Closed Practices Explained: What You Cannot Do and Why

BY NICOLE LAU

You see a powerful spiritual practice online—a Native American vision quest, a Vodou ceremony, a Hindu puja reserved for initiated priests. It looks profound, transformative, exactly what you're seeking. But when you research it, you find it's a "closed practice"—not available to outsiders, restricted to specific communities or initiated members. Your first reaction might be frustration: Why can't I access this? Isn't spirituality universal? Who gets to decide what's off-limits?

These are understandable questions, but they miss the point. Closed practices exist for sacred, cultural, and protective reasons. They're not closed to be exclusionary or gatekeeping—they're closed because they're sacred, because they require specific lineage or initiation, because opening them to outsiders would cause harm. This article explains what closed practices are, why they're closed, which practices are off-limits, and why respecting these boundaries is not just ethical—it's essential.

What Are Closed Practices?

The Definition

Closed practices are spiritual or religious practices that:

• Require initiation, lineage, or specific cultural/ethnic membership
• Are restricted to members of a particular community
• Cannot be learned from books or the internet
• Must be transmitted directly from authorized teachers
• Are protected by the community that holds them

Why Practices Are Closed

1. Sacred and protected

• Too sacred to be shared with outsiders
• Require spiritual preparation and protection
• Can be dangerous if practiced incorrectly
• Must be kept within the community

2. Require initiation

• Specific ceremonies or rites of passage needed
• Spiritual preparation and training required
• Can't be self-initiated or learned casually
• Initiation creates spiritual bonds and responsibilities

3. Lineage-based

• Must be passed down through specific lineages
• Teacher-to-student transmission essential
• Authenticity and power come from unbroken lineage
• Can't be learned outside this transmission

4. Cultural/ethnic specific

• Tied to specific cultural or ethnic identity
• Part of cultural heritage and survival
• Not meant for outsiders
• Protecting from appropriation and erasure

5. Historical protection

• Practices that were suppressed or banned
• Communities protecting what colonizers tried to destroy
• Keeping sacred what was nearly lost
• Preventing further exploitation

Major Closed Practices

Indigenous/Native American Practices

Closed to non-Natives:

• Smudging with white sage: Sacred to specific Indigenous nations, not for non-Native use
• Vision quests: Sacred ceremony requiring preparation and guidance from elders
• Sun Dance: Sacred ceremony, absolutely closed to outsiders
• Sweat lodges: When led by non-Natives or for non-Natives, appropriative and dangerous
• Medicine bundles and sacred objects: Not for non-Native possession or use
• Specific tribal ceremonies: Each nation has practices closed to outsiders
• Peyote ceremonies: Sacred to Native American Church, illegal for non-Natives

Why: Indigenous practices were criminalized and suppressed. Native people were punished for practicing their own spirituality. These practices are being protected and reclaimed by Indigenous communities. Non-Native participation is appropriation of what was stolen.

African Diaspora Religions

Closed practices requiring initiation:

• Vodou/Vodun: Haitian and West African religion, requires initiation
• Santería/Lukumí: Afro-Cuban religion, initiation-only
• Candomblé: Afro-Brazilian religion, closed to non-initiates
• Ifá: Yoruba divination system, requires proper training and initiation
• Palo Mayombe: Afro-Cuban practice, strictly closed

Why: These are complete religions with priesthoods, not "spiritual practices" to sample. They require years of training, initiation ceremonies, and ongoing relationship with community and spirits. Practicing without initiation is disrespectful and spiritually dangerous.

Note: Hoodoo (African American folk magic) is different—it's a folk practice, not a closed religion, though it should still be approached with respect and understanding of its roots.

Hindu Practices

Closed or restricted:

• Certain temple rituals: Reserved for initiated priests (Brahmins in some traditions)
• Specific mantras: Some require initiation from guru
• Sacred thread ceremony: For specific castes/communities only
• Tantric practices: Many require initiation and guru guidance

Why: Hinduism has practices open to all (like yoga asana, meditation, some mantras) and practices reserved for initiated practitioners. The distinction matters. Some practices are dangerous without proper preparation.

Tibetan Buddhism

Closed practices:

• Vajrayana/Tantric practices: Require empowerment (wang) from qualified lama
• Deity yoga: Needs initiation and transmission
• Certain visualizations and mantras: Not for self-study
• Advanced meditation techniques: Require teacher authorization

Why: These practices can be psychologically and spiritually destabilizing without proper preparation. The tradition protects practitioners by requiring initiation and guidance.

Other Closed Practices

• Kabbalah (traditional Jewish mysticism): Traditionally restricted to married Jewish men over 40 with extensive Torah study
• Certain Wiccan traditions: Require initiation into specific lineages (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, etc.)
• Shamanic practices from specific cultures: Siberian, Mongolian, South American shamanism—not for outsiders to practice
• Closed indigenous practices worldwide: Aboriginal Australian, Māori, Sami, and countless others

How to Know If Something Is Closed

Red Flags That a Practice Is Closed

1. It requires initiation

• If sources say "must be initiated," it's closed
• Can't self-initiate or learn from books
• Initiation is not optional

2. It's from a specific ethnic/cultural group

• Especially Indigenous or colonized peoples
• If it's tied to cultural identity, be cautious
• Research whether it's open to outsiders

3. Members of that culture say it's closed

• Listen to people from the culture
• If they say it's not for you, believe them
• Don't argue or try to justify access

4. It's sacred or ceremonial

• Sacred ceremonies are often closed
• Not everything is meant to be shared
• Respect the sacred

5. It was historically suppressed

• Practices that were banned or criminalized
• Communities protecting what was nearly destroyed
• Extra sensitivity required

When in Doubt

• Research: Look for information from people within the culture
• Ask: Reach out respectfully to practitioners from that tradition
• Listen: If told it's closed, respect that
• Err on the side of caution: If you're not sure, don't do it

Why "But I'm Called to It" Isn't Enough

Common Justifications (That Don't Work)

1. "I feel called to this practice"

• Your feeling doesn't override a culture's boundaries
• Desire for access ≠ right to access
• Many things call to us that aren't ours to take

2. "I'm honoring the culture"

• Honor means respecting boundaries
• If the culture says no, honor that
• Your intention doesn't erase harm

3. "Spirituality is universal"

• Some truths are universal; specific practices are not
• Universal access is not the same as universal truth
• Respect for boundaries is also universal

4. "I have Native/African/etc. ancestry"

• Distant ancestry doesn't grant automatic access
• If you weren't raised in the culture, you're still an outsider
• Reconnecting requires humility and proper channels

5. "I was told in a dream/vision"

• Spiritual experiences don't override cultural boundaries
• Spirits can guide you to open practices instead
• Real spiritual guidance respects cultural protocols

6. "I'll do it privately, so it's not appropriation"

• Appropriation is about taking, not just displaying
• Private appropriation is still appropriation
• You can't appropriate respectfully

The Harm of Accessing Closed Practices

Why It Matters

1. Spiritual theft

• Taking what's not yours
• Violating sacred boundaries
• Disrespecting what communities protect

2. Dilution and distortion

• Practices lose meaning and power outside proper context
• Incorrect practice spreads misinformation
• Sacred becomes commodified

3. Perpetuates colonialism

• Continues pattern of taking from colonized peoples
• Treats cultures as resources to extract
• Ignores historical trauma

4. Spiritual danger

• Some practices are genuinely dangerous without proper preparation
• Can cause psychological or spiritual harm
• Protections and safeguards exist for a reason

5. Disrespects living communities

• Ignores the people who hold these traditions
• Treats their boundaries as irrelevant
• Causes real pain and harm

What to Do Instead

Ethical Alternatives

1. Find open practices from that tradition

• Many traditions have both open and closed practices
• Learn what's available to you
• Respect the distinction

2. Learn from authorized teachers

• If initiation is possible and appropriate, pursue it properly
• Study with teachers from the tradition
• Follow the proper protocols

3. Explore your own ancestral traditions

• Research your own heritage
• Reclaim practices from your ancestors
• Build relationship with your own roots

4. Find similar open practices

• If drawn to smudging, use rosemary or garden sage (open practices)
• If drawn to vision quests, explore wilderness solo retreats (not the same, but open)
• Find what serves the same purpose without appropriation

5. Support practitioners from closed traditions

• Learn from them (what they're willing to teach)
• Support their work financially
• Amplify their voices
• Respect their boundaries

Crystals for Respecting Boundaries

Protection and Boundaries

• Black tourmaline: Strong boundaries, protection, respecting limits
• Obsidian: Truth-seeing, recognizing what's not yours
• Smoky quartz: Grounding, staying within appropriate bounds

Humility and Respect

• Amethyst: Spiritual humility, honoring what's sacred
• Hematite: Grounding, staying humble
• Sodalite: Truth, respecting others' boundaries

How to Use

• Hold when tempted to access closed practices
• Meditate with to strengthen respect for boundaries
• Use to stay grounded in ethical practice

Integration: No Means No

Closed practices are closed for good reasons. They're not closed to be mean, exclusionary, or gatekeeping. They're closed because they're sacred, because they require specific preparation, because they belong to specific communities, because opening them causes harm.

Your desire to access a practice doesn't override a culture's right to protect it. Your spiritual hunger doesn't entitle you to what's not yours. Your good intentions don't erase the harm of appropriation.

When a practice is closed, the answer is simple: respect that. Find alternatives. Explore what's open to you. Build your own practice from what's available and appropriate.

There is so much spiritual wisdom available to everyone. You don't need to take what's closed. Respect the boundaries. Honor the sacred. Stay in your lane.

No means no. Even in spirituality.

Next in this series: Open Practices: What's Available for Everyone