#bathing ritual

[sidtheearthwitch]

Self-Love/Dysphoria Relief Bath Ritual

Disclaimer- The original bath ritual was created by @/ Mystic The Shapeshifter on the Pagans & Witches Amino. This post is just to share how I have chosen to do this, what I changed, etc. I still hope you’ll enjoy! 💖 

I didn’t have all of the same ingredients available to me, so I had to change a few things up. I’ll be including what I used, but for the whole recipe/tutorial, please do check out the original post- I’ll provide a link if requested! 

I’ve separated this into two sections, both of which will be added to the bath, of course. 

You mix part one, into your first big bowl- and part two, into your second big bowl. You may need to add a little bit of warm water into the second bowl, to help the honey mix in all the way. Once the honey is mixed in throughout it wholly, then you can put it in your bath.

Part One

Epsom Salt - 1 Cup

Borage Flowers - A Handful

Lavender Leaves - 1 Stalk

Part Two

Oat Milk - 3 1/2 or 4 Cups

Honey - 1 TBSP

Moon Water - 2 TBSP

Orange Essential Oil - A Few Drops

Lavender Essential Oil - A Few Drops

Other Things You May Need/Want:

- a candle

- 2 big bowls

- stones or crystals

- soap (for bubbles!)

I was very tired while preparing this, so I didn’t want to go hunting down rose petals and other such items. Even if they wouldn’t be that hard to find, I wanted to keep it simple. I chose Borage instead of Hyacinths, mainly because that’s what I’ve been growing. But also because Borage is meant to give you courage, optimism, and enthusiasm- all three of these properties would be great for the purpose of this ritual.

Courage to be myself, optimism for the future, and enthusiasm to keep going despite hardships.  

I also thought the meanings behind the colors would be perfect! While growing, they can appear from a fun range of pink, purple, and blue. Pink and blue are often used to represent the binary genders, male and female. While purple is both a mix of the two colors, it is also it’s own color. Which reminded me much of how I experience and understand my own gender. 

Now that I’ve gone over why I picked the flowers, let’s get to the water. In the original recipe, it used only moon water. In my bath, I used two types of moon water- one regular, and one rain water. They were both charged under the same moon though. 

I chose to use rain water for these correspondences: growth, happiness, positivity, safety, and calmness.

Happiness/positivity to help me view my body in a better light, safety and calm to feel more at peace in my body and with my conflicting thoughts, and growth to encourage, well, growth. Like, a personal growth. 

Once I had put my two parts(of the recipe) into the bath, I lit a candle, placing it in a nearby spot- making sure that it was safe where I placed it. Placed my only quartz on a shelf nearby, and played soothing music to help get in the mood and focus better. I put two of my go to albums for meditation- Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts- which are both by Nine Inch Nails. 

There is something just so ethereal to it, that quite helps me with my craft, and focusing my intent, etc. It almost feels like it transports me to somewhere else.

Now, you can do whatever you want during your time in the bath- but I’m going to share what I did. 

I meditated. 

I found it very hard to focus with all the surrounding noise, my parents downstairs, my brother gaming in the other room, my neighbors, hearing cars whizzing down the road...but I suppose that’s just part of meditation. Being present, and finding calm through the chaos.

I quietly whispered out most of my thoughts, but allowed for more personal ideas to remain only spoken in my mind. 

I imagined laying in the sand on the beach, allowing the ocean water to wash over my body. It smooths the ridges like sea shells and glass,  and as it recedes  into itself once more, it reveals my ideal self. 

Other Notes: 

- you can use any type of milk, I just used oat milk because it is A- good for your body, and B- what I had on hand

- you can change any part of these recipes to fit your own need. I used it for my gender dysphoria as a nonbinary person, but you can change things around to be more personal to you

- you may want to put more than 3 to 4 cups of milk in. I put twice as much as the original person, but you could still see through the water pretty well. Which, as someone that has an aversion to taking showers/baths because I don’t like seeing my body- that’s not very good. The soap, which produced all the bubbles, really helped combat that issue though.

- I was pressed for the time while doing this, so next time I attempt this I should make sure I’ve got a few hours to do it. For the set up and clean up process, also to allow myself to just enjoy it more.

- I’d also like to do this at night, next time. The tub is right next to a little window, and I think it would be really nice to allow the moon light to filter in through their, shining into the water. Especially on a new moon or full moon!

- bigger flowers!!

[catoptromancer]

Ritual Purification/Cleansing: Protection from psychic vampires and other energy-based negative psychic attachments.

The purpose of a ritual cleansing or a ritual purification is to allow the subject to remove potential impurities in their auric field (the astral body) and their immediate environment (such as a home, altar, or work space) which may be causing weakness in their energy centers, resulting in a negative entity creating potential links to the subject through those impurities.

A basic ritual cleansing may follow certain traditional guidelines, including a purification bath, banishment, and meditation. This particular ritual skeleton enables the subject to change, add, or omit the structure and/or order of rites, as deemed by the subject’s needs.

Typically, this type of ritual is performed at night time. This helps to filter out unwanted distractions, as the collective consciousness of society alters their state of mind to prepare for rest; the night welcomes the calm and quiet, and will, therefore, be easier to assist the subject in altering their own state of mind for the purposes of self-healing.

Comparatively, a bath is preferred over a shower for multiple reasons, but the ritual can be performed in either setting. The bath aids in focusing on inner peace, as can be visualized through the physical stillness of the water, as well as the sensation of being enveloped by the water, to assist the subject in naturally entering an altered state of mind through the water’s warmth and the body’s relaxation. This can be especially useful if the subject has also infused the water with helpful herbs for healing and protection. All of this can be accomplished in a shower, as well, but is found to be more successful in a bath environment.

As important to the subject’s health and wellbeing as their auric cleansing is the banishment of negativity from their environment. The astral atmosphere of a room, altar, or work space can retain common lingering energies of any individual who may have experienced strong positive, or negative emotions in the exposed area. Cleansing the space helps to rid it of potential negative energies and, occasionally, unwanted entities attached to the location, creating a safe place for the subject to reside.

Meditation comes in many forms. The type of meditations suggested for practice that are included in this ritual serve two purposes: to break ties with the negative attachment(s), and to assist the subject in self-programming a defensive barrier into the astral body so that future attachments or attacks may be avoided. These rites are heavily based on one’s ability to visualize and see passed the physical veil and into the astral planes via the Third Eye. The subject does not need to have much experience with visualization, but needs only to close one’s eyes and use the imagination to see and feel the energy surrounding oneself. These mindfulness techniques are not necessary, but are useful if the subject is suffering, and may help in preventing further incidents due to the same or other potential negative attachments.

Purification Bath Ritual Skeleton:

The following is a basic structural outline of a water-based ritual cleansing.

Collect items for use during this ritual, and prepare any ritual tools for use. This may include adding essential oils, herbs, flowers, sea salt, epsom salt, etc. to the bath water, or coating the blade of the athame with oils that correspond to properties related to the purpose of your cleansing, such as purification or banishment.

Cleanse the space, and set the room for relaxation. Dim the lights, ignite incense or candles (with or without fragrance), play calming and pleasing music, create a crystal grid around the bath, etc. Optionally, use oils or lotions to draw sigils or runes on your body, to assist with physical cleansing affirmations. You may also choose to inscribe or carve candles with sigils or runes, or to write sigils, runes, or positive affirmations on herbs to burn with incense while you bathe.

Draw a bath with warm water. Do not make the water too hot, so as to avoid damaging the skin. Enter the bath and allow yourself to relax. Submerge the body as completely as possible.

Practice a mindfulness exercise. Focus on the senses in the moment. Feel the warmth of the water encompass your body. Close your eyes and feel truly present. Allow your mind to drift, but do not linger. Let your thoughts and feelings pass as they ebb and flow, like the current of the water. Feel your breathing, in and out. Fill your lungs with the positive energies in the air, and exhale the negative attachments.

When you feel it is appropriate, bring your attention inward. Attune to the energy of your body as it courses through your limbs, your fingers and toes, your muscles, your heart. Locate the parts of your aura that may feel weak or damaged. These parts of your spiritual body may coincide with parts of the physical body that are unwell. Now it is important to focus on your energy centers. These are the sections of the auric body that may hold attachments to or from potential entities and energies. Your energetic centers are responsible for the generation and cycle of energy throughout the body, and it is here that many negative entities may create links.

Take the prepared athame into the passive hand, and focus on the sensation of cleanliness. Visualize the blade cutting away the negative links to your spiritual body as you draw the blade against your aura, widdershins. Sever the bonds of attachment with the blade, and feel the connections disappear as your body interacts with the cleansing energies of the water. Focus your mind on a mantra, and internally affirm the banishment of these negative energies.

When your aura feels detached and free of any unwanted ties, shift the athame to your dominant hand. Using this hand, draw the blade against your spiritual body again, deosil, and visualize light emanating from the blade and creating a protective barrier around your aura. Again, focus your mind on a mantra, internally affirming the creation of an energetic shield, blocking all negative and unwanted energies and preventing further attachments. Do this until a sensation of safety surrounds you.

Bring your attention outward again, and focus on the senses. Allow yourself to feel present, refreshed, and renewed. Take as much time as you feel is necessary for your mind and body to unify as you ground and center. Feel your body absorb the positive, protective, and purifying energies of the herbs infused in the water and the incense filling the air.

When you feel ready, exit the bath and pat dry. Drain the bath, or dispose of the water by pouring it back into the earth. Extinguish any candles, and allow any incense to burn out. Be sure to clean the tub of any residue remaining from the bath. Following the purification of the self, cleanse the space and tools that may have been used during the ritual.

[speakingincode-blog1]

Me: I’m like low-key kind of spiritual. Also me: omg yes petals in my bath black water yes Aquae Sulis where’s my drinking horn and mead candlelight Goddess yes

[speakingincode-blog1]

Bathing Rituals

I'm a busy business person with busy business jobs and busy business meetings (I just like the alliteration), so taking time out of my schedule to plan for elaborate rituals isn't always an option.

What I found to be a reasonable and fulfilling compromise is to do a weekly bathing/bath ritual.

One day every weekend (if the full moon is on a Friday-Sunday, the day when it's at its peak) I bathe in essential oils by candlelight and burn incense. I smudge my bathroom before I do this and always add a little moonwater in the tub.

If it's near one of the Druid festivals of the eightfold year, I'll take the time to make a little altar along the edge of the water and pay proper respects. Wine is generally involved.

Some weeks it's a big production with chanting and sacrifice, others it's simply some time to meditate and reflect in the warm embrace of the water.

Taking a little bit of time out of my week to focus on ritual in a comfortable and personal way has really elevated me spiritually and emotionally. I feel more grounded, I am more gentle with myself, and I feel more confident and powerful than ever before.

I've been doing this for about a year now and it's helped me through some very tough times. Now, I'm in a position of great success that I feel I wouldn't have achieved without it.

It's given me the time and space to relax and try new things. I've tried new meditation techniques, new spells, new oils, new everything. Along the way I have found the best combinations and the best sequence to perform my personal little ritual bath.

I highly recommend you take some time to dip your toes in a ritual bath and make it your own.

[andritambunan]

Latest for the LA Times, I photographed a cedar enzyme bath, a unique treatment of a fermentation bathing ritual in which you dip into a mixture of soft and fragrant ground cedar & rice bran containing living enzymes that stimulate metabolic activity inside & out

This California spa buries you up to your head in compost. Would you try it?

Osmosis Day Spa's enzyme-cedar bath buries guests in a magic mixture of wood chips and rice bran for a relaxing, warming and healing experie

[sohannabarberaesque]

Roman Holidays headcannon

Talk about close company: Gus Holiday and a few of his buddies from the construction company heading off to the bathhouse in the pre dawn for a mix of exercises and bathing (such being the common practice in Imperial Rome's bathhouses) ... with an especial fondness for a hot sand rub and cleansing with a stigril (which, if you ask, was a sort of bone razor used in the baths for scraping off dirt, sand and sweat).

[kirtibhoir-blog]

Soak

Soak yourself every day

in the brightest sunlight

there are so many

who wait to bathe

in your brimming light.

~ Kirti ~

View On WordPress

[sidtheearthwitch]

I’m out for the weekend! But I will be posting about a bathing ritual I did today when I get back. :)