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Lisa Andruszkow's avatar

I struggle with it, expressing my witch-i-ness. There are those close to me that know I believe differently. I don't really know if they accept it, tolerate it, or are just indifferent to it. I still have a hard time saying I am a witch sometimes. I was raised Catholic too. I don't know if it's that or something deeper.

Sometimes I feel like I struggle with it because I don't have the right tools, I don't have a group I can join in with, practicing is sporadic on the best of days. I often feel like I am still deep in the recesses of the broom closet. I do want to change all that. One of the first things I think I need to get over or passed is that everything has to perfect and I have to have all the right things.

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

Thank you for sharing this, Lisa 💖 I totally get where you're coming from. It can sometimes feel like such a lonely road, and finding a community that believes the same as you can make a HUGE difference. Though, I know that in itself can feel challenging, too. For the first time in my life, I've started finding my sisters here on Substack. I didn't know this was what would come when I joined because I had other intentions for joining this platform. Yet, as often happens, the Universe has a bigger plan in mind. Feel free to reach out anytime. I love connecting with others on this journey of coming out of the broom closet. It's our time. 🥰💜

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Allysha Lavino's avatar

Owning the witch is super scary—so many of us have memories of being burned. I went as a witch for Halloween and actually told everyone that I was a real witch. It was bizarre and empowering, and no one was surprised. But I was surprised by how awesome everyone was about it.

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

How awesome! I love hearing your Halloween story. I can imagine it was so empowering and even better that people were receptive to it. A beautiful sign that times are shifting 🥰🌹💜

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Sylvia Rose's avatar

I’m so glad you wrote this—it helped me feel less alone. You put words to what I’m going through, right down to how I tighten up when police officers are around. Raised Protestant, but it also left its mark.

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

Thank you for sharing this Sylvia 💜🫶 It can be a lonely journey, I know this well. Now, we’re coming together to walk the path together again 🌹

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Jenna Newell Hiott's avatar

Beautiful, Alysia! Thank you so much for your courage to write this, to own it, to step into your witchy power. 💖😍 Coming up in lesson two of our ancestor class, we'll be focusing on ancestral wounds. This witch wound is a big one! So many of our foremothers (and fathers) had to take their magical ways and knowings underground or were persecuted for it. And now that's a wound that many of us have inherited. For me, reclaiming the word 'witch' pays homage to these grandmothers and allows them to relive through us what they once had to hide away. You and Erica were so courageous to keep going in the face of protesters! I'm certain that all those witchy ancestors were beaming with pride. 🤗

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

Thank you Jenna 💜🤗 I’m very excited to move forward with the ancestral healing as well! 🌹

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Erica Phillips Graves 🔮's avatar

Beautiful summary of our day. Truly a lovely adventure. I too grew up catholic. I shed that a long time ago, it takes alot of unwinding.

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

A lovey adventure indeed!

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

I’m glad you’ve moved through the shedding. 💜 It truly does take a lot of unwinding 🌹

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Erica Phillips Graves 🔮's avatar

It does. I did my unwinding toward the end of high school. Atheist/agnostic until my later 20’s but was “witch adjacent” at the same time. (Credit to my wifey Rachel for that term). It’s a process.

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Alysia Moonrise's avatar

That is a great term 🧙🏻

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Louise Hallam's avatar

Thank you for sharing this Alysia, it's such a statement of truth. I know that it is never easy to to stand up for who we are, but with each voice the collective becomes stronger. That fear of persecution has come through many roles for me as healer, witch, priestess and many more. I believe that it often goes hand in hand with the religious wounding and the way this plays out in the present is very real. We rise again and we rise with courage and power.

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