This blog entry is long and spicy.
Decolonising Pagan practice, cultural appropriation, and closed practices are topics that come up often. This blog entry is about my experience with these subjects, what they mean, and why they matter.
I generally ignore conversations around decolonisation, cultural appropriation, and closed practices because of my ignorance, and many people do not care anyway. Let’s talk about my ignorance first.
I regularly see Pagans online demanding that we decolonise our practice but rarely explaining how to do that or pointing to resources. After a while, I began to dismiss “decolonisation” as another buzzword Paganfluencers use to create engagement and feed their social media algorithms. Remember that engagement doesn’t have to be positive. The more outrageous and controversial, the better. However, decolonisation is an actual process, and I have learned, thanks to people who know more about it than I do, that I engage in it when I interrogate Wicca and Lukumi, which is often.
Even though I have a better sense of decolonisation and engage in the process, as an immigrant person of colour, I am in a good position to talk about it, and I haven’t until now. I don’t engage in those conversations because most people do not care, and I am not interested in listening to white people endlessly go on about how the gods call who they call, how the cacao ceremony changed their life, or how a weekend course qualified them to become a Mayan medicine healer.
I often say people are going to people, but as I learned from one brilliant Witch (that’s you, Coral), just because people do something a lot doesn’t mean it’s okay. So, let’s talk about it.
What are closed practices?
Closed practices are traditions preserved within specific groups, often linked by heritage, ancestry, or cultural identity. These practices include sacred rituals, ceremonies, knowledge, symbols, and spiritual teachings passed down through generations. Unlike open practices, which anyone can participate in or adopt, closed practices require belonging to a particular community or undergoing a process of initiation.
Examples of closed practices include the following.
Indigenous spiritualities: Many Indigenous cultures around the world, such as those of Native American, Aboriginal Australian, and Maori peoples, have closed practices. These practices are often deeply tied to the community’s identity, history, and land and are passed down through generations.
African traditional religions: Religions like Vodou, Lukumi, and Ifá are typically closed. Initiation and membership within the community are required to participate fully in these traditions. These religions often have complex systems of deities, rituals, and spiritual hierarchies that are deeply rooted in the cultural context of their practitioners.
Certain Pagan traditions: While many aspects of Paganism are open and inclusive, some traditions, such as Georgian Wicca and Anderson Feri Witchcraft, are only accessible through initiation. These traditions have secret rites, teachings, and rituals reserved for initiated members.
Why are practices closed?
The reasons for maintaining closed practices are varied and deeply rooted in the history and experiences of the communities involved. Here are some reasons below.
Cultural preservation: Closed practices help preserve a community’s unique cultural identity and heritage. They ensure that sacred traditions are passed down authentically.
Protection from exploitation: Many communities have faced exploitation, colonisation, and cultural appropriation. Closing off certain practices protects them from being misused, commercialised, or trivialised by outsiders.
Spiritual integrity: In some traditions, the effectiveness and sanctity of rituals depend on the practitioner’s deep understanding and connection to the practice. Initiation and lineage are crucial to maintaining this integrity.
Community cohesion: Closed practices foster a sense of belonging and solidarity within a community. They create a shared identity and strengthen the bonds among members, reinforcing collective values and traditions.
Historical context: Some practices have been closed in response to historical oppression and marginalisation. By restricting access, communities can safeguard their traditions from external exploitation and misuse.
The history of colonialism has left a lasting impact on many cultures, particularly those with closed practices. Colonisation involved the domination and exploitation of people and lands, often accompanied by suppressing or appropriating their spiritual traditions. This historical context is crucial to understanding why some practices are closed today.
Cultural appropriation and misappropriation
Let’s define a couple of phrases. Cultural appropriation refers to members of one culture adopting elements of another and can occur in many forms, including language, clothing, symbols, and religious practices. While cultural exchange can be enriching, appropriation often involves a power imbalance, where the dominant culture takes from a marginalised one without permission, respect, or understanding.
Cultural misappropriation takes this further, involving distorting, trivialising, or exploiting another culture’s symbols, traditions, and practices. Cultural misappropriation can cause significant harm, as it often perpetuates stereotypes, strips away original meanings, and contributes to the ongoing oppression of marginalised communities.
Coloniser mentality
I know that some white Pagans do not care about colonisation, cultural appropriation, and closed practices. One white Aussie Pagan, for example, said, “I know dreamcatchers are a Native American thing, but it helps me sleep better.” At least she doesn’t care.
We live in a patriarchal “taker culture”, a phrase I learned from Thumper Forge. Like the colonisers many of us descend from, we assume we have a right to access, use, modify, and commodify anything we want, including spiritual traditions, without proper permission or respect for their cultural significance.
If it means we can sleep better, we do not care about harming others. If it means we can sleep better, we do not care about disrespecting boundaries. If it means we can sleep better, we do not care about diluting and misrepresenting other traditions. If it means we can sleep better, we do not care about further marginalising already marginalised communities. The dominator imposes their will on the dominated.
Maybe you’re okay with that—after all, many Pagans are. But if you’re not, and your ethics include equity and restorative justice, you might want to consider decolonising your spiritual practice.
Decolonising Pagan practice
Decolonising spiritual practice involves actively dismantling colonialism’s lingering effects on our spiritual engagements. This process requires self-reflection, education, and a commitment to respectful and ethical practices.
Interrogate your practices
An excellent place to start is by interrogating your practices. By critically examining the origins, meanings, and implications of the beliefs and rituals we engage with, we can identify and address any elements of cultural appropriation, colonialist attitudes, or misappropriation. This reflective practice helps us to honour the traditions we follow, align our spiritual practices with our values, and support the preservation of cultural heritage. Moreover, it fosters more profound, meaningful connections with our spirituality as we cultivate an informed and conscientious approach to our sacred practices.
Educate yourself
Understanding the historical context of colonisation and its impact on spiritual traditions is crucial. Educate yourself about the histories of the cultures and traditions you are interested in, especially those closed. Seek to understand why a tradition is closed.
Reflect on privilege
Consider the privilege you may hold and how it influences your access to spiritual traditions. Consider how your actions might perpetuate colonialist attitudes and work towards more equitable and respectful engagement.
Seek authentic connections
Instead of appropriating elements from closed practices, seek authentic connections with open traditions or engage with your cultural heritage.Â
This point is critical. I always ask people, “What do you think you will find in this closed practice that you wouldn’t find in your ancestral traditions?” Is it magic and witchcraft? Is it something that resembles what we’ve come to call shamanism? Is it trance and ecstasy? Is it music, drumming, and dance? Is it healing and hexing? What culture in the world doesn’t have its version of these religious features? Why this and not that?
Seek permission and respect boundaries
If you are genuinely interested in a closed practice, seek guidance and permission from community leaders or elders. Demonstrate your sincerity and willingness to commit to their guidelines and processes to engage with the tradition appropriately.
Avoid cultural appropriation
Don’t adopt or mimic closed practices without proper initiation or permission. Cultural appropriation occurs when elements of a minority culture are taken out of context and used by outsiders, often stripping them of their original meaning. Being mindful of this honours the cultural significance of closed practices and helps prevent perpetuating historical injustices.
Support marginalised communities
Amplify the voices of practitioners from marginalised communities and support their efforts to preserve and protect their spiritual traditions. Support can involve financial assistance, advocacy, and promoting their work within your networks.
Respect the closed nature of these practices to show support for their preservation. Acknowledge the importance of cultural and spiritual boundaries and advocate for their protection.
The idea of divine calling
I hear Moonwhisker Starshadow complaining, “But the goddess Yemaya chose me!”
First, Yemaya is not a goddess; she’s an orisha. Orishas are not gods. That’s a convenient term, but also emblematic of coloniser mentality.
While acknowledging that divine beings can call anyone, respecting the traditions and protocols of the practices one is drawn to is equally important. In many closed practices, there are established ways of responding to a divine call that involves guidance, training, and initiation from within the community. Such procedures ensure that the individual’s engagement is respectful and informed.
It is not that you, Moonwhisker Starshadow, a white person with zero connections to the lands and cultures of Yemaya, cannot have a practice involving the orisha (though it’s worth interrogating why Yemaya would call you). A respectful approach involves seeking out teachers or mentors within the tradition and expressing your sense of calling. Many communities are open to guiding sincere seekers through proper channels.
How to navigate the tension
I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but if you’re still asking this question, Moonwhisker, it needs to be repeated. Here are some ways to navigate the tension between divine calling and closed practices.
Seek guidance
If you feel called by a deity associated with a closed practice, seek out knowledgeable practitioners or leaders within that tradition. They can provide insight into honouring that calling while respecting the tradition’s boundaries.
Study and learn
Immerse yourself in learning about the tradition, its history, and its protocols. Demonstrating a genuine commitment to understanding the cultural and spiritual context can open doors to deeper, more respectful engagement.
Honour the call respectfully
Engage with the deity or spiritual calling in ways that do not appropriate or misrepresent the tradition. This might mean creating personal rituals or practices honouring the calling without stepping into the realms reserved for initiated members.
Community engagement
Participate in open aspects of the tradition where possible. Many closed practices have public rituals, festivals, or educational opportunities for respectful engagement and learning.
Spiritual risks
Engaging superficially with closed traditions can lead to a misalignment between the practitioner’s intent and the sacred nature of the rituals. This misalignment can result in spiritual harm and consequences or psychological distress.
Disrespecting the boundaries of closed practices can also invite karmic repercussions. These traditions often have deep cultural and spiritual safeguards designed to protect their sanctity and the well-being of practitioners. Ignoring these safeguards disrespects the tradition and disrupts the spiritual equilibrium maintained by these practices, which can lead to personal spiritual turmoil. Additionally, engaging in closed practices without proper authorisation can damage your relationship with the spiritual community and the deities or spirits associated with the tradition.
Big egos, little substance
Over on TikTok, OldMagick84 posted a good video about how initiates know you’re not a part of their closed tradition. It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read, how many weekend courses you’ve taken, or how loud you are on social media. It doesn’t matter how convinced you are, how it makes you feel, or what you believe the closed practice does for you.
Of course, there’s no spiritual police. Among the community, initiates may be polite to you because you are likely to be white, and they are likely to be of colour. In private, they will judge and dismiss you. But since you’re dabbling with closed practices that may have hundreds of years of tradition behind them and disregarding their history and protocols, your ego is probably healthy enough not to care.
Closed practices are vital in many communities’ cultural and spiritual lives worldwide. They preserve heritage, protect sacred knowledge, and maintain the integrity of deeply held beliefs. By respecting and honouring these boundaries, we contribute to preserving human spirituality’s rich diversity and promote a world where all cultures can thrive in their authentic forms.
For those interested in closed practices, approaching with respect, humility, and a willingness to learn within the boundaries set by practitioners is essential. Furthermore, acknowledging and addressing colonialism’s lingering impacts helps dismantle harmful attitudes and promotes a more equitable and just spiritual landscape.
