Peace be with you, my friends!  Yesterday marked the beginning of Holy Week, an important time of year for Voodoo people and Christians throughout the world.  During this week, Voodooists take time off from their busy schedules of readings, serving the lwa and spell castings to center our thoughts on God who is the source of all life.

A ritual to cast off the buildup of stagnant energy.

It is also the beginning of spring where I currently live.  The trees are starting to bud, flowers are blooming and the weather is becoming warmer with each passing day.  I am finally feeling energized and renewed after a long gray winter.

Yesterday, when I was feeding my spirits and saints I was inspired to perform a ritual to cast off the buildup of stagnant energy that happen during the long winter months and usher in a new period of good luck, positive energy and general happiness.  I decided to make a spiritual bath under the patronage of Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of Cuba.  I call it my “Get my Groove Back Bath.”  You may wish to try it yourself at home.  If you do, please let me know the result.

First, as with any spiritual work, I began by making an offering to my ancestors and spirit guides, asking them to bless the work and open the gates for communication to the spirit world.  In this case, I offered a plate of corn meal mush, a glass of water and a shot of homemade plum brandy.

Then I set a pot of river water boiling on the stove.  When working with the Caridad del Cobre, it’s best to take water from a river, her sacred spot, to use in her services.  Then I added to the boiling water dried orange peels, mandarin orange leaves, dried ginger and cinnamon, all ingredients sacred to the Caridad del Cobre.  I allowed the mixture to boil for seven minutes and then strained the liquid into a basin.

I placed the container of liquid in front of an icon of Our Lady of Charity and lighted a yellow candle.  I prayed over the liquid and asked her to bless it so that when I bathed in it I would be filled with her blessing and positive energy.  When the candle burned out, I added a few drops of holy water to the mixture and then added it to a tub full of water and soaked in it making sure to submerge myself completely so that all parts of my body were touched by the sacred liquid.

It has only been one day, but I do feel lighter and more energized and I was contacted by an old friend I haven’t heard from in over three years, so it looks like the good luck is starting!

I hope this post has been informative.  If you would like me to prepare and consecrate an herbal bath for any purpose: love, money, luck, purification, to break a curse or bad luck, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I wish you a Happy Easter and a Happy Spring!