Before I get into anything, I’d like to preface a couple things…

a) Please know your limits. things mentioned in here are suggestions, please don’t try anything that could potentially get yourself in trouble.

b) Some topics may be sort of heavy. As the title suggests I will be talking about Catholicism and the church.

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Table of Contents

i. Introduction

ii. Alternatives

iii. Beliefs

iv. Things to keep in mind

v. Conclusion

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Living in a Catholic household when you’re someone who isn’t fully interested in the beliefs anymore is a rough thing. Witchcraft can be interesting and cool but unfortunately has to be hidden away. As someone who also has to hide their craft while living in a Catholic household, here are some recommendations on how to practice secretly and also some other things I’ve had to learn throughout time.

So you likely have to hide your craft away. It sucks but it’s true. Luckily there are some ways to practice secretly. These are just a few that you can try and incorporate into your own practice.

Church

Going to church can be pretty rough especially when you aren’t exactly tied to those beliefs anymore, but unfortunately your family is still dragging you along. During mass, one thing you could do would be meditating. Focus on your breathing and do what you can. If you enjoy singing, you can still sing along with the mass songs. Just dedicate them to any deities you may worship. Some of those songs are really good.

Candles

Depending on your situation, you may or may not be allowed to have candles in your room. While they are a great little way for secretive spells or even having one in honor of your deity, having a candle may not be a privilege you have. Well, perhaps you could use a wax warmer instead. There are plenty of electronic ones that don’t use a candle flame to heat up the wax. There are a few shops online I’ve seen that even sell wax melts made with certain intentions.

But on the other hand, if you can have candles. They are an easy and secret way to honor any deities or even doing spells, as I have mentioned. They’re one of those things that can be hidden in plain sight. They’re easy to find and come in all different scents so you can find one that fits the intention you want.

Digital Witchcraft

Digital witchcraft is a thing! It’s another way you can hide your craft without having to hide all your tools. You can make a digital altar on Animal Crossing, or even utilize the community altar chat in this community. While I cannot go into too much detail on how digital witchcraft works, I’m sure there are many resources in this community that can provide a more in depth look into it.

Digital BOS

For this one I will say, be careful. A digital book of shadows can be a wonderful thing. Use Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or even just the bookmark function on your computer or other device. It’s an easy way to keep everything in one spot and can be a hidden resource. But also be smart with this especially if privacy is something you aren’t granted enough.

Hiding in plain sight

Candles were the first thing that I mentioned that can be something hidden in plain sight. Crystals can be another thing. If you’re someone who loves shiny or pretty things. Or if you’re honestly just someone who seems like you would collect crystals. Those are something easy to explain away. Plants too! If you can manage to keep plants in your room that is another thing that can be tied into witchcraft without being super obvious.

Dice or playing cards. Tarot cards are not a necessity for witchcraft but if you’re still interested in the divination aspect of things, try out divination using dice or playing cards. To replace a pendulum, use a necklace with a pendant or some sort of weight or even a coin. These are normal things to find in a household that don’t really scream ‘witchcraft’. Simple things like these, along with any other trinkets that you use in your craft can be left out as an altar without even seeming like one.

Now this part is probably one of the hardest things to deal with when leaving the Catholic faith. Everyone likely has different experiences when it comes to dealing with breaking out of certain mindsets that we’ve grown up with.

The Gods are not omniscient

When learning about The Lord, we learn that he is omniscient. Knowing anything and everything. Always there and within everything he created. He’s always listening and watching out for His people. Well, this isn’t necessarily true for the other gods. At least, it doesn’t seem like a common thing. Sure the gods are present and there, but they likely don’t know everything. They won’t be there with you at every second of every day. And you are more than okay to correct me if I am wrong, but this is pretty much how I see it.

You aren’t going to be punished for every little thing you do wrong

One thing that you find a lot, at least in the church’s teachings, is that if you are a sinner then you’re going to Hell. Or that God will punish you accordingly. Or whatever. You must follow the teachings of The Lord or you’ll suffer for it. Which is weird when he is also supposed to be a very forgiving god. Sending his son down to die for our sins and all that.

This also is not a huge thing for the gods. Granted I cannot speak for them but from what I’ve seen from others is that the gods won’t send you to eternal damnation just for mistakes made in your life. They won’t punish you for things that the church says are deserving of punishment. Of course, God also won’t be punishing you for really just being who you are. The bible does say that he forgives and loves all of his creation. You are also his creation if that is what you believe.

Prayer

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Prayer

noun

-a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship

-an earnest hope or wish

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I’m throwing this under the beliefs section because prayer is whatever you believe it is. Plus this isn’t really an alternative, to be honest. Prayer was something that took a bit of time to wrap my head around, and also at least one therapy session. But it seems like praying can look different for everyone, that it means something different for everyone. What is your definition of prayer? And how would you say it ties into your practice?

For me personally, prayer is a conversation. It honestly always has been. It is me talking with the god or spirit that I intend to talk to. Structured prayers have always just seemed like part of a process for me. It never held much meaning, but when I’m doing personal prayers there is meaning and emotion. I say what I want to say rather than what I am told to say. Speaking out loud or even singing could be a prayer. So I ask again, what is prayer to you?

Now I just threw…quite a bit at you. So here are some things to maybe keep in mind.

Church teachings ≠ God’s teachings

Now this is mostly my own personal belief. But I don’t see some of the church’s teachings as what God intended. Maybe this is because of a bias or something along those lines. But there just seems to be way too much hate and ignorance within the Catholic church.

Now I was also raised in a pretty lax family when it came to the church and Catholic beliefs. My mom dubbing herself as a ‘cafeteria Catholic’ because she, in her words, picks and chooses which beliefs she wants to believe in. So from a young age I was pretty much shown that every belief within the church doesn’t necessarily have to be your own.

Stay respectful

Try to stay respectful towards the Catholic faith and The Lord. There are many people who still very much believe in this faith and while you can have your own feelings on the matter, try to respect others who wish to practice this faith. It’s true that it is not for everyone. Although there are still many people who are very much into the whole thing.

I also want to say that you should stay respectful to God. He is still very much a divine being that is deserving of respect just like all the other gods. Maybe don’t go bashing Him for everything that’s happened. But I understand that it is a hard thing to not turn all your anger on him. It’s something that is learned over time. It is something that I am still trying to learn myself. While I do respect Him, there is still quite a bit of anger that I know I need to work through.

Take your time

This is something I have said a lot and I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing it, but everyone’s practice is their own. Do not rush into things especially if you are still in a situation where you cannot practice freely. Take your time with your research. You don’t have to jump into spellwork or deity work right off the bat. Building your knowledge is just as important as everything else in witchcraft, if not more important. You will progress in your own time, it’s not a race so please don’t feel bad if you think you aren’t progressing because I will tell you right now that you are.

Things will get better

Being unable to practice openly sucks. I get that, I really do. Hiding away from your family and having beliefs you may fear will get you in trouble is not fun in the slightest. But guess what? You’ll move out one day. Get your own place and you’ll be able to practice as openly as you wish in your own home. Every family is different so I cannot speak for everyone’s situation. Just know that no matter what things will get better, in whatever form that is.

Well….that was a lot. Those are some recommendations that I have, if you have any others that you recommend please feel free to drop a comment! And as always, if I have said anything wrong please correct me on it. The last thing I want is to be spreading misinformation.