From Bible Belt to Beltane – Figuring Out My Path As A Christian Witch

christian witch

To be a witch in the Bible belt is to go on a deeply personal journey that no-one around you may understand.

Being a Christian was such an important aspect of my identity while I was growing up. We went to church every week as a family. My mom played the piano in the orchestra and my father was in the A/V department – you know, the department that took care of broadcasting the church services aired on the local news station.

I was raised in a strongly Christian household, with strict parents who passed some rather questionable ideologies onto me and my younger brother. We lived in a small town in an area called the “Bible belt” in the United States, where most people go to church each Sunday and on Wednesdays as well.

My brother and I went along for the ride, but kept our thoughts on Christianity to ourselves for the most part. We knew our voices wouldn’t be heard in the way we wanted to be heard. Our parents held the belief that other religions were cult-like in nature and would only brainwash us. We went along with the rhetoric to give them the idea that we agreed with them.

As children, we depended on our parents to put a stable roof over our heads and keep us safe. We were not yet at an age where we could fend for ourselves, but we were close to that point since we were hitting puberty.

The Beginning

As I grew into my teenage years, I began to feel the urge to explore the world in front of me. I remained a Christian for the most part, but also began to explore other sects of the religion. I didn’t see a problem with this exploration, though my parents weren’t very happy at this change in their oldest child. I kept my exploration hush-hush after speaking with them the first time.

I went into college still largely a Christian, though I did not call myself one. This breakthrough came on the heels of the idea that religion itself can be a label that not everyone needs in their lives. I like to think about it this way: we are called sheep in the Bible and God is called the Shepherd. Some of us don’t like to follow along unthinkgly like that.

My brother and I began to develop our own thoughts and interpretations on what was being preached to us each week. While in college, I began to realize that there were some aspects of Christian rhetoric that I no longer believed in.

I finally started to consider that so many of the things I had believed up to this point weren’t what they seemed. My parents thought this was because of the media I was watching, which included the Harry Potter movies. (I am a huge Harry Potter fan. And yes, I was intrigued at the idea of witchcraft because of it.)

I didn’t tell my parents about this newfound blossoming of thoughts and interests. It wasn’t out of fear of what they would say or think about me; I didn’t feel it was worth it to argue over something we would never agree on.

As a young adult over the age of 18, I began to delve deeper into what I believed as a human being. I felt there was so much more than what I was being told in church. In fact, I stopped going to church entirely after I hit college. My parents couldn’t force me to go, even though I was technically a Christian. I had become a legal adult, with a degree in Criminal Justice, even – and some of the stories you’d hear from cops would make you question your sense of reality along with your religious inclinations.

My Search for My Personal Truth

I felt this fire within myself during this search to look into EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. That included anything about casting spells, meditating, witchcraft, and so much more as well. I couldn’t get enough of what I was learning and able to incorporate into my religious beliefs. I began to see so many new things about myself.

I began to see myself as so much stronger than the anxiety disorder I have, or even the autoimmune disease wreaking havoc on my lower body. I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for these days. It’s about darn time I delve into that inner strength to let it out into the world. It feels so good to say that I am a witch and I am so much more than what people see on the outside.

I have had enough of the limiting beliefs I learned from my parents and their peers. I realize they are teaching their children what they were taught, but that is still no excuse for the superstitions they fed us every day. I decided it was time to find answers to my questions for myself.

Being a witch and exploring that part of me has helped me find my strength in ways that Christianity alone was not able to. At the end of the day, I still consider myself a Jesus follower, but I am no sheep that follows unthinkingly. I believe the Creator gives us free will to explore all the information that’s out there in the world. For me, this includes my “witchy” side that has been hiding for far too long!