Do you keep your beliefs secret?

[will0_wisp]

Hi everybody,
I am curious to know if anyone has encountered the dilema of who to tell/share your beliefs with. I have a child whom I wish to to discuss my beliefs with openly, but am afraid that she may speak openly about them with people that I would prefer not to know about my beliefs. How does one open the door of communication for one person yet close that same door to others? .....ummm especially where one's family would not be 'accepting' of the ideas?
Thank you
will0_wisp *please note that the 'o' in willo is actually a zero :) *

[Lavender]

Hi will0_wisp! Let me welcome you to Mysticwicks first & offer you some lemonade. :wave:

You might be interested in checking out the Family forum. There's a couple of discussions going about the same situation. Maybe one of the kind moderators here can move it for you? Or you can post the question there too.

How old are your children? I think what you tell them depends on their age & understanding.

[msilvercat]

Hello and Blessed Be!

You're in a tough spot. Kids are so wonderful in their complete lack of censorship regarding what comes out of their mouths, so I understand your unease about talking to your child. However, children really do understand (and pick up on) a lot more than we give them credit for. If you hide your beliefs from him/her, it may result in some tension and feelings of being excluded that you really don't want.

That having been said, I confess to not having any children of my own (although I am hopeful), so I can't give you any specific advice other than to check out CIRCLE ROUND, by Starhawk and others (whose names I can't recall off the top of my head - my apologies). It is a book about raising children in the Goddess tradition, and has gotten wonderful reviews. Perhaps she and her co-authors would have some helpful hints or insights.

Best of luck, and if you figure it out, please let us know. I, for one, might be in your shoes some day. ;-)

[Lavender]

Here's a thread about this from the Family forum. :)

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=805

[will0_wisp]

Originally posted by Wildchild
Here's a thread about this from the Family forum. :)

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=805
Greetings again,
Thank you very much this is very, VERY helpful :) I really appreciate the time and effort.
BB and Warm Wishes,
Will0_Wisp

[will0_wisp]

Thank you SO much. Starhawk was recommened to me by one of my closest friends so I am a bit familiar with the author. I will certainly check into that. I think I will speak in a round about way with my daughter explaining certain aspects yet not revealing it's source *as if that made sense :) *. The line between saying too much and saying too little is very fine and tend to become blurred right at the moments you wish it not to. ..... and of course the ever pondering/comtemplating 'why?' questions that kids have doesn't make that line anymore clear :) HA! You are correct, children do know much more than what we give them credit for. But in that same token, we try to recapture that same 'innocence' so that we may view the world with the eyes of a child. They are the most magickal ones of all for that reason.
Hey, Wildchild gave me this address to another thread that deal with the same issues that you and I are facing. I took a quick peek and found it very useful. It's http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthre...s=&threadid=805
. I wish you luck with having your own child - I would imagine that it will occur when you'd least expect it. :) May the Goddess bless you as you have blessed others. :)
BB and Warm Wishes,
Will0_Wisp

[Lavender]

My son is almost 12. (Wow! Where did that time go?!) For us, he grew up with my *ahem* weirdness. :D

There are ways of presenting the pagan way of life to a child. Depending on the age of the child, you can tailor explanations to suit their ages & understanding. While they may not be ready to do a full ritual with you, you might teach them simple things. Like when you're gardening, have them help you. Gardening is an excellent tool for presenting the Goddess to children. Or tech them the preliminaries of meditaion such as focusing good thoughts when they're scared.

We try to encourage our son to ask lots of questions. My mom is a strong Christian & he had gone to church with her for a while. He came to the realization that Christianity is not for him much to my mom's dismay. Whether or not he will be pagan or whatever, we try to encourage him to learn about different cultures & religions. I find it a learning experience for me too. Whatever I can't answer, we research it out together.

[will0_wisp]

Pardon my humor or lack thereof :)
I think that it is very wonderful that you can share your ideas with your son. It is a great comfort to me to know that this is possible without tears on either side. :)
My daughter loves gardening and I have indeed found it very useful....as well as star-gazing and candle making.
This is new territory for both of us because she is learning the 'reasons behind' what I do. *We just recently moved in with her stepfather who is quite open about it ....I, myself, was not*.
The troubles occur due to conflicting persceptives between my family and ours. She has been told by her grandparents that anyone who is not "Christian will certainly be "hell-bound". I am to tolerate this behavior yet not be tolerated????
I wish her to make her own decisions about religion, but it is very difficult when ours is veiled and steeped in "Hollywood superstion and misunderstandings".
She would be wonderful in a 'ritual setting', but I am not sure how to tell her to 'keep it within the family".
Thankfully we do not have much contact with her grandparents. I wonder if there are any children her age that can identify with her. She does have 1 friend who is going through the same thing, but I don't know........
And that concludes my little 'babble-session" :)
May the Light you show others shine into Eternity.
Will0_Wisp