30 Sep. - Romans

 Image: Gilt bronze head from Roman Britain statue of Sulis Minerva, possibly 1st century AD

Warm water arising, bubbling, from unknown depths, forming a natural + mineral-rich pool in the midst of an ancient, barren + cold land. Little wonder it was worshipped as a gift of a God or Goddess.
Our knowledge of ancient subterranean aquifers, mineral rocks + soils, geothermal energy, seems clever - but removes the Pagan wonder + delight in such phenomena.
That it has long been, + remains to this day, a source of not just water, but curiosity + joy, is right + pleasing to our collective soul.
I too delight that through time, ancient Celts, imperial Romans, grand Victorians + now us, the 'knowledge-proud' twenty-first centurions, find this a worthy place of pilgrimage.
The glory of this small blue planet, our eternal home, holds sway yet over our inner being.
It is just, + right.

Notes: We spent several hours wandering at will around the 'Roman Baths', soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the many layers of cultural history in evidence. As usual, we avoided so far as possible the frightful audio-tour garbage in preference for forming our own impressions and more than happy to simply read the (thankfully still present) printed labels etc. It is a pleasing diversion to attempt a personal visualisation of the original, ancient, hot spring ...