Jewish Mikveh Water Ceremonies Tap Into The Magic Inside Us All.
Everyone! This is a ritual that is thousands of years old that we still practice as Jews today. It is open to all who wish to cherish it. Here are some examples of moments in your life that you could mark with a mikveh ceremony:
A wedding
A conversion to Judaism
A gender transition or affirmation
The beginning of your menstrual cycle
Any stage of battling with illness
A birth or a death
Love is an action. Mikveh ceremonies are not just to love and heal ourselves, but also to love and heal the world. I have written or co-written three mikveh ceremonies to date with perspective on tikkun olam in mind. A ceremony for Palestinian Life, for Solidarity with Indigenous Communities, and for Generational Gratitude for Jewish Woman of Color.
Art by Leah Samuels @moonlight_offerings
What Are Mikveh Ceremonies?
My Indigenous Muisca people have been connected to water since time immemorial. We believe that it connects us to the Goddess Bachué who emerged from Lake Iguaque in Boyacá, Colombia holding her infant son in her arms. When he grew up they populated the world together and this is how humanity began. When they were done, they transformed into snakes and slithered back into the lake. Every time that I go into a body of water, I can feel her and all her blessings with me. I bring this lineage and perspective with me to my work with mikveh in the Jewish community.
It is a very big deal that Jews have access to communally led bodies of water for ritual purposes. It is also a very big deal that a water immersion ceremony that dates back hundreds of years has survived from the earth based, matriarchal Judaism of our ancestors to the male dominated rabbinic Judaism of today. Mikveh reminds me that water is where I belong, in Judaism, in Colombia, and in life. Water connects me to its flow, memory, and its magic.
Mikveh is fundamentally about immersing yourself in a body of sacred water in order to mark a transition in your life.
“When we make ritual, we are working with the holy forces of presence and intention. The magic of mikveh comes from making contact with water. Contact with water marks a threshold, creates liminal space, and functions as a portal towards our ritual intention to create or step into the world to come. Mikveh allows us to embody moving away from something or towards a new way. Mikveh creates a structure for us to reset and return to the body. Mikveh reminds us that “wholeness” is a construct of capitalism and we are worthy of divine connection just as we are.” From the Simple Guide to Queer Mikveh, available from the Queer Mikveh Project here.
For many of us who live here in the United States, mikveh is not a spiritual tool that we use on a regular basis. Our lives are too full and move too fast. The grueling pace of capitalism, white supremacy and all the accompanying oppressions that come with those systems wear us down. Mikveh immersions and beautifully crafted ceremonies help us remember who we are. They give us the strength that we need to resist, organize, and remain hopeful that we can fight back and win. They give us the permission that we need to rest and use our hearts fully as human beings.
Who Are Mikveh Ceremonies For?
My Services
The beauty of mikveh ceremonies is that they can be completely personalized and done indoors or outdoors, depending on your preferences, access needs, and the season. As a certified Mikveh Guide at Mayyim Hayyim Living Water Mikveh in Newton, MA I can help you write your own ritual, write a ritual for you, provide spiritual direction before you immerse, and/or be your witness/guide through the process. You have your own spiritual authority, so it is completely your choice. As a collaborator with the Queer Mikveh Project I have learned to think about Mikveh in more queer and accessible ways. All of my services are available online and in person.
Please email me with any questions at rosa@reclaimingindigeneity.com
Ritual Packages
Package 1: 1 hour of Spiritual Direction, 30 minutes of Ritual Writing, and 1 Immersion
Sliding Scale: $250 - $700+
The full package that includes 1 hour of Rosa’s time and spiritual guidance as you process whatever change you want to mark in your life through mikveh. 30 minutes to write a mikveh ritual ceremony together, and for Rosa to guide and witness you as you actually immerse in a body of water of your choosing, indoors or outdoors, depending on the season. Can be done online or in person.
Package 2: 30 Minutes of Ritual Writing and 1 Immersion
Sliding Scale: $180 - $600+
An opportunity to co-write a customized Mikveh ritual ceremony tailored to the transition that you are marking in your life through this water immersion. Rosa will then guide and witness you as you immerse yourself in a body of water of your choosing, indoors or outdoors, depending on the season. Can be done online or in person.
Package 3: 1 Immersion
Sliding Scale: $100 - $500+
Rosa will guide and witness you as you immerse yourself in a body of water of your choosing, indoors or outdoors, depending on the season. Can be done online or in person.
Book An Appointment
Change is constant, we get to honour and meet it with strength and support