Where Capitalism and Spirituality Meet: Holding Corporations Accountable in Our Community

The final boss of going mainstream is when corporate social media accounts make memes about you. But when these same companies also construct and uphold systems that harass you and kick you out of their circles, should they be the ones posting the #relatable content?
On March 24th, a former employee sued Panera for discrimination and wrongful firing due to the employee’s paganism. Two days later, Panera tweeted a meme to manifest a pepperoni flatbread.

This is… interesting given the lawsuit they had just been handed for systemically harassing an employee for their similar beliefs and letting said employee’s calls to HR go unanswered when the employee asked for help.
Panera is hardly the first company to use the manifestation meme, and with capitalism turning pagan and spiritual beliefs into gift boxes and sanitized crystal stores, they’ll be far from the last.
Since my induction to the spiritual and metaphysical, I’ve watched this world gain popularity from Barnes and Noble sections increasing in size as well as the new witchtok community. And (inherent drama aside) that’s great! It’s wonderful to see new people in our spaces! It also means we have to be all the more vigilant in spotting the appropriation, secularization, and capitalization of our beliefs and those of marginalized cultures.
A great example is yoga. With roots reaching back to 2700 BCE, yoga has turned into a $9 billion industry in the US. You can pick up a yoga mat at 5 and Below. And that’s not to say yoga shouldn’t be accessible, but when those accessing it don’t take the time to understand its history and spiritual significance, we lose what yoga is. (Hint: there were no goat yoga sessions in 2700 BCE)
Unfortunately, an upward trend in popularity doesn’t equal an upward trend in acceptance and understanding. People get harassed, bullied, and fired for their beliefs only to see those same practices on Wal-Mart shelves and watch former employers use spirituality for social media clout.
So what can we do? We can call out companies who do use others’ beliefs and practices for social media likes. In the same vein, we can call out companies who sell appropriated supplies (e.g. white sage and palo santo) and ask companies like Sephora and Urban Outfitters to think twice and take extra care when selling “witch starter kits” for their own profit. Of course, stores like these and Amazon make things accessible, and if that’s where you need to go, then do that. But keep in mind the company’s intentions and who you’re supporting with your money.
If you’re able to buy from witches personally, I encourage you to do that when you can. Buy from witches of color, queer witches, trans witches, disabled witches, try to uplift your own community before feeding into the Capitalist Spirituality Machine. And call out said Machine when you can. Hold the companies accountable for their products and their practices. Corporations are gonna corporate. And our community needs to keep them in line when they get out of bounds.