A Bath Ritual for Honoring Tumultuous Times
When self-care feels impossible or frivolous, challenge yourself to move gently through this bathing ritual. Remember that your pleasure is a survival strategy, and this work is a radical act of acceptance, self-honoring, and
emotional regulation. This bath ritual will initiate a dance with grief, abundance, fear, and pleasure, allowing you to hold it all in one open palm.
For this spell, you will
need:
- Black lava salt
- A palm-sized stone (preferably one who's spent time in the ocean or a river)
- Washcloth
- Geranium, vetiver, and bergamot essential oil (optional)
- Cleansing smoke (if within your practice)
- Any other supportive magical tools you need to create a container you feel safe in
Set aside at least two hours for the entirety of this ritual, preferably on a day where you have no other commitments. While the ritual itself can take as little or as much time as you like, you should allot at least an hour of time after the ritual to integrate, process, and just be in your body without expectation.
Gather your supplies
and magical tools, and before you begin drawing your bath, cleanse your body and space with smoke. For babes with smoke sensitivities (or if smoke cleansing isn't within your practice), fill a dish with salt and leave it near your bath, light a white candle, or physically sweep the area to stir up stagnant energy and kindly ask it to leave.
Draw your bath, and greet the water as you would a river, lake, or ocean. Close your eyes and visualize the reservoir your water is coming from, the clouds that brought it there, and all the land it's touched on its way to you. Remember
that water is constantly moving through your body—the water in your bath is just a visitor, and nothing you offer up in this space will linger forever. Water is transportive. Allow this elemental ally to envelope you for a
little while, then let it all go.
Sprinkle your black lava salt in a circle around the edge of your bath, and call in any guides or protectors you may work with to help you hold a safe container. To finish off your bath, add in three drops of geranium, vetiver, and bergamot essential oil. Geranium balances the emotional body, vetiver soothes
frayed nerves, and bergamot energizes the energetic field. Together, these plant allies weave a tender web of support to hold you through crisis. If you don't have these oils on hand, call on the spirits of these plants for support instead. Once your bath is done, leave an offering of water on your altar as thanks.
Slip into your bath, and soak until you begin to notice the way your body feels
against the water. If self-massage feels good, dip your washcloth in the water and stroke your arms, legs, and belly in gentle motions. Call on your chosen stone friend for additional support and stability if you need it! Hold your stone over areas of your body that feel tender, heavy, or swollen with feeling and allow the stone to lovingly cocoon and transmute these feelings. Acknowledge whatever emotions you feel stirring, and say aloud, "I hear you, I feel your hurt, I'm here." When you're
ready, open the drain and ask the water to whisk them away.
Aftercare is a wonderful idea after this bath ritual, even if this looks like simply re-filling your water bottle and putting on clean, soft clothes. Keep your stone ally close over the next few days, and remember that support is always nearby.