To begin making your herbal bath wander around in your garden and begin to meditate about the person the bath is for, (yourself or anyone else). Pay attention to any particular thoughts you may have about this person. Is this person in a gloomy state of mind, tired and overworked, recovering from an illness, suffering any imbalance, or just needing some extra love or nurturing. Herbal baths will benefit just about any kind of need. Look around at the flowers, and other plants that you have in your garden. Which ones reach out to you as you think about how much this person will be helped by the herbal bath. The way to choose your plants is not an exact science and you can’t make a mistake. I always choose odd numbers like 3, 5, 7, or 9, of each flower or herb. If a particular flower looks extremely beautiful to me while I wander I may pick 9 of them. If I sense a more subtle emotion then I may only pick 3. Gather your flowers and herbs by picking them with your bare hands and placing them in a bucket or a large bowl, filled with water. Pick at least 9 different kinds. I like to use a glass bowl but I learned to do this with a plastic bucket which would be safer if you have children around you. It is very important to offer thanks to the divine spirit of the plant that is offering it’s healing to you. Remember to always honor this. After you have gathered all of your flowers and/or herbs, you are ready to find a comfortable place to sit and finish preparing your bath. Gently break apart all the plants and flowers into fairly small pieces and keep mixing them into the water until you finish. This part could take awhile so use the time to continue your meditation. You may notice how lighthearted the energy of the plants makes you feel while doing this. The photo below shows how a bath might look when it is ready to sit. Place your bath preparation in the sun on the grass or ground in the garden where you gathered the plants, and let it sit for several hours, letting the sun play its role in drawing out the healing properties of the plants.
When the bath is warmed from the sun and ready for you there are several ways you may partake in it. Ideally, if you have a private place you can slowly pour the bath over your naked body flowers and all. If you don’t have a private place you can wear a bathing suit, or even carry the bath to your inside tub. In the cooler weather I add my herbal baths to a tub of warm water. Wherever you decide to take your bath, enjoy the feeling of being covered with flowers and other plants and try to leave them on you as long as you can. It’s really quite fun to see yourself this way and hard to keep from laughing too. These baths lift your heart and clear your spirit. The effects of the baths are subtle but very long-lasting. You may not think you notice anything but find that a week later you felt more relaxed, cheery, or positive that week.
If you take your bath inside, drain your tub afterwards and then gather up the plants and return them to the earth outside. If you take your bath outside, leave them on the ground or rake them under a bush or tree. They will help the earth to grow more beautiful plants for you to use in the future.
Recommended reading: Spiritual Baths by Rosita Arvigo, (2003)
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