The Broom Closet
What We Mean by “The Broom Closet”
There are many ways to be a witch in the world, but only two are visible at first glance: those who live openly, and those who live in the quiet, necessary shelter of the Broom Closet. The Closet is not a place of shame, no matter how others speak of it. It is a boundary, a survival strategy, a deeply personal choice shaped by family, work, geography, politics, and safety.
To come out as a witch is not a single dramatic moment. It is a series of decisions, each one carrying weight. Some witches walk openly from the first spark of awakening. Others step carefully, slowly, patiently. And many—far more than most will admit—live between two names, two lives, two worlds.
Why So Many Witches Stay Hidden
For all the talk of a “witch renaissance,” the world is inconsistent. In some places, witches lead public circles, teach classes, run shops, and celebrate holidays without fear. In others, the simple act of burning incense, pulling a tarot card, or wearing a pentacle can cost someone their job, their safety, their housing, or even custody of their children.
Witches stay closeted because:
- Religious prejudice is alive and loud. Anything outside certain monotheistic norms is still called evil.
- Family backlash can be severe. Disownment, ridicule, control, or emotional punishment are real possibilities.
- Employment discrimination still happens. Especially in fields that expect “respectable” religion or none at all.
- Small towns have long memories. Gossip spreads faster than nuance.
- Safety is not guaranteed. Harassment, threats, and doxxing are not just stories.
- Courts and institutions can weaponize labels. “Witchcraft” has been used against parents and employees within living memory.
None of these fears make a witch weak. They make a witch aware.
No page on this site will ever tell you that you “owe” the world your truth at the expense of your safety. It is not cowardice to keep your practice private. It is discernment. Your first responsibility is to your own wellbeing and, if you have them, to those you care for.
Color-Coded Lives and the Masks We Wear
In many places, witches survive by adopting labels that feel safer to outsiders—not because those labels truly describe their craft, but because they soften the fear people project onto it.
This is the quiet language of color-coding:
- “I’m a white witch.”
- “I only do light magic.”
- “I’m not a black witch.”
- “I’m a red witch.”
- “I don’t do anything dark.”
These are not always living traditions. Often, they are shields—a way to reassure anxious family, religious coworkers, or judgmental communities that your practice is “safe,” “good,” and “acceptable.” It is the magical version of saying:
But witchcraft has never been a story written in simple colors. Color-coding exists because dominant cultures taught people to divide the world into “good” and “evil,” “light” and “dark,” “holy” and “forbidden.” Many witches inherit those binaries without realizing it.
The truth is simple and old:
Color terms are not identity. They are camouflage. And there is no shame in camouflage. People do what they must to stay safe, especially when they live with conservative family, work in vulnerable professions, raise children in judgmental communities, or move through regions where witchcraft is still treated as a threat.
Some witches reclaim these color words as part of their style or symbolism, and that can be beautiful too. But no one should feel pressured to sort themselves into a palette to appear acceptable.
Your magic is not measured by its color. Your worth is not determined by how palatable you appear to outsiders. You do not owe anyone a label that makes them more comfortable.
Everyone navigates the Broom Closet in their own way. Whatever name keeps you safe is valid.
The Emotional Weight of Hiding
Living in the Broom Closet carries its own quiet burdens: the strain of secrecy, the ache of wanting to share joy but holding back, the loneliness of having no one “local” who speaks your spiritual language. There can be the fear of being found out, the exhaustion of living a double life, and the sting of hearing your path mocked in public while you sit silently at the table.
For many witches, this feels eerily similar to queer coming-out journeys—not identical, but emotionally resonant. The themes overlap: safety, timing, readiness, identity, risk, boundaries, community, longing.
The Closet itself is not a wound; it is a boundary. Shame grows when people are told they are “less real” or “less committed” because they protect themselves. This page is a curse against that idea.
Magical Names and the Many Selves of a Witch
Witches have used alternate names for centuries: craft names, shadow names, coven names, magical pen names. Some are spoken only in ritual. Some are shared with covenmates but never with family. Others appear online to keep a clear line between spiritual life and legal identity.
Your true name in the craft is not defined by your driver’s license. It is born from the work you do, the oaths you make, and the relationships you cultivate with spirits, gods, and land.
In the Coven of the Veiled Moon, we are out witches—we do not hide that this is our path. But for the sake of public safety and privacy, many of us use Broom Closet names on the My Cousin’s Coven site and social spaces. This is not contradiction. It is discernment.
The Pagan & Witch Renaissance
In the last few decades, witchcraft has blossomed. Younger generations are stepping away from institutions and toward intuitive, land-based spirituality. Metaphysical shops, online covens, festivals, and study groups continue to grow. Folk magic and ancestral practices are returning to the surface after centuries underground.
This renaissance makes it possible for some witches to come out earlier and more fully than any generation before them. In some cities, being a witch is almost ordinary. In others, it is still dangerous.
Both can be true at once. The world is uneven. Where one witch walks freely, another must walk hidden. Both are real. Both are valid.
The Digital Broom Closet
The internet opened doors—and risks. Employers monitor social media. Platforms enforce “real name” policies. People get doxxed, harassed, or targeted by those who fear what they do not understand. A single screenshot can travel faster than any spell.
Modern witches have learned digital protections:
- Alternate accounts for magical discussion.
- Carefully chosen user names and profile images.
- Private groups and circles with clear rules about secrecy.
- Digital grimoires stored behind passwords instead of on coffee tables.
- Selective visibility—knowing who sees what.
Privacy is not cowardice. It is adaptation.
Coming Out of the Broom Closet (If You Choose To)
A witch should never be pressured to come out. But when the desire or need arises, it helps to move mindfully. You can begin by asking:
- Is my environment emotionally and physically safe?
- Who is the first person I would trust with this truth?
- Do I have support if someone reacts badly?
- Could my job, housing, or custody be affected?
- Is this the right time in my life to take this risk?
Coming out does not have to start with a Facebook announcement. It can begin quietly: one trusted friend, a partner, a therapist, a small circle. It can sound like “I follow a nature-based spiritual path” long before you say the word witch out loud.
You are allowed to move at your own pace. You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to step out in one area of your life and remain private in another.
Staying in the Closet and Still Thriving
You can be closeted and powerful. You can be anonymous and deeply, beautifully connected to your craft. Visibility is not a measure of authenticity.
Many witches practice fully while staying hidden:
- Altars disguised as décor or shelves of “just rocks and candles.”
- Travel altars tucked into tins or pouches.
- Breathwork and grounding that look like ordinary mindfulness.
- Candle spells framed as “setting intentions.”
- Herbal magic that appears to be kitchen craft or self-care.
- Digital notebooks as spellbooks and dream journals.
- Small offerings left in gardens, on walks, at rivers and crossroads.
Your craft is not diluted by discretion. The gods do not require you to argue with your relatives to prove your devotion.
Days of the Witch
There is no single, legally recognized “National Witch Day,” but modern witches have adopted a few days as anchors of identity and celebration:
- Samhain (October 31) – often honored as the Witch’s New Year.
- March 26 – International Witches’ Day – an informal modern observance in some communities.
- August 13 – Day of the Witch / Hekate’s Night – recognized by some as a day to honor the witch current.
- Full Moons & Sabbats – personal feast days of the craft.
You are free to choose the observances that resonate with you—or to create your own. A day becomes sacred when you treat it that way.
Out, Veiled, or Somewhere Between
You are not less powerful for being cautious. You are not more authentic for being loud. You are not required to reveal anything to anyone in order to count as a “real” witch.
Whether your magic is whispered or declared, you belong to the craft—and the craft belongs to you.
