Follow The Leader: Cernunnos
The Celtic God of the Underworld, the Wildwood, and the Afterlife...how will you incorporate Cernunnos is your life?
It took me a little while to figure out how I wanted to interpret Cernunnos’ story for this article. Though little is known about this Celtic Fairy God, I wanted to write something that would provide you historical context and spiritual context.
Growing up very French and very, very Irish, I grew up hearing stories from my heritage. In a way, I had the opportunity to see through Earth’s eyes. I remember being eight years old and feeling how much the Earth was calling to me.
It was a feeling I believed I had to suppress in order to get to Heaven. Being from a strict Catholic family, I was always taught that Heaven was the ultimate destination. That is if I wanted to be here on Earth, then Earth is where I would stay.
As you get older and a little wiser about some things, you realize that while Heaven may be the ultimate destination, it’s not the only one.
I’ve learned to embrace the Earth’s call with open arms. I’ve learned that the God of all may love Earth just as much as he does Heaven. Why wouldn’t he?
When you create something you need to create it with love. Nothing can grow without love. Nothing.
Cernunnos, the Celtic and Wiccan god of all, is a figure who knowns how to cherish the realm of the sky, the realm of fire, the realm of water, and the realm of Earth.
He is the call of the wild, so to speak. When you take a break from a “warped” and “connected” reality, you begin to come back down to Earth.
The Celts sacrificed animals and people for Cernunnos. Since Cernunnos is the hunter and the hunted, they believed in sacrificing themselves so they could be reborn again.
During the days of Gual (circa 5th century BC to 5th century AD), the Celts would secretly worship Cernunnos because the Romans didn’t believe in respecting their ancient religious traditions.
The Romans, in fact, saw the Celts as “barbarians.” Some historians believed that by giving up regions in the French Alps all the way to the Netherlands, they could keep the Gauls from plundering their territory.
It was during this time that the Earth became a place to “own” rather than a place to “live” for so many people. Through it all, the one thing that the Gauls could count on were their beliefs.
Cernunnos, was their god who helped them live off the Earth and survived for centuries. But sadly, his stories were lost to the centuries as the Gauls (Celts) didn’t believe in writing things down.
Can you blame them? After all, their traditions weren’t really welcome by the Romans.
In some ways, however, a belief isn’t valued on how it is written. A belief is valued at how it is honored.
When you honor the Celtic Fairy, Cernunnos, honor him with the Earth. Instead of seeing the Earth through a looking glass or as an “outsider,” see the Earth as if it were your partner.
The Celts wisdom came from realms that so many could not see. The fairy realm in particular, was where Cernunnos loved to reside because of the Fae’s attraction to Earth. They believe that the ultimate destination is not in place but rather in love.
As the Gauls carried their stories from the shores of the Emerald Isle to the mountains of Germany and Belgium, we can carry the wisdom their traditions can teach us.
It just goes to show that wherever you happen to find yourself on this Earth, you will always find your heart in the same place.