Putting yourself out there

[Solarus]

What's your opinion on pros and cons on explaining to people online (Facebook,etc.) and in person that you're into spirituality/magick/occult/whatever vs. the idea that there's power in silence and that you may get unwanted attention (either harassment or energetic interference from a bunch of people that don't agree or don't understand what you're into)?

I'm tired of no one knowing about my practices. I feel like other people can freely express their mundane interests online and in person but it's tough for me to hide what I do because although I have some other interests, spirituality *is* my life and I really want to share that and get more social and put myself out there. But I don't want to over-share and have that be a reason my spirituality suffers due to down-to-Earth reasons (harassment, etc.) or some karmic reason (is that even possible?) I feel like black people can for the most part be themselves nowadays with less of a chance of harassment and its getting easier for gay people to do the same but magicians/spiritualists must still hide what they do and who they are!! lol I'm completely fine with putting myself out there but I don't want some kind of unintended spiritual blow back. What's been your approach and what has been the response?

Solarus

[manofsands]

I am always myself, but I gauge quantity of information by my company. If questioned I will, however, explain my beliefs in as much painful detail as they care to hear.

Be yourself, but don't throw yourself out there.

If you are yourself you may repel friends of conflicting... frequencies,.. but you will attract ones in resonance, helping your way.

FB is a situation you cannot filter who sees what information,.. so keep that in mind. If you are very comfortable with yourself and your beliefs I'd say post away, but if you were I doubt you'd have posted this in the first place.

[the_spiral]

My family and friends know about my spiritual work and the worst harassment I've experienced is occasionally getting bombarded with requests for help when they're in need of a new job or romance! Beyond that I don't feel the need to "come out" as an occultist as it's not as intrinsic or obvious a part of my identity as being black or gay might be. "Occult" means "hidden" and a lot of what we do just isn't intended for (and won't be understood by) a general public audience. People fear the unknown, and being an object of fear can also make you a target for superstition and scorn. The path can be lonely but solitude has its own rewards.

But if you're really feeling isolated, you might want to seek out an occult group to join either IRL or online. And I've met like-minded people in mundane social settings just by dropping a few bland hints. "Hey, have you ever seen a ghost?" or "I just watched a show about angels...do you think it's possible such beings exist?" are pretty innocuous comments that can open up some interesting conversations.

[Frumens]

You may enjoy reading these threads. Ah, memories...

http://www.occultforum.org/forum/viewto ... 81#p465181
http://www.occultforum.org/forum/viewto ... =2&t=35866

Right now my opinion is that it's good to talk about occultism with people who want to talk about it. When I found out one of my friends believed in ghosts, I gave her my occultism 101 about ghosts and she found it fascinating. She was afraid of turning into a ghost, so I explained why she didn't need to worry about that. I didn't explain how I came to know these things and she didn't ask. Another friend of mine was actively afraid of ghosts, having grown up in a foreign country where most everyone believes in them. He wasn't interested in my theories, but when I told him I saw a ghost behind him he 100% believed me, like we were talking about the weather. So yeah, even if somebody believes in the occult that doesn't mean you should blab about it to them. I have another friend who believes in zero occult things, but I had a lot of fun conversations about it with him just because he's non-judgmental and enjoys chatting with me.

There is power in silence. There are some forms of magic which are empowered by your vow of secrecy, and when you break the vow the empowerment becomes a curse. Furthermore, when I was beginning in the occult and figuring things out for myself, talking about it with skeptics made me feel embarrassed and self-doubtful. That's not a pleasant feeling and not too good for practice either. Also, you may eventually reach a point where your workings become intensely personal, and talking about them with others, even believers, just feels untasteful.

[cyberdemon]

Two things are bad to shove down people's throats unless asked: genitals and spiritual beliefs.
Only my closest friends and my significant other (who is also experienced in occult practices) know that I'm an Occultist. I don't put a more specific label on it simply because I can't, since I consider all available spiritual and scientific knowledge in my beliefs. Either way, I don't talk about them unless asked. It's far more important to people how you behave. Do as you please as long as it harms none.

[Clockwork Ghost]

I'm fairly high profile these days - my company website links to my personal Facebook page, and I'm happy to accept basicaly anyone as a Facebook friend. My company Facebook page uses my personal name too. I'm looking at other forms of public exposure, through newspaper contracts to provide tarot reading segments, and other means to develop more of a public image.

If you decide to become public with your beliefs, consider using the term 'occultist', not 'magician'. Occultism is much more acceptable, and can mean quite a few things. Telling people youre a magician can sound like you're telling them you believe in talking hamsters - pick your audience, and be prepared for a degree of skepticism.

[magari]

What's your opinion on pros and cons on explaining to people online (Facebook,etc.) and in person that you're into spirituality/magick/occult/whatever vs. the idea that there's power in silence and that you may get unwanted attention (either harassment or energetic interference from a bunch of people that don't agree or don't understand what you're into)?

I'm tired of no one knowing about my practices. I feel like other people can freely express their mundane interests online and in person but it's tough for me to hide what I do because although I have some other interests, spirituality *is* my life and I really want to share that and get more social and put myself out there. But I don't want to over-share and have that be a reason my spirituality suffers due to down-to-Earth reasons (harassment, etc.) or some karmic reason (is that even possible?) I feel like black people can for the most part be themselves nowadays with less of a chance of harassment and its getting easier for gay people to do the same but magicians/spiritualists must still hide what they do and who they are!! lol I'm completely fine with putting myself out there but I don't want some kind of unintended spiritual blow back. What's been your approach and what has been the response?

Solarus

I highly recommend rehearsing and practicing your explanation to the individuals closest to you first. You might find that the questions people ask force you to explain concepts that are difficult for most languages as it is. This will also challenge your understanding of the concepts and possibly lead you to further enlightenment as you attempt to organize them in your own head.

You are like a poet, attempting to explain an extremely subjective experience. It can take practice.

[Draco20]

I'm tired of no one knowing about my practices. I feel like other people can freely express their mundane interests online and in person but it's tough for me to hide what I do because although I have some other interests, spirituality *is* my life and I really want to share that and get more social and put myself out there.

It really depends how comfortable and open your are with your beliefs and practices. You also need to assess carefully what will be the impact on your personal life. Can this affect your reputation, relations, professional career ect. ? Do you care if it does? Don't forget that for many people dabbling in occultism is not considered as a 'mundane interest' but as quite eerie and dangerous. It can be diffcult to make them realize that occult science can be a very positive thing in one's life if the intentions are good.

If your life is well established, if you are confident that you will not be afffected by any kind of negative repercussion, than go for it. I personally am quite introverted as an individual, my close family knows about my interest in these subjects for they have seen book titles on my shelves, and that is fine but they do not know about my practices and rituals in particular even if they probably suspect them, for I consider that aspect of my life private. Sometimes I wish I had 'occult friends' though, with which I could speak of these subjects all night long. But anyway, you seem to be an extroverted type of person so I understand you may have different needs and yearnings.

If you decide to become public with your beliefs, consider using the term 'occultist', not 'magician'. Occultism is much more acceptable, and can mean quite a few things. Telling people youre a magician can sound like you're telling them you believe in talking hamsters - pick your audience, and be prepared for a degree of skepticism.

Even the word 'occultism' has a dark connotation, especially in Western societies where the dominating religious paradigm is Judeo-Christian. For it is mistakenly associated with black magick and demons worshipping. I would suggest the word 'esotericism', which even it has a slight difference in it's definition, it does give a clue about one's sorts of practices and beliefs while removing the evil connotation from one's mind. 'Esotericism' is often seen as 'New Age' stuffs, which even if weird, is not perceived as necesserely harmful these days.

[Maya The Generator]

My friends know that I am reading lots of wierd books. If they want to talk with me about it I never have problem with that. Always I tell them that my knowledge is limited and that is My perspective. On the other hand I don't like situations when I hear people talking about what I was telling one of them and they are twisting my words and try to simplify my explanations.

I got one friend that is quiet fascinated in fact I like to dwell in occult and often we talk only because he is really hyped about psychology and I like hyped people. We exchange our perspectives and there is never word of discrimination of other beliefs. [yay]

Praise the Sun [cool]

[ulvfdfgtmk]

I found it helpful, when talking to people, to use words which resonate with them. For example when talking to university students I enter the discussion from a psychological perspective, when talking to people at the gym I point out the strength boost you get when you concentrating on a muscle which often leads to discussions about the power of the mind. Religious people? I offer them my interpretation on a bible verse.
This may not be an all out approach but it helps me to identify who might be interested in a deeper discussions and it saves me the blame of being embarrassed because all I say is accepted in mainstream society/science.

[Rontu]

Pros and cons.. You can get help on your career. You can destroy your image in this life and even end up in the mental hospital for being lunatic.

In my case, online nobody has a clue what I'm doing at all with my life. I do have an account on Facebook but I never post anything.
I have some "fans" and they'd follow/search for information if they'd know, but for everyone's sake I find it better to not share these things (but all of my mates are under 30 with worthless ways of living imo. I'm pretty sure they'd just make a lot of messes if they do something..).

On the other hand, I feel more safe in general for myself.
It's no fun to get on a battlefield with another witch etc (and I still carry some enemies from my past).
So.. I don't understand why anyone would want to be public, I wish your issues with this do not come from being an attention whore (the Internet seems to be full of those and that's just baaaaaaad for them).
I understand that being alone sucks. But if you're too open with wrong people, it can backfire you sooner or later (and this usually happens as far as I know).

I still don't tell much about magick to my family members, but on LHP it's more than common to be silent.
And they're and will be the only ones knowing out from occultist field.

My boyfriend isn't occultist himself, but he's supporting me a lot. I didn't drop a bomb like "Ouu Yeaah Imma a witch!": we moved in together and I took my stuff with me.. The funny part is that he says that he always knew that I must be a witch (for those who know better: I'm not a witch).
Now I'm hiding from his mother because she's way too into this stuff but has no skills herself.. But maybe some day I will come out from the closet, I just need to point out that I'm not a 247 helpdesk.

Till this day, my younger brother still thinks that I'm lunatic with my practices and style of living (he's a total sheep, a sleepwalker, but it's not my job to wake him up). I got bullied at school because he didn't understand that it's not okay to tell to the other kids that I visit graveyards and do weird stuff when I'm at home.
I also made some mistakes by saving some classmates from bad situations. They were not worth it and I got a lot of questions afterwards, none of my answers were good enough for them.

My grandmother used to call me a satan and antichrist.
Now when I'm an adult and it's been shown that I work for "the good side", she has no balls to do that anymore
From my mother, I got insane rages when she found out that I was leading a spiritual session for a mate (at the age of 12 [confused2]) and after that I agreed I will never bother dead people. So as long as I don't do anything stupid, she's fine with me. And she's grateful for saving her husband from death (he's my father also, but I couldn't bring the same man back..I mean he is he, but not totally.. so it's kinda hard to understand that he's still my father).
He doesn't know at all that I still follow the same path as I did as a kiddo, so I have no clue about his opinion nowadays. But before it was an ugly react. And if I'd tell him about what I did to bring him back, he'd probably be just angry because he wishes to die.

If you truly want some occult company around you, what about some sort of school out from the web [question2]
In my path I will join together with those who're following the same path with me.
This gives me power every day (I suffer from social anxiety so I'm not ready for them yet and this post is part of my self training).

I wish you luck with whatever you choose to do, just think twice before acting. And if people are harsh on you: never forget yourself.
If I were you, I'd may consider about making a blog and putting a new email for people to contact. Or starting really softly with the people who are already around me. Don't drop bombs, drop beats.

[Solarus]

This gives me power every day (I suffer from social anxiety so I'm not ready for them yet and this post is part of my self training).

I wish you luck with whatever you choose to do, just think twice before acting. And if people are harsh on you: never forget yourself.
If I were you, I'd may consider about making a blog and putting a new email for people to contact. Or starting really softly with the people who are already around me. Don't drop bombs, drop beats.

Thanks Rontu - your post really touched me and helped me. Social anxiety?? You seem very open and expressive so keep at your self-training - seems to really be helping! [grin] "don't drop bombs, drop beats" - love it.

[Sypheara]

Gotta second the notion of being too open is going to cause alot of issues.

Only about two at most people know about my connections to the Occult world who arn't occultists themselves.

I have no need for anyone else to know - i'm not overly clandestine, im sure with even the smallest poking about it would come to light, but thats different from going and 'shouting it from the rooftops' should we say.