When I think of the theme “Spring Cleaning,” I think of a scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Remember that scene where Snow White stumbles upon the empty cabin of the seven dwarfs? Her first impression is that seven lonely orphans must occupy the cottage, considering how physically filthy the space is. Several stacks of dishes lay all around the humble cottage, cobwebs wrap themselves around every corner of the cabin, and an even layer of dust covers almost every inch of their home. Snow White and her entourage of forest animals quickly get to work on cleaning the dwarfs’ cabin while singing along to the “whistle while you work” tune. This scene is the beginning of a new connection between Snow White and the seven dwarfs.
Just like our physical environment can get dirty, so can our energy. One of the first things I did when I began my mental health journey was learn how to take a spiritual shower. There are quite possibly hundreds of ways to cleanse your energy of negativity and energetic debris we gather on a regular basis.
On Instagram this month, I explained how to do a “limpia de huevo.” This is an age-old spiritual cleansing technique used by curanderos. Check that post out to learn more!
A simple sage ritual on yourself can cleanse your energy. Learn how to do a sage cleanse from fellow LYF blog writer, Heather Zeni!
Reiki, is a type of energy healing that originates from Japan. Since its introduction to the West in 1937, it has grown increasingly popular worldwide. Today, many reiki practitioners offer remote services.
If you do nothing else to spring clean, I believe that doing some sort of energy cleansing is essential.
Learning how to take a spiritual shower was one of the first big steps I took toward bettering my mental health, putting a stop to negative thoughts, and beginning a new connection with myself and my spiritual team.
How to Take a Spiritual Shower
Before I begin, please keep in mind that every person completes this practice differently depending on who they learned from, their affiliation with different spiritual groups, and cultural background. You are welcome to substitute any materials and skip or add steps, to really make this practice your own. In addition, because not everyone has a bathtub, I’ll be explaining how to do a spiritual shower but these instructions can easily be adapted for a bath. A bath is actually preferred over a shower. In a bath, you are able to fully submerge yourself in water, making the cleansing more effective. Furthermore, baths are traditionally known to be more feminine and “moon” like than showers. When we talk about healing, the moon is never far from the conversation. Overall, don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with it! You’re doing this for YOU because you love yourself!
It’s recommended that you take a spiritual shower on a monthly basis but no more than once a month. Depending on your specific goal for the spiritual shower, you may also want to pay attention to the cycles of the moon. New moons are great for manifesting, setting new goals, and beginning new projects. Full moons are great for setting the intention to release bad habits/thoughts, doing inner shadow work and eliminating negativity or heavy energy from your life.
Certain days of the week can also be better than others. According to Astrology, each day of the week is connected to a different planet.
Mondays are connected to the Moon. The Moon represents our emotional needs and healing practices that may be beneficial for us. Mondays are the best day for any healing work.
Tuesdays are connected to Mars. Mars represents how we take action. If you want to initiate new projects with a bang, this would be the day.
Saturdays are connected to Saturn. Saturn represents discipline and the more serious things in life. If you want to start or plan a committed practice, this would be a favorable day for that energy.
Sundays are connected to the Sun. The Sun represents our body and life force. This is a great day for revitalizing your aura.
These would all be advantageous days to do a spiritual shower. Keep the above factors in mind when deciding on the timing of a spiritual shower.
1. Gather Your Materials
A basic spiritual shower consists of:
Epsom salt
Sea salt
Ethically sourced white sage
Florida Water
Herbs
Oils
3 buckets
1 spray bottle
The specific type of salts, herbs, and oils will all be related to the purpose of the cleansing. Although primarily a spiritual shower can be taken to cleanse your aura, you can also take a spiritual bath for other purposes like love, beauty, money, and so on. Therefore, the exact materials will vary slightly.
Additional materials needed are crystals (that have been spiritually cleansed), incense, candles, flower petals, and frequency or meditation music to enhance the experience.
2. Physically and Spiritually Clean the Environment
Before you can begin the spiritual shower, your bathroom needs to be completely clean from top to bottom. The sink, the toilet, the shower, the floors, the walls, cabinets, everything needs to be wiped down to remove dirt and dust. Cleanliness is next to godliness!
Then mix a solution of sea salt and Florida Water. This doesn’t have to be exact, eyeballing is ok. Wipe every single surface with this solution. This solution cleanses your space of any and all energy from others who have used your bathroom. Essentially you’re spiritually cleansing the bathroom.
Clear your bathroom, countertop, and shelves of any unnecessary items like any skincare or bath products, cleaning products, and even the trash bin. Leave your bathroom barren of all items. Store them away or leave them outside the bathroom during the shower.
3. Prep the Shower and Set Your Intention
I usually start by lighting some white sage and putting on frequency music. Start to place your crystals all around your bathroom and the shower. Light some candles and or incense. Invite your spiritual team to help you during this procedure. Our spiritual team can consist of relatives who have passed away, archangels we feel a special connection with, and any god(s) we choose to venerate. While connecting with your spiritual team isn’t necessary to complete this work, it definitely adds that extra oomph and makes it all the more effective, but at the end of the day, the magic lies within yourself and your intention. Begin focusing on the intention of your shower and start filling up your buckets and spray bottle with warm to hot water.
Once all three buckets are full with water, take the Epsom salt, sea salt, herbs, and oils and distribute them into the buckets. You can use measuring cups or tablespoons or eyeball the amount of each item. When you put each item into each bucket, think again of your intention and what you want to cleanse yourself of, or you can even recite a prayer of your choice.
For the spray bottle, put in only the sea salt and Florida Water, then set to the side.
4. Take the Shower
Get in the shower and start to relax while standing under the running hot water. Begin meditating and call on your spiritual guides again. Meditate for at least 10 minutes under the running water. Then grab the first bucket, recite your first intention, goal, or prayer in your head as you’re holding the bucket and start to pour it over yourself slowly, imagining all negativity going down the drain. Repeat this with the other two buckets.
After you’ve poured all the buckets, turn the shower off, take the spray bottle with the Florida Water/sea salt solution, and spray it over yourself from head to toe. Again, think of your intention as you’re taking deep breaths, and spraying the solution on yourself. Because the shower isn’t as deep of a clean as the bath, you don’t want to wash this off. Leave it on for at least 24 hours.
5. Finishing up
As you leave the shower, imagine all negativity to be completely expelled from your body and your environment. When you step out of the bath to dry, try to use white towels, consider changing your bed sheets for the night to white sheets, and even sleeping in white pajamas. White represents purity. After the shower, your spirit is cleansed of all negativity and impurities. You want to keep this effect for as long as possible.
To finish up, say a thank you prayer to your guides for helping you during the shower. After the shower you don’t want to do much. You may feel relaxed, slow, and a little sleepy. Or you may even be the type to feel awake and energized. Ideally, you would go to sleep and have the best sleep you’ve had in a while.
Ending Thoughts
Completing a spiritual shower gives you an energetic clean slate to build on. When your aura is clean, all of the other daily practices that you do like meditation, yoga, healthy eating, spring cleaning and such can start to give better results. More importantly, it gives us an opportunity to connect with our spiritual team for a complete spiritual overhaul.
How are you cleansing your energy this month?
Do you know of any other energy cleansing techniques?
Let us know in the comments below!
About the Author
Jamie Rauda-Sanchez is a Senior Psychology major at UNLV and a Blog/Newsletter Intern for LYF. In 2019, Jamie started her journey towards bettering her mental health and increasing her self love. With firsthand experience on the healing power of art, music, and writing, she now hopes that sharing her experiences will help others in their journey. After graduation she hopes to pursue a career in mental health counseling.