The ritual act of submerging in water has been a means to cleanse, renew, heal, and restore the body and the Spirit for millennia.  I couldn’t let Scorpio season leave without writing on this time-honored, divinely feminine ritual.

Not only are our bodies over 70% water, but every human being arrived on this earth through water; its what helped protect and nurture us. So, it’s no wonder ancient cultures have associated water with the feminine.  Likewise, not only are baths soothing and relaxing, but they help to connect us to our intuition.

In many Indigenous American traditions, water is sacred and considered the blood of Mother Earth.

Amongst the Yoruba pantheon, which is also prevalent and practiced throughout the Americas, the Orisha Oshun is known as the Orisha of Sweet Waters, who often bathed, laughed and danced in the water.  With her symbol being the mirror, Oshun ritualistically gazed and admired her reflection in the water.  While in its simplest interpretation, this may be misconstrued as vanity, it moreso symbolizes how Oshun admired her own beauty internally and externally.  It speaks to how she did not require or seek external validation.  She admired it for and within herself.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Hera would retreat to Cathanos each year to renew her virginity. Again, interpreting this from a basic perspective, one may think it alludes to virginity in sexual terms.  But for Hera, renewing her virginity speaks to renewing her innocence, lightheartedness, and cleansing her ego which was easily weighed down by expectations or obligations to others (in Hera’s case, her husband Zeus).

Each of these stories speak to the power of regular self-care rituals, and the power of water.   

 

Like any other ritual, a ritual bath should be rooted and drawn with a spiritual intention or purpose. Due to this, many ritual baths incorporate the healing and cleansing properties of flowers, herbs, salts and /or essential oils along with the water. Its recommended to disengage from technology and implore meditation while taking a ritual bath in order to release old habits that may be weighing you down, and welcoming new insights to propel you forward to your desires.

Here are a collection of bathing rituals that you can incorporate into your daily routines.  The following should be added to a tub of warm water.  If you don't have a bathtub, don't worry! Place the ingredients in a big bowl of Spring water.  After showering, pour it over your body.

Water Ritual to Clear Negative Energy:

• Sea Salt
• Coconut Oil
• Essential Oil or steeped herbs of choice (preferably lavender or hyssop).  

Water Ritual to Attract Good Luck and Good Fortune

• Goats Milk
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Parsley
• Essential oil or steeped herbs of lemongrass and vetiver.

Water Ritual to Promote Self-Love

• Sunflower petals
• Calendula
• Honey
• Cinnamon

Water Ritual to Attract Love or Loving Energy

• Rose petals
• Essential oils or herbs of jasmine, gardenia, and lemon.

Water Ritual for Clarity

• Essential oils or herbs of cedarwood, sandalwood, lavender and orange.

The Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra was well known for bathing in sour donkey milk and honey.  It is said that whenever she traveled, she would bring donkeys with her.  This was a well known beauty ritual of hers to help improve the appearance of her skin.  Its interesting to note that scholars say that Cleopatra wasn’t necessarily a beautiful woman, however there was a distinctly attractive energy about her that made rulers and warriors literally give up everything to fight for her.  This makes me wonder if the bath was not so much a ritual to enhance external beauty, but a ritual to enhance her internal feminine allure.

Cleopatra Bath Ritual

• Milk (you can use liquid or powdered milk. Goats milk or Coconut are preferred options)
• Baking soda
• Honey
• Essential oil or steeped herbs of choice
• Flower petals of choice

Dedicating time and intention to soak and submerge in a ritual bath is a way to soothe the body, to cleanse the mind, to renew and honor the feminine in us.  By uniting the cleansing and healing properties of water with herbs, it is an act of self-love we all can sink in to.