A View Of Cernunnos

I thought I'd start off by posting a bit here about my interpretation of Cernunnos. Cernunnos
Cernunnos, Horned One, Celtic deity, known since at least the Iron Age, did they worship him, revere him or fear him?  No one truly knows, although the favoured view is that he was (and still is) worshipped as a God.  I personally see him as the God, whenever The God and Goddess are mentioned it is Cernunnos I see in my minds eye, striding through the Forest, absolute Lord of all in his leafy realm.  He is there every time I enter a wood, or even a small grove of trees, just on the periphery of my vision, but always there, watching over me, as I am at that moment part of his domain, one with and of the Forest.  I have never had a fear of even the deepest and darkest forests.  Some say never stray from the path, you will get lost, but if you never leave the path, you never see so much.  I know in my heart and soul that I wll never be lost in a forest, Cernunnos is always with me, protecting me and allowing me to share the wonders within.  
He is Lord of all within the Forest, everything falls under his rule and his protection, he is strong, he is gentle at the same time, he will fight to the death to protect his lady, whilst he will tread with care so as not to disturb the nesting birds or small creatures underfoot.  Cernunnos knows all the trees, every one, and part of the magic of the Forest, is when you walk into it, find a space, sit and just be, shut out all the everyday thoughts, and allow Cernunnos to lift the veil between you world and his.  Then, you will hear them, the trees as they whisper to each other, the insects scuttling about their business, and the small ones, foraging for the berries.  You will feel the knowledge that is held within the oldest trees, you will also know, that within this space, you are safe.  He is the strength that we all seek, either for ourselves or in a partner to protect us, to understand our innermost needs.  Cernunnos knows all, thoughts cannot be hidden from his gaze, his wisdom is palpable.

He is the consort of the Goddess, and as such, compliments her and she him, she is of hearth and home, calmness and peaceful places, he of the forest and the wild places.  Cernunnos is the roar of the wind, he can buffet you or enfold you in his arms and keep you safe.  The two together create the balance which the world needs, which humans need, the one balances the other and in doing so, they join to become the whole. It is said that Cernunnos represents the passing of the seasons/cycles of the year, and is associated with three of the major sabats,  Cernunnos is born at Yule, the Midwinter Solstice, is married to the Goddess at Beltane and dies at the Summer Solstice, following the cycles of birth death and rebirth.  This also correlates to the Holly and Oak Kings, who fight at Yule and the Holly king is killed and the Oak King is reborn and reigns until Midsummer, the image of Cernunnos above shows him surrounded by Oak leaves.  It could also be linked to the image of the stag, as a stags antlers are constantly growing and changing throughout the year, until they are shed and the cycle begins again.  The antlers are a sign of authority and power, they are large, and not to be messed with!   To those people  long ago they may well have been a symbol that told how great this deity was.
For me, Cernunnos appears most strongly in the Autumn, perhaps because this is when the stag begins to be at its strongest, when it must fight for the right to mate, and gather his herd around him, protect them and nurture them.  Strange though, as he is supposed to die at the Summer solstice, yet I always feel him most at Autumn.  I thinks, as I also have a connection with Sandalphon, that at this time of year, the two meld into each other a bit.  The image I always have of Cernunnos, is always strong, well muscled and physically very fit and agile, whilst at the same time carrying an age old wisdom, and a slight air of sadness, perhaps because he is not with the Goddess as much as he would like, or because we humans have lost the connection we once had to the wild places, the forests, where Cernunnos reigns.

Cernunnos is depicted with animals, and quite often with a snake which has rams horns, the serpent in pagan myth is associated with knowledge, and my vision of Cernunnos certainly has a wise visage about him.  He also often has a torc about his neck or he is holding it.  This is a celtic symbol of nobility, but whether this means Cernunnos was one of noble birth or raised up to the nobility, I’m not sure.  To me it simply depicts that he IS noble, in every sense of the word.
I call upon Cernunnos whenever I feel the need for protection or to link once more with nature, whenever I feel I have lost my spiritual way, I call on him to help me find my way back to the path, I never seem to be lost for too long!

When I took my first steps down this path, I found it difficult to embrace the God (having spent 30 odd years as a Christian). I'd discovered the Goddess and amazing things were happening to me, both in my life and in the way I perceived it. It was like being reborn with a new pair of eyes, not necessarily better, but which saw things differently, which led to a completely new way of living, to me, it was like a miracle. Personally however, and this is just my view, I feel it is as wrong to just worship the Goddess as it is to just worship the God, they compliment each other and it just feels right to me. I haven't connected with a particlular Goddess or God as yet, but if I think of the idea of the God in my minds eye, I picture him as Cernunnos, for all the reasons you so eloquently wrote, I must admit, I felt tears in my eyes as I read it because you had encapsulated everything I felt.

Thank you Strangecharm. I think as we walk this path, whether we are called by the Goddess or the God, we soon start to discover the deities as they choose to show them selves to us. You'll find your particular ones as you carry on, but don't be surprised to find you are visited by different ones often, it is when we need a particular strength that the deity for that purpose will show up. Glad you enjoyed it!