Taking a Moon bath is an ancient practice that’s gained popularity in recent years. It’s the perfect way to harness the power of the lunar cycles and also create a soothing, self-care ritual.
Water and the Moon are intrinsically connected – just consider the force with which the moon controls Earth’s tides! At any big lunar juncture (like the New Moons, Full Moons and eclipses) and especially when the Moon is moving through the water signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces the element of water is activated. It’s charged up. Like a crystal, it has more potential to HOLD intention and frequency.
That’s one of the main reasons to take a Moon bath – they’re the perfect way to connect with your inner self.
Drawing upon the moon’s energy, and combining it with the elemental potential of water can promote healing, relaxation, and self-discovery.
In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create your own moon bath ritual, incorporating the elemental powers of water, air, earth, and fire to create a truly magical and transformative experience.
What is a Moon bath?
Moon baths are ritualistic self-care practices that harness the energy of the moon to provide relaxation, tranquility, and emotional healing. Inspired by the lunar cycle, they can be performed during different moon phases to achieve specific results. In this way, they can also be used to aid manifestation and release, becoming another tool in your magical kit.
But before we go on, let’s look briefly at the lunar cycle and the 8 phases of the Moon.
Lunar Cycle and Moon Phases
The lunar cycle, lasts approximately 29.5 days. During this cycle, the moon transitions through several phases. These are:
- New Moon
- Waxing crescent
- First quarter
- Waxing gibbous
- Full moon
- Waning gibbous
- Last quarter
- Waning crescent/ balsamic Moon
- Dark Moon
With each moon phase lunar energy shifts, providing unique opportunities to connect with different aspects of your life, through your moon bath ritual.
The New Moon represents new beginnings. So it’s an ideal time for setting intentions, starting new projects, and attracting positive vibes into your life.
During the waxing half of the moon cycle, lunar energy is building. So your moon bathing ritual can harness this creative momentum, giving extra power to your manifestational abilities.
The Full Moon symbolizes completion, manifestation, and the realization of your intentions. It’s the time for celebrating your achievements, and also for thinking about releasing old patterns.
During the waning half of the moon cycle, as we head towards the dark Moon, lunar energy is disseminating. So your moon bathing ritual can harness this clearing, cleansing, purifying momentum.
What are the benefits of Moon bath rituals?
Moon bathing is a profound way to promote relaxation, emotional balance, and a deeper connection with the cycles of nature. Improved emotional and spiritual well-being, as well as better physical health are all benefits you can experience while Moon bathing.
Here are a few more…
Relaxation: Bathing can help reduce stress and anxiety, promoting overall well-being. Especially with added low lighting and candles, plus tranquil music to soothe the soul.
Nervous system regulation: Being immersed in warm water has a soothing effect on the nervous system. This can be a way to imprint safety into your body, reminding your system that it’s okay to relax.
Me-time: Unless you’re sharing the tub, a regular new or full moon bath can provide some precious time away from everyone else in the world…
Smoother skin: Using the right additions (herbs, oat grass or salts, for example) your new or full moon bath can help heal skin conditions like rashes, or eczema.
Menstrual cycle connection: For women, our monthly blood cycles are intimately connected with the Moon (whether or not they align). Committing to a regular moon bathing practice can create a framework for you to begin honouring your own cyclic magic.
Self-care: Honouring your physical form – your temple – through ritual bathing is a simple, inexpensive and profound way to care for yourself in a busy world.
Healing: – Water is incredibly healing. The flow and energetics of this sacred element serve to aid your healing journey, wherever you currently are on it.
Physical healing: Added elements such as herbs, salts and oils can help relieve sore muscles, improve circulation, and aid in detoxification, improving overall physical wellness.
How to prepare your Moon bath
The ritual act of taking a Moon bath begins before you step into the tub! Here are the steps you need to take in preparation…
1. Select Your Bathtub
This may seem obvious, but the ideal bathtub should be spacious, clean, and comfortable, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the experience. Don’t have a suitable bathtub? Consider investing in a freestanding tub or even an inflatable bathtub as a temporary solution.
2. Set the Atmosphere
Ambiance is everything! Here are some tips for setting up your moon bath space:
- Lighting: Dim the lights in your bathroom or turn them off completely, relying instead on the soft glow of candles.
- Herbs (or bath tea): Add dried herbs straight to the tub, or make a bath tea in advance – it leaves less mess to clear up afterwards.
- Oils and aromatherapy: Adding essential oils to your bath can further elevate the experience (see below)
- Crystals: Incorporating healing crystals into your moon bath space can create a tranquil and calming atmosphere. Place some crystals near the bathtub or even in the water to benefit from their positive influence.
- Moon Water: Prepare moon water by placing a bowl of room-temperature water under the moonlight for a full night. Use this water in your bath.
Do you want to make your own Moon water?
Read this post next – Lunar Alchemy: What is Moon Water and How to Make it!
What do you put in a Moon bath?
When selecting the right ingredients for your moon bath, consider their healing properties, scents, and effects on the mind and body. Whether you want your new or full moon bath to be soothing, invigorating, or a combination of both, incorporating the right ingredients and herbs will make all the difference.
Bath salts and minerals
Salts and minerals can play a significant role in detoxifying your physicality and promoting relaxation during a moon bath. Some popular options include:
- Epsom salt: Rich in magnesium, Epsom salt aids in muscle relaxation and reduces inflammation.
- Himalayan pink salt: Containing over 80 minerals, Himalayan pink salt helps improve skin hydration and promotes the balance of electrolytes.
- Sea salt: Known for its exfoliating properties, sea salt stimulates circulation and helps in restoring skin’s natural pH balance.
Essential oils and aromatherapy
Using essential and aromatherapy oils during your moon bath ritual not only enhances the soothing aromas but also delivers therapeutic properties. (To safely use essential oils, dilute them with a carrier oil, such as almond oil or coconut oil). Some suggested oils are:
- Lavender oil: Excellent for reducing stress and tension, while promoting relaxation and better sleep.
- Sandalwood oil: Boosts mental clarity and enkindles calmness in the mind
Flowers, petals, and herbs (make a herbal moon bathe tea)
Adding fresh or dried petals and flowers to your moon bath can heighten the sensory experience and provide therapeutic benefits. Some popular options include:
- Rose petals: Known for their calming and uplifting properties, rose petals can help open the heart during your moon ritual.
- Jasmine flowers: These delicate flowers are known to reduce anxiety and boost mood, making them suitable for enhancing relaxation.
You CAN add herbs and dried flowers straight to your ritual bath, but think a few steps ahead… Do you really want to have to clean up a mass of leaves and petals strewn all over the bathtub when you’re done?!
Before you even draw your bath, make a batch of herbal bath tea.
It’s simple – follow these steps to make your herbal tea
- Bring a kettle of water to the boil, and using a large jug, pour it over your fresh or dried flowers and herbs.
- There are SO many potentials – do a little research. You could try rose, lavender, peppermint, sage, yarrow, and lemon balm.
- Let it steep for around 20 minutes.
- Strain the liquid through a tea strainer or muslin cloth. Collect in a jar to use later on.
Crystals
When selecting crystals to use in your moon bath, consider their properties and how they relate to your intentions and desired outcomes. Some popular crystals for moon bath rituals include:
- Rose Quartz: Known for its gentle frequency, rose quartz promotes healing, self-love, and emotional harmony. It’s an excellent choice for fostering tranquility and self-care during your moon bath.
- Moonstone: As its name suggests, moonstone is strongly connected to the Moon, making it an ideal choice for moon bath rituals. Moonstone is believed to enhance intuition, promote emotional balance, and support new beginnings.
- Clear Quartz: A versatile and powerful stone, clear quartz amplifies the energies of other crystals and can be programmed with your intentions. Use it in your moon bath to boost the properties of your other chosen crystals.
- Amethyst: This calming and protective stone can help release negative thoughts and promote restful sleep, making it a popular choice for moon bath rituals focused on relaxation and stress relief.
How to create a Moon bath ritual – step by step
Once your tub is cleaned and prepped, and you’ve created just the right atmosphere with music, incence, low lighting and candles lit, it’s time to begin.
1. Gather your bath ingredients
Begin by gathering your oils, crystals, and other ingredients, like moon water, bath salts, and bath tea or dried herbs. Be sure to choose your preferred scents and properties that align with your intentions.
You may want to combine your concoction of bath salts and essential oils together in a mixing bowl first, so this can be sprinkled into the tub as it fills.
2. (if using) place crystals around the bath
There are several ways to incorporate crystals into your moon bath ritual. Here are some options:
Place crystals around the bath: Arrange your chosen crystals along the edge of the bathtub or on nearby surfaces, creating a tranquil, harmonizing space for your bath. The surrounding frequencies will help amplify your intentions during the ritual.
Place crystals inside the bath: If the crystals you’ve selected are safe to submerge in water (with a Mohs scale hardness of over 6), consider placing them directly into the bathwater. This can help infuse the water with their energy and promote a more immersive experience.
Wear or hold crystals on your body: If you prefer, you can hold or wear your chosen crystals while you bathe, placing them on specific areas (such as your heart or third eye) to strengthen their connection to your intentions.
3. Run your bath and add ingredients
Fill your bath with warm or hot water.
As the water runs, slowly add in your mixture of ingredients, stirring to help dissolve any bath salt.
Add the prepared tea into the bath water.
4. Set your intention
Once your bathtub is filled and the water is infused with your chosen bath ingredients, it’s time to immerse yourself in the moon bath and enjoy. But before entering the bath water, take a moment to set your intentions for the ritual. This could be…
- Manifestation
- To energize
- Purification or letting go
5. Relax and receive
As you soak in the soothing bathwater, visualize the cleansing, clarifying frequency of the Moon renewing your body and spirit.
While you relax, use this time to meditate on your intentions, take deep breaths, humm or tone, or perform any other ritual that resonates with you. You could even give yourself a blissful honey facial or some other soothing self care practice.
Take your bath to the next level by invoking the Moon Goddess Selene
Read this post next – 20 BEST Ways to Work With Selene
What are some post-Moon bath ritual practices?
How you emerge from your ritual moon bath is AS important as the ritual itself! So be sure to take your time, and integrate the experience.
Reflect on Your Experience
After your moon bath, take a moment to reflect on your experience. This is a wonderful time to practice self-love and embrace the cleansing effect of the ritual. Consider journaling about your thoughts and feelings, noting any personal growth or insights. As your emotions settle, contemplate the fresh starts and new cycles in your life.
Care for Your Body and Skin
After a moon bath, it’s important to care for your physical form. Treat yourself to a deep clean with a gentle body wash. Rinse off any residue from the bath, such as Himalayan salt or Epsom salts, which can have therapeutic properties but may also cause skin irritation if left on.
To nourish and protect your skin, apply an oil after patting yourself dry with a soft towel. Opt for a natural oil, such as coconut, almond, or jojoba, that moisturizes without clogging pores. Take this opportunity to give yourself a gentle massage, improving circulation and promoting relaxation.
Cleanse and fortify within
Consider making yourself a cup of herbal tea to continue the self-care ritual. Choose loose tea or a tea bag with calming ingredients, such as chamomile, lavender, or passionflower, to support restful sleep and further the healing effects of the Moon bath.
Moon bath ritual types: New Moon and Full Moon
Most often, people take their Moon baths at either the New or the Full Moon. As these phases are like ‘tipping points’ in the cycle, when energy is changing direction, they’re a bit like cosmic pauses. Lunar energy is strong, so you can literally bathe in her power, soaking her up.
How do you do a new Moon bath ritual?
The new Moon ritual bath tend to be used to purify your body and mind, eliminating any negative energies, before the fresh start of the new lunar cycle.
New Moon rituals are also generally designed for setting intentions, attracting new opportunities, and inviting growth.
New moon bath ritual recipe for new intentions
Follow the step by step instructions above, using the following recipe:
- 1 cup of Himalayan salt
- A teaspoon dried yarrow
- A teaspoon fennel seeds
- A few drops of thyme oil
- Citrine or clear quartz crystals placed around the bath.
How do you do a full Moon bath ritual?
A full moon bath ritual tends to be geared towards the fast manifestation of an intention or desire, giving gratitude, and releasing negative energy.
Full moon bath ritual recipe for self love and gratitude
Follow the step by step instructions above, using the following recipe:
- 1 cup of lavender salts
- A handful fresh or dried rose petals
- A teaspoon cardamom seeds
- A few drops of patchouli essential oil
- Rose quartz crystals placed around the bath.
Use these recipes as starting points! Build on them, and trust your intuitive hunches on what to add and what to tweak…
Curious about other kinds of New and Full Moon rituals?
Read this post next – Do the Right Moon Magic! New Moon vs Full Moon Rituals…
Remember, you can create a moon bath ritual for any purpose – see it as an enhancement to your spiritual practice, and an opportunity for self-care, rejuvenation, and starting fresh.
Then, by reflecting on your experience and taking care of yourself you’ll build a solid foundation for moving forward through the lunar cycle with a sense of clarity and renewed energy.