DEALING WITH THOSE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR SPIRITUAL PATH

1. Remember that spirituality is a private affair. Don't brag about your interest in your particular path. Don't "play Indian". Don't try to proselytize others. Don't try to act "spooky" and try to awe your friends with your knowledge of Wicca. As Tecumseh said, "Trouble no one about his religion; respect others in their views, and demand that they respect yours."

You do, of course, have the right to have objects in your house relating to your spirituality. When people visit you don't need to call attention to the objects. If someone has an honest question about what something is then you can answer him or her but briefly. Don't expound upon the object and its relationship to your belief system.

2. True spirituality implies humility. Realize that you are not better than someone else just because they follow a different spiritual path than do you. Don't look down on them from your spiritual peak.

3. Don't argue with other people about their beliefs or yours. Such arguments only tend to increase intolerance and misunderstanding.

4. Be informed about your spiritual path, and about other paths! You can't really appreciate your own path until you at least have a basic understanding of the alternative paths that are available.

Understand, also, that your choice of spirituality may entail have some personally upsetting aspects. People do lose their jobs over being a Wiccan, for example, just as they lose their jobs for being gay, a lesbian or a transgendered individual. You may run into friendly, or even unfriendly, jabs such as "Oh, so you're pretending your an Indian now, is it?" You might even encounter outright statements of hostility; possibly even physical attacks.

This does not mean, of course, that you should allow others to trample over you or your beliefs. Don't argue with them; simply ask that they stop. If they don't, though, you may not have any alternatives but to try and ignore them. There might be times when you feel the need to engage a lawyer to defend your rights but you will need to find out from him or her exactly what your rights are in any particular situation.

Finally, realize that your loved ones and friends may never really agree with your chosen spiritual path. In an ideal world everyone would be free to practice their own spiritual system; but this is not a perfect world. You may never be able to "win over" those you care about to your right to practice your own path. Basically, live your path and practice it with honor and respect at all times.