, but no luck yet!

However. Even though I do not wear a pentacle, I have made my religion know quite openly in my school, (I'm in grade 9, they all probably just ignore me :Þ) and I don't recieve much negativity for it. In fact, just the opposite. I have a lot of people who ask me quite seriously for love spells, or charms, and a select few who I had the honour of teaching about Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism in general.

I deal with the ones who are negative by tryng to prove I'm not Satan Incarnate, and if that doesn't work, I let them have thier beliefs. It is not mine to say what they can believe. The worst incident I ever had happen was when someone took a felt-tipped pen to all of the stuff in my locker, books, etc. and drew a cross on all of them. Later that day, the antagonist, who had been pointed out to me be a friend, had his skateboard run over. He accused me of "Puttng the BAD mamajamas(?)" on him, which led into a knife fight. Well, he had a knife. I had a tree branch. I won. Guess he didn't know I took Kendo. (Staff-Fighting, self defense. Great stuff.) He's left me alone, probably to go off somewhere and lick his wounds.

My mother was a Goddess-send in helping me come out. She understood me all the way, and said, "I think you are a smart individual, and respect your choices." Actually, at first, she thought I wanted to conver to Judaism...

So.

I strongly urge all pagan-folk to wear thier respective holy symbols proudly, speak smartly, and carry a big stick.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Eris bless, and Tyr keep your feet dry,
Shadetree (of #wicca)

I read all the comments on this subject and feel bad for those people who had bad experiences. I, myself,do not have a pentacle yet, but I do wear a goddess figure. The only thing that has happened to me is meeting another Wiccan. I'm lucky enough to have very loving and open-minded friends and wish the same for all of you.
Shannon

I have two...a small one that I where all the time & a large one I wear out. I work in a hospital & it is pointless trying to explain to the patients what my religion is so I wear a small pentagram under my shirt. However when I go out it's a different story & when I'm called a Satanist I simply reply "how can I worship something I don't believe exists?"
kghock@intertech.Net.au

I live and work in Malibu California and have worn a small pentagram around my neck quite often. Some of my co-workers have asked me about it and I have told them in brief. Some laugh and call me a freak, and say I'm "looking for attention". (However I am not the one who constantly reminds the staff of my chosen religion) I think their ignorance frightens them and because of that, they are afraid to ask questions. I have had one person ask me for more detail,( we'll call her Trish),and I gave her the book "The Truth About Witchcraft Today". I prefer she found her own understanding. She read the book and it did not "touch" her in the way it did me, and that is fine. But she does have an understanding of my religion and no longer belives the hype of satanism related to Wicca. She actually said it was quite beautiful. We have become good friends and often discuss our different beliefs. She is Christian and I understand why that works for her.

I wish in all the world people would just UNDERSTAND why "the other person" whomever it may be, follows the path they have chosen. I for one am glad the world has so many different religions. We are all going the same direction, just taking different paths. I srtongly believe there is no wrong religion as long as it stems from love and understanding.

One of my co-workers is Jewish. He asked me if my people were waiting for the coming of Satan so I can slaughter animals for him!! Trish replied "Thats as ignorant as me asking if you are waiting for the second coming of Christ so you can kill him again!" We think he got the message. He no longer makes comments.

Now when nasty comments are directed to me, Trish defends me and my religion which throws the staff for a loop!!!!!!! We just share a content grin and go about our work.
missykat@earthlink.net

Merry Meet

It's been so wonderful reading all the comments on this page. Not just literate and well written, but concerned and dignified. Some people are understandably frustrated and annoyed by bad treatment, but almost everyone has displayed great tolerance of the uneducated and often bigoted [mostly] Christians in their lives.

I'm still waiting for my pentagram to arrive. I've ordered a lovely one from a US website. Curse the slowness of the postal service :) I'm really looking forward to wearing it when it arrives. It incorporates a stag's head to show that I am a devotee of Cernunnos.

I have been inching my way out of the broom closet all this winter. I began on the solstice with a tattoo of the stag's head on my left arm. My Mum was shocked :) but once she saw how nice it was she calmed down. My mother in law made some disparaging comment about human sacrifice (though not to my face) and keeps saying she thinks it's awful (looks like a mouse with antlers). I think her main problem is that I chose an exotic animal. I think if I'd put a kangaroo there she'd have been much happier :)

Then I got a tattoo on my right arm. A cat, for the goddess. Everyone really likes the cat face because it looks so very much like my cat Jim, who died. I think it's rather funny that I got a black cat when Jim died. No one has made the connection, mainly I guess because we like our cats for their personalities, not their colour, and Fred has a lot of personality.

My latest tattoo is a pentagram, though it's kind of a wussy one. It's disguised as the calyx of an apple blossom. It's on my left ankle. If you look quite closely you can see it's a pentagram. If you don't, it's just a nice, stylised flower. I'm waiting for summer when I'm uncovered and there might be some comments then.

Bright blessings to you all.
*:)
amanda

I'm 15 and I got my pentagram for my birthday. It's nothing fancy, but it was my favourite present and I wear it all the time.

Some of my best friends at school are Roman Catholics, but they didn't mind when I started wearing it to school. One girl, who actually wears a Celtic symbol, told me it was the sign of the devil, but I just told her it was the church saying that anything un-christain was Satanistic.

I do hide it in front of one of my friend's parents, because i don't want to offend them. They are strict Catholics and I know that their daughter would get in trouble for hanging out with me if they knew.

But mostly i just tell people Wicca is a religion, and like all religions it has it's symbol, and i wear that sybol to show my faith.
Liadlaith

I have always worn my pentagram in public and am not in any way threatened by other people's comments as i feel we are all entitled to our opinions, be they somewhat narrow minded sometimes! I live in the UK and many people are curious about my practices, rather than dismissive. I am proud to wear a symbol of what i believe to be true.
Cerridwen Greene

I guess I have been very lucky in that I havent had too many bad experiances while wearing my pentagram. I have been asked.....by a lot of cops. But thats b/c my dad is a cop and his friends see it and ask to make sure we understand eachother. I explain that it is a symbol of my religion and it represents air , fire, water , and earth plus the spirit. Usually I get "Oh , ok...thats neat". Sometimes just funny looks but either way, I refuse to hide what I am. I had a real problem with standing up for myself until I found wicca, that gave me the strength to be who I am and I would never trade that!!
katraven@hotmail.com

I almost always have a pentagram on me somewhere. When people call me a satanist I explain to them that there is nothing satanic about loving the earth and having a goddess and a god. I think that everyone who is wiccan or otherwise should not be afraid to let their love be known. Blessed be.
Hugginn@aol.com

I, too, am currently hiding in the proverbial 'broom closet'. Throughout my life, the only gods I believed in were the earth and sky; I was making up my own 'nature ceremonies' in kindergarten. I only recently discovered that there was a name for what I felt and believed... imagine my surprise when I discovered that the name for it was 'witchcraft'!! I'm constantly harassed about it in public (my family doesn't know yet), told I'm going to hell, etc. I don't want to bash anyone's religion, but it's gotten to me. I recently had a woman standing next to me in line at the bank tell me I was going to burn in hell for being a devilworshipper. I asked her what she thought the Pentacle represented, and she said, "It represents Satan, everybodyknows that." I replied, "Well, everyone's TAUGHT that, but it's not true." I started to explain to her that wicca is a loving and beautiful philosophy celebrating life, but she replied, "Well, I know you people have to SAY that, but Christians know the truth. The Bible says it's the devil's work." I laughed, which really boiled her brew, let me tell you. I said, "Of COURSE the Bible has nothing good to say about wicca. Pepsi certainly doesn'thave anything good to say about Coke, or Ford about Chevy." She assured me I would burn in Hell for cheapening the Bible that way. I said, "Love and life are the only real religion. What you call it is just details." She stomped out, and as I took my place at the teller's booth, an older man at the next booth said to me, "I don't know about witchcraft and the Bible, but I do know that any God who'd send you to Hell for loving the world you live in isn't worth worshipping i the first place." It was an enlightening experience; I ended up having to change banks. Now when I go out, I wear my Pentacle inside my shirt, closer to my heart... and hidden from rabid Christians. It makes me feel dirty, somehow, to hide it... but I'm not one to back down from a confrontation, once it gets rolling, and I can't create scenes like that everywhere I go.
kadybr549@webtv.net

In the last few years I've decided that while I don't hide who I am, I don't announce to all "HEY I"M A PAGAN!". Those who are observant enough to notice that I'm the weird one ask questions, others are, well, oblivious. I am in Law enforcement and have been the target of two people's hatred and through them a supervisor. They never did anything openly to me, but they cornered my friends and forced them to choose. Me or acceptance by the shift. One chose the shift (i wish her well) one chose me and was promptly under scrutiny by the supervisor, as was I. Now that I'm no longer with that group I've found out other things that were done to me behind my back. I always wondered why supervisors disliked me. As to what we can do. Always present your best side. Believe me I know what I'm asking. Remember the people who are the most negative have years of negativity about us rammed down their throats. They also have ignorance and fear to contend with. When there are intelligent questions posed answer them in simple terms. Don't throw mystical phrases and ambigious flowery language at them, they'll think you don't know what your talking about. But remember always be willing to talk (if you're out of the broom closet).
Tigerhawk

I am a teen, so naturaly i get crap for my belief. Being in a school, it is hard to keep anything a secret. So in school i do not keep my religion secret to those i feel fit to take it.

Most reactions i get are from a christian point of view of satanism. Most think that, because i wear a pentical i am a satanist. Most all this comes from what Disney and Film makers set out infront of people.

I found a statement said by someone that i dont know, to be very true.

"Hate comes from fear"

What better way is there to stop hate then expel the fear. I do this by simply explaning what i can to the acuzationers, in the given time. By the time i am done most suport, understand, and or want to study it even further more. It is amasing to think that someone just acused you to be a satanist then 30minutes later want to study in more depth what you have said.

If we are to change, and we will, what the past and still present are setting up for witches we need to be more understanding to the acuzitions placed infront of us. I can see no one, especialy a Christian, respecting our religion just because something on TV said it was not all it looks to be. We need to get to the souls of all people in order for them to understand. Not to talk to them through a box when they are not even paying attention. I mean get real.

A good thing to do would be to stop the movies comeing out about witchcraft, but that will not happen . . . people long for something to hate, especialy something they dont know the half of. Movie makers love to do witchy movies because so many people dont know about it and feel that if the see this movie they will.

If they were going to make a movie about real witchcraft, theme and all, it would suck!. I think this because you can not really put a plot to something like that. NOW if they did stick with the prosicution deal in the movie against us and showed a strugle and included REAL beliefs, then that would be a good movie. BUT who will watch it? i know we all might . . . but a movie that touching to us is not that much to others . . .

I still think the best way is to deal with people one at a time as they come. I dont sugest FORCING our views what so ever, (IE. No public speaking to NON-PAGAN directed audiances UNLESS they are intrested)

ONE AT A TIME . . . "slow and steady wins the race"
burton_1@hotmail.com

I am a Teen Wiccan in my junior year of high school. I wear my pentaccle everyday and even have a grieving pentaccle on my rearview mirror. I am proud of my religion and don't mind the negative comments when they come. they do come though....often. Occasionally my close friends will joke about it and that is fine. ( I have one friend who constantly asks me to turn him into a frog.) The negative comments to tend to come more frequently. I have had my car drapped in bible sayings by a neighborhood woman who saw my pentaccle, I have had teachers come down on my religion in front of classes calling me all types of names, and worst of all i occasionally lose boyfriends over their misunderstanding on my beliefs. It is hard but I make it through.
Wicnchic@aol.com

I have been a Solitary Kitchen-Witch for some time now -- many years. I seldom wear my pentagram in public because I prefer to keep my religion and beliefs to myself. While I am proud of who I am and what I believe, it is no more anyone else's business than if I were simply involved in a mainstream, organized religion. I believe I suffer from what many others of the faith suffer from and that is the age-old fear of persecution by those who don't/won't understand what being a witch really means. As a recovering Catholic, I remember the messages pounded into our little heads growing up -- and I remember that we were discouraged from asking questions or investigating anything that we weren't taught in church. Many people don't recover from this upbringing and, in fact, become so staunchly entrenched in the beliefs that anyone who believes differently becomes the enemy. Why have so many wars been fought in the name of the Christian God?

By all means, I am very deeply committed to promoting Wicca/Paganism as it truly is and dispelling the myths which Christianity has so successfully perpetuated throughout the ages. When I overhear others discussing my religion as Satanism, I interject that it is impossible for those of Pagan/Wiccan faith to worship an entity they simply do not believe in, and I remind others that all religious symbols can be bastardized.

I believe that I can share my beliefs, but only with those who matter -- the general public does NOT. The Burning Times may be over in terms of the illegality of burning people at the stake for their beliefs, but it is still rampant in the persecution imposed on us by those ignorant and ruled by fear.
Willow Woman