Spiritual Baths to Remove Negativity and Cultivate Play

Water

Savior

Destroyer

Healing

Overtaking

Relaxing

Turbulent

There are about a million ways to explore water in spiritual and energetic contexts. Perhaps you, like I where Baptized in water to ‘cleanse, purify’, and to 'brith’ you into a faith or state of being.

Water and water’s use in spiritual practice extends far beyond the limiting culture of Christianity and can be a deep and profound portal for healing and relaxation.

Collectively we were each nourished, fostered, and birth in the waters of the womb. (oh, btw, have you watched Sacred Waters on Netflix- It’s a must see if you enjoy hearing about empowered female sexuality and the waters of pleasure).

It should be no surprise that consciousness and the soul have SO MANY water analogies- a post for another day and time.

There are the actions and energies associated with water

Flowing

Sustaining,

Quenching,

Moving,

Churning,

Deepening

Flooding

Raining

And let’s not neglect the energies cared by water’s adjectives

Deep

Mysterious

Watery

Blue

Warm

Cool

Wet

Moist

Saturated

There is SO SO SO much to water- so how does one work with water to take a cleansing, rejuvenating, or spiritual bath?

 Here are my favorite steps:

1. Do a bit of research, and trust that what you are feeling most attracted to doing is the process that will help you the most. For the record: ALMOST EVERY RELIGION and tradition has sacred rites involving water. Which ones are connected to your heritage or which do you feel called to honor (not appropriate)? Take time to give to those creators, wisdom keepers, and vendors your attention and support. In your journal you might choose to start your bath by writing about what water means to you, the intentions you bring for this bath, and what you ways you are seeking the flow of play or the removal of difficulty.

2. Begin running your water.

3. Pick a meditation to do or journal as your water fills about what your intentions for the bath are. My favorite prompts are: what messages does the running water have for me? What ways can I let go today?

4. Put on relaxing music or a mediation track of your choosing (need, help: I got you with this 15 minute meditation).

5. Add any of the following to the bath

   1. Epsom Salt- pour about 2-3 cups of epsom salt into a tub full of water that feels comfortable to you. Epsom relaxes sore muscles, draws out toxins, and helps to ground and clear the energetic body.

   2. Lavender- the ultimate relaxing herb- I like to boil mine from lavender plants and then add to the bath water once they’ve reached a comfortable temperature. Lavender essential oils are great too. Lavender helps the body and mind find calm and ease.

   3. Burdock root- this plant is seriously my go-to’s for healing, release of negativity, and skin soothing. You can forage burdock just about anywhere and use the roots to make a tea to add to the bath- or you can buy some pre-dried roots to make tea from. I highly recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for sourcing good Burdock. Boil a cup or two, add it to the bath and steep yourself in this nurturing plant.

   4. Crystals (to place alongside the tub)- Be careful not to add the crystals to the water because selenite and others easily disintegrate in water. Not only are they beautiful, but many can aid in helping to foster self love, ease, and detox- my favs are rose quartz and Fluorite.

6.  Get in the tub, take 5-6 deep breaths, and allow the water to pull any unwanted negativity or stress from your body and energy field.

7. If you found any processes in 1. incorporate and explore ❤️.

8. Once you feel clear, allow yourself to ask for help with your intentions, from adding play to your life, to removing negativity- and allow yourself to feel the support of the water.

9. Once you feel totally at ease you can linger here or go ahead and drain the water- setting the intention that the water, in entering it’s creative cycle with the universe- return energy, love, and play to you.

Personal Share: My experience with the ocean and it’s ability to clear things from my life and mind.

Perhaps it is the promise of unknowable depths, the analogies that can be made from life to death to inspiration, and so many more, or maybe its simply the way it sounds like my breath- Whatever the many reasons: the ocean is my reflecting pool.

Many topics have risen, fallen, crashed, and repeated as I’ve listened to the waves this past week.  I lost and gained so much in a single year. I’ve also listened to record number of oceans from the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Carribean Sea.

In this year’s time I grieved Bessie (my beloved doggo), discovered the delight of my singing voice, endured hardships, created lasting improvements in my home, sustained, nourished and encouraged a community of swing dancers, created and displayed my art, taught others to make art, lead a group trip to India, dove further into the depths of myself- the parts that seem beneath the surface, and dug parts of my garden with my own hands.

I’m still learning every day to flow around and with change. It can be hard to release stuck and stubborn ideas and indoctrination. There are parts of society that are oppressive and threatening.  The ocean seems to help, moving away the sand beneath my feet and depositing fresh shells and seaweed around my ankles.

I see things new, returning, reminiscent, fresh and I allow myself to feel more of it. It seems intuitive, going with the flow, centering around what is important and allowing opportunities to rise and energize me. These reflections never lose their potency, I am forever in a different place when I arrive and when I leave. The persistence of the ocean- the difference in each wave, the smells of salt, sunscreen and pineapple. I am closer to myself.