Magical Baths
By Indira Rao
June 2011
Bathe yourself with prescribed herbs, flowers and essences, to rejuvenate your mental, physical, psychic and spiritual self and return to energetic wholeness
Baths! They evoke different emotions in different people. For some, a bath is an exercise in self-indulgence – candles, scents, and oils. Others abhor bathing. To most, it is merely a hygienic necessity. And finally, there are those for whom it is a sacred ritual.
Since time immemorial, baths have been reputed for their powerful healing properties. The Romans, history tells us, loved their baths. Cleopatra’s bewitching beauty was attributed to her daily bath with milk and honey. There are all kinds of baths: steam baths, sauna baths, Jacuzzi baths, hot spring baths, healing baths, and magical baths. Yes, you heard right – magical baths. These baths cleanse our mental, physical, psychic and spiritual ‘dirt’, and help us become whole again.
Magical baths
A magical bath is a mystical remedy of miraculous powers that use herbs, essences, and spices to heal, restore and rejuvenate. It is taken with the specific aim of removing unwanted energies and ridding oneself of negative vibrations. While normal baths are taken for purposes of cleanliness and hygiene, magical baths restore balance and harmony in our lives. Magical baths, again, are of various kinds as the remedy has to be tailored to one’s specific needs.
Nothing works like a bathtub when it comes to psychic cleansing. So use the bathtub if you have it. However, if you are among those who live in a home that is too small for a bathtub like most Indian homes are, despair not! Magical baths can be had with the bucket and mug too, with the same powerful results.
Preparation
• Choose the bath of your choice. Prepare the ingredients for it. Put the herbs/ingredients for the bath in hot water in a container. Let the water imbibe the essence of the herbs as you take your normal daily bath.
• Make sure that all the bathing accessories that you use are clean and dirt-free. To ensure that you are as clean, do not forget to take your normal bath/shower with soap, shampoo, and water. Wash your hair and body and rid yourself of physical dirt.
• After the usual bath, add the warm water redolent with herbs to your bucket of bathwater or the tub if you have one. Use a mug to pour the water over your head and body. As you bathe, consciously remind yourself of the aim of taking the magical bath and trust the process to accomplish its purpose
• Do not use a towel to dry yourself after you finish bathing. Drape a robe or any other comfortable clothing around yourself and let the body dry naturally. This is known as air-dry in magical bath traditions.
• If your hair is long or if you have a tendency to catch colds easily, wrap a towel over your head but do not towel dry your face or body.
• It is best to wait 24 hours before you take another bath. If this is not possible, at least wait 12 hours before your next bath.
Rejuvenation bath
Most of us tend to feel sapped at the end of a busy day or after spending several punishing hours on the road. Whatever the cause for your tiredness, here is a bath that can rev up your energy and make you feel reborn.
Materials
• 7 white carnations
• 3 ounces of lavender
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sprig of basil
Add the ingredients except for the carnations to the bathwater. Scrub yourself from head to toe with one blossom until the petals begin to fall apart. Pour a couple of mugs of bathwater over your head and scrub yourself again with another white carnation. Do this with all the other carnations and the bathwater until all the blossoms and the water are used up. This bath will thoroughly cleanse your aura and wash away all negative influences. A strainer of some kind can be placed to prevent clogging in the bathroom. Do remember to pick up the petals and leaves and put them in the garbage after you are done.
Beer bath
This is a great bath for removing negativity. It is excellent as a psychic cleanser. The Tibetan and Bhutanese healing systems prescribe herbs for baths and prescribe beer as a cleanser that can be used to add to the potency of herbal baths.
Materials:
• 3 cans of beer
• 1 tablespoon salt
Add these to a bucket of water and stir clockwise with your index finger or all the fingers of your hand.
Vinegar bath
This is another excellent bath for removing negative influences from the personal, professional and social spheres that one may have inadvertently imbibed.
Materials:
• Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
Add these to a bucket of water and bathe at least for seven minutes. Pray to be released from any negative energy around you and seek freedom from any negative influences that could be causing obstacles in your life.
Coffee bath
Coffee assists in revitalizing a person recovering from a physical illness. Coffee, when used in a bath in the prescribed manner on the onset of an illness, helps one heal and recover faster.
Materials:
• 6 cups of strong coffee.
Brew the coffee fresh. Do NOT use instant coffee. This bath is especially effective after a hard work week. It helps ease the stress and relieves tension. It is best to have this bath on a Saturday morning so you can have a restful Sunday and an energetic week ahead.
Prosperity bath
This bath uses cinnamon to attract prosperity and money into your life. Take this bath during the waxing phase of the moon for maximum effect.
Materials:
• 1 cup of cinnamon powder
• 2 cups of parsley(dried or fresh)
Cinnamon is a very powerful herb for prosperity. You can also take this bath for five consecutive days and pray for financial improvement. Do not be specific about the amount of money or from where it should come from. Let the universe do what it wills and bring you the solution.
Love bath
Take this bath to attract a soulmate or bring love into your life. This bath is also effective for renewing love and passion with your partner. Make the rose in the recipe read if you want more passion in your life. Pink if you are looking for love.
Materials:
• 3 parts of orange flowers
• 2 parts lavender
• 1 part petals of gardenia
• 1 part cardamom
• 1 part ginger
• 1 part rosemary
• 1 part rose petals
Protection bath
If you feel that you are attracting a lot of negativity and nothing seems to be going right, this is an excellent bath to utilize.
Materials:
• 1 tbsp lavender flowers (dried)
• 1 tbsp rose petals (dried)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• Juice of 1 lemon
Place the dry ingredients in a container of hot water and allow the potion to brew. Mix in the lemon juice and add the contents to the bucket of warm water. This bath helps to increase focus and personal productivity. It is also an excellent remedy for warding off malochia or the evil eye.
For cleansing a house or office and ridding it of negativity, use vanilla candles or vanilla essence.
Happy bathing!