Ceremonial Bathing | Beauty & The Bath
Written by Cassie Courtney
Sacred bathing dates back to ancient civilization, a time in which the act of cleansing was often associated with godliness.
The oldest known bath was The Great Bath, resting on a sacred site serving as a focal point for religious practices in the Indus Valley in Pakistan around 2500 B.C.
The act of ceremonial bathing has continued to nurture and connect us with our spirituality, creating an opportunity for water, like a womb, to hold us while we surrender to introspection, seek renewal & purification, and release the buildup of negative energies. This ceremony, a portal to connect with the divine, is honored throughout time and across cultures and religions around the world.
In many traditions, bathing involves specific rituals, prayers, or chants that accompany the act of bathing. The water used for sacred bathing is often blessed or infused with herbs, flowers, and other sacred substances. We approach these various rituals and practices across different cultures with respect, sensitivity, and a willingness to learn, honor, and understand the traditions involved.
Ceremonial Bathing | For the Physical & Emotional Body
The art of bathing with intention can help remove and shift unwanted energies, stress, emotional burdens, and an overactive mind by cleansing and purification of the body, mind and spirit. It can bring us home to our sacred sensuality as we wash our beloved bodies in the divinity of Water.
When we allow ourselves to tap into the deep well of relaxation we can relieve stress and bask in the tranquil environment of warm water, soothing scents, and medicinal herbs. Plants aid in calming our mind, muscles, and nervous system. Water is such a healer, it physically takes the weight off us so that we can relax into what is within our heart space.
Bathing gives us an opportunity for introspection, meditation and spiritual growth. It can be seen as a metaphor for energetically cleansing one's vessel and creating a bridge for spiritual connection to oneself, others, and the divine.
When we engage in self care and prioritize our wellbeing, we are nourishing and honoring our bodies and minds. This practice promotes an increase in positive self-image, self-worth, and self-LOVE. You can use mantras and speak affirmations on self worth while bathing for an inward and intimate experience ~ that is a gift to be had.
The continuation of ancient rituals and traditions allows us to stay connected to our ancestry and honor our roots.
Ritualize the Bath | A Home Ceremony
Just as the Forests are the Lungs of Mother Earth ~ The Ocean is the Heart. And what guides the currents and tides is our Dear Moon. The Moon and the Ocean are like Mother and Daughter. These sacred waters can be seen as the blood that runs through us. The waters we drink course through our veins, and that connects us to our dear moon as she rules the tides within us, too. So when we bathe in her waters we can come to a greater understanding that everything is actually one heart beating and coursing through us all.
Set the Intention
What does your soul need? What is your heart asking for? Relaxation, healing, releasing negative energy, cathartic tears… or is it another intention that resonates with you? As we still our mind and connect to our heart, we can tap into what this may be. Breath work and meditation can help bring us to the center of what needs tending.
Prepare the Space
Create a serene & sacred environment in your bathing area. Cleanse the space, light candles, play soft music, use essential oils, burn incense. Perhaps there is a window you can crack to let fresh air in. Setting the mood as if you’re creating a love ceremony for yourself to be held in.
Gather Materials
Collect items that align with your intention and personal beliefs. This could include herbs, flowers, crystals, or sacred objects. Choose ingredients that have symbolic or energetic significance to you. If you have access to fresh flowers blooming nearby, it could be a lovely addition to honor what is in bloom and the essence of the fresh botanical can add such beauty to this experience.
Run the Bath
Fill your bathtub with warm water, adjusting the temperature as you slowly dip your toes into the water. Take a deep breath in and give thanks to this precious moment, exhaling with love in your heart. As you submerge the rest of your body, be present to what is, continue to breathe into these feelings and allow for the all loving waters to hold and move what is needed. Sit in this mediation for several minutes finding the center and breathing into it. As the energy washes over you, release and give thanks. From there, bringing your awareness back to the sensations around you. The smell of the flowers, the light flickering from the candle, the sounds of the running bath, the soft music in the background. Bringing presence to each moment and letting any woes or mind chatter soften, wash over, and release. From here if you wish to engage in any self care, such as a face mask, body scrub or massaging with body oil. Continue to be in an active meditation of loving awareness while tending to your body. Take as long as you need. When you are ready to end your bath, end with a prayer of gratitude and thanks.
Oh Mother of the Holy Waters | a Prayer
Mother of Compassion,
In this sacred moment, replenish and open us to the deeper understanding of unconditional love and empathy.
Teach us to be in flow with the current and soften our hearts.
May we release our sadness, anger, and fears and surrender to the deep well of your Divine Love. May our tears which flow be a gift of our devotion, a gift of our trust, a gift of our love.
Let me be held in these sacred waters and receive the nourishment of Truth, and Divine Grace.
Blessed are the Waters of Thy Womb. Our hearts beam with gratitude for your cosmic everlasting ocean washing us clean, and granting us how to forgive and love our brothers and sisters.
Thank you Divine Mother for this gift of being alive, and being held in your arms.
Amen
