Participating in ceremony releases alot of things and can be a very bitter experience for the body. We are left with ‘openings’ in the energetic field after all the purging, and so its very important to bring sweetness back into the body.
The best tool the Ingano and Siona cultures provide us with for bringing sweetness into the body is sweet baths.
The Plants
When using plants for a sweet bath, the best ones to use are fresh and organic. You could use dry plant materials, but fresh is much better. In the drying process some of the sweetness is lost, so do yourself a favor and find fresh plant matter.
The core plant in any sweet bath will be basil. The intense sweet smell you find in a fresh bundle of basil is haunting, which is what we are looking for. With only basil you can make an incredible sweet bath; however, with some other sweet plants to accompany the basil we can make a bath that is absolutely bursting with sweetness.
The Recipe
Use this recipe as a guideline when making your own sweet bath. The proportions of plants and water and time can all be changed a little and will still create a great sweet bath. This is simply how we do it and we have found it works great.
It is recommended that you use the sweet bath for at least 12 days after ceremony, ideally 30 days (or on and off for the rest of your life as a maintenance tool 😊).
What’s Needed
- Large stockpot
- Strainer
- 1 bundle basil
- 1 bundle mint
- 1/2 bundle rosemary
- Fill the stock pot with 4 quarts of water, all the plant matter, and place on the stove under high heat.
- When water begins to boil, add lid and reduce heat to simmer and set timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 hour.
- After it has cooled to room temperature, strain the plant matter from the liquid.
- Pour sweet bath into jars or bottles and store in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
The sweet bath will stay good in the fridge for about a week. To prolong the life of the sweet bath you could add some alcohol such as vodka at a rate of 1 cup per 4 quarts of sweet bath. This will allow the bath to stay fresh outside the fridge for up to a week, or inside the fridge for several weeks.
Boiling the plant matter for too long will cause some of the sweetness and some of the volatile phytochemicals to be lost. Boiling for 10 minutes and allowing to cool for an hour will ensure a good extraction and that nothing is lost unnecessarily. If the plant material is dissolving and falling apart when you strain, you have boiled too long.
If you are adding other plants that require cooking longer, such as vines and barks, begin with those plants first and add the basil, rosemary and spearmint at the end, 20 minutes before you are done.
How to Use
To use the sweet bath, begin by taking a shower as you normally would. When you are finished showering, dry off normally. You can then apply the sweet bath all over your body. Make sure to apply it everywhere, while also remembering why you are doing it and placing your intention there. The plants work on their own, but your intention activates them to work more precisely and thoroughly.
Allow the sweet bath to air dry on your skin. It is important to allow at least a few minutes for the bath to air dry and absorb into the skin before you dry yourself.
