Kally's Cauldron

I'm glad to see I've "stirred the cauldron" a little with my post about International Pagan Coming Out Day. I think it's great to get people thinking and talking.

I wanted to clear something up quickly though. While I haven't gone over the IPCOD website with a fine-tooth comb, I don't think "coming out" in this instance requires anything like signing up on their website saying "Hi, I'm so-and-so and I'm a Pagan." I think what they're really trying to accomplish is encourage those who are ready to come out to do so and lend support while they make that transition.

That being said, I can certainly understand why many people are decidedly in the closet. Everyone's circumstances are different. I'm lucky enough to live in an area where most people are relatively accepting or, at worst, indifferent. The people who immediately surround me though don't all fall into the category of either accepting OR indifferent. Knowing their personal beliefs, to admit that I was Pagan to them would render most of them downright hostile. This is why I remain "in the closet". I could care less if the greater world knew of my faith, but it's certain people close to me that I need to keep it from.

This leads to something of a catch 22 though, because I also know that a lot of this fear and hostility is caused by a lack of understanding and knowledge (with a little close-mindedness for good measure). While I don't know that we require an official day to "come out", if you're prepared to deal with the bad as well of the good of that choice, it can be beneficial to the Pagan community as a whole for people to stand up and say "Yep, I am Pagan and I'm not going to be treated like I'm evil because of it". Some of us have to remain in the closet because our lives could literally be destroyed by coming out, but for those of us who really DO have an option *raises hand*, I don't think it's a bad thing to open up about our faith to those around us.

Despite all that, I likely won't be coming out just yet, but for me personally, it's not a question of "if", but "when".