Self Devotion As Community Care

Self-devotion is the art of deepening your understanding of yourself—learning the intimate longings that stir your heart and allowing them to guide your path. It is about reclaiming your relationship with pleasure, desire, and joy, not as indulgences but as essential, well-deserved necessities. Time is ever-evolving, and community care is leading the way. It is an honor and a gift to tend to a magical community, and the strength with which you care for others is a direct reflection of how you care for yourself.

Think of how transmutable this magic is, babe. Every time you make a decision rooted in an embodied yes or no, you create space for others to do the same. By devoting yourself to compassion and generosity, you help shape a world where life flows with greater ease. Self-devotion is a reciprocal relationship, just like community care. When you allow your own cup to be full, your capacity to pour into others expands. These radical acts of self-devotion form the foundation of a thriving community—because we all deserve to be pouring from full cups.

At Seagrape, self-devotion is the well from which we replenish. It is where we prioritize our values, acknowledge our genuine capacity, and create space for rest so that we can continue showing up for the world we want to build. It is not an excuse to turn away from collective care but rather a way to fortify ourselves so we can engage more fully.

The practice of self-devotion takes many forms—a nourishing bath soak on a quiet evening, savoring a luscious meal that makes you feel alive, or allowing yourself to be witnessed in all expressions of your magic. But what if self-devotion also looked like making space for vulnerability? Asking for help when you need it? Sharing your passions with those who truly see you? Finding joy in the warm laughter of your loved ones?

Take a moment to honor the potent magic that makes you, you. Let self-devotion be woven into the fabric of your days. You can begin by creating a Self-Devotional Altar—a sacred space that serves as a tangible reflection of your magic, a landing place for your dreams, and a reminder of the version of yourself you are becoming.

What You'll Need:

1. Space to build your altar you see often

2. Incense or a cleansing bundle

3. Items that make you feel empowered or inspired

4. Your favorite picture of yourself (are you Portland local? Come hop in our photo booth!)

5. A candle holder

6. A candle

Begin this ritual by finding a space in your home that gives you a full body "fuck yes!" feeling. This can be any area in your home that you pass by with some frequency that you feel a strong pull towards. This could be a cozy corner in your living room, your jewelry adorned nightstand table, a book shelf that make way for your journals, or a sparkly section in your kitchen that the sun always hits just right. What's most important is that this area in your home is representative of joyful glimmers and magic. Remember, this altar is an extension of you and your potent magical energy. There is no right or wrong way to build an altar for self-devotion. This physical manifestation of your magic will be inherently unique and you are the authority of what feels joyful and resonant, trust in your intuition and follow those pings of joy as you create this sacred space to honor yourself.

Find some items that feel near and dear to your heart. These items could be tools that feel intrinsically authentic to you, or things that simply make your heart flutter with happiness. These goodies could be spiritual items that tie you to an ancestor you adore, perfume blends and jewelry you touch often, a variety of oils and and lotions you adorn yourself with, or journals and books you feel deeply connected to. Don't be afraid to step outside of the box, if you found a rock that made you smile or a leaf that was just perfect while on a walk, add that to your altar too! Be sure to add a photo of yourself that you feel confident, beautiful, strong, or radiant in.

To connect the web of Community magic, call on a friend and build your altars together. Carve time in the week to take photos of each other with the intentions of adding these photos to your altar. During this photoshoot, invite in tools that call in pleasure to you. Take photos wrapped in your most comfortable blankets, or surrounded by grapes, pomegranate, and agave. Think of a scene that describes your energy best and call on your loving community to help bring this energy to life! Remember, this altar is a space for you to worship yourself, created by you. Allow yourself to be witnessed, known, and loved in whatever way feels most true to you. If that looks like taking some saucy pictures in your local witchy shops photo booth, or calling on a friend to support you on your self-devotional altar, do it! As you navigate what self-devotion means to you, consider the ways you can invite in community to join you on this magical journey. Imagine how it would feel to worship your loved ones, while welcoming opportunities to be worshipped.

Cleanse your altar and your tools of choice to start off fresh on this self devotional journey you are embarking on. Look to your intuition as a guide as you cleanse your altar space. Think about what you do to cleanse or ground your own energy when you are in need of clearing, as this altar is an extension of yourself. If you feel most refreshed and renewed after a long shower, cleanse your space with water. If fire magic sparks a feeling of rebirth, light an incense for some smoke cleansing. If leaning on plant allies wipes your slate clean and recenters you, spritz your altar with a ritual infused spray. You are a source of magic, perfectly interwoven with your altar, if you feel in your being that your altar is complete and cleansed then so it is. You are an extension of your altar and your intuition leads the way with magical spaces of your creation.

Breathe life into your self devotional altar by setting an intention. After you've cleansed your altar, take a moment to sit with the magic you are curating. Think about your intentions for this altar, is this a tool to be more conscious of your deservedness for worship? Is this a space to simply bask in pleasure and the magic that is you? Does this altar symbolize permission to accept devotion from others and yourself? As you ponder on the why's of your altar, think about your intentions with "I" statements, for example, "I devote this altar to myself, I am a being deserving of devotion from those that call on me. I am filled with magic and will worship myself with intention, just as I tend to my altar as I tend to myself. I open myself up to receive devotion as much as I share my devotion with those deserving or my magic."

Once you are ready to awaken the magic of your altar, hold a candler holder and pink candle in your palms. Speak loving words over these tools, as this will reflect the warmth you cast on to yourself. Thank these magical items for being a conduit to your magic, forever binding you to your altar. Hug these items close to your heart before placing them on your altar and lighting your candle. While your candle is lit, imagine all of the moments you felt deeply seen, held lovingly, and worshipped. Let this warmth wash over you as the heat from your candle bares life to your altar. While your candle burns, partake in activities that you enjoy. You could listen to you favorite feel good songs and dance around your home, call a friend or invite someone over you always feel sparkly around, slather yourself in your favorite scents in oils while strolling through your space in a luxurious robe, anything that makes you feel like the incredible magical being that you are!

Look to this altar as a tangible expression of your magic, your needs, and your pleasure. Play with your altar and worship yourself with pride, this altar is imbued with your energy and radiates the unique qualities that make you so special. Give yourself permission to take up space and grow, just as you allow your altar to shift and change with time. As you continue this journey, allow your altar to change with you and expand through the seasons.