Last year I described how to make traditional Christmas and New Years baths that you can do again this year if you like. I have seen some synthetic New Years kits go for $40 and up plus shipping, but I would like to tell you how to do your own at home. Many people do buy them prepared from a spiritual worker or performed by them, instead of a commercial source because they have more power.
I thought to release how to do a different lucky bath for the new years. You should do a cleansing before you start these attraction baths.
It is a common afro-hispanic bath to use sweet herbs like mint, after a series of bitter herbs if you also want to check out that blog entry to do that, or use the sweet herb list to make a floorwash after you have swept the floor back to front. Important to note again is we do not usually add fruit or flower to leaves together.
Some people buy a new broom for the next year after they have swept out the bad, and smudged out your place with some palo santo, copal, or sage with other herbs. The house is cleansed, and the car, because that is how the next year is going to be.
Flower baths are a common sweet bath to bring the good in life, and for the new year. It is because flower or flora sounds like flourish, to grow and bloom the new opportunities. This bath is known as florecimiento. It is common to use 3 different colors of roses or flower such as yellow for money, red or pink for love, and white for general blessings. We almost always use fresh items because they have more energy, but you could use dried flowers or a tea bag of chammomile,. This is a customary bath in many afro-hispanic countries and in south America. One mixed bouquet would be more economical, and the extra flowers can be given to your spirits. One color flower based on intent is also fine. To this can be added a sweet perfume like florida water or pompeya or water such as rose water if you cannot afford roses, orange water, or milks. Rice milk or water runoff is great, as rice is associated with purity, prosperity and the New Year. Honey, orange juice, holy water, champagne, cinnamon are other ideas to add. You can also added mushed up sweet fruits. Some make a version with boiled apples or a bit of applesauce. You can add water from your rose of Jericho bloom that can also be added to floorwashes.
Remember we always add odd number of things to a bath. I would do this for 3,5 or 7 days, sat in or sponged up the body to the head after a normal shower. (Always check with your godparents as some items are taboo for those who have crowned spirits). You will shred and mush the items with your hands, and put your intention into the mix, whether you want love or money or what you wish for the New Year. You will pray over it by laying on your hands, singing, or reciting psalms it is up to you. Cover it with an appropriate color cloth and keep it beside your spirits.
To recap a basic idea would be:
flowers, honey, oils/waters/perfumes, cinnamon and/or sweet spices.
I recommend you also use a sweet incense in the house such as coconut, vanilla, rose, cinnamon etc. Use a bayberry, bakery smelling, cinnamon or rose: sweet candle, or a white candle anointed with a sweet fruity or floral essential oil like orange etc, every day that you do your baths. You can also keep a prosperity, luck or love lamp.
Prepare a sweet drawing or refreshing floorwash, from the front of your house to the back, reverse to what you would do in cleansing. I would either use basil, parlsey, mint, lemongrass/Van Van/Chinese wash or just abre camino herb (bitter but opens the roads new opportunites in life) with a splash of holy water. It is a good idea to rearrange furniture and decor to get the energy moving, and throw out old and broken items and clothes. Some people wear new clothes and underwear on New Years. In Puerto Rico they wear new white undies, in other countries yellow, or based on what they desire. In Mexico red underwear for luck or others for strength power and protection. They also bathe in the ocean before the clock strikes midnight dunking themself 7 times. Others drop backwards into the wave at midnight to drive away evil spirits.
Many cultures all over the world have New Years rituals and customs. Many eat special foods such as black eyed peas for health and wealth or rice pudding. A gold ring in champagne for prosperity and love, or the festive coquito drank in Puerto Rico. 12 grapes for good luck are eaten under the table in the last 12 seconds to midnight for a good 12 months came to the new world from Spain. In Latin America a suitcase for business or for travel is placed by the front door with coins in it after running around the outside of the block with it. Clean out and fix your wallet or purse with dry beans or money drawing oil for prosperity. Some also fix their shoes, or put a coin in their shoe to walk into the new.
Some throw a bucket of water out of the window of the house to cleanse it at midnight or clang and bang pots and pans while opening the door and walking outside to rid the place of bad energy and spirits.
Prosperity Lamp
Sancista 7 Crossroads
