Open Practices: What's Available for Everyone

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 practices—there'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 work—there'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:

• Ifá 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 roots—yoga 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 appropriate—abundance 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 practice—no 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 traditions—there'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 work—so 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 you—it 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