ok sports fans, here's the deal. we are gonna have a little lesson in making
UNCROSSING BATHS
because in the past week I have dumped a pitcher of water onto a power strip, driven the car into the garage with the TRUNK OPEN which got it lodged on the garage door and scratched it up, dropped my phone in a bowl full of water (and spinach), broken my glasses, overwatered the plants so they leaked all over some boxes of books, and generally been uncharacteristically fucking things up.
which means: UNCROSSING TIME!
we are gonna use
RUE
HYSSOP
FIVE FINGER GRASS
BAY LEAF
and SALT
throw in a handful of each. greet the herbs by name, tell them what you are asking them to help you with, thank them. then scrunch em up with your fingers a bit til they're mixed.
add water (from a spring is nice, we're on a well so I use that, municipal water is fine) and then simmer, covered, to keep the oils in.
cook it for at least 20 min, longer is fine, and then let it cool completely. I prepared mine late in the evening so it'll cool overnight and we'll take the next steps tomorrow.
once you are cool đ it's time to strain.
I live in the kind of transsexual commune that makes its own soymilk so we have a nice pitcher with a strainer that fits it nicely, but get the plant bits out however works best for you. you should be left with a reasonably large quantity of weird, salty, room-temperature tea.
the plant bits can go in the compost or you can pitch em outside someplace. the salt is minimal but don't put the dregs directly IN a plant.
you can jar up the bath tea or just set your strainer container aside til you're ready to use it. if you're not using it right away or you're using it over multiple nights, put it in the fridge, and prepare for a more exhilarating experience when you dump it over your head at fridge temp. avoid glass containers if possible.
to use the bath, there are different amounts of ritual you can use. you can, if you wish, flank your shower/tub entrance with two white candles and light them, creating a doorway of sorts to step through into the shower or bath. up to you.
do NOT catch your shower curtain or bathmat on fire.
I used very wee candles because it was already late and I wanted them to burn all the way out. I relocated them to a safe place after bathing.
some folks advise catching excess tea in a bowl as it runs off you. that's fine and worth doing if you have a non-breakable large bowl or pot.
shower as normal, with normal soap. once finished, turn off the water but stay in the tub/stall. if you're using a bowl to catch excess, position it by or between your feet. then reach for your bath tea - this is why you want to avoid keeping it in a glass jar, just because if you're already dealing with a crossed condition, the likelihood that your wet hands will drop and shatter it is elevated.
in one continuous flow or bit by bit, pour all of the bath tea over your head, shoulders, back, front, each leg - make sure it gets everywhere. use your non-pouring hand to spread the water along the backs of your legs and such. (mind your herbs that nothing will irritate your skin.) sadly you must soak your hair with it. (I recognize this is non-trivial for my textured hair squad.) most sadly, you must not dry off with a towel when you are done.
ALWAYS AIR DRY AFTER AN HERBAL BATH.
this makes winter baths a greater challenge of fortitude but I believe in you.
you can use your hand to brush the water off. you can comb out your hair. but let it air dry.
once you will no longer leave a huge puddle on your floor, step out through your doorway of candles, and move on with your life. if you caught the excess in a bowl, take it outside and toss the tea away, throwing out the crossed condition it's washed off your body.
in this case, I forgot all about the bowl until I was already in the shower, so I used the same pitcher I had poured the bath tea out of and used it to catch excess as I wrung out my hair etc. and then I tossed the caught liquid outside as normal, there was just less of it.
if you have an ancestor or animist practice (and what kind of rootworker would you be if you did not?), it is appropriate to thank your ancestors and/or the plant spirits for their support.
it is also appropriate to follow an uncrossing with a ritual requesting positive influences in your life, to fill the vacuum of the negative ones you've just removed.
that's how it's done! holler if you got questions. go forth less fucked, comrades. đđ˝
