Book Review-Pagan Portals: Sulis: Solar Goddess of the Spring Waters by Rachel Patterson

Book Review

Pagan Portals: Sulis: Solar Goddess of the Spring Waters

By Rachel Patterson

Publisher: Moon Books

106 page E-Book

Release Date: October 1st, 2024

Pagan Portals: Sulis is a continuation of one of my favorite booklet series for Pagans, and on a goddess that is getting more attention and her mysteries are once again  being unearthed. Sulis is a goddess I got to know back in 2020 during the pandemic, and since she has appeared and reappeared at seemingly sporadic times in my life. Not much is known about her compared to other Celtic goddesses such as Rhiannon or The Morrigan, and much evidence of her worship has been lost to time. What we do know is what we’ve discovered at the Roman Baths in Bath, England. Patterson starts there, and builds on the reader’s knowledge of Sulis with her own experiences.

Pagan Portals: Sulis is a book that I’ve had on my radar for some time, since I saw it was an upcoming release, and I was more than happy to grab the copy and read it. Rachel Patterson weaves historical fact and modern pagan UPG and experience together artfully, giving a picture of Sulis for us modern Pagans and Witches. She’s a feisty goddess who can heal and hex, sometimes all at once. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and she carries war-like attributes through her Roman association with Minerva (although I argue that she was called on in battle before the Romans, as the Romans syncretized many local deities).

Since there’s not much academically known about Sulis, Patterson fills in with her experiences with the Solar Goddess of Healing and Cursing, and even includes rituals, spells, meditations and the like that I found useful. I have no criticisms of this book, and I will recommend it to anyone looking to develop a relationship with, or simply learn more about Sulis. I give Pagan Portals: Sulis: Solar Goddess of the Spring Waters a 5/5.

Rachel Patterson is an English Witch who has walked the Pagan path for over 30 years. She is the author of over 25 books, including personal favorites of mine such as Pagan Portals: Dragon Magic and Curative Magic. She is a member of the Kitchen Witch Coven and gives talks, seminars and the like on Paganism and Witchcraft.

 

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Author Bio:

The Modern Merlin has been a Polytheist and Animist Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid, Mystic, Ceremonial Magician, Occultist, Shaman, Seer and Soothsayer for 15 years, worshipping and casting magick with deities and spirits from many cultures, including Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse & Germanic, Celtic, Egyptian, Sumerian, as well as many Faeries, Nymphs, Dryads, Ancestors and other nature and land spirits and spirits of place. He has experience in the Left and Right Hand Paths, working with both hands as needed. He currently practices Necromancy and Deathwalking, as well as Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry, Hellenism and Ceremonial Magick, incorporating all of them into a cohesive practice, with some shamanic touches. He studies and practices Astrology as well as Tarot and other forms of divination such as Runes, Palmistry and Ogham. He has a personal blog where he shares Astrological, Pagan, and other magickal wisdom for free! He gives readings and other spiritual services on his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see!