There is a long and rich tradition of spiritual bathing in all the world's wisdom traditions. Bathing becomes a devotional act when we combine water, prayer, and ritual with the intention of shedding the negative toxins of anger, fear, anxiety, stress, grief, a broken heart, and other forms of loss. Tieraona Low Dog has observed that "a daily spiritual bath is an easy way to start paying attention to your spirit and soul as well as your body."

I am a water person. Being close to oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams calms me down and brings peace to my body and mind. Mountains and prairies do not speak to me. Water is still a mystery to me, emcompassing both creation and destruction. When I was a young boy, I was thrown into a deep lake and told to swim back to the dock: it was a frightening experience that made me cringe every time I entered a swimming pool for many years afterwards. Eventually, this fear of drowning vanished and I became a devotee of water as a sacred place.

Over the years I have read about Jewish immersion rituals described in the Torah, Christian baptism, the Eastern Orthodox blessing for water on Epiphany, Roman bathhouses, Celtic wells, Native American sweat lodges, and more. All of these examples of spiritual bathing reveal the manifold ways in which water transports us to a high and holy place. It is also used to mark rites of passage and provide healing to our bodies and souls.

My own immersion ritual is taking a shower. The act of undressing and stepping into a shower is always good medicine for me. It feels wonderful to massage my head, neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and feet with a soaped and sturdy washcloth. Here is a spiritual practice of nurturing which draws my attention to my flesh. I love to receive the gracious spray of water on my back which takes away the stress of the day and the tightness in my muscles. It reminds me of Divine Love's care and concern for me. I feel my pores open and afterwards I am revitalized as new energy surges through me.

Each shower brings its own rewards and contributes to my ongoing personal transformation. The final blessing comes when I am embraced by a soft and comforting towel that welcomes me back into the world as a new person.


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