Many of us have heard of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, also known by the Romans as Venus.
She is a personification of love, desire, and beauty, and has always been one of my personal favorites among the goddesses.
But Who is Aphrodite?
According to Homer’s Illiad, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Yet the other Greek Myth of her origins tells of her being born from the sea foam of Cypriot sea.
Her beauty was so great that it was said she could start wars between the Gods. In an attempt to control her, Zeus married her to Hephaestus, a God so ugly and deformed that he could never be a threat. Yet Aphrodite had many lovers. She was able to lure in both Gods and men, and played a role in many of the myths of her time, weaving her power around Eros, Anchises, Adonis, and Persephone to name but a few…
Aphrodite’s power lives on.
…And she is a force not to be taken lightly. Aphrodite can help us to find more passion, pleasure, and sensuality in life. Working with this Goddess can ignite sexual awakening, and open us up to finding love.
Yet most importantly, she can help us to come into more love for ourselves, and this is a strong foundation for our relationships and love for others.
Being (in some stories) born from the foam of the sea, sacred ritual baths can be an excellent way to connect to her spirit. Water also holds inherently healing properties, so bathing in anointed water is truly a way to connect the mind, body, and spirit to her power.
Here is a beautiful Aphrodite bath ritual you can perform to connect with her. It will also serve as a powerful self-care ritual to honor your own beauty, inside and out.
Sacred Bath Ritual – What You Need:
- A bath! **Note – if you don’t have a bath (and can’t find one to borrow) then try this as a foot bath ritual.
- 2 or more candles (I prefer white and golden yellow ones, but you could also use pink or green)
- Approximately 1 cup pink Himalayan sea salt (or another sea salt. You could also use magnesium or Epsom salts)
- 3 drops or more rose absolute essential oil
- Fresh or dried rose petals
- Optional: Crystals for the heart such as rose quartz, emerald, Mangano calcite, jade, rhodonite, pink opal, etc. Crystals for the sacral chakra may be nice to use as well, such as orange calcite.
Sacred Bath Ritual – What to Do:
- Before you start, ensure you have a soft towel closeby. Warming on a radiator is possible.
- Turn off the electric lights and light your candles. Burn a little incense of Palo Santo if you feel you’d like to. You may also want to play some soft music, or stay in silence.
**It’s important to feel into what you’d prefer. Part of practicing self-love is listening in to what YOU truly want!
- If you are using crystals, place them around the edges of the tub. You could even place one in the water.
- Turn on the taps, and as the water starts running into the bath, stir in the sea salt.
Before stepping into the bath, add a few drops of the rose essential oil. The oil is precious and expensive, but this is for special occasions, and you are worth it! - Sprinkle some rose petals over the water.
- Pause and find a moment of stillness within before entering the bath.
- When you are in the water, relax and enjoy. Feel the warm water and the oil cleansing your skin – without needing to scrub!
- **Ritual baths are not like ordinary baths. This isn’t about washing off the day’s dirt in the tub! This is a spiritual act of devotion.
When you feel relaxed, call on Aphrodite for her presence and guidance.
Say the following:
Aphrodite, Aphrodite
Born from the Sea
I call in your presence
I invoke it in me!
- Then close your eyes and enter into a gentle meditation (be careful if you feel sleepy!) See if she has any messages for you. If not, that’s okay. You are still working with her energies through this ritual.
- When you feel complete, give thanks to the Goddess and step out of the bath. Your ritual bath is complete!
Make Your Bath Ritual More Powerful:
- Perform this ritual bath on a Friday. This is the day ruled by Venus.
- Perform your ritual bath when the Sun or Moon is in a Venus-ruled sign – Libra or Taurus. Or when Venus is being activated in your personal Astrology chart.
- Perform this ritual bath on the Full Moon.
- As an alternative to rose, you could use jasmine or tuberose.
Enjoy!
