New Age Spirituality: Cultural Appropriation Wrapped in Love and Light

By NICOLE LAU

Introduction: The Problem with "Good Vibes Only"

New Age spirituality promises enlightenment, healing, and connection to the divine through a colorful blend of practices from around the world. Yoga, meditation, crystals, chakras, smudging, dreamcatchers, Buddha statues, and "tribal" patterns—all available at your local metaphysical shop or wellness retreat.

But there's a problem beneath the surface of this spiritual marketplace: much of New Age spirituality is built on cultural appropriation. Practices sacred to specific cultures are stripped of context, commodified, and sold to predominantly white, Western consumers who face none of the discrimination that the source communities endure.

This guide examines the cultural appropriation embedded in New Age spirituality, why it's problematic, specific examples, and how to engage with spiritual practices more ethically.

What Is New Age Spirituality?

Definition

New Age spirituality is a loosely organized spiritual movement that emerged in the 1970s-80s, characterized by eclecticism, individualism, and a focus on personal transformation and holistic wellness.

Common Characteristics

• Eclecticism: Draws from multiple traditions
• Individualism: "Spiritual but not religious"
• Holistic: Mind-body-spirit integration
• Optimism: Focus on positive thinking and manifestation
• Commercialization: Spiritual marketplace of products and services
• Universalism: "All paths lead to the same truth"

Common Practices

• Yoga and meditation
• Crystal healing
• Chakra work
• Reiki and energy healing
• Tarot and oracle cards
• Smudging with white sage
• Dreamcatchers and "tribal" aesthetics
• Buddha statues and Hindu deities as decoration
• Appropriated Indigenous practices

The Cultural Appropriation Problem

What Makes It Appropriation?

1. Taking Without Permission

• Practices are taken from cultures without consent
• Sacred traditions used outside their proper context
• Source communities have no say in how their practices are used

2. Stripping Context and Meaning

• Practices separated from their cultural and religious frameworks
• Reduced to techniques or aesthetics
• Original meanings lost or distorted

3. Commodification

• Sacred practices turned into products for sale
• Profit goes to non-Indigenous/non-source-culture people
• Spiritual marketplace exploits cultural heritage

4. Power Dynamics

• Predominantly white, Western practitioners
• Taking from marginalized and colonized cultures
• Source communities face discrimination for the same practices
• Privilege allows appropriation without consequences

5. Erasure

• Source cultures are not acknowledged or credited
• Practices presented as universal or "ancient wisdom"
• Actual cultural origins obscured

Specific Examples of Appropriation

1. Smudging and White Sage

The Appropriation

• "Smudging" is a specific Indigenous ceremony, not generic smoke cleansing
• White sage is sacred to many Indigenous nations
• Mass harvesting for New Age market threatens the plant
• Non-Indigenous people profit from selling sage and "smudge kits"

Why It's Problematic

• Indigenous people were persecuted for these practices
• Now white people do it as trendy wellness
• Sacred ceremony reduced to "cleansing negative energy"
• Environmental impact from over-harvesting

What to Do Instead

• Use smoke cleansing with herbs from your own tradition
• Call it smoke cleansing, not smudging
• Use rosemary, mugwort, garden sage, or other non-sacred plants
• Acknowledge the difference

2. Yoga

The Appropriation

• Yoga stripped from Hindu religious context
• Reduced to physical exercise or "wellness"
• Commercialized and commodified
• Hindu philosophy and spirituality erased
• "Beer yoga," "goat yoga," and other trivializations

Why It's Problematic

• Yoga is a spiritual practice rooted in Hinduism
• South Asians face discrimination while white people profit from yoga
• Original meanings and purposes lost
• Cultural and religious significance erased

More Respectful Approach

• Acknowledge yoga's Hindu origins
• Learn about the philosophy, not just the poses
• Support South Asian yoga teachers
• Don't trivialize with "beer yoga" etc.
• Understand it's a spiritual practice, not just exercise

3. Chakras

The Appropriation

• Chakra system taken from Hinduism and Tantra
• Simplified and commercialized
• Sold as products (chakra bracelets, sprays, etc.)
• Separated from Hindu theology and practice

Why It's Problematic

• Part of complex Hindu spiritual system
• Reduced to New Age energy work
• Commodified without understanding
• Hindu origins often not acknowledged

4. Dreamcatchers

The Appropriation

• Sacred Ojibwe object
• Mass-produced as decoration
• Sold by non-Indigenous people
• Meaning and purpose lost

Why It's Problematic

• Sacred object turned into trendy decoration
• Indigenous people don't profit from mass production
• Cultural significance erased
• Part of broader pattern of Indigenous appropriation

5. "Tribal" and "Ethnic" Aesthetics

The Appropriation

• Indigenous patterns and designs used as fashion
• "Tribal" tattoos with no cultural connection
• Headdresses, bindis, and other cultural items as costumes
• Vague "ethnic" or "bohemian" aesthetics

Why It's Problematic

• Reduces cultures to aesthetics
• Ignores specific cultural meanings
• Often combines elements from incompatible cultures
• Treats cultural heritage as fashion trend

6. Buddha Statues and Hindu Deities

The Appropriation

• Sacred religious images used as decoration
• Buddha heads (especially) as trendy home decor
• Hindu deities on clothing, yoga mats, etc.
• Religious symbols commodified

Why It's Problematic

• These are religious icons, not decorations
• Disrespectful to Buddhists and Hindus
• Separated from religious context
• Would we do this with Christian religious images?

7. "Shamanism" and Plant Medicine

The Appropriation

• Non-Indigenous people claiming to be "shamans"
• Ayahuasca tourism and commodification
• "Shamanic journeying" workshops by non-Indigenous teachers
• Appropriating specific Indigenous practices

Why It's Problematic

• "Shaman" is from specific Siberian cultures
• Used generically erases cultural specificity
• Indigenous practices taken out of context
• Non-Indigenous people profit from Indigenous knowledge
• Can be dangerous without proper training

The "Love and Light" Problem

Spiritual Bypassing of Accountability

• "We're all one": Used to dismiss concerns about appropriation
• "It's all love": Avoids addressing harm
• "Good vibes only": Silences criticism
• "Don't be so negative": Tone policing instead of listening
• "I'm honoring the culture": Without actually honoring source communities

Privilege and Power Dynamics

• Predominantly white, middle-class movement
• Can engage with "exotic" practices without facing discrimination
• Profit from practices while source communities are marginalized
• Privilege allows ignoring criticism

Commodification and Capitalism

• Spiritual marketplace sells cultural practices
• Expensive retreats, workshops, and products
• Accessibility based on wealth, not cultural connection
• Profit motive drives appropriation

Why This Matters

Harm to Source Communities

• Economic: Others profit from their cultural heritage
• Cultural: Sacred practices trivialized and distorted
• Spiritual: Religious practices disrespected
• Environmental: Over-harvesting of sacred plants
• Psychological: Seeing your culture commodified is painful

Historical Context

• Colonization and genocide of Indigenous peoples
• Forced assimilation and cultural destruction
• Persecution for practicing traditional spirituality
• Now the same practices are trendy for white people
• Adding insult to historical injury

Ongoing Discrimination

• Indigenous people still face discrimination
• South Asians mocked for bindis, then white people wear them as fashion
• Black people's spiritual practices demonized, then appropriated
• Double standard based on race and power

Common Defenses and Why They Don't Work

"I'm Honoring the Culture"

• Honor means respecting boundaries and listening to source communities
• If people from that culture say it's appropriation, listen
• True honor includes giving back and supporting communities

"Spirituality Is Universal"

• Universal principles exist, but specific practices are cultural
• You can't separate practice from culture
• Universalism can be used to justify taking anything

"I Have Indigenous/Asian/etc. Ancestry"

• Distant ancestry doesn't give you access to closed practices
• Cultural connection requires actual relationship with the culture
• DNA doesn't equal cultural knowledge or permission

"I Was Called to This Practice"

• Feeling called doesn't override cultural boundaries
• Seek practices from your own heritage or open traditions
• Respect when you're told something isn't for you

"But I Bought It from an Indigenous/Asian/etc. Person"

• Individual consent doesn't equal community consent
• Economic necessity may drive sales
• Buying doesn't make appropriation okay

How to Practice More Ethically

1. Explore Your Own Heritage

• Research your ancestral spiritual traditions
• European folk magic, Christian mysticism, etc.
• Reclaim what's actually yours
• Build connection to your own roots

2. Learn from Open Traditions

• Some traditions welcome outsiders
• Buddhism generally accepts converts
• Some Hindu teachers welcome students
• Wicca and modern paganism are open
• Ask and respect the answer

3. Study with Proper Teachers

• Learn from people within the tradition
• Pay them fairly
• Don't just read books or take weekend workshops
• Commit to deep study, not superficial sampling

4. Acknowledge Sources

• Always credit where practices come from
• Don't claim they're universal or "ancient wisdom"
• Educate others about origins
• Correct misinformation

5. Support Source Communities

• Donate to Indigenous organizations
• Support South Asian, Black, and other marginalized communities
• Amplify voices from source cultures
• Stand against discrimination

6. Respect Boundaries

• When told something is closed, respect that
• Don't argue or try to find loopholes
• Accept that not everything is for you
• There are plenty of open practices

7. Do the Work

• Educate yourself about cultural appropriation
• Listen to marginalized voices
• Examine your own privilege
• Be willing to change your practices
• Accept criticism with humility

Alternatives to Appropriation

Instead of Smudging

• Smoke cleansing with rosemary, mugwort, or garden sage
• Incense from your own tradition
• Sound cleansing (bells, singing bowls)
• Salt and water cleansing

Instead of Dreamcatchers

• Create your own protective symbols
• Use symbols from your own heritage
• Original art and designs

Instead of Appropriated "Shamanism"

• European folk magic and witchcraft
• Your own ancestral practices
• Modern paganism and witchcraft
• Ceremonial magic traditions

Respectful Engagement with Yoga and Meditation

• Acknowledge Hindu and Buddhist origins
• Learn the philosophy, not just techniques
• Support teachers from source cultures
• Don't trivialize or commodify

The Difference Between Appreciation and Appropriation

Appreciation

• Learning with permission and proper context
• Acknowledging and crediting sources
• Supporting source communities
• Respecting boundaries and closed practices
• Deep study, not superficial sampling
• Listening when told you're doing harm

Appropriation

• Taking without permission or understanding
• Stripping context and meaning
• Profiting while source communities don't
• Ignoring boundaries
• Superficial engagement
• Dismissing criticism

Conclusion: Spiritual Practice with Integrity

New Age spirituality's promise of universal wisdom and personal transformation is appealing. But when that promise is built on cultural appropriation—taking sacred practices from marginalized communities without permission, context, or compensation—it causes real harm.

Key principles for ethical spiritual practice:

• Acknowledge appropriation in New Age spirituality
• Listen to source communities when they say something is harmful
• Explore your own heritage before taking from others
• Respect boundaries around closed practices
• Support source communities financially and politically
• Give credit and acknowledge origins
• Be willing to change your practices when you learn better

You can build a rich, meaningful spiritual practice without appropriation. It requires more work—researching your own heritage, finding open traditions, studying deeply rather than sampling superficially—but the result is a practice built on integrity rather than theft.

"Love and light" without accountability is just spiritual bypassing. True spiritual practice includes facing uncomfortable truths, including the ways we may have caused harm. That's where real growth begins.

NICOLE LAU is a researcher and writer specializing in Western esotericism, Jungian psychology, and comparative mysticism. She is the author of the Western Esoteric Classics series and New Age Spirituality series.

As we navigate the delicate balance between honoring ancient traditions and embracing spiritual growth, remember that true enlightenment begins with mindful awareness and respect — consider pairing your 40 Manifestation Rituals with deep journaling using our Tarot Journaling Prompts to explore your intentions authentically, or illuminate your path with the Jung and the Archetype guide for a more grounded, psychologically-informed approach to your practice.