Why (and when) to tell people, now, that’s a much richer discussion; there are a lot of degrees of being “out” between totally hiding what you do from the entire world (including those closest to you) and being interviewed on the news as a local witch. Out of my Pagan friends both on and off the Internet, the majority of them fall in the middle of those two extremes, myself included. I feel that there are few circumstances where someone should be completely in the broom closet. These usually involve a life-threatening situation.
I don’t advocate anyone completely hiding their explorations into Paganism from those closest to them: parents, roommates, spouses, children, etc. Sneaking around will give these people the impression that what you are doing is wrong, because if it wasn’t wrong you’d trust them enough to share. I think it’s important to let your loved ones in from the start. Too often, I see people who’ve delved into Paganism for months, then suddenly announce “hey, I’m a witch now” and wonder why other people are shocked and stunned. To them, your transformation has occurred overnight, even though you know it’s the culmination of months of study.
When I told my parents, I’d been studying Wicca for a few months. I was a freshman at college with access to the Internet and free time on my hands. Yes, they were shocked and stunned at first. As they got more information to combat the stereotypes, they knew, and as they watched me grow with my new faith, they understood that it was a positive influence in my life. Whether they really understand why I’m Wiccan or not, they respect my decision. But that process did take at least a year and my parents are liberal people who have a lot of faith in my ethics, my decision-making abilities, and me.
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