Out from the shadows comes the light! On December 21, 2018, at 5:23pm EST the northern hemisphere will experience the Winter Solstice—the longest night of the year before the Earth tilts back toward the Sun.
This is the final moment of the moon’s nocturnal reign, reminding us to turn inwards, practice receptivity and connect with our intuition as we usher in the light.
This year the solstice lands one day before the full moon in emotional, intuitive Cancer, and we felt it fitting to create a special water ritual to help cleanse and process any hardship from 2018 and prepare for renewal. Here’s our original recipe for a ritual bath with essential oils, flowers, plants and salts—plus an easy DIY ceremony you can use to usher in more helpful, healing energies.
Ingredient Ideas for the Solstice Ritual Bath
- Vessel to hold the water that you will pour into your tub (mason jar or large bowl)
- Smudging stick: we recommend sage, lavender, sweetgrass, or Palo Santo)
- Essential oils: Clove, citrus, lavender, smells you love
- Sprigs of rosemary, eucalyptus buds, or other herbaceous plant matter
- Crystals, minerals, or stones such as labradorite or quartz (smoky, rose, etc.)
- Bath salts, such as pink Himalayan salt or Epsom salts
- Flowers or petals
Solstice Ritual Bath Instructions
Get in the zone:
Take three deep cleansing breaths and decide what you would like to focus on during your experience. It’s important to give yourself ample time to enjoy the full effects; we recommend Between 1-2 hours for preparing the water, performing your ritual and the cleanup.
Clear the space:
- Clean your tub before you prepare your bath, ideally using non-toxic cleaning agents such as tea tree oil.
- Smudge the space by burning a stick of sage or Palo Santo in the bathroom or the area in which you are preparing your bowl. Make sure to be safe! Smudging sticks can often set off fire alarms so keep it to a nice tempered burn.
Pro tip: Always give gratitude for the practice of smudging as it is a borrowed indigenous tradition that deserves respect and reverence.
Decide what you will bring in.
It’s very important to be intentional about what kind of energy you are charging the water with, so it might helpful to make a list of your items and why you are bringing them in. For example, “I am bringing in a stone because I want to feel grounded”, or “I am bringing this scent because it is warming and makes me feel light,” or “I am bringing these flowers because I want to illuminate natural beauty” etc…
Here are some star-sign-specific element ideas:
Fire Energy: candles, warming herbs like cinnamon stick/cardamom
Earth Energy: rocks, herbaceous plants
Air Energy: scented oils, diffused aromas
Water Energy: music, flowers
Set your intention.
Write out an affirmation that you can say aloud or think about while you are in the water or using the water e.g. “I bless this water with love, light and abundance.”
Infuse the water.
- Mix your ingredients together before immersing them into the water (salts, oil, scents).
- Make sure the water coming into the tub or bowl is quite hot, then fill the vessel with the salty scented mixture as well as the elements you want to infuse the water with.
- During this process, you can also play a beautiful song or hymn to charge the water. A good one for clearing is a simple “om” track you may find on YouTube or an affirming song that speaks deeply to you.
- Once the bath or vessel is full, stir the water and let it settle for at least a few minutes (the longer the better!). Water is a powerful conductor, it will absorb whatever you put in, so make sure you are infusing it with love, gratitude, blessings and positive energy.
Immerse yourself.
- Take time to focus on feeling, the sensory experience.
- Affirm your intentions (in your head or out loud)
- Listen to beautiful music (make a playlist of your favorite hymns, melodies, soothing relaxing, ambient)
- Sing! (If you feel comfortable) Sing an affirming song and infuse the water with the energy/message
- Enjoy, soak it up, feel gratitude for this beautiful space/experience you’ve created
Clean up.
Cleaning up is the final piece of the ritual and represents the cleansing power of the water and its many uses. You clean in preparation and you clean in closing – washing away any tension, or intensity that may have come up during the process.
Ritual Jewel Box
Adorn yourself and welcome in the light with these solstice-inspired selections by our partner-in-gems Satya Jewelry.
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Ritual by The AstroTwins with Jasmmine Ramgotra | Artwork by Rosie Dienhart
