Ritual baths were one of my favourite things when I used to own a bath (only have a shower no unfortunately, and not enough space to fit a bath without some serious remodeling!). They are quick, simple, and with almost guaranteed privacy which can be great if you live with other people, or are still in the broom closet but want to practice magick.
Ritual baths are great when you have something you want to bring into your life, especially as it is something to do with your emotional state, such as self-love, joy, peace, abundance or cleansing.
At its most basic, to create a ritual bath, find herbs, crystals, flowers, etc., that are associated with your intent, and add them to your bath. Then you can sit back, and soak up the energies! As such, ritual baths are a great way to get creative with your craft.
You can make them as simple or as complicated as you would like. Maybe you just want to include a handful of lavender and focus on relaxing. Or maybe you want to meditate before hand, invoke deities, have the bath, utter some incantations, etc. It really is about what suits you and your intention best.
Ritual baths are great when you have something you want to bring into your life, especially as it is something to do with your emotional state, such as self-love, joy, peace, abundance or cleansing.
At its most basic, to create a ritual bath, find herbs, crystals, flowers, etc., that are associated with your intent, and add them to your bath. Then you can sit back, and soak up the energies! As such, ritual baths are a great way to get creative with your craft.
You can make them as simple or as complicated as you would like. Maybe you just want to include a handful of lavender and focus on relaxing. Or maybe you want to meditate before hand, invoke deities, have the bath, utter some incantations, etc. It really is about what suits you and your intention best.
What to add to my bath?
Crystals: You can crystals into the bath, or around them. Some crystals may suffer under wet or moist conditions, so please make sure you check first
Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs are a great addition. Just be aware not to put too many in, and to clean the bath thoroughly afterwards
Flowers: Fresh or dried flowers will suit fine. Make sure to avoid anything toxic, or that you may be allergic too
Tree Parts: Leaves are again a great thing to add to your bath, fresh or dried. You could also add some tree bark, but remember it can have quite a rough texture, and you do need to bathe with it!
Salt: Salt is great for cleansing, purification and protection ritual baths
Essential Oils: A few drops of appropriate oil in your bath will not only add to your intent, but also make it smell great
Symbols/Tokens: These can be placed in the bath or around it, but if you have any symbols which help you focus on your intent - maybe a stone you found in the shape of a heart, for self love for example - then these can always be incorporated
Candles: Candles are an optional extra, and can be placed around the bath (remember to make sure they aren't near anything flammable, or at risk of being knocked off). You can make sure their colour matches your intent, use numerology to have a certain number of candles present, carve symbols into them, or dress them with oils appropriate to your intention
To give you an example of a ritual bath, I'll share one I use for emotional healing, especially if I've been in a stressful situation and I'm ready to let things go.
I'll run a bath and add lavender (calming), rose petals (self love), salt (purification) and sage (for cleansing). These would be a mixture of herbs and essential oils, so I'm not putting too much herb in the bath, as they will stick to you! I'll also add in some rose quartz (self love) and moonstone (femininity), and place a couple of pink or red candles at the end of the bath.
As the bath is running, I'll swirl the water around in an anti-clockwise direction, focusing on my intent to release the stress and negativity I've been facing. Then I will get in the bath, and make sure every part of me has been touched by the water (such as splashing it on my face). Then, I will meditate on that which has caused me stress and anxiety. When I feel ready, I'll release it, imagining it flowing from my body as I quietly say 'I release you now'.
When I am done, I will step out of the bath, ground and centre and say:
Crystals: You can crystals into the bath, or around them. Some crystals may suffer under wet or moist conditions, so please make sure you check first
Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs are a great addition. Just be aware not to put too many in, and to clean the bath thoroughly afterwards
Flowers: Fresh or dried flowers will suit fine. Make sure to avoid anything toxic, or that you may be allergic too
Tree Parts: Leaves are again a great thing to add to your bath, fresh or dried. You could also add some tree bark, but remember it can have quite a rough texture, and you do need to bathe with it!
Salt: Salt is great for cleansing, purification and protection ritual baths
Essential Oils: A few drops of appropriate oil in your bath will not only add to your intent, but also make it smell great
Symbols/Tokens: These can be placed in the bath or around it, but if you have any symbols which help you focus on your intent - maybe a stone you found in the shape of a heart, for self love for example - then these can always be incorporated
Candles: Candles are an optional extra, and can be placed around the bath (remember to make sure they aren't near anything flammable, or at risk of being knocked off). You can make sure their colour matches your intent, use numerology to have a certain number of candles present, carve symbols into them, or dress them with oils appropriate to your intention
To give you an example of a ritual bath, I'll share one I use for emotional healing, especially if I've been in a stressful situation and I'm ready to let things go.
I'll run a bath and add lavender (calming), rose petals (self love), salt (purification) and sage (for cleansing). These would be a mixture of herbs and essential oils, so I'm not putting too much herb in the bath, as they will stick to you! I'll also add in some rose quartz (self love) and moonstone (femininity), and place a couple of pink or red candles at the end of the bath.
As the bath is running, I'll swirl the water around in an anti-clockwise direction, focusing on my intent to release the stress and negativity I've been facing. Then I will get in the bath, and make sure every part of me has been touched by the water (such as splashing it on my face). Then, I will meditate on that which has caused me stress and anxiety. When I feel ready, I'll release it, imagining it flowing from my body as I quietly say 'I release you now'.
When I am done, I will step out of the bath, ground and centre and say:
"That which I have released leaves me now. May it bring harm to none, but be transformed into positive, living energy to be sent out into the world."
And that's it. Remember, it can be as simple or as involved as you like. Below are some correspondences that might help you design your own ritual bath. If you are having trouble sourcing product.
Ritual Bath Recipes:
The below are what I would call 'bare minimum' - you can of course add a lot more than I have listed, or swap out ingredients for others, but this should provide a good basis to get you started:
Self-Love:
Herbs: Lavender, Lemon Balm
Flowers: Rose Petals, Carnations, Any Pink Flower
Tree: Apple
Crystals: Rose Quartz, Moonstone
Essential Oils: Ylang Ylang, Vanilla, Jasmine
Happiness:
Herbs: Lemon Balm, Marjoram,
Flowers: Violet, Meadowsweet
Tree: Cherry Blossom
Crystals: Citrine, Sunstone, Carnelian
Essential Oils: Orange, Peppermint
Peace:
Herbs: Lavender, Chamomile, Vervain
Flowers: Lily Of The Valley, Magnolia
Tree: Olive
Crystals: Amethyst, Pink Calcite, Kunzite
Essential Oils: Bergamot, Jasmine, Vanilla
Abundance:
Herbs: Mint, Basil, Dock
Flowers: Cinquefoil
Tree: Oak
Crystals: Citrine, Pyrite, Emeralds, Ruby
Essential Oils: Patchouli
Protection:
Herbs: Fennel, Nettle ( I tend to class weeds as herbs), Parsley
Flowers: Heather, Fleabane, Ladies Slipper
Tree: Hazel, Juniper
Crystals: Jet, Obsidian, Smokey Quartz
Wisdom:
Herbs: Sage
Flowers: Iris
Tree: Oak
Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, Alexandrite
Essential Oils: Sandalwood
The below are what I would call 'bare minimum' - you can of course add a lot more than I have listed, or swap out ingredients for others, but this should provide a good basis to get you started:
Self-Love:
Herbs: Lavender, Lemon Balm
Flowers: Rose Petals, Carnations, Any Pink Flower
Tree: Apple
Crystals: Rose Quartz, Moonstone
Essential Oils: Ylang Ylang, Vanilla, Jasmine
Happiness:
Herbs: Lemon Balm, Marjoram,
Flowers: Violet, Meadowsweet
Tree: Cherry Blossom
Crystals: Citrine, Sunstone, Carnelian
Essential Oils: Orange, Peppermint
Peace:
Herbs: Lavender, Chamomile, Vervain
Flowers: Lily Of The Valley, Magnolia
Tree: Olive
Crystals: Amethyst, Pink Calcite, Kunzite
Essential Oils: Bergamot, Jasmine, Vanilla
Abundance:
Herbs: Mint, Basil, Dock
Flowers: Cinquefoil
Tree: Oak
Crystals: Citrine, Pyrite, Emeralds, Ruby
Essential Oils: Patchouli
Protection:
Herbs: Fennel, Nettle ( I tend to class weeds as herbs), Parsley
Flowers: Heather, Fleabane, Ladies Slipper
Tree: Hazel, Juniper
Crystals: Jet, Obsidian, Smokey Quartz
Wisdom:
Herbs: Sage
Flowers: Iris
Tree: Oak
Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, Alexandrite
Essential Oils: Sandalwood
