Descent into Pleasure
Day 5 of Coming Home: A 7-Day Devotional Journey to Beauty & Pleasure
To reclaim pleasure, we must be willing to descend into the places that taught us to fear it.
We’re not always taught that pleasure is safe. Not just sexual pleasure, though that’s part of it. But the everyday pleasure of being present in your body. Of feeling good. Of taking up space. Of letting yourself slow down, receive, and say yes to what you actually want.
For many of us, that hasn’t always felt or been safe.
We live in a world that praises productivity and control. That tells us to quiet our desire. That says softness is weakness, and wanting too much makes us a problem.
Don’t you know a woman with desires is selfish?
So we adapt.
We disconnect from our bodies and keep ourselves distracted by doom-scrolling and online shopping. We numb out and pretend we don’t care so we won’t be let down.
But deep down, we still remember.
Our bodies remember. Our nervous systems remember. There’s a part of us that knows we’re meant for more than just survival.
And eventually, we hit a point, like Inanna standing at the first gate of the underworld, where we have to face it.
The places we gave up our pleasure for safety. The times we abandoned our truth to be accepted or protected.
That’s the descent. Not into punishment, but into honesty and reclamation.
It’s in the depths of ourselves where we start to call back what we lost.
The truth is, pleasure isn’t something you have to earn. It’s something you’re wired for. But in order to open yourself to true pleasure sometimes you have to be willing to sit in the shadows.
Today we remember the truth about pleasure:
We’re allowed to feel good.
We’re allowed to want more.
We’re allowed to ask for what we want, not just what we need.
We’re allowed to stop shrinking just to stay safe.
Let today be the moment you turn toward what’s real. This isn’t about perpetuating the cycle of shame. It’s about gaining clarity through radical honesty and owning the depth of pleasure and shadow we each encompass. Both are beautiful and both are necessary.
From this place, we rise.
With love + devotion,
Montoya Miller
The Muse’s Altar
Journal Prompts:
What have I been taught about pleasure (body, desire, softness, aliveness)?
In what ways has pleasure felt unsafe? Is there truth to this? If so, how can I honor this wisdom and if not, how can I create a new story?
What would it feel like to let pleasure be simple, sacred, and safe again?
Ritual: A Symbolic Offering to the Underworld
Take a moment to reflect on what keeps you from fully receiving pleasure.
It might be a belief, a memory, a voice in your head.
Write it down on a small piece of paper.
Name it clearly. Hold it in your hands. Express gratitude because it brought you to this moment and has carried its own unique wisdom into your life.
When you feel ready, release it.
You can bury it in the earth. Tear it into tiny pieces and scatter them. Burn it (safely) and let the smoke carry it.
As you do, whisper to yourself:
“I release this in devotion to my joy. I descend so I may rise.”