tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post1844366238266464532..comments2024-03-27T11:02:51.168-04:00Comments on Flying the Hedge: Decolonizing Witchcraft: Racism, Whitewashing, and Cultural Appropriation in Witchcraft and How to Decolonize Your PracticeWillowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-18833225889301066912024-03-13T16:50:08.433-04:002024-03-13T16:50:08.433-04:00So yes and no. Some may consider auras cultural ap...So yes and no. Some may consider auras cultural appropriation because of how the concept arose. Charles Webster Leadbeater based his version of the aura on chakras. He created his own interpretation by mixing his beliefs with Tantric beliefs without acknowledging the sources he used (which is considered cultural appropriation). The concept of auras as we now know it, however, is far removed from Leadbeaters original ideas, and does not exist outside of Western esoteric circles. Now there are people in the New Age community that link auras to chakras, which would link it with cultural appropriation. <br /><br />With that in mind, if you are focusing on the energy field you emit (which you do) without connection to closed-practices, you should be in the clear. I prefer Semyon Davidovich Kirlian's interpretation of the aura over that of Leadbeater's, which is rooted in some science (not a lot, but some) over mysticism. <br /><br />Please note that this is my interpretation of the issue as a white person. I am not Hindu and can therefore not speak for them. If anyone can comment otherwise, I would welcome it.Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-63903895969110019902024-03-12T21:06:30.795-04:002024-03-12T21:06:30.795-04:00Love this article. There were a few things mention...Love this article. There were a few things mentioned I had no idea were part of closed practices. Any idea if auras are part of any closed practices or are they more new aged?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-9724091757563821492024-01-18T23:14:45.387-05:002024-01-18T23:14:45.387-05:00This article was super helpful to me to find more ...This article was super helpful to me to find more resources on what comes from closed religions and what doesn't. (Surprisingly, it was difficult to find information on this. Lots of people talk about appropriation from Native American cultures, and while that's incredibly important to discuss, I was sure that the use of white sage and dream-catchers weren't the only things appropriated from other closed religions) I know I'll make mistakes along the way, but I'm doing the best I can to avoid making ones that could actively hurt people or groups of people. <br />Great read, very well written and super helpful! I'll definitely come back to this and start looking through the sources you've listed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-19775155854191355502023-08-30T13:11:08.403-04:002023-08-30T13:11:08.403-04:00Thank you for your comment. You are 100% correct t...Thank you for your comment. You are 100% correct that in your case you aren't colonizing; you are embracing your heritage. This article is directed at people who do not have close cultural or ancestral ties to closed traditions and practices. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-538712489557742972023-08-30T12:19:13.123-04:002023-08-30T12:19:13.123-04:00As someone who is both European on my mother's...As someone who is both European on my mother's side and Native American on my dad's side (he was born and raised in the Eastern Cherokee Tribe of North Carolina) I don't have any qualms about learning about folk customs for the sake of connecting with my heratage and ancestors. As for the European side, which stems a lot from Irish, English, and Norse, those are separate traditions on their own. I don't personally feel that it's "colonizing" if you personally have ties to both sides. The way I see it, I'm connecting with my ancestory; learning the old ways and their customs in order to build that connection for my personal growth and to connect with the community. Bryonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12943322189446486115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-9477512400286005442023-07-05T12:57:20.232-04:002023-07-05T12:57:20.232-04:00Thank you for the suggestion! I am actually in the...Thank you for the suggestion! I am actually in the process of writing another article about decolonizing your practice for an upcoming 2025 witch's planner. Once its complete and released, I can share more here on my blog. :)Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-14537555695272687712023-06-12T16:02:41.131-04:002023-06-12T16:02:41.131-04:00Blessings, sweetheart, thank you for the article a...Blessings, sweetheart, thank you for the article and all the references you listed above, this helpes a lot. Can you do a part2 of this topic with more aternative examples of how can we decolonize? An other little side note for cleansing/purifying areas instead of white sage is ROSEMARY! In Hungarian traditions ladies were cleaning/cleansing their places with rosemary broomsticks, give it a chance, it will scent greatly after the process! Barackvirághttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00043528978824876883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-66491737435104731632023-03-04T16:23:32.756-05:002023-03-04T16:23:32.756-05:00I am not Indigenous, so any answers you get from t...I am not Indigenous, so any answers you get from that department should absolutely outweigh what I'm about to say.<br /><br />What I have been told about this issue is that if an Indigenous person whose nation includes dream catchers as part of their culture decides to sell them, it is usually ok to buy from them to support their business. White sage, though, I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions about it. Mostly I would probably err on the side of cleansing with something else.<br /><br />Mostly, a good general rule is if someone from the culture the object comes from is selling it as their business, it is often fine to buy from them. lilcoppertophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03934727992946306046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-3945325371660508182023-02-27T23:28:01.479-05:002023-02-27T23:28:01.479-05:00Hi! I am just starting my practice and trying to r...Hi! I am just starting my practice and trying to read and learn as much as I can. This was a very interesting read and really opened my eyes!<br />I do have a question, and you may not know the answer to this. But every year around my city is a Native American Pow Wow and I’ve been going ever since I was a little girl. They are very welcoming to people of all colors/backgrounds etc (as long as you are respectful of course!) and encourage people to want to learn about their culture. One thing that shocked me about your post was the cultural appropriation of using white sage, dream catchers, etc. I had no idea. If this is the case, why do they sell sage, dream catchers and other Native American items to anyone and everyone at their vendors? I want to support their businesses, but also want to be respectful if there are things I should not be purchasing/using (as a white, cis -woman). Thank you! (:Hannahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-48785338721864389882023-02-03T19:40:41.720-05:002023-02-03T19:40:41.720-05:00very well done. i'm going to share this with m...very well done. i'm going to share this with my group.mari.adkinshttp://bio.link/mariadkinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-42221919070885959802023-01-31T08:38:32.721-05:002023-01-31T08:38:32.721-05:00Hi, sorry but I’ve got a question. In the section ...Hi, sorry but I’ve got a question. In the section about spirit animals, is it supposed to say «scared» or «sacred» ? At the end of the first paragraph i believe. Thanks! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-30219191959511796162022-12-26T15:33:26.435-05:002022-12-26T15:33:26.435-05:00I can confirm, as someone who's family has bee...I can confirm, as someone who's family has been in the U.S for an unknown time. I don't really know much about my family past who's alive currently. The fact that people can't celebrate their heritage because they don't even know what it is is pretty sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-38192643253089090392022-12-18T19:15:31.030-05:002022-12-18T19:15:31.030-05:00Hello! I wanted to thank you for writing this arti...Hello! I wanted to thank you for writing this article! I am a baby witch—I’ve been learning and researching about the craft for at least two years now. In the beginning of my research, I didn’t know anything about cultural appropriation being in twined with witchcraft. Of course, I’ve learned about Cultural Appropriation and Racism in other forms, but now knowing that cultural appropriation and racism can occur in the witch community, makes me more aware and more able to own up to my mistakes and fix them. I’d actually like some advice on something. I’ll admit, a few years ago, I ordered a dreamcatcher on Amazon. I don’t know if the third-party seller was of Indigenous origin or not— but I ordered it anyway in the hopes of making my bedroom more “mystical”. I’m ashamed of it now, I’ll tell you that. I also didn’t know at the time what I was doing was cultural appropriation — for context purposes I am a white woman (who even though is disabled and queer I realize I have more privilege than another, especially that I have the ability to hide who I am). So, I guess what I’m asking is, what should I do with the dream catcher now? It’s still hanging up in my room. Would throwing it out or destroying it in some other way be disrespectful? Thank you! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-72973616938163429622022-11-21T18:05:01.749-05:002022-11-21T18:05:01.749-05:00beautifully written, thank you so much for taking ...beautifully written, thank you so much for taking the time to explain this. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-38873360649035094002022-08-31T23:17:03.661-04:002022-08-31T23:17:03.661-04:00I am very new to paganism and witchcraft (less tha...I am very new to paganism and witchcraft (less than a month), and have been really uncertain about where to find reliable information that also upholds my values...and this post was exactly what I was looking for. I have been actively working of unlearning my internalized racism, and found myself at a point where I could either hate my whiteness OR dive into my cultural heritage and family background to find what I CAN be proud of. Basically that quote you include from India Jaggon.<br /><br />Thank you for writing this post. I'm going to check out a bunch of the links at the end, as well as the rest of your blog. I love where your heart is at, and that's the spirit I want to cultivate more of in my own life and practice. lilcoppertophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03934727992946306046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-31909590376148337372022-08-12T00:02:54.313-04:002022-08-12T00:02:54.313-04:00How times have changed! Brandy Williams and I were...How times have changed! Brandy Williams and I were called out in the early 1980's when we noted in the Georgian Newsletter that using the word and concept "shaman" for Craft or any Western practice were not just inappropriate and inaccurate, but harmful, especially in an era when the few remaining shaman in Siberia and Central Asia were being persecuted or neutralized by turning them into pop singers who made airline commercials as in the case of Kola Beldy. <br />The magical community in the West went whole hog in for the term but none of the juice when Mike Harner's core shamanism was adopted with no questions. <br /><br />The Greek and Roman cultures are very much alive and well in the practices of their descendants, the Greek and Italian communities. Though they may be covered in a thin veneer of Christianity, many of the core elements live on, with saints concealing a deity underneath. Some of the materials from Sumer survive today in Yezidi practices. nwloraxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927729321817286956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-63687422477301715112022-06-17T12:13:17.587-04:002022-06-17T12:13:17.587-04:00The idea that 'white people have no culture...The idea that 'white people have no culture' is an idea unique to the United States and groups who are disconnected from their home country of origin. You usually don't hear that sort of talk in European countries as they are living in their culture. The United States is particularly unique in that we have this melting pot ideal that everyone should come together and share, and its resulting in those descended from European colonists losing their connection to their ancestral home and culture. Its why so many Americans feel a sense of loss living here. I know I have a deep ache in my soul to return to Scotland. Like...I can't even begin to explain how much I want to pack everything up right this instance and leave the US behind. My ancestors are calling and there is nothing I can do at this moment in time to move there. I think this also perpetuates some of the ancestral trauma that many white people have in the United States. Many of our families were fleeing tyranny, injustice, and famine, only to come to this country to do the same to others. That sort of trauma leaves a mark, and those of us that have turned to witchcraft looking for answers see that mark and are trying to heal those wounds as best we can. We most certainly have culture. We just have to work a little to find it. Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-6214510199317188062022-06-17T12:05:27.324-04:002022-06-17T12:05:27.324-04:00So chakras are apart of Hinduism, which is a semi-...So chakras are apart of Hinduism, which is a semi-closed religion. The Western, new age version of chakras is a severe and disrespectful bastardization of what chakras actually are. Numerous other open cultures have energy centers though that you can use.Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-22396018706281919852022-06-02T09:10:05.841-04:002022-06-02T09:10:05.841-04:00Excellent article. I've had a different type o...Excellent article. I've had a different type of prejudice expressed toward me. As a member of our town's Multicultural Committee, I was told that 'white' people have no culture. Never mind that my father's people are Scottish-Irish and we have always participated in events specific to that culture or that my mother, whose parents emigrated from Hungary, was ostracized as somehow inferior to Western Europeans in her hometown. It's not surprising to me that so many witches of European ethnicity have adopted the practices of other cultures. They've been systematically separated over generations from their own cultures and told to become part of the 'melting pot' of America. It saddens me that some of my friends have no idea who their people were/are. I am fortunate that my mother passed down traditions, especially in the area of food, despite being ashamed of her ethnicity and embarrassed by what my daughter calls my 'ethnic features'. I would advise everyone to first try to make a connection with their own culture. See what resonates with you there. Then find out from people of other cultures what they feel is acceptable for you to use in your practice - keeping in mind that not everyone within even a 'closed' community will agree!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-78432657551276314452022-05-28T17:46:57.407-04:002022-05-28T17:46:57.407-04:00Quick question, why is meditating on your chakras ...Quick question, why is meditating on your chakras considered wrong? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-33296770006053001002022-04-27T21:47:28.934-04:002022-04-27T21:47:28.934-04:00Of course! So there are a couple resources mention...Of course! So there are a couple resources mentioned under the 'Resources' tab that cover Celtic/Irish/English witchcraft, but I'll also list them here. Some of these books I have read, others are highly recommended.<br /><br />Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic<br />The Witches' Sabbath: An Exploration of History, Folklore, & Modern Practice by Kelden<br />Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch's Gramarye by Michael Howard and Gemma Gary<br />Silent as the Trees: Devonshire Witchcraft, Folklore, and Magic by Gemma Gary<br />Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary<br />The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic by Gemma Gary<br />The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Kelden and Gemma Gary<br />The Devil's Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One by Gemma Gary<br />Element Encyclopedia of Celts<br />The Mabinogi<br />The Four Cycles of Irish Mythology<br />Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by WB Yeats<br />The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans Wentz <br />Carmina Gadelica<br />Fire in the Head by Tom Cowan<br />By Oak, Ash and Thorn by DJ Conway<br />A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality: Sli Aon Dhraoi by Lora O’Brien<br />The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies by reverend Robert Kirk<br />The Gaelic Otherworld by John Campbell<br /><br />Now this is not a comprehensive list, but it will certainly get you started! Check what books these ones reference (if they are modern) and go from there. Good luck to you on your journey!Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-85474952044218293272022-04-24T17:30:26.261-04:002022-04-24T17:30:26.261-04:00Would you mind suggesting places or books to read ...Would you mind suggesting places or books to read on Celtic/Irish/England witchcraft? I have ancestors from there and I would like to know more. But the information I am finding seems...off somehow?Miss Snowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316657833794623196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-45200421554248889402022-01-03T17:33:55.591-05:002022-01-03T17:33:55.591-05:00I'm glad you found the post helpful! I strongl...I'm glad you found the post helpful! I strongly believe spiritual growth includes admitting when we were wrong and learning from our mistakes. It literally costs nothing to be a decent human being, am I right? Thank you for your comment and support. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-89739042094514858052022-01-03T17:30:35.123-05:002022-01-03T17:30:35.123-05:00My question to you then is what DO you practice? I...My question to you then is what DO you practice? If you practice witchcraft you are inherently practicing a European magical tradition, thus 'sticking to your roots.' Not all magical and occult customs and ideologies are witchcraft and I think this is what a lot of people fail to remember. Modern Wicca, which has infiltrated witchcraft but are not the same thing, has begged, borrowed, and stole from other traditions in order to make itself appear more legitimate and authentic, is part of the reason for this. Heck, the 'founders' were notorious for making things up as well and running with it, such as those ideologies founds in Graves' The White Goddess or the witch-cult hypothesis. This has resulted in many modern witches doing the same things, and has created a rift in understanding the history of such customs, including the history of witchcraft itself. I think that if you spent time tracing the history of the customs and practices you partake in, you may be surprised by how much of your practice originates from Germanic and Irish culture. Its been eye opening for me too and I find the more I study, the more I am drawn to the things my ancestors practiced. Part of this may also be because I engage in ancestor veneration. I encourage you to do the same.<br /><br />Lastly, I would like to mention that by definition, dead cultures cannot be culturally appropriated because there is not a people to exploit. Most dead cultures that people do use were also colonizers, so that's something to keep in mind too. Its also important to note that paganism and witchcraft are not the same thing.<br /><br />Thank you for your comment and engaging in the discussion! I'm sorry it took me so long to reply. I needed time to process what you had to say and formulate a response. Have a wonderful new year!Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-75628452376151017842022-01-03T13:16:43.585-05:002022-01-03T13:16:43.585-05:00This is an old post but still incredibly important...This is an old post but still incredibly important! I'm surprised just how many white witches disagree on these topics. I've seen so many say that smudging, chakras, white sage, spirit animals, dream catchers, etc isn't cultural appropriation when so many people who come from cultures with those practices say it IS cultural appropriation. I thought that I knew pretty much everything that was considered cultural appropriation (which is pretty arrogant thinking...) I realized that I was wrong about that. I learned a few new things today and I'm going to be reading through all the links on this post over the next few weeks. So thank you so much for posting this! This is incredibly helpful!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09189749853622546608noreply@blogger.com