Ritual Baths: The Basics
So you've got the ingredients for a ritual bath, now what?
Clean this can take as much or as little effort as you want. Make sure the tub is clean and get a fresh towel. Put any laundry into a hamper and put it in another room and you're at a set for low effort cleaning. If you want to go all out do a deep clean of the bathroom leaving the fan on or windows open to air out any smell of cleaning products. Follow this up with your favorite cleansing method.
Wash take a shower. Clean your body, your face, your hair. Clear your mind. Let all the excess energies you've picked up wash away down the drain.
Prepare the Bath turn off the water and step out of the shower then, fill the bath and if there is any preparation specified by your ritual or spell do that now. Light a scented candle, incense or essential oil diffuser to add to the sensory experience. Tip: turn off the lights and use a small lamp or battery powered candles to set a cozy ambiance, keep these away from the tub.
Breathe take a moment to refocus your mind and energy on the purpose of the bath. Be it a complex multistep ritual, or a self care night with a cute bath bomb, this is your time. Put your phone on silent and let the people in your home know you are not to be disturbed for as long as your in your bath.
Get in the Bath if you feel compelled to you can thank the water for helping with your spell, then get in. A bath tray can be helpful if you need your spell book handy (no shame in not remembering all the steps of the spell your doing).
Ending the Bath this step is particularly helpful when doing healing, cleansing, or any spell involving letting something go or becoming something new. Stay in the tub as you drain the water and visualize whatever spiritual gunk the spell may have removed from you flowing away from you and down the drain. Tip: keep a mesh strainer nearby to scoop any loose herbs you may have added to the bath for easy clean up.
Wrapping Up be sure to hydrate after a hot bath, its hard to tell how much we sweat while we're in a bath, and it can help recharge you after a long spell. It can be helpful to journal immediately after a ritual bath, write down your experience, what felt right about the spell, what didn't. Lastly, take some time to 'wake up' before moving on. Regardless of what kind of spell or ritual you preformed, you most likely entered a state of deep relaxation and that deserves to be savored.
