Misappropriation in Open Occult Practices: Why It Matters

In modern esoteric communities, conversations often focus on the appropriation of closed spiritual traditions. But a more subtle and equally important issue is emerging misappropriation within open practices. Even when traditions are accessible or non-initiation-based, they can still be misunderstood, distorted, or stripped of their context in ways that perpetuate harm.

Defining Our Terms

Misappropriation refers to the disrespectful or decontextualized use of cultural or spiritual elements, even from systems that are not explicitly closed. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as:

The inappropriate or harmful use of elements from one culture by members of another, often more dominant culture.

This differs from cultural appropriation, which generally applies to closed, lineage-bound, or sacred systems where permission, initiation, or cultural belonging is necessary. Misappropriation, however, applies when people mishandle even public or open-access systems especially when their use is careless, commodified, or stripped of deeper meaning.

Manifestations in Magical Practice

Common misappropriations in open practices include:

• Cherry-picking aesthetic or superficial elements while ignoring the foundational worldview or ethics behind them.
• Using open traditions (like Norse paganism, Taoist alchemy, or folk magic) without understanding the historical or social contexts in which they arose.
• Commercializing spiritual systems through unverified 'courses' or 'certifications' without accountability to tradition or source communities.
• Inventing or remixing practices while presenting them as authentic lineages (sometimes called 'plastic shamanism' or 'neo-mysticism').

The Harm in Misappropriation

Even when traditions are open, misappropriation can contribute to ongoing harm. This includes erasing the contributions of marginalized communities, promoting misinformation, and turning sacred tools into shallow consumer trends. For example, using Taoist sigil work divorced from its cosmology can reinforce orientalist views, just as removing runes from Norse spiritual ethics can flatten their significance into mere 'manifestation glyphs.'

These issues matter because spiritual tools carry cultural DNA. Even when a practice is public, using it carelessly can replicate colonial patterns of extraction and distortion especially when profit or power is involved.

Ethical Approaches to Open Practice

Ethical engagement with open systems involves more than just legality or accessibility. It means asking deeper questions like:

• Have I studied this tradition in its own words, or only through Western reinterpretations?
• Do I acknowledge the living cultures and communities still practicing it?
• Am I using this in a way that honors its depth, or just extracting what’s trendy?
• Do I credit and cite sources responsibly, including elders, scholars, and practitioners?

Open doesn’t mean ownerless. Many traditions welcome respectful learners, but they do not endorse dilution, misrepresentation, or commodification. Understanding the difference is crucial for modern occultists who want to build practices rooted in integrity rather than entitlement.

Conclusion

While open practices invite exploration, they also demand responsibility. Misappropriation may seem like a lesser issue compared to overt cultural theft, but it is often how harmful patterns persist. To walk an ethical path is to engage with awareness, respect, and a willingness to be corrected. The more we understand and honor the roots of what we practice, the more powerful and just our magic becomes.