Many Wiccan traditions recommend ritual bathing before any Sabbat, Esbat or major spell working. Ritual bathing allows you to literally wash away the mundane world as you prepare yourself for the spiritual. Many people have specific ritual bath routines, towels, soaps, and/or bath salts. By taking a ritual bath and using the items saved only for magical use, you begin to put yourself in a spiritual mindset. On occasion, however, you must travel to the ritual site after the bath has been taken and may need to refresh after being in traffic, etc. For this purpose I recommend making a spray bottle full of pure water and a tablespoon or two of your special ritual salts or just some sea salt and sage. This spritz will help to refresh you and revitalize the feelings of the ritual bath, making it easier for you to get into a magical frame of mind.

Bath salts are fairly easy to make. Below is a general recipe for bath salt base. To this you can add whatever essential oils you feel are right for your ritual preparation. To make a general ritual bath salt I suggest using sage, sandalwood, and/or frankincense oils.

Bath Salt Base

½ cup sea salt (I recommend fine ground, though course is ok, it just takes longer to dissolve)
¼ cup Epsom salts
¼ cup baking soda
Essential oils of your choice

In a glass or other non porous, non reactive mixing bowl, mix together salts and baking soda. Add the oils drop by drop until you have reached the desired fragrance. You can also add another layer of magic to the mix by adding a specific number of drops of oil based on y our magical intent. Remember when you are making the bath salts to focus and hold your intent in your mind as you stir. Store in a dry place in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.

Since Imbolc is right around the corner, I wanted to share with you a special recipe. Imbolc is a celebration of the time when the females of the herds would begin to grow full with child and they would begin to produce milk. For this reason you will often see milk being used in the rituals in some manner. Below is a special recipe for an Imbolc milk bath. I hope you enjoy it.

Imbolc Milk Bath

To the Bath Salt Base add the following:
1/3 c powdered milk
Equal parts Lilac oil, Lemongrass oil and Sandalwood oil (add oils in multiples of 3 for example 3 drops of each or 9 drops each)

Stir the mixture clockwise while focusing on the coming spring. Add about a half cup to a warm running bath.

Blessed Imbolc!