The God in Wicca: The Nature of the Wiccan God

The God has been worshiped and honored since the beginnings of religion, not simply since the rise of Christianity. He is much more than simply the consort of the Goddess. He is Her equal, and Her counterpart. He is the sun, the skies, and the passion of life. He has many forms, and many different names, and it is this variety that allows Wiccans to connect with him on a personal and powerful level.

Facets of the God

Wiccans often see the God as the brilliant sun, rising and setting in an endless cycle, a cycle which controls the lives of every living thing. The sun is life, since most of the life on this planet would not exist without it. In this sense, Wiccans acknowledge that without the God, all that is on the planet would cease to be. It's believed that without Him, the world would die; this makes Him just as important as the Goddess.

All land that has been untouched by human hands is also the dominion of the God. Also, stars, which are but distant suns, are usually connected with Him, though they may be the dominion of the Goddess in some cases. The God is seen as the master of all wild animals, and as such, he is often seen as the Horned One. These horns represent his connection with the wild animals, the stag in particular. The horns in no way indicate evil, but rather an act that sustains and nourishes. Hunting is usually associated with the God, just as the domestication of animals is usually associated with the Goddess. This is not to say that the Goddess cannot be a huntress. It is simply more common for the God of the Hunt to be masculine.

God Symbolism in Wicca

The agricultural cycle, the growing, harvesting, and sowing of crops, is strongly associated with the sun, since it is the sun that makes this process possible. Therefore, it stands to reason that the eight solar holidays, often called the Wheel of the Year, are connected with the God and fall under His domain.

The God, together with the Goddess, rules sex and the rites of procreation. Wicca acknowledges that sex is a natural and accepted part of nature, and is necessary for the continuance of all species. In this way, sex is considered to be sacred, and it is the God who grants the urge to ensure that the species doesn't die out. For Wiccans, the Goddess is the giver of life, but the God is the spark, that which ultimately makes the entire process possible.

The God has many names, as does the Goddess. Many times in Wiccan thought, he is called Cernunnos, the Celtic Horned God. His symbols are the sword, spear, arrow, and sickle, as well as the wand, the knife, the staff, and many other phallic symbols. His creatures include, but are not limited to, the dog, the stag, the wolf, the dragon, and the eagle.

The God is not to be ignored in Wiccan spiritual practice. Worshiping only the Goddess, and excluding the richness of the God, is just as unbalanced as excluding the Goddess. His appeal rests in his versatility, in His many different forms and names, which allows Wiccans to personally connect to Him. He is as eternal as the Goddess, existing alongside Her, and a connection to Him is wonderful and fulfilling.