What Would Aphrodite do?

releasing and returning to self with an invitation to 31 days of self-devotion

Jun 28, 2026

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Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.
—Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven—

When I looked for a quote for this week’s essay, I used the word ‘devotion,’ which brought me to a bunch of quotes that didn’t include that word at all. But it did lead me to a bunch of quotes about romantic love.

I think the two are related, certainly, but I yearn (as I do) for something broader.

Maybe it’s the time of year, the way the light has been waning until it wasn’t, but with that time comes the reflex of/for reflection.

How am I devoted? How am I devoted to myself, my heart, and my life?

I turn to the one who inspired me to this practice, and ask:

What Would Aphrodite do?

white ceramic statue of a woman — Photo by Margot Noyelle on Unsplash

As I walked to the cafe today, I noticed my left hand was clenched into a fist, as though ready for a fight.

I released it and found it in the same position a few minutes later. This back and forth continued for the entire walk to the ferry—tension then release, tension then release.

I returned to where I wanted to be; my body returned to where it felt safe.

A dance between knowing and mystery. Where I could easily ignore the clenching. Where I could move on with my day without another question.

Where I could let it go—this momentary inability to let go.

Instead…I sat on the bench at the ferry terminal, amongst the sunshine and the children trying to stomp the platform hard enough to move the water.

I closed my eyes, let the warmth of the morning sink into my teal wrap and soften the space between my upper ribs and heart.

Devotion in these small moments. In the ways I turn away from myself and my body tenses to take over for my distracted mind.

I can’t name what I’m turning from, but I know the answer lies in the return.

So I’m going to invite myself back through practices of self-devotion.

What would Aphrodite do?

(What wouldn’t she do?)

Photo of rose piece in mosaic art at New Farm Park, Brisbane, Queensland (2026)

Self-devotion is a commitment to myself, to the divine, and to community. It’s where heart magick lives. It’s how I live life as a love spell. It’s a practice I have to return to in the clenched times.

Devotion is returning to what is important, not shaming what could have been better.

For the 31 days of July, I’ll do one thing each day (at least) to honor myself, to honor the divine, and/or to honor community. (And it’s a time of celebrating Aphrodite during Aphrodisia…)

I’ll post my reflections each day on social media, and summarize what I’ve done here for these weekly essays. I will return to myself and hold myself accountable to myself.

(Links below.)

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/irisanya.moon/
Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/irisanyamoon
Threads - https://www.threads.com/@irisanya.moon
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/irisanyamoon.bsky.social

Feel free to share your own self-devotion practices.

We can invite expansion, release, capacity.

Maybe I can unclench this fist, the size of a heart.

Here’s a quick list that I may or may not follow:

Water
Deliberate rest
Intentional boredom
Silence
Altar
Awareness of beauty
Read Aphrodite hymn / poetry
Write a poem
Thank Aphrodite / the divine
Rest in the darkness
Find the growing light
Move
What I needed to hear
What I need to hear now
Find flowers
Soothe my skin
Tense and relax
Notice love
Ask Aphrodite for help
Ask a friend for help
Create
Leave a love note
Invoke Aphrodite
Invoke myself
Invoke possibility
Gratitude to self
Gratitude to Aphrodite
Gratitude to others
Reflection time
Journal
Whatever you like/love

Create a list of things, print or write them on slips of paper, and pull one out for each day. Devotion need not be prescriptive or rigid. It can be play. It is often mysterious.

If you have felt as though you have wandered away, I hope this helps you return to yourself. I hope you can remake the bread of your life, one small moment at a time.

One small promise, practice, prayer.

in love and magick — Irisanya