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| http://www.people.eku.edu/davisb/Geo100/ganges/Ganges2.htm |
I have also described several recipes in my blogs for cleansings and attraction baths.
However, what I want to write about today though is the idea, purpose, and "how to" aspects of Spiritual Bathing.
A Spiritual Bath is a form of magickal practice that is performed in connection to the body, the subtle body, inner, outer, and the Aethryl planes that surround us. Traditions of Christianity, African Diaspora, Hindu, Islam, Jewish, and many others relied on forms of washing the spirit and body for preparing for their practices and prayers. In Islam, it is tradition to wash the face, arms, the front of the head, neck, and feet before prayer of purification. In Hindu, a special event called Naimittika is hosted that can sometimes include millions of participants in a spiritual washing in the waters of the Ganges and Jumna (sacred rivers) for a particular deity. In Vodou practices, there are spiritual baths used in rituals for healing or protection.
When taking a Spiritual Bath or Washing, special waters, plants, resins, colognes, and prayers are used. What is used depends on the type of energies that are being worked, invoked, removed, healed, etc. A bath can be a simple sprinkling with holy water on the body to cleanse the spirit of the individual. Or it can be as elaborate as a washing under the Saut-d'Eau Waterfall of Haiti.
A washing can be done from the head to the feet, or just one localized area such as a foot washing.
It's performed by Priests, Priestess', Bishops, and a variety of other Spiritual workers. It can also be performed on the self by a single individual, no special titles necessary, no special training necessary.
If you have a home with a tub it makes life the easiest, but it's not necessary to have a tub. Many small apartments only have showers, and I have had some islanders report to me that they only have a shower, no tub available. In the case of no tub, you can use a metal or glass pan to "catch" the washing water from the "bathing". You just need to sit the catch pan (or bowl) at your feet. If you are physically dirty from the days events, shower with soap first then prepare for the spiritual washing.
To begin a washing in which you are going to use the tub or shower, first prepare your special herbs, plants, colognes, hoodoo formulas, etc. This could be by bringing the bottle of hoodoo bath to the bathroom with you or by boiling fresh or dried ingredients over a stove in a sauce pan, draining the herb mixtures (add colognes last so they do not evaporate), and bringing the water mixture to the bathroom. Bring any candles and incense with you. Run your bath water or shower, light your candles and set at opposite sides that you will be stepping through between them and standing to dry off. I generally set them at the either sides of the edge of the tub placed so that I will be standing between them when I step out to dry.
If you are using a bath tub, pour the water and herb mixture into the tub of water. If it's a shower, place it in a safe place to not spill it until you are ready to pour it. Stand or sit in the tub or shower of water for a few minutes to concentrate on your intention. Recite your intention aloud. Next use a cup to pour the herb mixture over your head 7, 9, 11, or 13 times, depending on your intent such as 7 for luck, 9 for love, 13 for uncrossing, and so forth. There is not a right or wrong way to determine this, it usually depends on how you were taught how to bathe spiritually. If you are bringing in energies, typically you wash upwards from feet to head. If you are cleansing or driving away energies, wash downwards from head to feet. Use a prayer of your choice, a psalm, or any prayer of intent will do just fine. Meditate or visualize on your goal. You might decide to state the same prayer again a certain amount of times as well, that is pertinent to your goal.
Once you feel you are tuned to the proper energies you are working, step out of the tub or shower. Stand between the two candles, recite the prayer again. Focus your intent. At this point you may want to use the incense to start at the feet and allow the smoke to rise up around your legs and upward. Air dry, if this isn't possible, at least pat dry lightly. Many root workers advise that you air dry completely. I see this as important, but I have clients that tell me that they have one special towel that is solely used for spiritual bathing and they use this special towel only. Either way, do what you were taught. Afterwards, you should dress in clean clothes and go about your day. Take a cup of the water from the bath, or the pan used to catch the water and use in a floor wash as the same intent to wash your floors (front to back for bringing in good vibrational energies or back to front to remove the negative vibrational energies). A second cup should be saved to throw to the rising east (attracting) or setting west (removal). How many times a week or month should also be determined by the goal and how severe the case is.
Difficult cases should be done daily or at minimum 3 times a week. As time progresses and the situation improves, tapering off to once a week then once a month.