Why Closed Practices ARENT Racist
These are all apart of a long list of closed practices.
This means that unless you are:
•A Native American you CANNOT Smudge. Smudging is apart of an important ritual ceremony specific to Native Americans.
•A Black person you cannot practice Hoodoo, Ifa, or Voodoo
•A Latino/ Latino Black person you cannot practice Santa Muerte focused Brujeria or Santeria
“Well Lavenderlundi this is racist!”
“You can’t dictate other people’s practices!”
“So skin color determines what practices you can follow?!”
“Guess now Celtic paganism is only for white people.”
“If someone educates themselves on a closed religion and is respectful they can practice it.”
“If A God/Goddess/Spirit calls on a person they can work with them!”
These are common responses PoC often get from posts like this when we try to tell others to stay out of our closed cultures. And I’m going to explain why they are illogical and untrue.
“Well Lavenderlundi this is racist!”
Actually it’s not. The entire reason for closed cultures is for the preservation of said culture. As well as the fact that many of these cultures and religions are from minorities who’ve been either mass murdered, enslaved, pillaged, or exploited in some way by Europeans at some point in time or another. (Id also like to point out that that time is also now as poc face racism and discrimination and even death every day due to this.) The reason the culture that invented the spiritual practice and/or religion is the only one who can practice it is also because 1) They created it, it’s their right and 2) PRESERVATION OF CULTURE! Not like when white supremacy groups want to preserve
“white culture” but like how black and brown people have been forced to disown their own cultures for centuries and convert to white religions and cultures.
Yeah wasn’t expecting that were you. Moving on.
“You can’t dictate other people’s practices!”
Actually I’m not dictating anything. I’m spreading actual factual information. Cultural appropriation is harmful to minorities and their culture! Poc have been forced to give up their culture for generations! Even going as far as having their children taken away from them and put into conversion schools to wipe away their history and heritage. Similar things are happening today with the active injustices poc face so please don’t say “But why are you blaming me for what my ancestors did 100 years ago?!” I’m not I’m blaming you for what you are doing now in 2019. Which is appropriating closed cultural practices when you already have thousands of open practices.
“So skin color determines what practices you can follow?!”
Way to not read a single thing I said! Skin color determines NOTHING you can be the palest black person in the world and still be allowed to practice voodoo, Ifa, or any other closed CULTURAL practice. It’s about your CULTURE! Meaning you either have a mother or a father from that culture, you identify with said culture, and you work actively to improve the community outside and within that culture.
“Guess now Celtic paganism is only for white people.”
Ahhh my favorite. The most common response to telling non-poc that they can’t appropriate closed cultures and steal from other cultures.
Celtic paganism, Hellenistic paganism, Wicca, Christianity and any other European religion/practice is almost always 100% guaranteed to be open to anyone and you know how I know this?
Because back in the day Europeans spent half the time converting people to their religion.
ALSO hundreds of thousands of celts or Nordic practitioners aren’t begging and demanding nonceltic people to leave their practice alone. Also these practices aren’t being misrepresented or demonized by poc the same way our practices our.
“If someone educates themselves on a closed religion and is respectful they can practice it.”
If someone actually educated themselves and respected said closed religion then they WOULDN’T invade closed practices! Being respectful INCLUDES respecting actual practitioners and what they have to say! And if they actually educated themselves they wouldn’t be trying to jump on the culture culture bandwagon in the first place. They’d understand how important this practice is and respect that it is closed.
“If A God/Goddess/Spirit calls on a person they can work with them!”
Look I’m going to be honest. Half the time it when you wonder “Oh wow I feel this desire/urge to work with XYZ from a closed practice! What is this feeling?”
It’s your entitlement. Plain and simple. No deeper explanation needed.
There is a lot of racism and bias in the spiritual community and it’s disgusting how in 2019 I even have to explain this to people!
Respect people of color and their closed practices!
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
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