If you become Pagan, you will face hate. Learn to deal with it. Quote the Bible at bigots--"Judge not, lest yet be judged; for as ye judge, ye shall be judged, and what ye mete out, ye shall be measured again," Matt 7:1 and 7:2, works nicely.

If they persist, try looking them in the eye and say, "If Jesus could see into your heart right now, I do not think He would see that you are acting out of love."

You don't have to be a saint, but try to be kind and understanding. Do not be prying or oversensitive, but if someone is deliberately inciting the people of your workplace/school against you, then take steps to get that person reported to the high mucky-muck of your workplace/school. Most places have policies against religious discrimination. If they argue that Wicca isn't a religion, sweetly inform them the government disagrees with them: Wicca is accepted by the U.S. government and military as a valid religion.

Pack a Wicca/Pagan FAQ at all times, especially if you are a student. Though you may feel very clearly in yourself what is and is not Wicca, you may be unable to phrase it in the fashion that these people need to understand. Ever since "The Craft" came out, it has become difficult to live a private life in a school. Girls will assault you, trying to get you to cast a love spell on their crush (don't give in--the threefold law will apply). Teachers may not like it that you wear your pentacle in school; the FAQ comes in handy for this, too. If you wish to avoid that conflict, you can refrain from wearing Pagan jewelry to school.

Develop an explanatory paragraph for those occasions when you need to explain your religion. Use something not more than perhaps 3 or 4 sentences long. People remember short things best (think "sound byte"). An excellent quote, by David R. Burwasser (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans):
"Paganism views the world as alive and sacred, speaking to us through thought and sense and emotion and intuition, listening to us when we speak to it in ritual. When we celebrate its change and phases, it celebrates with us."
(Please credit that to David R. Burwasser, if you do use it.)

Another thing it is good to have is a list of books and/or websites that have more information. Here are a few suggestions for books:

Drawing Down the Moon, by Margot Alder
The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk
(Anybody got any other ideas? C'mon, speak up!)
Websites whose addresses you might want to keep handy are:

The Witches' Voice
http://www.witchvox.com

U.S. Army Chaplain's Guide to Wicca
http://www.npsnet.com/cliffe/milwicca.htm

Mom, I'm a Witch
http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/1226/witch.html

It is entirely possible, even likely, that you will find that as soon as you "come out of the broom closet", you will lose friends. People are scared of Wiccans. They hear Wiccan, Pagan, Witch, and go into their respective versions of shock. They may ask you to curse someone. They may tell you at once that you are going to Hell if you continue (trust me, that's one you'll get a lot, along with "I'll pray for you" and "Of course you worship Satan, you just don't realize it"). For centuries, they have been conditioned to use the words witch and pagan as insults. Your associates may quite suddenly switch sides.

However, it is possible that some friends, tried and true, will remain with you. Thank the God/dess for your blessings if you have friends like that. I have a few. I'm lucky. Many of my friends now became my friends after I stopped denying that I was Wiccan and began admitting it. These know from the beginning what I am and do not care.

One thing coming out of the broom closet teaches you is that hopeless as the human species may seem sometimes, there are a lot of people who are open-minded. They give me faith in humanity. It's uplifting to realize that some people are able to hold both sides of an argument in their brain at once without passing judgement on either side.

One thing you have to remember is that we are not the "elite." We are the Wiccans, the Pagans, the Witches, the Children of the Earth and Sky. The equals of our contemporaries.

And you know what?

Unity is the key to making a difference. If we stand together, and demand that equality be practiced--walk the walk, as well as talking the talk--we can change the way we are viewed. The effect of Pagan unity is already being felt around the world. Particularly in the United States, Paganism is becoming more of an issue every day. The first step towards tolerance is awareness, and we are taking that step.

I never thought I would live to see the day that Pagans in the military became a national issue.

I never thought I would see shows in which Witches were portrayed as kind, if odd, people--real people, with lives, with hopes and goals--in the media.

I am seeing both of these today.

Together, we are making a difference. Add your voice to the call for equality and tolerance.

To each of us, the call to a religion is different. You may have read this far because you are thinking of becoming a Wiccan. You may have known, from the instant you read what Wicca is, that that was what you would be. You may be of a different religion and reading this to better understand the Wiccan viewpoint. In any case, the "charge" of the Goddess, Her song and Her mysteries, are different to each of us. The God does not touch us all in the same way. Many Wiccans/Pagans/Witches know that they are Wiccan when they find something on it. Many find that Wicca is actually their own belief system that they've always had. And many have a glorious sense of "coming home" when they find Wicca. I did. I hope that you find your religion, be it Wicca or Judaism or Christianity or Buddhism or Hinduism or Islam. Just remember that love is the law, no matter what the religion. (Also known as "Don't burn your bridges before you cross them!")

I have heard people complain that they found Wicca to be restrictive. If you become discouraged for this reason, remember: the only "true" Wiccan is the one who follows their heart. If you are being held back by someone for whatever reason, perhaps it is time to move on and discover new things. If you do not find that being in your coven is a growing experience, perhaps you need to try life as a solitary, or vice versa. Life is an experience that requires growing, and if you find yourself being held back, then break those bonds and move onward. Grow! Don't just sit in a puddle of self-pity; you are a participant in your own life. You are living your life now!

Wicca is about being part of everything. Find the path right for you. Someone else's path may not be the right path--for you. Experiment! Try new things, try new combinations! Live!

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
--Camus