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You might have heard people online say tarot is a closed practice or that it belongs to the Romani community. Others might say it is sacred or gatekept in some way. But is tarot a closed practice? The short answer is no. Tarot Is Not a Closed Practice. It is not exclusive to a single culture, group, or lineage. And yet, conversations about closed practices in the wider spiritual world are still important.
In this post, we will break down what a closed practice actually is, explore whether tarot qualifies as one, and look at six spiritual tools or traditions that are closed and often misused. If you work in the wellness space or follow spiritual creators, you have probably come across many of these without realising where they came from. The goal is not to shame anyone, but to help you stay informed and avoid unintentional harm.
What Is a Closed Practice?
The Definition and Why It Matters
A closed practice refers to a cultural, spiritual, or religious tradition that is reserved for members of a specific community. These practices are often passed down through lineages, require initiation, or are tied to Indigenous or ancestral knowledge. Engaging with them without permission or context can be harmful.
The reason closed practices deserve respect is because they are often rooted in histories of colonisation, suppression, and survival. When non-members borrow from them without understanding, it can contribute to further erasure or misrepresentation.
Closed does not mean secret. It means protected. It means not yours just because you found it in a shop or on Pinterest. It means boundaries are necessary.
How This Applies to Spiritual Spaces
In the wellness and spiritual world, practices often get borrowed or blended. People mean well, but meaning well is not the same as doing the right thing. Not everything labelled spiritual is open to everyone.
Some people unknowingly adopt closed practices because they have never been taught otherwise. Others might knowingly cherry-pick parts of traditions because they like how they feel. But closed practices are not pick and mix spirituality. They are whole systems, not aesthetic props.
Is Tarot a Closed Practice?
Tarot Is Not a Closed Practice
Tarot originated in Renaissance Italy as a card game for wealthy families. It was not sacred, and it was not secret. It evolved over centuries into a tool for storytelling, reflection, and eventually divination. Writers like Court de Gebelin and Etteilla added layers of mysticism and symbolism, but they did not invent a new religion. They reinterpreted a public game.
Later, the Golden Dawn added elements from astrology, numerology, and Kabbalah. But tarot has never belonged to one specific group. It has always been a remix of symbols and ideas, shaped by the people who used it. There is no required initiation, no protected lineage, and no cultural gatekeepers.
Tarot is open. That does not mean you can do whatever you want with it, but it does mean you do not need permission to start learning. Respect, not restriction, is the key.
The Myth of Romani Ownership
Some people believe tarot is a closed Romani practice. This is not historically accurate. While Romani readers have certainly used cards as part of their work, they did not invent tarot and have never claimed exclusive ownership of it.
The stereotype of the Romani fortune teller came from Western media and travelling shows. It is rooted in exoticism and racism, not truth. Many Romani people have spoken up about this, saying that tarot was just one tool among many they used for survival, and not something they are trying to gatekeep.
Saying tarot is Romani reinforces a harmful stereotype. It puts the burden of cultural policing on a group that is already marginalised. And it misrepresents the real history of tarot.
Six Closed Practices Common in the Wellness World
Smudging With White Sage
Smudging is a sacred practice used in many Indigenous North American cultures, particularly by the Lakota, Dakota, and other Plains nations. It involves burning specific herbs like white sage, often in a ceremonial way with prayers, songs, or ritual intent.
What many people in wellness spaces call smudging is usually just waving smoke around from sage bundles bought on Etsy. This is not the same thing. When you buy white sage from non-Native sellers, you contribute to overharvesting and exploitation. The sacred is turned into a trend.
A better alternative is smoke cleansing using herbs from your own local ecosystem. Garden sage, rosemary, lavender, and mugwort are all excellent options. And remember, the power is not in the herb alone but in your intention and integrity.
Burning Palo Santo
Palo santo, or “holy wood,” comes from South America and is used in spiritual and religious ceremonies by Indigenous groups such as the Quechua and Shipibo. While not every culture that uses palo santo treats it as a closed practice, many of the trees it comes from are endangered or restricted.
The main issue is unethical harvesting and commodification. Palo santo is often sold by large companies without regard for its cultural or ecological origins. Even if it is marketed as sustainable, it is hard to verify.
If you are not from the cultures that use it traditionally, consider skipping it. You do not need palo santo to cleanse your space. Try incense made with local herbs or essential oil blends in a diffuser.
Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Ayahuasca is a sacred plant medicine used in spiritual ceremonies by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon, particularly in Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. The brew is used for deep healing, visioning, and connection with the spirit world, guided by experienced shamans.
In recent years, ayahuasca has become popular in spiritual tourism. Wellness retreats advertise ceremonies for outsiders, often led by untrained facilitators. This can lead to dangerous experiences and erodes the cultural safety and sanctity of the ritual.
If you feel called to this kind of work, ask yourself why. Are you seeking healing, or are you seeking intensity? You might find gentler, safer alternatives through therapy, meditation, or breathwork that do not involve co-opting sacred Indigenous traditions.
Cacao Ceremonies
Cacao is sacred to Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica, particularly the Mayan and Aztec communities. It is used in ceremonial settings to connect with the heart, spirit, and community. These ceremonies involve songs, prayers, and respect for the plant’s lineage.
Drinking cacao in your living room or sharing it in group spaces is not automatically wrong. But calling it a “ceremony” without Indigenous involvement can be misleading. It suggests access to a practice you do not fully understand.
If you use cacao in your practice, just call it what it is. Share it with care, honour the origins, and avoid pretending to be part of a tradition you are not trained in. You can still make the space meaningful without misrepresenting its roots.
The Term “Spirit Animals”
The concept of spirit animals is sacred to many Indigenous cultures, particularly in North America. These relationships are formed through ceremony, dreaming, and cultural initiation. They are not the same as liking owls or feeling connected to wolves.
The term has been popularised in memes, blogs, and casual conversation. People say things like “coffee is my spirit animal” or “my spirit animal is Beyoncé.” This trivialises something sacred.
It is okay to feel a bond with certain animals. You can even work with animal symbolism in your own practice. But instead of calling them spirit animals, use words like animal ally, guide, or companion. Be mindful of where the language comes from and what it means.
Making and Selling Dreamcatchers
Dreamcatchers originate from the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people and were adopted by other Indigenous nations later. They are sacred items designed to protect sleepers, especially children, from bad dreams.
Today, dreamcatchers are mass-produced and sold as boho decor. Non-Indigenous makers sell them at festivals, spiritual shops, and online. This strips them of meaning and turns a sacred item into a trend.
Unless you are part of the culture that dreamcatchers come from, it is best to avoid making or selling them. You can still honour the symbolism of protection in your space by using art or ritual that is rooted in your own culture or imagination.
How to Practise Ethically Without Overstepping
Ask Better Questions
Before you light the herbs or name your ritual, ask yourself who this practice belongs to. Are you using a word or a tool that means something sacred to someone else? Are you honouring the full context or just borrowing the aesthetic? Are you mimicking ritual without understanding its roots?
The more you learn about a tradition, the easier it becomes to know what is for you and what is not. Curiosity is good. So is caution. You are not going to get it perfect every time, but slowing down and questioning your choices is a meaningful first step.
Use What Is Open
There are plenty of practices that are available to everyone. Breathwork, journalling, meditation, reiki, tarot, herbalism, and sound healing can all be approached respectfully without taking from closed communities. These practices have evolved through public or shared systems and are taught widely across cultures.
It’s not about doing less. It’s about doing better. When you choose practices that are open, you are not diluting your spirituality. You are building it on a foundation that does not harm others. You are saying that consent, history, and integrity matter.
So, Is Tarot a Closed Practice?
No, and That Matters
Tarot is not closed. It was never guarded by a cultural tradition. It was born in public, evolved in public, and continues to grow in the hands of anyone who chooses to learn. Saying tarot is a closed practice is not just incorrect. It distracts from the real issues.
It shifts the conversation away from actual appropriation and misrepresents what closed practices really are. When you treat tarot like a gatekept mystery, you put it in the same category as traditions that have been stolen and exploited. That’s not helpful.
Recognising that tarot is open allows us to approach it with curiosity, creativity, and care. You don’t need permission to learn. But you do need to stay grounded in respect.
How I Teach Tarot
My tarot course is open to everyone. You do not need to be psychic or have a mystical background. You just need a desire to learn and reflect. I treat tarot as a tool, not a religion or a stolen ritual. No gatekeeping, no fluff, no stolen traditions.
The way I teach centres on clarity, self-reflection, and intuition. I want to help you feel confident with the cards without pretending they are magic or exclusive. Tarot belongs to everyone who approaches it with integrity. That’s the kind of reader I want to help you become.
Conclusion: Stay Curious and Stay Respectful
The point is not to never engage with anything spiritual or symbolic. The point is to understand the context, ask better questions, and be mindful of what you borrow. Closed practices deserve boundaries. Open practices still deserve respect.
Tarot is not a closed practice. But many of the tools and traditions that get lumped in with spiritual work are. If you are not sure, pause and learn. That pause is sacred too.
