Open vs Closed Practices

Before we get too much further, let's talk about what the difference is between an open and a closed practice, and why it is so important.

A NOTE: while gatekeeping is generally seen as a bad thing, and is openly preached AGAINST in many witchy spaces, there is a time and a place for gatekeeping. Closed practices are one of those times, and I would personally urge everyone to avoid anyone preaching that gatekeeping has no place in witchcraft. There are times when it is essential and absolutely necessary.

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Open Practice: traditions and paths that are available to everyone, regardless of cultural or ancestral background. These practices are highly accessible systems that don't belong to a single, protected ethnic group.

Examples: Secular Witchcraft/SASS, Green Witchcraft, Kitchen Witchcraft, Wicca (most), Chaos Magic, Tarot, Astrology

Closed Practices: traditions and paths that are restricted to specific cultural groups, and require formal initiation, lineage, or community permission to practice them. These practices belong to specific historically marginalized or indigenous cultures, and are protected to prevent exploitation, distortion, and erasure/whitewashing.

Examples: African Traditional Religions, African Diasporic Religions, Hoodoo/Conjure/Rootwork, Indigenous Spiritual Traditions, Traditional Kabbalah, Brujeria

Semi-Open or Apprentice Practices: technically these traditions and paths are closed to the general public, but they offer a structured, public way to enter through deep study and community acceptance. These practices can be sought out for initiation by anyone.

Examples: Norse Heathenry/Asatru (generally open to anyone interested, provided the practitioner rejects racist/supremacist ideologies and respects the historical lore), Traditional British Wicca like Gardnerian or Alexandrian (requires formal initiation into a coven line, but anyone can seek out a coven to begin the training process)

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Gatekeeping Closed Practices

Gatekeeping closed practices is important because it protects sacred traditions from exploitation, prevents the erasure and whitewashing of marginalized histories, and ensures spiritual safety.

For communities that have faced - or still are - systematic oppression, keeping practices closed is a vital form of cultural survival and self-determination.

Preserving Sacred Contexts

When sacred rituals are taken out of their culture and shared, they are stripped of their original meaning, history, and community ethics. Gatekeeping these practices ensures that practices are taught along side their full context, history, and responsibilities to keep the tradition accurate and intact for future generations.

Protecting from Cultural Appropriation

Throughout history, dominant cultures have colonized marginalized groups, taking their land, language, and resources, and capitalized on their spirituality. This happens in many forms, including mass-market production of tools like smudge sticks, and even selling sacred ceremonies. Drawing a hard line around these practices prevents outside corporations and individuals from financially profiting off traditions that the originating culture was historically punished, enslaved, or even killed for practicing.

Providing Spiritual and Psychological Safety

Many closed traditions involve intense energetic work, interaction with ancestral spirits, or deep psychological shifts that require training to handle safely. Closed practices require initiation to ensure the practitioner is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared to handle the practices without harming themselves or others.

Gaining Community Accountability and Lineage

In an open internet culture, anyone can claim to be an expert after reading a few articles. This leads to misinformation and the dilution of witchcraft. Closed practices rely on a system of elders, priests, or community leaders who vouch for a practitioner's character and maturity. Gatekeeping ensures that no one can misrepresent the tradition or abuse power within it.