Selfism & The Most Important Day of the Year

by Kendra Pape-Green

My personal practice as a witch utilizes energy work, a few sigils, tarot cards, and pop culture paganism, but the core of it is worship of the self, also called Selfism. It’s not that I think I am literally a god, but instead that I think an individual’s self is the most important force in their life, particularly when many of us spend our lives being told that we have little to no value, even to our selves.

One of the big ways I practice Selfism is by treating my birthday as a holiday. It’s the day I was born, and the anniversary of another year survived. I’ve had another year to learn and grow and develop as a person. That deserves a celebration, and so I’ll spend the day making myself happy.

I started to do this, to view my birthday as something to continue to value highly as an adult, as I thought about where I wanted my spiritual path to go. As a teenager, I’d read The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey and I’d liked several parts of it, but not all of it suited me. (In fact, on reflection, most of it did not.) The core element of Selfism did appeal to me still as an adult revisiting what parts of The Satanic Bible had spoken to me. I took that idea of worshipping the self and keeping the birthday as a high holy day, and I incorporated it in how I live my life.

Whenever possible, I’ll book my birthday off work, so I can spend the day doing things that bring me peace and joy. That could be just talking with my wife, spending time with my siblings, watching or reading something that I enjoy, or doing something that I’ve wanted to do for a while. It’s not the same every year, and it doesn’t have to be.

I love my self, and I love my life. I have faith in my abilities, and self-love is what gives me the power to help and support others. I must be my first priority, and my birthday is a time to appreciate who I am and do things on a wholly selfish level.

If this idea appeals to you, I encourage you to practice it! Let that one day of the year be a self-indulgent one, and treat yourself and your body without shame.

Two Idea for Birthday Magic

1. If it rains, I try to collect rainwater for use in future spells. Since this is the day I view as most sacred to me, this water is perfect for charms aimed to help myself and those I love.
2. I do a tarot card reading most birthdays, forecasting for the next year and what paths I should try and take to live the happiest life I can. Any sort of fortune-telling works just fine for this - but I would only read for myself, or maybe for my wife if she wanted. The day is for me above all, and for the one I love most.