Fellow white Pagans,
‘Cultural appropriation’ is not a bad word. It’s not an insult. As a white-guy Wiccan in the early aughts, I have been accused of it myself, so I know how it feels. It feels like an attack, and the immediate human response is usually, “Don't tell me what to do!”

But a huge part of spirituality is growing as a person, and religious practice changes as we change and grow. We leave behind things that don't work and tweak the new to fit us. If your practice hasn't changed one bit in 20 years, you're doing it wrong.

Neopaganism is still brand new, and there will be growing pains. We are still creating it as we speak. So it is vital that we listen. Listen to marginalized groups, listen to other living traditions, listen to the people whose cultures are being twisted.

We can be better than the old white men of history, we can be better than colonizers, we don't need to copy what other traditions are doing, we’re making our own.

#Pagan