Ritual Baths

by Lillith ThreeFeathers

     It’s a great time of year to create a nice cleansing and refreshing bath for Yule using herbs from your kitchen. I’ve included common herbs from your kitchen. Two or three is plenty to use in the bath. Use your intuition to pick from the list of herbs — or choose them based on the characteristics listed for each plant. The herbs listed are good for maintaining health during the dark time of the year. Each has special properties, but I’ve only listed a few. Directions follow the list of herbs. 

Bay

Bay removes negativity and brings in the positivity. It’s a calming herb that also lifts up your ancestor spirits and helps you connect with them.

Chamomile

Chamomile is one of the classic herbs for increasing calmness. It is great for those who are feeling nervous or stressed. It also assists with being patient with yourself and others. At this time of year most of us could use that!

Lavender

This plant promotes calmness, restful sleep and good dreams. Lavender lifts your energy too.     

Marjoram

Marjoram helps with releasing grief, irritability, sadness or overstimulation. It may also alleviate body aches. 

Rosemary

Not only is rosemary great at cleaning the aura, it also freshens your mind, helps memory, and strengthens your ability for to think clearly. Helps you let go of anxiety and negativity.  

Thyme

Thyme is protective, and it promotes courage and confidence. 

Directions:

     Make a big pot of strong tea out of any of these herbs. Strain it so you don’t have to worry about leaves and sticks in your drain. Let the mixture cool before you use it. You can pour it into sit-down bath or use it as a pour-over bath in the shower. 

Ritual Baths for New Beginnings 

     In January, it’s common to focus on new beginnings, fresh starts, and perhaps a few resolutions. What would be better than a magical bath dedicated to helping with those? One traditional herbal bath for this purpose is called Road Opener or Abre Camino. It removes blockages so that you can move forward, and it helps to open the way for new beginnings. You can buy that mixture at a Botanica or a Mexican grocers.

     If you prefer to create your own bath, you don’t need to buy special herbs. I’ve listed a bit of information about each herb to get you started. Use your herbal knowledge and your intuition to pick one or two from this list. You don’t need a lot of different herbs to make a great magical bath.

     Make a strong tea of the herbs. Let the infusion cool, and then strain it so you don’t have to worry about cleaning leaves and sticks from your drain. You can pour it into sit-down bath or use it to pour-over in the shower. It’s best to use cool or lukewarm water. Remember to thank the herbs. This is a good time to talk to your gods too. Ask them for help and give thanks.

Basil 

If you had a difficult holiday season, you may need to recover from family quarrels, holiday emotions, or (in the Northern hemisphere) January winter blues. Basil will help with that. 

Lemon Balm

You may have this herb in your kitchen. As you can tell by the scientific name, Melissa, or the common name, Bee Balm, the plant is linked to bees. Therefore, it’s nice to use if you venerate a goddess associated with bees. It’s also one of the plants sacred to Artemis. This sweet herb helps with healing from sad or traumatic memories. 

Mint

This is a delightful herb that you probably have in your kitchen. Cunningham attributes mint to the East direction. In many Native American Medicine Wheels, East is the place of beginnings. 

Pine

Pine has a magical ability to bring a feeling of peace. It is a wonderful herb for wintertime since it remains fresh in places where the weather is cold.

Rosemary

Not only is rosemary great at cleaning the aura, it freshens your mind, helps you let go of anxiety and negativity, and strengthens your ability to think clearly.

Yarrow

If you would like an herb to help you focus on guidance for the New Year, Yarrow will aid in divination or prophetic dreams.



Lillith ThreeFeathers has studied Goddess Spirituality and Shamanic practices for 40 years. Her initiation to Goddess took place in the turbulent Seventies. In 1988, she became a priestess of Lilith, and later she was initiated as a priestess of Yemaya. She was a quoted source in "Drawing Down the Spirits" by Filan and Kaldera (2009). Her publishing credits include 100 articles, submissions in several anthologies, and “The Heart of the Elder: Good Elders and Their Influence” co-authored with Joy Marie Wedmedyk (Megalithica Books, 2018). She is currently teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary.