I have been posed with a multitude of questions as of late regarding the specifics of pagan ritual thought and practice.  It has been coming from all over the map.  My sister has been wanting me to help her do a massive home cleansing.  My mother has been asking me for charms for everything from home and auto protection to health to financial prosperity.  (*Please note that these two women are devout, open, loud & proud Christian women.)  For some reason, I have been extremely reluctant to discuss these things with them.  My beau has been exploring a multitude of "alternative" religions since his early teen years.  He's read up Eastern, African, European, and Ceremonial practices.  He frequently asks me my opinions on topics, ideas of application, and overall impressions and sensations of particular places and ritual.  I have not been very forthcoming with explanations to him, either.  

I am reminded of a recent conversation I had a local proprietor of pagan goods.  He related to me a statement made to him by a patron in said patron expressed such displeasure with the outcome of her prayers and petitions to her "Christian God" that she was going to turn to pagan gods and magic to get what she wanted.  In many ways, this is why I have felt inclined to be reticent in discussions with my family members on pagan topics.  It almost seemed that they are trying to supplement their Christianity with aspects of Paganism in order to get what they want.  Many of us who are approached by others for advice on the "how-to" of pagan practice are torn between our desire to help those who are asking for help and our desire to maintain Pagan Spirituality.  After all, how can one expect to reap the benefits of pagan behavior without first having the Love and Respect of our Pagan Gods and Goddesses and a healthy dose of Pagan Spirituality???

And what of my beau?  Certainly, he is not of this ilk.  He has been lovely and understanding of my practices.  (The first time he came to my home he looked around and, noticing that I have MANY altar spaces, asked, "So, what can I touch here?".)  He's obviously not looking to supplement his already existent spirituality, so why am I so hesitant to discuss these matters with him??  Then it struck me:  He's not initiated.

When I was first starting along my path, I tried to stick my toe in the water by cozying up to the pagans I knew and asking questions.  However, no one was exceptionally willing to open up to me and volunteer information.  It was once I put on my big girl pants and asked to tag along and be included in the local pagan comings-and-goings that I finally was able to get my hands dirty in the practice of the Craft.  It was a bit frustrating at first but made it all the more worth while when I finally gained admittance to this unique brethren.  

Wiccan and Paganism in general are MYSTERY RELIGIONS.  It isn't much of a mystery when we are proselytizing the "Good News of the Goddess".  We are keepers of the Inner Mysteries in order not only to protect ourselves from those who would seek to harm us but also to protect our faith & practice from being perverted.  There are so few true traditions that remain in the realm of paganism that we must be careful to hold true and proper respect for them.  As we, as a people, have evolved, we have also developed new traditions to fit our modern needs.  These, too, must be protected and properly revered.  The more we share the Inner Mysteries of our traditions, the more potential exists to have them watered down.  So, while my beau is smart and insightful and an overall lovely (and handsome) human being, I choose to keep parts of my practice to myself.  Not because I don't trust him or respect him, but because he hasn't been trained enough in my tradition to fully understand and properly revere my trad's practices.  Likewise, if he chose to initiate into some Ceremonial Magical Tradition (his natural leaning is towards such), I certainly wouldn't expect him to discuss the inner workings of his path to me.

So, what can we disclose and what should we keep to ourselves???  A good rule of thumb is the Esbat v. Sabbat ruling:  If it takes placed in a closed Esbat, it should remain secret; if it is part of an open Sabbat, it can be discussed at length within open society.  Discuss general crystal and herbal uses??  Sure!  Share the contents of your (or your coven/grove/circle's) Book of Shadows??  Not so much.

At the end of the day, we are called to both maintain our Craft traditions and serve as a light to those seeking the Path (without being evangelical).  When in doubt, meditate and ask the Lord and Lady.  If someone is looking to get rich quick or win the person of his/her dreams, then you can respectfully back off.  If someone is looking for help in a just cause, then you will be compeled to help in the proper and most effective manner.  And if someone is truly being set upon the Path by the Lord and Lady, then that, too, will be undeniable and Deity will most certainly move you into the position to be that guide.

No matter what the case, it's important to remember what we women have always known:  A little mystery is a good thing.

Pánta eteléutêsan
*~Delphy~*