Finding Ambiguous Items

One of the easiest ways to practice your faith and remain in the Broom Closet is to find and use items that are ambiguous and don't readily give away their true symbology. Many former Catholics, for example, have been known to use images of the Virgin Mary, as well as statues, to represent the Goddess in her guise as maiden and mother. While it may seem odd to use the symbols of another religion, the truth is that people borrow from other practices and faiths quite frequently. My thought is to use whatever works, especially if it fits your budget and still holds spiritual value to you.

The Book of Shadows is arguably one of the most important tools of a Wiccan. The idea is to have a space to write down your magical thoughts and to serve as a record for your practices. A spiral bound notebook, though not as beautiful as an elaborate tome, offers the same writing space and looks more normal on the desk. There are even degrees of notebooks, should a drawing book or leather artists portfolio fit more closely to your personality and taste, that offer concealment of your secrets. No one I know of would bother to flip through a notebook on the coffee table because of the presumed boring material inside, but a pewter pentacle laden leather grimoire would not offer the same.

Selecting tools and decor that don't stand out as Pagan but still mean something to you in a spiritual sense can be a lifesaver for those in the confines of the Broom Closet. Letter openers can serve as athames, umbrellas can serve as a useful staff or wand, and the spare sheet can become a cloak in minutes. Think of it as recycling until you are able to obtain your own space for ritual.

Obviously this degree of concealment isn't usually necessary for those that own their own home, but perhaps you don't want your overtly Christian mother in law threaten to take your kids away because you have a mini altar to Brigid above the fireplace. It sucks. It truly does. But sometimes we have to do what we have to do, and not all of us have an attic or a secret room behind a revolving bookcase. But I bet you must of us would like to.

Finding workable tools are easily found at Target or (gasp!) Wal-Mart. Stores that offer affordable home decorating offerings typically have generic candle holders and book ends, not to mention a fabric and craft section that would allow any crafty Witch to make and decorate their own tools. Shopping around Halloween also provides cauldron-looking bowls and costumes that could be converted to more magical attire. Old pillowcases and placemats can become altar cloths and would be passable as table coverings.

Lastly, I want to encourage you to look to nature for items.

Who among us, Witch or not, hasn't brought home a seashell or an acorn? Pretty leaves serve multiple purposes and offer meaning to us while Mrs. Grumpy Inlaw might think it is just a leaf on a table. In a perfect world we wouldn't have to hide our faith, but sometimes we like to keep our faith to ourselves. Happy item hunting and crafting!