Priestess of Sulis: Join me for an event in Bath on 1st Sept 2022
The Cross Bath interior
The city of Bath, or Aquae Sulis ‘The Waters of Sulis’ as the Romans knew her, is an ancient power place of the Britanno-Celtic Goddess Sul or Sulis, dragon mother, she whose breath heats the water as it emerges from the earth here. She was syncretised by the Romans with their goddess Minerva, and worshipped in a huge bathing and temple complex in the city.
The Thermae Bath Spa is a beautiful modern spa complex that takes the hot water from the natural springs and routes them to a stunning rooftop pool and other beautiful steam baths and pools in the complex. Adjacent to the main Thermae spa building is a small Georgian era building called the Cross Bath, which can be hired for exclusive use. Now the Cross Bath is believed to be one of the most ancient, pre-Roman sites of goddess worship here, and in pathworking visualisation journeys, I’ve found myself drawn to ancient Aquae Sulis again and again. I created the poem below inspired by the images that I’ve seen in those visualisation journeys.
Are you being called to birth something?
A project, a life mission or a life change?
Or maybe you’d just like to pray for healing of the earth and the waters?
I’d love you to join me for a powerful ceremony, with lunch included, at the Cross Bath on 1st September 2022, at 12pm, for a maximum of 10 people, so this will be a really intimate and special experience.
You’ll need to bring a bathing suit. There are changing facilities, and you’ll be provided with a towel, bathrobe and slippers. Lunch at the Cross Bath is included. Vegan and gluten-free options can be provided on request.
The exchange will be £88 per person for the ceremony plus lunch. Please contact me to book.
For those who wish to join us, we can also tour the Roman Baths museum afterwards to see the remains of the huge ancient temple site. Entry tickets to the Roman Baths museum complex are not included in the Cross Bath ceremony exchange - they cost about £25 each.
Priestess of Sulis
In the sacred place where goddess fire and goddess waters
create warm amniotic fluid to emerge from mother earth,
woad spiralled, gold bangled priestess daughters
honour the locus as a place of holy birth.
The Goddess of the Waters of the Gap is ancient,
as old as the ever-burning sun fires we tend.
She is loving and vast, and healing and patient;
her holy green milk flows forth without end.
Dragon mother goddess can curse as well as cure.
Her children’s wishes on tablets are cast,
for misdemeanours and all wrongdoings endured;
in a ripple of her water Her judgement is passed.
In blissful service in the streets of the town,
playing horns and drums, holding water jugs aloft,
wearing white robes, golden bangles, floral crowns,
we share garlands of flowers and drinks of sacred draught.
Ritual sisters we birth ourselves fresh from the waters
and colour our bodies with green herbal mud dye.
In new scale skins we become dragon’s daughters,
bodies fusing to one around her great Eye.
Imbibing from her spring we merge now with her:
emerges united embodied dragon mother earth,
Her smoke and fire from oil lamp and censer.
I am Priestess of Sulis from birth to rebirth.
(c) Donna Gerrard 2020
The Cross Bath exterior