Turning to spirituality in times of hardship and uncertainty is as American as apple pie and white nationalism. The Lincolns held seances in the Red Room at the White House and the Reagans consulted astrologers, even trusting the astrological calendar to determine when to announce Ronald’s re-election campaign. It’s no wonder—in the context of a pandemic, extreme socioeconomic inequality, a pseudo racial awakening, the dismantling of fundamental human rights, climate catastrophe, and the looming threat of fascism—that people are looking to the spiritual world for guidance.
Now a little astrology never hurt nobody, but the attention economy does. Online, there is no shortage of coaches, witches, intuitives, astrologers, spiritual advisors, energy workers, mediums, teachers, and tarot readers who claim to have the answers. They’ve built large followings and are churning out content, selling 1:1 sessions, workshops, coaching packages, retreats, and trainings. The guru is in your phone, posting reels about “quantum leaps” and “downloads” and pricing their “offerings” in angel numbers.
When Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa coined the term “spiritual materialism” in 1970, he warned “no matter what the practice or the teaching, ego loves to wait in ambush to appropriate spirituality for its own survival and gain.” What do Instagram and TikTok cater to, if not the ego? A study from 2017 found that social media apps are ideal for individuals who “appreciate and are attracted to engaging in ego-enhancing activities.” These platforms reward narcissism.
So, how do we separate the spiritual baddies from the grifters? The short answer is critical thinking and ethical alignment. Over time, I’ve established a set of criteria that I look for in anyone currently operating within the wellness-industrial complex.
Practitioners should be crediting and honoring the cultures, lineages, and peoples their respective modalities originate from. Cultural appropriation and spiritual bypassing is really not a vibe. Anyone who encourages you to tune out and focus on love and light is not to be trusted. While breaks from the news might be good for our mental health, individualism is an essential characteristic of white supremacy culture. Most of the practices we’re talking about didn’t start with white folks.
Ethical teachers and entrepreneurs should make it clear that they are not mental health professionals, nor are they miracle workers. Their experience is secondary to that of the client—to whom they have a responsibility to empower and uplift. Anyone who’s making you feel less capable of making your own decisions has gotta go. This is where we have to pay close attention to language. Not unlike the beauty industry, the use of manipulative, coercive, and shaming communication is pervasive in the wellness world. If “this is the sign you’ve been waiting for to come on my retreat,” “say yes to this offering and transform your life forever,” or “some of you aren’t willing to take control of your destiny,” sound familiar, run.
Anyone working with other human beings—in any capacity—should be trauma informed. According to the Sidran Institute, 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced at least one traumatic event. Those of us who have are not alone. And those of us who work with other humans need to get it together. The 6 guiding principles of trauma-informed care are “safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, humility and responsiveness.” Practitioners should educate themselves on the prevalence of trauma, create a safe environment, treat clients with respect and kindness, use trauma-informed language, and give clients full autonomy. This can be as basic as respecting someone’s preference to be off-camera on Zoom. I recently had the honor of hearing two indigenous Angelino activist educators (Lazaro Arvizu Jr. and Virgina Carmelo) speak in the native Tongva language during a performance at The Broad Museum. Carmelo shared that in their culture they don’t greet by shaking hands. How often do we just assume what others are comfortable with? Would it be so difficult to ask?
Lastly, everyone who is able to should be offering sliding-scale pricing. Wellness and spiritual guidance should be accessible to all, but capitalism is gonna do what capitalism does. Even so, it’s important that practitioners offer low or no-cost options in addition to their regular pricing—especially when we consider the historical and continued impact of colonialism and white supremacy on marginalized people. The same people for whom these services are often most inaccessible.
So to my fellow teachers, practitioners, healers, guides, and entrepreneurs, I want to say this: your gifts are meant to be shared. We all—possibly more than ever—need nurturing, encouragement, and direction. Pluto has moved into Aquarius and the revolution is on its way. I am calling on you to be more intentional, ethical, and thoughtful about the ways that you show up and the ways you relate to others. We’re all capable of causing harm and we know that impact > intention. For a beautiful guide and in-depth examination of wellness culture, start with Fariha Róisín’s book Who Is Wellness For? We have a sacred responsibility to ourselves and to each other to stay in alignment, despite the countless forces pulling us out of it.
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