Beloved Wild

April 2021 has featured a pile up of planets in Aries: with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Uranus all transiting through the sign of the bull. Aries is independent, domineering, pioneering and competitive. Aries utilizes physical action to accomplish the will. Aries combines fire energy with cardinal approach: intensity, energy and passion to spark change or something new. As the first fire sign of the year, Aries energy is often connected with spring, a time when the earth is bursting forth with a new cycle of life and growth. This month’s Full Moon will feature an opposition between the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Libra, with a square from Saturn in Capricorn. Saturn delays, limits, and restricts, providing structure, concentration and discipline. Aries wants to go, NOW. Capricorn says to wait, to be patient, maybe next year. Libra says lets balance this out and get it perfect, but those efforts are fleeting and inconsistent. With this tension, frustration is at a maximum, leading to arguments, outbursts and lashing out.

To help balance the fiery energy of this time, I recommend a White Bath, a type of spiritual bath with its roots in the Yoruba and Fon spiritual practices of Western Africa. While most frequently practiced and associated with Yoruba/ Ifa and Yoruba derived spiritual systems, Santeria, Lucumi or Vodou, I often lean on spiritual baths to cleanse my spiritual and energetic body. Like our Yoruba and Fon based cousins, Hoodoo practitioners utilize ingredients ranging from herbs and other plants with specific spiritual and energetic properties, water, salt and other elements. Many Black Americans connect bathing in water, particularly salt water, with spiritual cleansing and renewal, as is evidenced through baptism rituals that depart significantly from white Christian practices. Our rituals around baptism are rooted in our African spiritual heritage as much as if not more than our relatively recent adaptation of Christianity (outside of Ethiopia and Angola). Hoodoo rituals focus on utilizing the ingredients available to you, rather than finding obscure ingredients or special plant medicine only accessible to spiritual leaders, and I encourage anyone delving into their Hoodoo heritage to do so. For most of my spiritual baths, I use ingredients directly from my kitchen, fresh as much as possible, but no special pre-blessed ingredients needed. Earth is sacred, and all plant medicine is a sacred gift, no blessings of humans needed, although they can be more effective or targeted when prayed upon.

As a person with fire energy, White Baths have been helpful in keeping a cool head, staying grounded, and managing stress and impulsivity. Here’s my ritual for White Baths.

In a glass bowl or jar, add milk and water in a 1:1 ratio. If you are using one cup of water, you are to use one cup of milk. Please also consider how much liquid you will need to cover your body, I would recommend at least 2 cups each.

Next add your favorite perfume/cologne or essential oils that help you feel calm and relaxed. I personally like to add lavender and orange essential oils to for their calming and “sweet” properties. If you make your own Florida Water like I do, you can also add Florida Water. (Please do not use commercially purchased Florida Water, as it is chemically strong and could have harmful effects on skin if not sufficiently diluted. I prefer to make my own so that I can feel safe in knowing the composition and origin of ingredients.)

Next add your herbs and roots. I like to add a few sticks of cinnamon, again to “sweeten” the work, as well as basil, hyssop or rue. These herbs provide cleansing of negative or stagnant energy and protection from bad energy/intentions.

Once you have your ingredients combined, submerge your hands into the mixture, and mix it up, rubbing herbs together to help release their respective properties into the liquid. As you mix, say a short prayer to acknowledge the Creator and express gratitude for your life, and all of the good things present in your life. Thank the plants and the water for their energy. Request assistance with keeping cool, staying calm through challenging situations. Be specific about what staying calm means to you: for example, not cursing, keeping your volume even, listening, being patient, communicating clearly, avoiding name calling, speak to the person to their face rather than gossiping or spreading rumors. Acknowledge what you need help with: not cursing, avoiding name calling, to avoid making rash decisions or statements, to listen, to be patient, to communicate your thoughts and feelings clearly, to address conflict with the person involved and not others ie gossiping, to be truthful etc.

Add the spiritual bath into your water as it flows into the tub. As you enter the tub, say another prayer, again acknowledging your creator, giving thanks to your ancestors and request assistance dealing with challenging situations. Request assistance in ensuring a specific outcome that is just, kind and fair. Check your ego and don’t get your ancestors involved in trifling matters like gambling, sports or you running game. As you sit in the bath, imagine your requested outcome and how it will bring peace, harmony to you and others in your life. How does that peace feel? Gather bath water into your hands and pour over your body, including your head. Or save a little bit of the spiritual bath from the jar to pour over your head. Once you are done with your bath, drain the water and do not look back at the tub while the water drains. Continue with your post bathing routines, pat skin dry, applying moisturizer, paying attention to your breath. Make sure you are taking deep and slow breaths.

You can also use this spiritual bath in the shower, pouring over your head and body while you pray and imagine your desired outcomes. Once you exit the shower, do not look back.

Repeat this ritual daily for at least 3 days for maximum effect.

Have you used a spiritual bath before? Have you tried a white bath? How did it work for you?

*If you’d like support developing emotional regulation and coping skills based on your unique energetic composition, book an Astrology Reading with me