Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation: The Basics

BY NICOLE LAU

You see a beautiful practice from another culture—smudging with white sage, wearing a bindi, practicing yoga, using tarot. You're drawn to it. You want to incorporate it into your spiritual life. But you've heard the term "cultural appropriation" and you're not sure: Is this appreciation or appropriation? Am I honoring this culture or harming it? Can I do this, or is it off-limits?

These are essential questions. The line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation can seem blurry, but it's critical to understand. Getting it wrong doesn't just mean making a social faux pas—it means participating in spiritual theft, perpetuating harm, and disrespecting sacred traditions. This article breaks down the basics: what cultural appropriation actually is, how it differs from appreciation, and how to engage with other cultures' spiritual practices ethically and respectfully.

What Is Cultural Appropriation?

The Definition

Cultural appropriation is:

• Taking elements from a culture that is not your own
• Especially when there's a power imbalance (dominant culture taking from marginalized culture)
• Without permission, understanding, or respect
• Often for personal benefit (aesthetic, spiritual, financial)
• While the originating culture faces discrimination for the same practices

Key Characteristics of Appropriation

1. Power dynamics

• Dominant culture taking from marginalized culture
• Colonizer taking from colonized
• Privileged taking from oppressed
• The power imbalance is central

2. Lack of understanding or respect

• Using sacred items as fashion or decoration
• Not knowing the meaning or significance
• Stripping context and depth
• Treating as commodity or aesthetic

3. No permission or relationship

• Taking without asking
• No connection to the culture or community
• No reciprocity or giving back
• Extractive, not relational

4. Harm to the originating culture

• Perpetuates stereotypes
• Commodifies what's sacred
• Profits while originators don't
• Erases or distorts meaning

5. Double standard

• Dominant culture praised for what marginalized culture is punished for
• White person wearing bindi = trendy; Hindu person = exotic or othered
• Non-Native wearing headdress = fashion; Native person = stereotype

What Is Cultural Appreciation?

The Definition

Cultural appreciation is:

• Learning about and honoring another culture
• With respect, understanding, and permission
• In relationship with people from that culture
• Giving credit and reciprocity
• Recognizing and respecting boundaries

Key Characteristics of Appreciation

1. Respect and understanding

• Learning the history and significance
• Understanding the context
• Honoring the depth and sacredness
• Not reducing to aesthetic or trend

2. Permission and relationship

• Learning from people within the culture
• Asking permission when appropriate
• Building genuine relationships
• Not just taking from books or internet

3. Reciprocity

• Giving back to the community
• Supporting practitioners from that culture
• Amplifying their voices
• Not just taking

4. Respecting boundaries

• Recognizing what's closed vs. open
• Not accessing what's not meant for you
• Honoring when told "no"
• Understanding some things are not for outsiders

5. Giving credit

• Acknowledging where practices come from
• Not claiming as your own
• Educating others about origins
• Honoring the source

The Key Differences

Appropriation vs. Appreciation

Appropriation	Appreciation
Taking without permission	Learning with permission
No understanding of meaning	Deep understanding and respect
Stripping context	Honoring context
Treating as commodity	Treating as sacred
No relationship with culture	Genuine relationships
Extractive (taking only)	Reciprocal (giving back)
Ignoring boundaries	Respecting boundaries
Benefiting while originators suffer	Supporting originators
Claiming as your own	Giving credit to source
Perpetuates harm	Honors and uplifts

Common Examples

Appropriation in Action

1. Wearing Native American headdresses

• Sacred item earned through specific deeds
• Worn as costume or fashion
• Disrespects deep spiritual significance
• While Native people face discrimination

2. White sage smudging by non-Natives

• Sacred practice from specific Indigenous nations
• Taken without permission or understanding
• Commercialized, leading to overharvesting
• While Indigenous people were punished for same practice

3. Bindis as fashion accessories

• Sacred Hindu symbol with spiritual meaning
• Worn by non-Hindus as decoration
• Stripped of religious significance
• While Hindu people face discrimination for wearing them

4. Voodoo/Vodou imagery and practices

• Closed religion requiring initiation
• Reduced to horror movie stereotypes
• Sacred practices commodified
• Perpetuates harmful stereotypes

Appreciation in Action

1. Learning yoga from South Asian teachers

• Studying with respect for Hindu roots
• Understanding it's more than physical exercise
• Supporting South Asian yoga teachers
• Not claiming to be "yoga expert" after one class

2. Practicing meditation with proper attribution

• Acknowledging Buddhist origins
• Learning from qualified teachers
• Respecting the depth of the practice
• Not commodifying or whitewashing

3. Using tarot respectfully

• Learning the history and symbolism
• Respecting it as divination tool, not party game
• Supporting tarot creators and teachers
• Honoring the tradition

Why It Matters

The Harm of Appropriation

1. Spiritual theft

• Taking what's sacred without permission
• Violating spiritual boundaries
• Disrespecting what communities hold holy

2. Economic harm

• Dominant culture profits from marginalized culture's practices
• Original practitioners can't make living from their own traditions
• Exploitation and extraction

3. Cultural erasure

• Original meaning and context lost
• Distorted or watered down
• Credit goes to appropriators, not originators

4. Perpetuates colonialism

• Continues pattern of taking from colonized peoples
• Reinforces power imbalances
• Treats cultures as resources to extract

5. Psychological harm

• Seeing your sacred practices commodified
• Being punished for what others are praised for
• Feeling your culture is not respected

How to Check Yourself

Questions to Ask Before Engaging

1. What is my relationship to this culture?

• Do I have genuine connections with people from this culture?
• Or am I just taking from books/internet?

2. Do I understand the significance?

• Do I know the history and meaning?
• Or am I attracted to the aesthetic only?

3. Is this practice open or closed?

• Is it available to outsiders?
• Or is it restricted to initiated members or specific communities?

4. Do I have permission?

• Have I been invited or taught by someone from the culture?
• Or am I taking without asking?

5. Am I giving back?

• Am I supporting practitioners from this culture?
• Or just taking for my benefit?

6. Am I respecting boundaries?

• Am I honoring what's been said is off-limits?
• Or ignoring boundaries because I want access?

7. What are the power dynamics?

• Am I from a dominant culture taking from a marginalized one?
• Is there a history of colonization or oppression?

Crystals for Ethical Discernment

Clarity and Truth

• Sodalite: Truth, discernment, seeing clearly
• Lapis lazuli: Wisdom, ethical clarity, speaking truth
• Clear quartz: Clarity about right action

Humility and Respect

• Amethyst: Spiritual humility, honoring what's sacred
• Rose quartz: Compassion, respect for others
• Smoky quartz: Grounding, staying humble

How to Use

• Hold while examining your practices
• Meditate with to develop discernment
• Use to stay grounded in respect and humility

Moving Forward

What to Do If You've Appropriated

1. Acknowledge it

• Don't get defensive
• Recognize the harm
• Take responsibility

2. Stop the practice

• If it's closed or you don't have permission, stop
• Don't make excuses
• Respect the boundary

3. Educate yourself

• Learn from people within the culture
• Understand the history and harm
• Do the work

4. Make amends

• Support practitioners from that culture
• Amplify their voices
• Give back

5. Do better going forward

• Apply what you've learned
• Check yourself regularly
• Stay humble and open to feedback

Integration: Respect Is the Foundation

The difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation comes down to respect. Respect for the culture, respect for boundaries, respect for the people who hold these traditions sacred. Appreciation requires relationship, understanding, permission, and reciprocity. Appropriation is taking without these things.

You can engage with other cultures' spiritual practices—but only with deep respect, genuine relationship, and clear permission. Some practices are open to all. Some are closed. Some require initiation. Some are never for outsiders. Learning the difference is your responsibility.

When in doubt, ask. Listen. Respect boundaries. Give credit. Give back. And remember: your desire to access a practice doesn't override a culture's right to protect what's sacred to them.

Respect is not optional. It's the foundation of ethical spiritual practice.

Next in this series: Closed Practices Explained: What You Cannot Do and Why