This is not a Buddhist practice. The Buddha never taught we can wash away our bad karma or bad luck or sins.

I am sharing this mysticism because like any other experience in life, they can have positive effect on our mental state. It can be beneficial if we learn how to apply them skilfully to help ourselves or others.

It’s all about caring for our own mental happiness.

The following mystical practice is for cleansing away unpleasantness in life.

For those who likes bath, I am sure you know how a hot aromatic bath helps one relax and boost our emotion.

In this practice, we need to have flowers of various colours (no black colour please). Can be any species of flowers (non poisonous ones, of course) We usually stick to chrysanthemum, daisies, roses, orchids and such. We place these flowers into the bath.

We also add kaffir limes (sliced) and its leaves into the bath. (optional)

You’ll end up with an aromatic hot bath with citrus scent. If you don’t have lime, you can add essential oil.

Then we add floating candles to introduce the element of fire into the baths. otherwise placing candles around the bath is fine too. (watch out for fire hazard though)

Next, put some coins into the bath to introduce the element of metal. (please use clean coins that had been disinfected) Hygiene.

Since the bath tub is usually ceramic, it is already earth element. If one desires to, we can also add some crystal or pebble. Cleansed one. Just a bit. (note this is optional)

There you have it. A nice 5 elemental bath. We have to be happy with this body of water that we want to soak our body in.

The process is to simply sit and relax in the bath. I would mentally chant my favourite mantra while bathing. Let go of all other mental clutter and relax. Imagine any unpleasantness being dissolved away by the water. Remind ourselves, suffering and unhappiness is impermanent too.

After the bath, drain the water, dispose the flowers (usually into the trash). Donate the coins to charity and return the stones or crystal back to nature. (usually that means throwing them away into fields/ meadows )

Alternate variations.

If we take showers, here’s a variation to the above practice. The only thing needed are the flowers.

Before taking the showers, we would reflect upon the flowers and its impermanence.

During the shower, we reflect upon any unpleasantness in life as impermanent too.

Then as we let the shower washes over us, we take the flowers and rub them against our body. (start with the head, then face and the body) As we do that, we imagine the unpleasantness in life being “scrubbed” away by the flowers. We remind ourselves that suffering is impermanent too. Let go of the flowers and let them fall off your body.

Better day tomorrow, stay positive.

Dispose the flowers as garbage after the shower.