Blog, Working With Demons
Cernunnos: The Horned God
Jul
Cernunnos is popularly regarded as the horned Celtic god. He was born at solstice winter, got married to the beautiful goddess at Beltane and later died during summer solstice. He is revered by almost the entire Gaul where he is regarded as the god of fertility, wealth, animals and life. So far, his cult has spread rapidly throughout Great Britain.
This god is also known as a giver of gifts, lord of the dance and with his powerful horns he takes care of the forest and is considered the master of hunting.
Appearance:
Cerunnos has different forms and representations. In some culture, he is represented as a green man covered by leaves in summer and spring, as a dark god in winter and autumn, young son in spring, goddess child, green world guardian, etc.
Abilities:
Cernunnos is a shape-shifting and shamanic hunt god who alternates with the moon goddess in overseeing the affairs of life and death and the entire process of continued death, reincarnation and rebirth.
He is in charge of the entire stages of growing, budding and greening of the world. Cernunnos is the god that comforts and bid the souls of the departed to their eternal rest in the Summerlands of the great beyond.
He is a wild hunt master that chases evildoers’ souls. He isn’t associated with bible theology or today’s modern morality. However, his figure was demonized by the medieval church, and he was named names like Satan, Lucifer, or the Devil.
He is also in the business of protection and continuation of the land, spirit, nature and everything within. He is regarded as the Green Man in summer keeping life vibrant. Autumn is his dying time, and at this point many are able to see the horned god very clearly.
Also, in Autumn he became known as the sacrificed, wounded till death which marks the beginning of his journey to the great beyond. However, he is being reborn to Earth during solstice winter. Seeds of light released from his decomposing body quicken the womb with a brand-new Sun.
Going Further
Cernunnos was a god of wealth. Clever depiction of him was with coinage and this confirms the wealth attitude of Cernunnos. Also, the association between snakes and treasure is another simple indication of this horned god breeding wealth.
This god is regarded as a great hunter but Instead of just associating him with death since hunting has to do with some form of death, I would rather regard Cernunnos as the wheel of the year. Cernunnos represents the annual life (birth) and death cycle.
How to Summon Cernunnos
When you call Cernunnos in your closet, he comes to work with you in the most compassionate manner. To summon this spirit, you need to decorate your altar with all the necessary items which include: offerings, sigil, statues, etc.. The sigils can also be sprawled across the floor of wherever the rite is being performed till the invocation is completed.
Note that you must be fully prepared before performing this rite and on summoning, you must treat this spirit with respect.
Invocation to the Horned God
“By the flame that burneth bright,
O Horned One !
We call thy name into the night,
O Ancient One !
Thee we invoke by the Moon-led sea,
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
Thee we invoke, where gather Thine own.
By the nameless shore, forgotten and lone.
Come where the round of the dance is trod,
Horn and Hoof of the Goat Foot God !
By moonlit meadow, on dusky hill,
Where the haunted wood is hushed and still,
Come to the charm of the chanted prayer,
As the Moon bewitches the midnight air.
Evoke thy powers that potent bide
In shining stream and the secret tide,
In fiery flame by starlight pale,
In shadowy host that rides the gale.
And by the ferndrakes, faerie haunted,
Of forests wild and woods enchanted.
Come, O Come !
To the heartbeat’s drum !
Come to us who gather below,
When the broad white Moon is climbing slow.
Through the stars to the heavens’ height,
We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night !
As black tree branches shake and sigh,
By joy and terror we know thee nigh.
We speak the spell thy power unlocks,
At Solstice Sabbath and Equinox !”
How to Make a Petition to Cernunnos
For those who seek knowledge and direction in their life, this spirit can be called upon. The best time to perform this summoning is at sunrise and in an open air.
Items Needed:
- a clear space in the woods
- stone markers for the four compass directions
- some green branches (preferably of oak or any sacred tree)
Procedures:
- On the four directions, place your stones and while you do this listen to the sounds around you.
- Observe the change in energy and acknowledge the presence of the nature spirits.
- Place the branches that are sacred to the horned god close to the center of your working space which has now become your sacred space.
- Stand in the center of your sacred space.
- Put your hands in the God position (arms outstretched).
Recite:
Great Horned Leader of the Hounds
Lord Cernunnos hear my call
You, who move with the rhythm of the forests
Upon your knowledge let me draw
Potent Huntsman who dances with the serpent of knowledge, forever virile and gracious
Grant me the power of potent movement
Let me move too within the mysterious
Speaker with the ancient shamans
Who bridge this world and the next
Unstoppable as force of nature
Aid my footsteps forward free from the past.
The next step is to stand quietly while drawing the power of Cernunnos. Think about your life, put the past behind and contemplate on your next life move. Resolve to move forward with all courage and speed. When the ceremony is completed, scatter the stones and the branches then leave the environment.
Sources:
- The Books of Shadows
- https://covenofthecatta.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/invocation-of-the-horned-god-in-german/
