Open Practices: What's Available for Everyone
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BY NICOLE LAU
After learning about closed practices and cultural appropriation, you might feel overwhelmed: What CAN I do? Is everything off-limits? How do I build a spiritual practice without appropriating? The good news: there's an abundance of spiritual practices available to everyone, regardless of background. You don't need to appropriate closed practicesβthere's so much that's open, accessible, and powerful.
This article is the hopeful counterpart to discussions of closed practices. It's a celebration of what's available: the practices, traditions, and tools that welcome all seekers. From meditation to crystal healing, from tarot to herbalism, from eclectic witchcraft to energy workβthere's a rich world of spirituality open to you. This article explores what's available, how to engage respectfully, and how to build a powerful, ethical practice from open traditions.
What Makes a Practice "Open"?
Characteristics of Open Practices
1. No initiation required
- Can be learned from books, teachers, or self-study
- No formal ceremony needed to begin
- Accessible to anyone who wants to learn
2. Not tied to specific ethnicity or culture
- Either universal or explicitly open to all
- Not protected by specific communities
- Available across cultures
3. Widely taught and shared
- Teachers openly share knowledge
- Information readily available
- Encouraged to spread and practice
4. No lineage requirement
- Don't need unbroken teacher-student transmission
- Can learn and practice independently
- Self-study is valid
Important note: Even open practices should be approached with respect, proper attribution, and understanding of their origins.
Major Open Practices
Meditation and Mindfulness
What's open:
- Basic meditation: Breath awareness, body scans, mindfulness
- Loving-kindness meditation (metta): Buddhist practice, openly taught
- Visualization: Universal practice across traditions
- Mindfulness practices: Present-moment awareness
How to engage respectfully:
- Acknowledge Buddhist origins when relevant
- Learn from qualified teachers when possible
- Don't claim to be expert after brief practice
- Respect the depth beyond stress-reduction
Crystal Healing and Energy Work
What's open:
- Crystal healing: Working with stones for energy and healing
- Chakra work: While from Hindu/yogic tradition, basic chakra work is widely taught and open
- General energy healing: Sensing and working with energy
- Aura reading and cleansing: Universal energy work
How to engage respectfully:
- Acknowledge origins (chakras from Hindu/yogic tradition)
- Don't claim ancient lineage you don't have
- Learn properly, don't just make things up
- Support teachers and practitioners
Tarot and Divination
What's open:
- Tarot: European origin, open to all
- Oracle cards: Modern creation, fully open
- Pendulum work: Universal divination tool
- Scrying: Ancient practice, open to all
- Runes: Norse/Germanic, generally considered open (some debate)
What's closed or restricted:
- IfΓ‘ divination: Yoruba system, requires initiation
- Certain indigenous divination methods: Specific to those cultures
How to engage respectfully:
- Learn the history and symbolism
- Treat as sacred tool, not party game
- Study seriously, not superficially
- Give credit to traditions
Herbalism and Plant Magic
What's open:
- European herbalism: Western herbal traditions
- Kitchen witchery: Using culinary herbs magically
- Garden herbs for cleansing: Rosemary, lavender, garden sage, mugwort
- General plant magic: Working with plants for healing and magic
What's closed or restricted:
- White sage smudging: Indigenous practice, not for non-Natives
- Palo santo (debated): Use mindfully, ensure ethical sourcing
- Specific indigenous plant medicines: Ayahuasca, peyote, etc. (context-dependent)
Alternatives to white sage:
- Rosemary (cleansing, protection)
- Garden sage (Salvia officinalis - different from white sage)
- Lavender (purification, peace)
- Mugwort (cleansing, psychic work)
- Cedar (if ethically sourced and not from closed practice)
Witchcraft and Magic
What's open:
- Eclectic witchcraft: Personal practice drawing from various sources
- Green witchcraft: Nature-based practice
- Kitchen witchcraft: Hearth and home magic
- Hedge witchcraft: Spirit work and journeying
- Secular witchcraft: Non-religious magical practice
- Chaos magic: Modern, experimental approach
What requires initiation:
- Traditional Wicca: Gardnerian, Alexandrian lineages require initiation
- Certain traditional witchcraft lineages: Specific covens and traditions
Note: Eclectic Wicca and solitary practice are generally open, but traditional lineaged Wicca requires initiation.
Yoga (with caveats)
What's open:
- Asana (physical postures): Widely taught, accessible to all
- Pranayama (breathwork): Generally open, learn from qualified teachers
- Basic meditation: Accessible
How to engage respectfully:
- Acknowledge Hindu rootsβyoga is more than exercise
- Learn from South Asian teachers when possible
- Don't reduce to fitness or appropriate spiritual aspects
- Respect the eight limbs, not just asana
- Don't claim to be "yoga teacher" after 200-hour training without ongoing study
Astrology
What's open:
- Western astrology: Greco-Roman tradition, open to all
- Natal chart reading: Accessible to anyone who studies
- Horary and electional astrology: Open practices
How to engage respectfully:
- Study seriously, not just sun signs
- Acknowledge ancient origins
- Don't claim expertise without deep study
- Respect it as complex system
Ancestral Work
What's open:
- Connecting with your own ancestors: Universal practice
- Ancestor altars: Found across many cultures, generally open
- Honoring the dead: Universal human practice
How to engage respectfully:
- Work with YOUR ancestors, not others'
- Research your own heritage
- Don't appropriate specific cultural practices for ancestor work
- Keep it personal and respectful
Building Your Own Practice
How to Create Ethical, Personal Spirituality
1. Start with what's open
- Choose from practices listed above
- No need to appropriateβabundance is available
- Build foundation from accessible practices
2. Research your own heritage
- Explore your ancestral traditions
- Reclaim practices from your own roots
- Connect with your lineage
3. Learn properly
- Study from books, teachers, courses
- Don't just make things up
- Understand what you're practicing
- Respect the depth of traditions
4. Give credit
- Acknowledge where practices come from
- Don't claim ancient lineage you don't have
- Be honest about your eclectic approach
- Honor the sources
5. Stay in your lane
- Don't claim to practice closed traditions
- Don't use terminology from closed practices
- Be clear about what you actually practice
- Respect boundaries
What You Can Build From Open Practices
A Complete Spiritual Practice
You can create a rich, powerful practice using only open traditions:
Daily practice:
- Morning meditation
- Crystal energy work
- Herbal tea ritual with intention
- Tarot card pull for guidance
Moon cycle work:
- New moon intention setting
- Full moon release ritual
- Moon water creation
- Lunar meditation
Seasonal celebrations:
- Solstices and equinoxes (universal)
- Personal seasonal rituals
- Nature-based observances
Magical work:
- Candle magic
- Sigil creation
- Spell crafting with herbs and crystals
- Energy work and manifestation
Divination:
- Tarot or oracle cards
- Pendulum work
- Scrying
- Intuitive development
This is a complete, powerful practiceβno appropriation needed.
Crystals for Personal Practice
Universal Tools for Everyone
Foundation stones:
- Clear quartz: Amplification, clarity, universal tool
- Amethyst: Spiritual connection, intuition, meditation
- Rose quartz: Love, compassion, heart healing
- Black tourmaline: Protection, grounding, boundaries
Practice-Specific Stones
- Citrine: Manifestation, abundance, personal power
- Labradorite: Magic, intuition, transformation
- Selenite: Cleansing, high vibration, clarity
- Carnelian: Creativity, courage, vitality
How to Use
- Create crystal grids for intentions
- Meditate with stones
- Carry for daily support
- Use in spell work and rituals
- Build your practice around crystal energy
Common Questions
"Is [practice] open or closed?"
When in doubt:
- Research from people within that tradition
- Look for statements from cultural authorities
- Err on the side of caution
- If you're not sure, don't do it until you know
"Can I mix practices from different traditions?"
Yes, if:
- All practices you're mixing are open
- You understand each practice properly
- You give credit to sources
- You're not claiming to practice closed traditions
- You're honest about your eclectic approach
"What if I'm drawn to a closed practice?"
Options:
- Find similar open practices
- Explore why you're drawn to it (what need does it meet?)
- Find open ways to meet that same need
- If initiation is possible and appropriate, pursue it properly
- Respect if it's not available to you
Integration: Abundance, Not Scarcity
There is no scarcity of spiritual practices available to you. You don't need to appropriate closed traditionsβthere's an abundance of open practices that can create a rich, powerful, transformative spiritual life.
From meditation to magic, from crystals to tarot, from herbalism to energy workβso much is available. You can build a complete practice from what's open. You can go deep. You can transform. You can connect to the divine.
Respecting closed practices doesn't limit youβit focuses you on what's actually available and appropriate. It invites you to explore your own heritage, to learn properly from open traditions, to build something authentic and powerful.
You have everything you need. The path is open. Walk it with respect, gratitude, and joy.
Next in this series: The Difference Between Inspiration and Theft
To further align your spiritual journey with open and accessible practices, consider deepening your connection through the 30 day tarot practice workbook, a gentle and structured tool for daily reflection available to all seekers. You might also explore the sacred space cleanse printable energy clearing ritual kit to create a welcoming environment for your open-hearted explorations, or embrace the guided path of the the 52 week tarot journey a year of weekly spreads daily pulls deep reflection for a full year of unfolding wisdom, all freely offered in the spirit of shared growth.
