Imbolc, the Sabbat marking the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Solstice, is a quiet celebration for cleansing and nurturing the soul. Prepare this bath on Imbolc after sunset for a restorative bit of magic (and coincidentally softer skin).

Items needed:

• 1 cup whole powdered milk
• ½ cup honey 
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• large pieces of lemon peel 
• lavender essential oil
• clary sage essential oil 

Light several white candles while drawing a warm bath. Slowly add the powdered milk, and swirl the water until dissolved. Then add the honey, coconut oil, and lemon peels. Drop in the essential oils in equal amounts.

Upon entering the bath, take a few minutes to center yourself in the water. Think about what issues from the previous calendar year are lingering around in your life that you would like to expel in the months going forward. Visualize the purifying energy of the white, restorative water flowing through your body and preparing you for the year ahead. If you wish for a simple protection measure after leaving the bath, rub a little extra coconut oil onto your skin.

It’s important to remember that you are loved. By the most important person there is: you, of course! If you need a little help with the loving-yourself part, this bath will definitely do the trick.

• 2 Parts Epsom Salts
• 1 Part Himalayan Pink Salt
• 3 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
• 1 Scoop of Coconut Oil

Optional: A handful or lavender buds or pink rose petals
Draw your bath at the temperate you like best. Epsom salts will help relax your muscles while the coconut oil softens your skin. Let the aromatherapeutic benefits of lavender lighten you, and the pastel pink Himalayan salt will hold in warmth and happiness. What can I say? You’re lovable!

Mabon marks the beginning of Autumn and what better way to celebrate cooler weather than with a warm and healing bath. Ideal as both a pre-ritual bath or the main magical event of this Sabbat, this mixture brings healing, protection, and spiritual opening.

Ingredients:
1 part oatmeal
1 part powdered milk
1 part sea salt
dried calendula petals
dried chamomile flowers
frankincense essential oil
myrrh essential oil

Place oatmeal in food processor or blender and blend until it becomes a powder consistency (conversely, buy it in powder form). Transfer to a separate container. Mix in equal parts powdered milk and sea salt, then add roughly 1 teaspoon of each dried flower per cup of mixture. Drop in essential oils to desired fragrance strength.

Draw a warm bath the night of Mabon and add in at least one cup of the mixture to the water. Add plenty of candles, spicy incense, and fall colors to the space to set the mood. While in the bath, meditate on the coming darkness and ask your deity or the elements for protection.

If you look around most traditional parts of the magical community, you’ll notice that bathing for ritual work or spell work is a fairly common practice. So what do I mean when I say that I specialize in bath magic? For me, bathing and witchcraft go hand in hand, and I do a ritual in the bath once a month at the very least. I’ve always loved the serenity and focus (not to mention complete selfishness) of taking baths, and so as I’ve grown into my craft it seemed like a natural place to draw magical energy. I find that the hot temperature of the water makes it very easy for me to get to a trance-like state (if not outright do trance work) and being naked in the water gives me a great place of vulnerability and rawness to begin any kind of spell work. T and I also use bathing in our shared craft to begin most of our major rituals, and that entails doing a cleansing bath with a special kind of locally made bath salts that we have been using since the very beginning.

So what do my bath spells usually look like? To be honest, they vary a lot based on my resources at any given moment and the purpose of the spell. There are some things that I do every time such as:

 • dedicating the bath for myself by placing a talisman or crystal (or other objects I carry a lot/feel represents me) on the rim of the tub 

 • placing candles (often in corresponding magical colors and scents) around the tub and bathroom to add to the magical energy of the space

 • making sure the water drawn is hot enough to remain warm for 40+ minutes and get me to a trancing state but not too hot as to burn my skin or make it uncomfortable for me to be in the water

I also put something into the water every time I do bath magic, and in fact, that is where I believe most of the magical intent is decided. This also widely varies with the type of spell. Some things I’ve done are:

 • just throw in a handful of Epsom salts for a super basic cleansing. I also use these (in addition to some other ingredients) when I’m doing a real trance or astral travel or trying to communicate with a deity because they make me feel floatier in the water and therefore easier to forget my body

 • put in a few drops of different kinds of essential oils based on their magical associations

 • drop in some tea bags (like mint or chamomile or bags I’ve already used first for drinking) while the water is running to get a good infusion

 • use bath salts that already have essential oils or herbs (or even glitter!) in the mixture. I use bath salts that I make myself, that T makes for me, and store-bought and locally made mixtures, all with good results. It all depends on what I’m feeling at the time.

 • use pre-made bath bombs, melts, and bubblers from Lush (although I’m sure one could use stuff like this from anywhere) based on the ingredients and names of the products. I’ve used Sex Bomb for a glamour and sex spell, Space Girl for glamour and deity exploration (I do a lot of glamours), etc.

The practice of bath magic is great because we live in a society where bathing itself is so culturally charged to be reflective and purposeful. For that reason, it is also a great way to practice your craft that is not suspicious or questioned by people you may live with. Even at their worst, taking long baths appears only over-indulgent. But I can live with that.