cryptic-wix:

You seriously need to stop appropriating from closed cultures and
spiritualites and stop defending cultural appropriation in general.

Look.
I get it. You think you’re advocating for freedom of religion and
spirituality within pagan communities. You think pagans of color are
infringing on yours or someone else’s right to practice whatever
spirituality they wish. You think pagans of color and other white people
are hypocrites for preaching this “you do you” mindset and then turn
around and shoot down any outsider who are “genuinely” interested in a
closed culture. How do I know this? Because I used to think this way,
too. I used to think I was defending people. But here’s the thing.

I wasn’t defending anyone.

Neither are you. .

Imagine
you created a painting that you would call a masterpiece; one that you
are proud of, one that resonated with you, one that is deeply sacred
to you.
You, understandably, take pride in your art and want to hang it
somewhere that people could see.

You couldn’t wait to see their reactions. You’re even considering taking
a picture of it and posting it online for the world to see.

Now
imagine you have a guest, a friend, relative or even an acquaintance.
You have told this guest about your painting and they are curious to see
it. The two of you first have a formal starter conversation to allow
yourself to adjust to the company. The conversation is calm and civil
and so far, it goes well.

Then they ask about the painting.

You
immediately get up and signal the other person to follow you. Your
heart is pounding in your chest, you can’t wait to see the look on their
face when you see how well-done your painting is. There it is, hanging
proudly on your wall. You gesture to it.

You expect the person to ask about it, or compliment it.

Instead
they completely trash it. “It’s stupid.” “It’s wrong.” “Why did you
paint this? You could’ve done x!” “What a waste of talent!” No actually
constructive criticism at all.

You feel confused and
heartbroken. The rest of the visit either ends in a fight or the guest
just leaves. You sit down, overwhelmed and wondering what you did wrong
with no hint or any other way of knowing. You contemplate it for the
rest of the day until your bedtime comes.

The very next day,
you log into your social media, only to find that your guest had not
only produced a painting of their own, but a painting that looked
exactly like yours, down to the last detail and claimed to have been the
original artist. Not only is your guest getting notes for it, they are
also getting countless comments on how “original,” “well-done,” or
“thought-provoking” it is.

The very same person who trashed your
art had stolen your work to make themselves seem “cool” and “hip.”
That’s what cultural appropriation is. That’s how cultural appropriation
feels to countless pagans, witches and wixes of color who has had their
culture stolen and twisted into these “hip new trends” by white people
and other outsiders.

I know you think you’re defending
people’s freedom to practice any spirituality they wish. I know you
think you’re calling out the “hypocrisy” of pagans of color when the
typical pagan motto is “you do you.” But no matter how you look at it,
this is exactly what you are defending.

Next time you come
across a post about cultural appropriation, especially from a poc pagan,
witch, wix, mage or member of a traditional religion, please be a
little more mindful. They aren’t trying to keep you from learning about
and enjoying other cultures. They are trying to protect what’s left of
their culture after centuries of oppresssion and erasure.