How do I tell my parents that I am drawn to the occult?

Question

So both of my parents are kind of christian... my father converted to roman Catholicism however, he has lots of knowledge about certain occult arts and religions...but forbids me to practice them. My mother is protestant. Anyways, over the years since I was young I've been fascinated by the occult studies. I've been trying to find a way to tell my parents that I think I've found my path. My mother kind of knows, but she ignores it. Last week she was looking through my internet bookmarks, and she saw all these sites on Shamanism, Thelema, Goetia, the golden dawn, modern vampirism etc, and it scared her lol. Anyways, I feel that I am unable to be myself because my parents aren't allowing me to practice what I believe in. Instead, I am often dragged to church and preached at.. it's coming to a point where I start getting depressed because I feel forced to repress an aspect of myself in order to please them. My question is, how do I educate my parents about the occult, and how should I tell them about my interest in it?

Answer 1

Tahuti and Crystal Dolphin have both given very good advice. Take the time to look into these paths enough to be able to gather the information you need to discuss them thoroughly with your parents and sit down and talk with them. Be honest with them and be prepared to answer their questions honestly and without being defensive. Many parents will object to their child's interest in something like this because they lack information about them. If you can properly explain them then your chances of them understanding why you are drawn to Thelema or the Golden Dawn will greatly increase. But just saying "i don't know, I think they're cool" doesn't sound like you've given it any thought or that you really understand them yourself - you get what I'm saying here?

However, you being a minor does put you in the position of having to abide by your parents rules. If they decide that they do not want you involving yourself with any of these studies then you will have to abide by their wishes. That is part of being a minor. If your beliefs are sincere then you will still feel the same way when you are 18 and you will have a head start on your studies. You can resume them when you are legally an adult and become self sufficient. But do sit down and talk with them honestly. You may be surprised how reasonable they may be when you come to them with solid information and show that this is not something you just have a passing interest in.

Good luck.  

Answer 2

I'd just talk to them about it if you have a good relationship with them. Explain what intrigues you about the Occult, and maybe they'll understand. Parent's usually more understanding than we give them a chance to be at 15... especially after they have a few days (or even weeks) to consider your interests. The Occult arts are nothing to take lightly, nor are they 'evil' as many political Christians (as opposed to spiritual Christians) would have you think. There are many Christian occult sciences, and many more Jewish based ones, and some are Pagan. But, mystics have found connection between religions, in occult knowledge. Look at how Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh had such a great relationship, seeing the connections in their 2 great mystical systems. (Christian and Buddhist)

If after time, they are still uncomfortable with it, you need to reassess, then 'do what you will.'  

Answer 3

Your parents have the last word in your religious education until you're 18 and move out.  So if you can't convince them, you're just going to ahve to follow them for another three years.  Sorry.

First, be calm.  If you don't appear mature, they aren't going to take you seriously.

Second, deal with each topic separately.  Vampirism, goetia, and not going to church are three totally different topics.  Treat them as such.  Generalizations tend to lead to confusion.  Certainly don't wrap everything up into "the occult," a buzz word which will likely turn your parents off to the idea faster than anything.

Perhaps explain that you are exploring a variety of different belief systems to better understand what others believe and to make a more informed choice about what you ultimately believe.

Be willing to compromise.  For example, she might be ok with you reading about vampires but not ok with you hanging out with them.

Ask her what specifically scares her.  A lot of fear comes from misunderstanding.  You're seen reading an occult book and suddenly they're convinced you're going to sacrifice a virgin or something.

Invite questions, for the same reason as above.

Answer 4

Yeah, wait till you're 18.

Answer 5

Respect your parents and wait til you're 18

Answer 6

Agreed with Tahuti.  You should try to have a rational conversation with your parents rather than hiding such interests behind their backs - this would be the mature and responsible thing to do, and will earn you more respect with your parents.  

"Occult" is a very broad term encompassing many fields of study, so I'm a little confused as to how you mean you've found your path and that you are not being allowed to practice your beliefs...in regards to religion?  Is there a particular religion falling into this category that you are most drawn to?  What beliefs are you wanting to practice?

If you have not yet been drawn to one particular path, then I would just call this an area of interest for now, more so than a religious path.  One can study various aspects of the occult without dedicating to any particular religion (unless of course you later find such a path that best suits you and you wish to comit to it.)  

I would make a list of your top occult interests and have a few facts about each of them ready to present to your parents...explain that this interests you and you simply wish to spend some free time researching to learn more about them at this point in time.  I would think parents would be happy that their teenager wants to spend some time furthering their own education vs. spending all their time at the local mall or something.  Again, it would be good to have some information ready for them - and approach them in a respectful manner, keeping in mind that their beliefs are valid to them also.  It should be a little easier for them to understand given that they are of two different Christian faiths that don't always agree with each other.  

Eventually, we all find the path that is right for us - and we should be able to make an informed decision about it.

Blessings on your journey.

Answer 7

You could knock their socks off with a full blown interpretive dance, or maybe just leave it until you move out, the things you believe when you are a teenager are not always what you will continue to believe and it might be worth enjoying your teenage years rather than filling them with parental confrontation.