#1000

         I think one of the things that defines me more than most people realize is my faith.  If you weren't aware by this point, I am Wiccan.  The rest of my family, however, is Catholic.  I was raised Catholic and even went through Confirmation back in 2009.  It wasn't until I moved to college that I really became aware of Wiccan or Paganism as legitimate religions.  I had pretty much always been told that they were cults or people just playing pretend, so once I was able to learn about them myself, I saw a lot of things that really appealed to me and resonated with my reservations about being a Christian.  I officially converted to Wicca in 2012 but even up until the point of me writing this, I feel like my faith hasn't sat terribly well with my parents.  Not long after I informed them of my conversion, my dad made a point of telling me that I wasn't allowed to perform magick in the house (in Wicca, magick, spells, and rituals can be equated to prayer and sacraments in the Christian faith).
         While I've never been persecuted for being Wiccan, being told I can't practice my faith at home has been somewhat of a sticking point in my mind.  In one of my college classes, I had to write a short screenplay and the story I ended up telling dealt with people who practice a fictionalized form of magic effectively in the same situation, albeit far more oppressive and dire.  The core idea was still there, though.  In other creative media, I jump at opportunities to insert my beliefs into the work I create and I feel like this comes from a lack of ability to express my religion easily outside of that.
         Perhaps the greatest indicator that Wicca is the best fit for me is that I'm drawn to learn more and as I learn it, I can see it in the world.  I won't bother going into the specifics of what I personally believe, but it's the desire to know more and grow in my faith that I never really felt as a Christian that tells me this is the right place for me to be.  And it's still funny to remember that I might be the most religious of my friends.


P.S.  Just to be clear, I'm not mad or resentful of my parents.  They're great people and it is their house, but they can't stop me once I move out.