Hello, hello beautiful souls. Today we're going to kick off a 3 part series about decolonizing spirituality. The online spiritual business space has blown the fuck up over the last few years.
Just about everyone is including some type of spiritual practice in their businesses. With this has come a whole slew of problems, but today I want to speak on the lack of honoring that is happening when it comes to the true creators of the modalities that people are using. So often spiritual systems and practices are colonized by white men. They're then re-branded and packaged in a way that takes claim of the systems and practices and sells them to the masses. It's absolutely mandatory that we honor the roots of these systems and practices and here's why...
The Dangers of NOT Decolonizing Spirituality
In a world that is heavily colonized many people have been ripped away from their cultures, with little to no connection to their ancestry and the practices of their people. For a vast majority of those people they have virtually no way to reconnect with those parts of themselves.
When we take claim and re-brand the practices and systems of a culture, we uphold the erasure of that culture. This is quite literally colonizer energy. When you refuse to give the creators the proper recognition you are erasing their culture, their ancestors and the work that their people have done. It's theft of culture. It is cultural appropriation. Periodt!
What tends to happen is the original practices become a more watered down version, lost as they become passed on by those who don't understand them in their entirety or who cherry pick from them and twist them into something "new" in order to profit off of them.
There are some really simple ways you can start to do better and stop uplifting colonizing ways and show your appreciation and respect to the true owners of the amazing modalities, systems and practices that are so popular today.
3 Ways You Can Do Better
Include information about the true roots of the modalities you use on your website or as part of your programs:
I've decided that this is something I will be including in my offers. Everyone who takes a program of mine will get a section about the roots of the modalities that I'll be using. I'm going to include a PDF and/or a recording about the importance of honoring the roots of the practices. I'm also creating an honoring practices/ritual!
Create content around the roots of the modalities you use:
A great way to honor the roots of the modalities is to share about the history of them. This makes sure we are reaching more than just our clients.
Find ways to give back to the rightful owners of the modalities you use:
Finding ways to donate to the communities & ancestors who are the true owners of the practices and modalities you use. This is especially important if you're using the practices to generate income.
Even if you're not able to monetarily give back yet, you should keep this in mind for when you are able to.
Some Questions You Can Ask Yourself:
Feel free to use the following prompts to take a look at where you are in terms of decolonizing the modalities you use. Answer as honest as possible.
This isn't about shaming ourselves, it's about seeing where we are so we can do better as we move forward.
Have I done the work to educate myself on the roots of the modalities I am using?
What can I do to educate myself about the roots of the modalities I am using??
Have I taken steps to honor the roots of the modalities I am using?
In what ways can I start to honor the roots of the modalities I am using? Do I feel any resistance in sharing and honoring the roots of the modalities I am using? Why?
Feel free to share your answers in the comments if you feel comfortable doing so. I'd love to hear about how you plan to honor the roots of the modalities, systems and practices you use.
If you have any questions feel free to ask and if we aren't connected on Instagram yet, give your girl a follow at: www.instagram.com/itskeishanjordan
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