It probably comes as no surprise that 83% of Americans identify as Christian . The twist is, the second most popular religious group isn’t Islam or Judaism — it’s not technically an organized religion at all. More and more Americans are identifying as spiritual — 7%, according to a 2012 Pew survey . And as we all know, with great spirituality comes great appropriation. No judgment! I, too, am "Spiritual not Religious" and without a source religion to pull from, it’s common to relate to aspects of other cultures that resonate more than the ones you can rightfully claim. (Flashback to the two years I dreamt of getting “ tikkun olam ” tattooed in Hebrew on my leg — which, given my Jewish friends’ stances on ink, would’ve been one big nope.)Right now, there’s a lot of fresh awareness surrounding ancient symbols in fashion (think: the evil eye). But while it’s fully possible to embrace cultures that aren’t your own, you probably won’t be able to trust any spiritual connection made at the Forever 21 sales rack. Fashion tends to fast-track cultural understanding, in that it glosses over it entirely and dumps the burden of education on members of the appropriated culture. Aside from being exhausting and unfair, this “it’s just fashion lol” mentality basically requires the average shopper to have encyclopedic knowledge of symbolism or risk offending millions of people. Thanks, Fashion!All this to say, if you want to wear another culture’s symbol respectfully, you’ll have to do your own research. Given the ubiquity of certain trending symbols right now, some might seem more cross-culture-friendly than others — but of course, the only way to wear a symbol respectfully is by considering the source of the item and understanding the symbol’s origin, meaning, and place in culture. This article will attempt to address some of the more prevalent ones, and how to wear them respectfully (if at all).Of course, because cultures are made up of individuals, there’s no 100% consensus on the symbols I discuss below. Know that some people will accept and appreciate most well-intentioned homages to their culture, while others will wish you’d stayed in your lane. When it comes to wearing other cultures’ symbols, you’ll always be at risk of getting it wrong — even if you do your homework. Which is why I’d like to invite anyone reading this to correct me, add clarification, or share their own experiences with cultural symbols, whether I address them below or not. Here to learn, y’all!