I’ve been a devotee of a myriad of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon deities for a few years now, and the honoring of them has brought me quite a bit of joy and fulfillment. Digging deeper, I’ve found many individuals that have turned back to the “Old Ways” but still wish to honor the faiths that they were brought up in. We’ve all heard of “Christopagans” “Christwitches” and “Jewwitches.”
What about me? I’ve always been aware of my fairly abundant New England roots-and fascinated by the culture and history. Yes, New England, as in the land of the Puritans. The rigid, somber, humorless Puritans-who were only responsible for the accusations of “witchcraft” towards tons of innocent individuals. No, they have virtually no excuses. Yes, they have quite a load to apologize for. And as I just said, that’s quite a bit of my own background, so no one should get offended.
So how did I find the Horned God in my own New England Puritan background? I mean, that’s the last place that you would expect to find a glimpse of, not just a pagan god-but the very one that the Christians supposedly turned into “Satan”- the embodiment of all evil.
I shouldn’t. But I did.
The Puritans feared “the Devil” above all else. And they saw him as a literal figure-a horned man, just the same as the Horned God, Cernunnos, Herne. During the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, “witches” were literally accused of doing “the devil’s work.” I believe that at least one accuser insisted that they had seen a horned figure standing at the foot of their bed in the night. They believed that they had truly seen “the Devil.”
I believe that they did indeed see or perceive something. But what was it truly? Yes, I do believe in a way it was what they perceived as “the Devil.” And “the Devil” was really and truly the manifestation of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what was different. Fear of…human nature?
The Puritans feared human nature. They feared themselves. The Church that they had established back in England to simply “purify” themselves from the Church of England, had turned into something else. A monstrous control system.
And the Horned God, Herne, Cernunnos, represents human nature. Primal human nature. He represents exactly what the Puritans feared. To the Puritans, human nature was the devil incarnate.
And this is where the Horned God comes into my life. This is how my own Puritan background (my love for the outdoors played a part as well) played a part in me coming to discover Him.
When I picture Cernunnos, he’s stepping out of the dark woods onto the wild shores of New England, and turning towards me with a look of joy on His face, at my people finally re- discovering Him. I say re-discovering because let’s face it, the forebears of the Puritans honored Him back in England for centuries before the church came into play. One would think he’s an imposing figure, but he’s not. To me, he almost represents an older brother figure. He wants to be my friend. He wants me to be free of fear, of restraints, much of which was probably passed down through my lineage from these people. And I know that I no longer have to let those aspects hold me back. I’m capable of anything.
Accepting such a deity means accepting yourself. And in a way, I believe that I have also put my Puritan forebears to peace-and that’s the first part towards freeing myself. There’s no longer anything to fear.
Right now as I’m writing this, it’s a Friday night. After a fun evening with friends and longboarding, I’m chilling with my Horned God Sculpture, rocking out to 009 Sound System, and totally feeling His vibes right now! Giggly, euphoric and chill.
In Adam’s Fall, We Sinned All.
The Sin Is Transmuted. We Are Free!
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