The Horned God of the Witches

by Jason Mankey

  Lucifer, the Light Bearer

  There are even many Witches today who actively worship the figure of Lucifer, who is often linked to the Devil. Lucifer is not a name found in original versions of the Old or New Testaments of the Christian Bible, but instead is the Greek translation of the term Day Star, which in Greek was most often translated as “light bearer” and often linked to the Morning Star, which is the planet Venus.171 In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, a prophet writes that a corrupt Babylonian king will fall from his high perch (“How are you fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!”).172 This idea was misinterpreted as being about the Devil, with people erroneously thinking that light bearer was another name for this figure.

  The idea of the falling Day Star led to the myth of “Satan falling from heaven” in many Christian traditions (Figure 13). Jealous of humanity, this version of Satan leads a rebellion against the Christian God, loses his fight, and is thrown out of heaven along with his followers. Satan then takes command of hell and spreads evil around the world. None of this is really in the Bible and contradicts the actual use of Satan in the Old Testament, which simply means “obstacle.” 173

  As a “light bearer,” the figure of Lucifer began to be associated with wisdom, which tends to be the version of Lucifer generally honored by some Witches. On occasion this Lucifer is seen as being in conflict with the Christian God, but only because the God of the Christians would prefer to see us live in ignorance. The first book ever published on the subject of Modern Witchcraft included Lucifer as a god of the skies who was kicked out of heaven for disagreeing with the Christian God.

  Charles Leland’s (1824–1903) 1899 work Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches purports to contain the rites and rituals of a group of Italian Witches who worship the goddess Aradia and her parents, Lucifer and Diana. The beginning of the book opens with a passage documenting the birth of Aradia:

  Diana greatly loved her brother Lucifer, the god of the Sun and the Moon, the god of Light (Splendor), who was so proud of his beauty, and who for his pride was driven from Paradise.174

  Lucifer shows up as a light bearer and the source of wisdom in the writings of several other nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century occultists who would go on to influence Modern Witchcraft. Aleister Crowley called Lucifer “not the enemy of Man, but he who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; … ‘Know Thyself!’ ” Helena Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, wrote that Lucifer was “the angelic Entity presiding over the light of truth,” and called him our redeemer, intelligence, and savior.175

  Figure 13: Lucifer.

  Lucifer is most often depicted in Christian art not as

  a light bearer but as a falling angel cast out of heaven.

  Several well-known Witches have expressed their admiration for Lucifer over the years. The Clan of Tubal Cain in England, founded by Robert Cochrane (born Roy Bowers 1931–1966) and later run by Shani Oates, honors Lucifer as the “Young Horn King” in their rites. In her written work, Oates states that the group’s Magister (ritual leader) acts as “the ‘son’ of the Morning Star” and align themselves to the “potencies of Lucifer.” 176 She later states that Lucifer is seen by some in the Craft as the “supreme deity” of Witches. Such devotion to Lucifer among Witches is not typical, but to some Witch traditions he’s most certainly an important figure. Ignoring that to make a small group of Christians feel better about what we do as Witches feels dishonest.

  In art, Lucifer tends to be pictured as a beautiful young man, lining up with the idea that he’s a fallen angel. Due to the belief in some circles that Lucifer is the equivalent of Satan, he is sometimes shown with horns. But what really links Lucifer to the Horned God is that both figures are deities of the earth. If Lucifer is a fallen star, then he’s a part of this planet, not off sitting on a cloud or waving a pitchfork around several miles underground. That the Horned God is a part of the earth is essential to understanding him, which is why some Witches see Lucifer as a part of the Horned One.

  As we’ve seen, Margaret Murray’s influence on the Horned God in Witch circles has been enormous, and while Murray believed that the Witches of the early modern period were worshipping a survival from pagan antiquity, she also believed that figure had been corrupted and confused with the Christian Devil. That confusion was not limited to those fighting against Witchcraft; it was also part of the Witch religion she believed she was documenting. Murray believed that at some point the Pagan Horned God absorbed the Christian Devil, with Witches actively worshipping the Horned One as the Devil. In her book, Murray equates nicknames for the Devil (such as “Old Hornie”) with nicknames for the Horned God, further muddying the waters.

  Most of Murray’s ideas about how the “Witch-cult” operated are looked at with skepticism by modern scholars and by many Witches. But one of the things that has made Murray so influential over the last hundred years is the fact that she quoted actual witch trials, and the things she quoted sometimes end up in our own rituals. Several years ago, I was at a ritual where I was told to put my left hand on top of my head and my right hand on the sole of my right foot, which is an awkward pose that comes straight from one of Margaret Murray’s books.177 Did actual Witches in 1601 do that? It’s hard to trust any sort of “confession” that comes from someone being tortured, so probably not, but it’s a tidbit that comes straight from someone believed to have worshipped the Devil.

  In The God of the Witches, Murray lists six activities of Witches: admission ceremonies, dances, feasting, sacrifices (of both human children and the leader of the Witch-cult), orgies, and magick. None of us today are engaging in any human sacrifices, but the Horned God as a willing sacrifice figures in many Witchcraft traditions (something we’ll get to in Chapter Fourteen). The other five activities Murray lists are all things engaged in (or at least not frowned upon, in the case of orgies) by Modern Witches, and many of them are called demonic by those lacking a sense of humor or sympathy toward the Craft of the Witch. I’m also of the opinion that the Horned God has a role to play in all of them.

  A God of Sex and Pleasure

  After nature, the one thing I see most associated with the Horned God is sex. Even horned gods not generally depicted in a sexual way in pagan antiquity, such as Cernunnos, are sometimes pictured with erect penises to bring them more in line with the greater image of the Horned God. Without question, I think sex is important to the Horned One (Pan wouldn’t want it any other way!), but I believe it comes with certain caveats.

  As a god of nature, the Horned One lives in harmony with the earth. On occasion he takes from it, such as when hunting or harvesting food, but then he also gives back to it. As a sacrificial god, he gives his essence back to the earth so that crops might ripen in the field. He also takes care of and respects the natural world. To be a true follower of the Horned God, one has to accept responsibility for one’s actions and attempt to live a life that respects others. And this same type of behavior also applies to sex.

  To be blessed by the Horned One, sex, at a bare minimum, should take place only between consenting adults. Ideally, any set of sexual partners should look upon one another with respect, all while taking responsibility for their actions. This means everyone agreeing verbally to sex, and then taking the necessary steps to ensure that sex is safe. The Horned God is down with blessing condoms! Sex should not be the end result of lies or false pretenses. Sex is an act that should uplift the people having it, not degrade them or be used as a way to gain dominance over another individual.

  Occasionally I’ll hear other Witches talk about sex in the context of the Horned God as something having to do exclusively with fertility, but this is wrong. Yes, the end result of certain types of sex is children, but thinking that sex is simply for procreation is limiting. Many human beings like to have sex simply because of the pleasure that it brings. If one is actively seeking a child, then sure, fertility is a part of sex, but the vast majority of s
exual encounters between adult humans have nothing to do with trying to create a baby. And since the Horned God embraces all forms of sexuality and sexual identity, sex in the context of the Horned One can’t be limited to strictly vaginal intercourse.

  Unlike members of some other religious traditions, Witches view sex as a sacred gift. It’s not a cosmic test of morality; it’s simply an enjoyable part of human existence that we are free to engage in with a consenting partner(s). I see sex as a blessing from the Horned God, and when we engage in it responsibly, we grow closer to him.

  Feasting

  As a deity tied in the bounty of the earth, the Horned God can certainly be seen as a god of feasting. While I don’t think wasting food is a responsible or neighborly activity to engage in, we all overeat on occasion, and I think it’s safe to say that such indulgence is part of the human condition. Nearly all the major holidays celebrated in the world today include some sort of feasting; a desire to share food and drink is nearly imprinted upon our DNA. Not surprisingly, Christians during the period of the witch trials tended to look at anything that brought joy into people’s lives as sinful, and equated feasting among Witches with the sin of gluttony.

  While most Modern Witches don’t sit down to a gigantic meal during the course of an average ritual, feasting, at least in a metaphorical sense, is still a part of most Witch ritual. The rite of cakes and ale (or cakes and wine) is a celebration of the earth’s abundance and fertility and is traditionally blessed by the gods of the coven celebrating it. For many of us, that means blessings from the Horned One, or from directly named deities such as Dionysus or Cernunnos.

  A simple feast during ritual serves a variety of purposes. It’s a mini celebration of thanksgiving and, through libations, provides us with an opportunity to honor our gods. Food and drink also helps to ground the body after raising energy and working magick, but perhaps most importantly, cakes and ale is a bonding exercise. Sharing food and drink is one of the most intimate things we can do with other people.

  The original sabbat celebrations of many Modern Witches didn’t include much in the way of work and were generally about celebrating the change of seasons. That celebration often involved feasting. Even today, there are Witch covens that enjoy a bit of feasting after ritual, which is why most open circles in the Pagan world feature a potluck dinner at the conclusion of their rites.

  Food and drink also bring us joy, and I’ve always believed that the Horned God wants us to experience joy. I’ll admit that some of the happiest moments in my life have involved a bottle of wine or Scotch, always shared with friends and loved ones. But I’ve also been incredibly happy while sharing a magnificent meal with my family. Holiday meals spent around my grandma’s dining room are some of my most cherished memories.

  Magick

  Like Modern Witches, the Witches of Margaret Murray’s Witch-cult practiced magick. That magick generally involved their Horned God as a source of, contributor to, or instigator of that magick. While it’s hard to imagine Pan sitting still long enough to cast a candle spell, magick is about more than spells. Aleister Crowley defined magick as “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will,” and if there is one thing the Horned God can do, it’s act as an agent of change.

  Though not often thought of as magick, the power of gods such as Pan and Dionysus is something I can’t help but think of in a magickal context. With a well-placed scare, Pan could get well-trained armies to turn on themselves, and today his presence in the circles of many Witches helps to lower inhibitions. (Have you ever seen a hundred people after a Pan ritual? It’s going to be a good night for a lot of them!) Dionysus brought divine madness to his followers, helping them to experience ecstasy in his name. If that’s not magickal, I don’t know what is.

  The Horned God’s connection to magick goes deeper than just practice. In some Witchcraft traditions he’s seen as the force that gave magick to the world, and more specifically, to we humans. Certainly, Lucifer as a god of wisdom might fulfill this role; the gift of knowledge includes the gift of magick after all. Other figures related to the Devil and Lucifer, such as Azazel from the apocryphal Book of Enoch, were said to share magick with the world. Azazel was said to have given magick specifically to women, in effect creating the first Witches. (We’ll deal more with Azazel in chapter 17.)

  In a broader cosmic sense, it’s the magick of the Horned God that helps the seed to sprout and the leaf to fall. As the heart of nature, he’s the magickal essence that turns the seasons and brings about the annual rise and fall of the world’s wild spaces. Magick is about more than spells on the altar, it’s about the energy that moves the world and the universe. As a figure connected to that essence, it’s the Horned God who helps keep the world spinning round.

  Dancing

  Traditionally Pan was a god of the dance, and today the Horned God is seen as one too. Dancing during ritual serves a variety of purposes, but perhaps most importantly is an excellent way to raise energy.178 When we contract and relax our muscles, we are creating energy, and what’s left over from moving our bodies can be infused with intent and then used for magickal purposes. Dancing to raise energy is especially common at the public rituals of many Witches because it’s easy and something most people can do.

  But dance is about more than raising energy; it can be trance-inducing. In a trancelike state, we are often more receptive to seeing the gods and experiencing magickal energies. In the rites of many Traditional Witches, dance is used expressly for this purpose and often leads to sightings of the Horned God during ritual.

  Dancing is also simply something that’s full of joy. Dancing allows us to truly live in our bodies, and with every footfall we are connecting to the earth. When used as a communal activity, dancing helps us to connect with one another, and we all know the Horned God likes it when we connect with each other! Dancing indulges all of our senses: it’s a whirlwind of sights, physical sensations, sounds, and even smells! Dancing is also something we do simply because it brings joy, and joy is a feeling the Horned God wants us to experience.

  Initiation

  The first modern public Witches were generally part of initiatory groups. At the time it was believed that for one to receive the rituals of Witchcraft one must join a coven, and the only way to join a coven was to undergo a rite of initiation. The Witches documented in Margaret Murray’s work also allegedly underwent the process of initiation, but instead of one simply being allowed to join a coven afterward, the initiation ritual involved giving one’s soul to Satan for eternity. Often this involved kissing Satan (or his representative) on the bare buttocks or signing one’s name in a book. (If anyone ever suggests to you that you should sign away your soul or kiss them in an inappropriate area, run far away as quickly as possible. No real Witch would ever suggest a thing.)

  Today’s initiation rituals don’t include any ass-kissing or soul-selling, and they are no longer the only entryway into Witchcraft, but I believe they still have purpose. According to Merriam-Webster, to initiate someone facilitates a beginning, instructs in the learning of something, and also means “to induct into membership by or as if by special rites.” 179 All three of those definitions play a part in Modern Witchcraft initiation traditions. Most often initiations aren’t just an entryway into a tradition, but are also used to share knowledge and provide instruction in a ritual setting.180

  In Witchcraft, initiation rituals can be complex (especially if one is joining an established tradition) or exceedingly simple. In some ways the first spell we ever cast as a Witch is an initiation into the mysteries of magick. Likewise, our first-ever meeting with the Horned God is an initiation into his mysteries.

  Christian churches often have trouble with groups and institutions they can’t control, and frequently accuse those groups of being un-Christian and perhaps even Satanic. The medieval order of the Knights Templar was wiped out by the French monarchy working in tandem
with the Catholic Church, for example. Most likely the Church and Crown coveted the wealth and influence of the Templars and used allegations of Devil worship to destroy the order. Most specifically, the Templars were accused of worshipping Baphomet, who was later reimagined as a goatlike entity in the nineteenth century. (We will spend a bit more time with Baphomet later in this chapter.)

  Even in the twenty-first century, allegations of Devil worship plague fraternal orders, especially the Freemasons, the most influential initiatory order of the modern era. Established in the seventeenth century and descending from Scottish stonemason guilds, the Masons have influenced countless fraternal orders and religious and spiritual groups, such as the Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons) and today’s Witches. Initiation rites within Wiccan-Witchcraft have been strongly influenced by the Masons and contain many Masonic terms and initiation techniques.

  For our purposes, what’s most important within Masonry is the idea that some sort of Devil or Horned God lies at heart of the order, and according to some influential Masons, it very well might. Albert Pike (1809–1891) was one of the most influential American Masons in history, and is hugely responsible for much of the occult imagery and ideas found within some Masonic rites. Pike joined the Masons in 1850 and served in the order until he died over forty years later. For much of that time, he served as the head of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite (a role he would play from 1859 until his death).181

  (While Pike is an influential figure in many occult circles, he is not someone to idolize, and if I met him today, I’d probably punch him in the face. He was extremely racist, and there are many who believe he had a hand in creating the Ku Klux Klan, which in its original incarnation used rituals also inspired and adapted by Masonry. Pike’s inclusion in this book is by no means an endorsement.)