The Matrescence Bath Ritual

“Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a

powerful force filled with good instinct, passionate creativity,

and ageless knowing."

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Acknowledging the transition to motherhood with a ritual

Self-care for you...at home, simple and natural.

The Matrescence Bath Ritual is meant to create a space for you to integrate your new experiences of motherhood into your sense of self.

Matrescence is like a classic heroine's journey. The Matrescence Bath Ritual is to acknowledge you as the heroine of your journey as you transitioned to motherhood with all of its darkness and joy. This ritual holds the sum of your many conscious and unconscious thoughts, feelings, longings and actions as you journeyed through your transformation. Don't force anything, just give space and allow your your self-concept to shift as your emotions emerge.

So many changes, laden with personal meaning and personal gains and losses. Shedding the skin of a previous identity and developing emotional depth and skills to cope with new roles and expectations is often a silent, unconscious process. Processing massive personal changes can be done in the privacy of a therapist's office.

In the privacy of your home, a ritual helps process the personal meaning of a life event, on both conscious and unconscious levels. The Matrescence Bath Ritual allows room for the implicit changes to develop and become explicit and known.

Matrescence Bath Ritual

Step 1: Create Sacred Space:

Intention, Words, Healing Bath, Reiki Infused Bag

The Matrescence Ritual is a full body and mind experience, drawing on conscious and unconscious emotional material. Self-care that is nurturing, self-soothing, intelligent and kind.

The Matrescence Bath Ritual incorporates these elements: intention, water, words, crystals, herbs.

Mindfully set your intention

Create your intention on whatever is coming up for you regarding your current needs or issues. You don't need to force any answers or feelings, just let your thoughts and feelings emerge.

• Notice how your body feels and let your intention emerge

• Perhaps you are creating this space to just be and rest?

• Or are you wanting to heal regarding a certain level or issue?

• Do you feel blocked from moving forward?

• How might it feel to allow movement towards transformation of pain into wisdom and peace?

• Or perhaps, today, you are setting an intention for someone else, or for the wider community?

• 
  

Focus on positive words and thoughts to send positive vibrations out into the world

• May all beings who enter here find peace. May all beings who leave here take joy and love into the world.

• I am supported as I begin my day.

• I invite happiness and joy into this space.

• In this space, I rest, recuperate and move forward with new energy and knowledge.

• Peace surrounds me. I am safe and protected.

• May ((name of your focus today)) find a healing path that is right for them.

• May all beings find peace.

Step 2:

Prepare a positive space

Lightly focus on positive and calming thoughts, feelings and energies

Mindfully prepare a positive space whose energy will be the sum of many subtle and intentional and positive thoughts and actions. Choose your ritual space and then mindfully clear the space by lightly focusing on positive and calming feelings and energies.

Mindfully set about preparing your bath space. Set out :

• your healing bath salts

• crystals and herbs

• candle

• towels

• robe

• slippers

• powder (no talc of course)

• whatever anointing oils and creams you intend to use to pamper your body and heal your spirit.

This healing ritual works on both conscious and unconscious levels, so set your space up to be energetically and emotionally soothing and positive.

Bring in the energy of the full moon

The full moon is traditionally a time to meditate on releasing, transformation and renewal, with courage and soft persistence. Full moon energy is a time to shed older emotional and psychological concepts, and allow in modifications and growth.

The full moon is the traditional symbol of illumination, nurturing, love, motherhood, life, fertility and pregnancy. The perfect energy to invite transformation!

The energy of the full moon is apparent the week around the full moon, so you have a nice stretch of time to plan your healing ritual. But, even if you don't actually bathe at the time of the full moon, you can access the full moon healing energy to light your path. Just lightly recall the beauty of the full moon and absorb her energy during your ritual.

Step 3:

The Energy of Your Reiki Infused Ritual Bag

Reiki Energy

Reiki is an energy healing technique used for relaxation, healing and self-care. Reiki works on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Reiki elicits the relaxation response, so the body and emotions are soothed. When the body and emotions are soothed, the spirit has room to heal. As they were lovingly packed, the moonstone crystal and the herbs were infused with the Reiki symbols, so they carry gentle Reiki energy. Enjoy the extra pampering.

Moonstone Crystal

The energy of the moonstone crystal is balancing, introspective and lunar. The moonstone energy is included in your Matrescence Ritual as it is associated with the feminine: fertility, pregnancy and birth.

This stone is said to amplify your intentions of self-compassion and self-love. Moonstone energy stimulates intuitive knowing and then the use of this knowledge in a practical sense. Moonstone is considered the master healer for women. In Rome, the moonstone was associated with the moon goddess, Diana. Cleanse and recharge your moonstone by the light of moon. Carry moonstone in your pocket to hold for self-soothing when you are feeling anxious.

Botanicals Included:

Lavender

Lavender has a long history of being used as a nervous system tonic, helping reduce anxiety, depression and stress. Rosemary Gladstar, famed herbalist, says that lavender is a mild antidepressant and sedative and can help relax and calm an anxious mind and help with insomnia. There are numerous research studies that find lavender is a safe and effective herb for reducing stress. One such study found that pregnant women used lavender essential oil either in a foot-bath or in a lavender cream every evening for two months had less anxiety, stress and depression than women who did not use lavender for that period.

Lavender is included in your Matrescence Ritual Kit as this fragrant plant is considered to be one of the best energetic cleansers. Lavender is one of mankind's precious herbs: light fragrance, safe and relaxing. Lavender calms, restores and stabilizes the emotions.

Red Raspberry Leaf

The raspberry plant, with its rambling and easy growth habits, and mineral rich leaves, energetically encourages you to nurture both your inner spiritual and physical self. Raspberry energy is about self-nurturing and self-space. Raspberry has a long history of use during pregnancy to nurture the inner physical woman by tonifying the uterus and because it is rich in vitamins and minerals, good for both other and baby. Aviva Romm, M.D., in her well regarded classic book, Botanical Medicine for Women's Health, says that "Raspberry leaf is perhaps the most historically venerated herbal uterine tonics." The research shows that red raspberry leaf does not stimulate contractions, but tones the uterus and thus, may improve labor outcome.

Raspberry leaf is included as part of your Matrescence Ritual as it is long considered to be simpatico with feminine energy and hormonal balance for the entire lifespan.

Rose

Rose is one of the oldest and most revered herb and oil. Fossil evidence shows the species to be 35 million years old! They were found to be cultivated in China 5000 years ago. The rose was cultivated by Cleopatra in Egypt and by the Persian King Nebuchadnezzar. Romans loved the rose as well. Over the centuries, the rose was introduced all over Europe and then North America. The rose has extensive herbal action. It's rich in vitamins and minerals, and is used for the digestive system. Through its incredible scent, the rose has been associated with romantic love, family love, self-love, compassion, patience, and healing for centuries.

Today, the rose represents a fusion of all those properties: romantic and familial love and healing.

Rose is included as part of your Matrescence Bath Ritual because the rose, with its beauty and scent, energetically helps ease the mind of worry during life transitions. The energy of rose is all about emotional connection and love, with yourself, with your partner, with your baby. Energetically, rose heals on the auric level.

Step 4:

Draw your healing bath

A ritual bath is not an ordinary bath. Water, combined with earth's elements of salt, crystals and botanicals, integrate with your intention to create healing space. A ritual bath nurtures your spirit, recharges your energy, gives your creativity a boost, resets your intentions and purpose, helping you integrate parts of the self into your larger self-concept.

Detoxifying bath salts, infused with lavender

Salt baths are known for their healing and therapeutic properties. Epsom, Dead Sea and Himalayan Pink Salts, are rich in minerals such as magnesium, potassium and sulfate. These minerals are scientifically proven to be readily absorbed through the skin, where they detoxify the skin, eliminate toxins from the bloodstream and relax the muscles and nervous system.

Lavender is known for the benefits listed above.

To use the bath salts, you can either pour the salt and herbs directly into the bath or use the muslin bag provided. If you take the direct approach, it will take a little while for the heavier salts to dissolve in the water. The salts will sink to the bottom of the tub and feel pointy on your skin, if you get into the bath right away! The other option is to pour the salts and botanicals into the muslin bag provided, and then dip the bag in your bath water. The salts dissolve, passing through the muslin, into the bath water.

Place the moonstone crystal in or near your bath to amplify your healing intentions. If you'd like, also add the herbs from your Matrescence Ritual Bag. But you can keep these to carry with you throughout your day as a talisman of healing.

Step 5:

And Rest

Use the flax and lavender filled eye mask to let your eyes rest. you can actually feel the relaxation in your eyes cascade down your body.

Flax seed is used energetically for protection, healing and to open up the third eye, the sixth chakra. Mixed with lavender flowers and spritzed with lavender hydrosol, an eye mask will help soothe your eyes. A nice rest with a warm, soothing compress over your eyes will relax your eyes and your face.

Your eyes rarely get to rest. We are always seeking and seeing, reaching out of our eyes. There are lots of little muscles around the eyes that love to relax in the warmth of the herbal mask. Let the relaxation cascade down your jaw, neck and shoulders. Relax.

Step 6:

Healing Affirmations

• Say your affirmations as you draw your Ritual Bath and let the healing intention be absorbed into the water and soak them into your energetic being.

• Say your affirmations as you look at yourself in the mirror, clearly and with intention.

• Whisper affirmations to yourself throughout the day for a healing boost.

• I am enough.

• I have an inner, radiant voice that guides me.

• I have healing energy within me.

• I get knocked down, but I get up again, and grow from the experience.

• I rest, recuperate and move forward with new energy and knowledge.

• This life passage is an emotional journey, and I learn and grow.

• I allow myself to grow, although it is painful.

• I plan for support before I get overwhelmed.

• I reach out for support.

• Love is abundant. I have an abundance of love for myself and my family.

• Time is abundant. I have an abundance of time for me and my family.

• I am able to cope with grace.

Step 7:

Closing the Ritual

To close, with gratitude, reflect on the good things in your life that you already have. And absorb the self-acceptance and self-knowledge contained in this ritual. Acknowledge that your growth as you move through your life passage. Extend lovingkindness and grace to yourself. Your self-concept changes as you integrate new experiences from different parts of your self.

Your light grows as you grow.

Sources

Cole, B. (2022). The healing properties of roses. House & Garden. Retrieved March 3, 2023 from https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/healing-properties-of-roses

Dorfner, M. (2016). Essential oils and pregnancy. Retrieved March 3, 2023 from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/essential-oils-and-pregnancy/

Effati-Daryani, F., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., Mirghafourvand, M., Taghizadeh, M., & Mohammadi, A. (2015). Effect of Lavender Cream with or without Foot-bath on Anxiety, Stress and Depression in Pregnancy: a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of caring sciences, 4(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.5681/jcs.2015.007. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4363653/

Emadikhalaf, M., Ghods, A., Sotodeh-asl, N., Mirmohamadkhani, M., and Vaismoradi, M (2023). Effects of rose and lavender scents on nurses' job stress: A randomized controlled trial. Retrieved March 2, 2023 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830723000022

Fulcher, L. (2020). Deep dive with Liz: Rose essential oil. Online course with Aromatic Wisdom Institute. Found on www.aromaticwisdom.com

Gladstar, R. (2012). Medicinal herbs: A beginner's guide. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing.

Hamdamian, S., Nazarpour, S., Simbar, M., Hajian, S., Mojab, F., & Talebi, A. (2018). Effects of aromatherapy with Rosa damascena on nulliparous women's pain and anxiety of labor during first stage of labor. Journal of integrative medicine, 16(2), 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2018.02.005

Hanekamp, D. (2020). Ritual baths: Be your own healer. Morrow Gift.

The Herbarium (2023) Raspberry Leaf Monograph

https://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/monograph/raspberry-leaf/

Melody (1995). Love is in the earth: A kaleidoscope of crystals. Wheat Ridge, Co.: Earth Love Publishing House.

Romm, Aviva (2010). Botanical medicine for women's health. St. Louis, Missouri: Churchill Livingstone.

ScienceDirect (2023). Red Raspberry Leaf - an overview of the research

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/red-raspberry-leaf

Shirazi, M., Mohebitabar, P., Bioos, S., Yekaninejad, M.R., Rahimi, R., Shahpiri, Z., Malekshahi, F. & Nejatbakhsh, F. (2017). The Effect of Topical Rosa damascena (Rose) Oil on Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22(1), 120-126. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2156587216654601