Writing a blog like this, I sometimes wonder if I give too much away. You know, there's a lot of valid argument that one should never show their magical tools to anyone, or even openly admit to being a Witch. Not only does doing so put you at risk from religious nuts and others, but it can sometimes cheapen what is meant to be a sacred, personal experience. As such, there are those who share nothing with anyone except for perhaps other members of their coven.
In my own case, I'm kind of in the middle. I'm pretty open about my beliefs and practice, and clearly since I'm writing this, I don't think everything should be hidden away. Indeed, had not many respectable people been open about their religion, Wiccans and Witches would not have the rights and recognition they do today. So, there is clearly a benefit to a certain amount of public exposure. Likewise, I think it's important that serious, dedicated Witches and others put stuff out there to help counter, in some small degree, the huge amount of misinformation and "fluffy" stuff floating around on the web. I don't claim to be an expert, but I AM serious about what I do, and if nothing else I've picked up a lot of good information from various respected Elders online that I might never have found.
At the same time, there are some things which I do keep private and will probably not ever be sharing. Deity names, for one; I keep these secret to all but myself. Also, I might show myself making incense or an oil, but I won't ever show a ritual in progress or go into detail about workings I'm doing; I feel ritual is the time for ritual, not to be taking pictures. Finally, though I've just now begun training with one of two magical systems I hope to learn in the next year, I'm obviously not going to be going and sharing information from those, as they are for initiate use only.
In the end, I think it's wise just to use common sense. I don't think there's anything wrong in sharing certain aspects of one's beliefs and practices, but if it starts to be a "show" or you spill every single secret and tradition for all to see, you're basically taking something sacred and turning into a public spectacle. It also makes sense to tailor what you share to the audience; sharing an experience with the Horned God with a fellow Witch might be appropriate; doing the same with your Baptist coworker is not.
My main reason for sharing a lot - although not everything - is that, in the beginning, I often stood and wondered, "Is this real or am I going nuts?" and only after talking about it with my sister witches was able to decide on one or the other. By now, I am certain about this most of the time, and I want to reassure others, who may be starting out right now or entering a new stage of their "witchiness" that strange things can be completely normal, and that others experience them as well.
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