Lovey-Dovey Milk Bath Ritual
As the incredibly wise RuPaul says, “If you can't love yourself, How in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
Can I get an Amen?!? Ok, maybe not an amen, but you can at least agree that those are EXTREMELY wise words to live by? And with love being a common theme this month, it’s time for a reminder that the most important person to love is yourself. Self-care is essential to not just our well being, but also our spiritual growth. You see, our paths and our practices expand when we explore ourselves from within, listening to the divine messages that the Universe is sending us.
If we neglect ourselves and speak poorly of ourselves to ourselves, things can get dark and murky from within. This can make it harder to explore our inner selves — it may even cause a blockage in your ability to connect with your inner magick! And no witch wants to be stranded without magick. This is why loving yourself is so important. Showing yourself love, telling yourself ‘I love you’, treating yourself as a loved one. That should be your priority. When you love yourself, your power is amplified and you become the strongest version of yourself.
If you’re struggling to love yourself, or you’re having a hard time showing love to yourself, a ritual bath is the perfect way to take some time for self-care and relaxation. It's also one of the most potent ways you can enhance self-love. Kitchen Witch Ash is sharing her own special ritual milk bath (don’t worry, the recipe for the milk bath mix is included) that she uses anytime she’s needing to give herself a little extra lovin’.
Ritual Ingredients:
Rose Quartz
Amethyst
Black Obsidian
White and/or pink candles (as many as you want!)
Jasmine or Vanilla incense
A bowl or a pitcher
Single Batch Milk Bath Mixture:
2 cups of dry milk
¼ cup dried calendula
½ cup dried lavender
½ cup epsom salt
1 cup dried rose petals
1 Tablespoon dried fennel
Take all ingredients and place them into a blender, then blend on low until powdered.
Put the blend in an airtight jar and store.
If you don’t have a blender, you can mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight jar. You’ll just need to use an empty tea bag or tea infuser instead of putting the mix directly into your bath.
Now Let's Get Cozy
Start by cleansing and blessing your bathroom. You can do this by burning a sage bundle, palo santo, or giving the bathroom a quick spritz with saltwater.
Next, adorn your bathroom with candles and light them - safely! As you’re lighting the candles, take notice of the fire element and welcome its power into your space. Feel the passion fill the room and connect deeper to your internal compassion.
Place your incense in an incense burner and set the incense burner in a safe space in your bathroom. As you light the incense, take a moment to welcome the air element into your space. Gaze upon the smoke rising from the burning incense and feel your heart chakra expand as it connects with its elemental counterpart.
Turn on and adjust the water to your bathtub to a comfortable temperature, then crank it up just a notch hotter (the water will cool slightly over time so this is to help keep it a comfortable temperature a little longer).
Thank the element of water for sacrificing its source to you for this ritual bath. Feel the waves of calm come over you and embrace the emotional connection with yourself.
When your bathtub is about ¾ full, pour in a cup of your milk bath mixture. Take a moment to thank the earth element for providing the plants and minerals for this ritual bath. Use this time to ground and center before entering your bath.
Once the bathtub is full, turn off the water and add in your crystals. The rose quartz will raise the lovey vibrations while the amethyst will ward away negative energy. The black obsidian offers a boost of grounding energy and draws out toxic emotions.
With your bowl or pitcher nearby, get into your bathtub. As you enter the water, envision it’s healing properties embrace you. Allow your spirits to lift with its warming presence. Settle into a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Take a moment to think of all the things you love about yourself, no matter how small or grand those things may be. Compliment yourself for these things and remind yourself how amazing you are for embodying these things.
Now focus on the things you don’t like about yourself, big and small. Now talk to yourself as you would a friend. Tell yourself how harsh you are being on yourself and how beautiful you are, inside and out. Bring light to those dark parts and point out all the ways that they should be embraced.
After you have finished reflecting on these parts of yourself, you will need to embrace yourself in your own hug. As you’re hugging yourself, draw in the loving and healing energies in the room. Feel your heart chakra open. Breathe in the essence of pure love and really feel the love you have for yourself.
Once you feel that you have fully embodied self-love, take your bowl or pitcher and fill it with the bathwater. Pour the water over your head, ‘washing’ yourself with love itself. Repeat as many times as you feel necessary until you feel yourself glowing with love.
The ritual is now complete. Allow the water to drain and feel free to ‘rinse-off’ in a shower if you’d like.
Each day, take a moment to compliment yourself at least once — especially during the times that you feel a negative thought about yourself arising. You may opt to carry your three crystals with you to keep the energy of your bath ritual close and portable.
Repeat this ritual as often as you’d like or anytime you’re needing an extra boost of lovey energy. And always remember that you deserve your love more than anyone else.
Tips:
If you don’t have a bathtub - no worries! You can do this ritual in the shower! Fill your pitcher with water and mix in a small amount of your bath mix. Go through the same meditation while in the shower and pour the pitcher of ritual water over your head when you’re closing out the ritual, just like you would in the bath!
