Patriotism and Ritual Cleansing

It’s the 4th of July: Independence Day in the U.S., a time of patriotic celebration.

I am a patriot. By that, I mean that I 1) love the land, water, air, creatures and people of the United States, and want the best for them; 2) I am well familiar with and do not deny the historical and current moral failings of this country, and seek to improve our record and behavior going forward.

I do not mean that I cheer lead the American Empire, nor that I jingoistically hail flags, weapons, militarism or the idea that the United States is somehow superior to all other nations, all metrics contradicting this suggestion to the contrary.

Today, I feel disgusted by the Trump kakistocracy and particularly by its caging of desperate asylum seekers in unsafe, crowded, unsanitary concentration camps. I feel revolted by this criminal cabal’s trashing of environmental protections, stacking of our Supreme Court and all-out war on anyone who isn’t straight, white, male and cisgendered.

Even thinking about these things fills me with such rage and disgust that I want to lash out. I feel dirty, as an American, for the role my taxes and my government play in these things.

Which brings me to ritual cleansing. All activism aside, there comes a time when all we can do is take care of ourselves and prepare for the next opportunity to move the needle in a more positive direction.

So here are some things we can do to ritually cleanse ourselves, to help us feel clean of the yuck that afflicts us:

Smoke blessing. You can use incense or burning herbs such as rosemary, sweet grass, sage, yerba santa or other fragrant plants to do a smoke blessing on yourself. Place the herbs in a bowl or a large seashell such as an abalone shell, and waft the smoke over your body with a fan or feather.

Ritual bath. First, clean the tub. Make sure it feels like a place you can get clean again. Draw a warm bath, and add herbal oils for some fragrance if desired. Common “clean smelling” oils include sage, carnation, lemon, etc. Light some incense and candles to create a sacred space. Ease into the bathtub and wash slowly, stating what you are washing off as you do so (e.g., “I wash off shame…I wash off despair…I wash off fear…”)

Ritual shower. If you don’t have a bathtub, you can take a ritual shower. Prepare the space as above, instead of putting oils in the water, anoint your body with them, speaking the qualities you are applying with each dab of oil (“I apply courage…I apply strength…I apply tenacity…I apply endurance…I apply hope…”). In the shower, speak the things you are washing off as you wash each part of your body.

Sound bath. Gather singing bowls, tingshas, and/or clear-toned metal or lead crystal bells and chimes. Prepare the space as in a ritual bath. Sit naked, surrounded by the bells and chimes, and ring them gently at random, creating a “bath” of sound all around you. Do this until you feel tension easing away; speak the things you are letting go of.

These are just a few ideas for how we can cleanse ourselves of the yuck of the world when we feel it is depressing and disempowering us. If you have others, post them in the comments!

Get clean, get strong, and be prepared to carry on. The world needs us at this time. Don’t let it grind you down.