i like what i see you doing with this... but be aware that Cernunnos is not ONLY a "stag god." By focusing too much on the life cycle of the deer itself, you might be missing out on a lot of the other symbolism and power of Cernunnos.

i believe that Cernunnos is a stag god because the stag is the "king of the forest," in the same way that the lion is the king of the Serengeti or the panther is the king of the jungle. i know that bears and boars are more powerful than stags, in their own way. But if you look at the history of the Celtic woodlands of Europe, and all of the history of the people who have lived there and worshipped there - it's the stag that is regarded as the most powerful symbol of the lordship of the forest. The Celts would naturally have visualized the God of the World in a stag form, because that's what they saw as the most strong and noble image of the forest. As the Lord of the Forest, Cernunnos would have to be a Horned God, because the horns of the stag are His crown - not because his power is tied specifically to the life of deer in particular.

The only "problem" i could see with what you are doing is that by worshipping only the deer aspect of Cernunnos, you are missing out on some of the most powerful elements of who and what He is. Cernunnos is the male force of the universe. Everything that is masculine - power, agility, courage, dedication, raw rutting sexuality - is wrapped up in Cernunnos. He is the Lord of the Forest, the Horned God, the Lord of the Harvest, the Master of the Wild Hunt, and the Sun King. Everything that is man, Cernunnos embodies. To fully understand and worship Him, you need to understand all of these aspects.

The flip side of this, of course, is the feminine aspect. That is what makes Wicca what it is - the male/female duality. you can't fully understand the Wiccan sabbats unless you have a grasp of this duality.

Cernunnos is the Lord of the Forest, but traditionally He is not the Lord of the Sky. He defends the animals of the Forest, but He is not the one who gives birth to them. Cernunnos as the embodiment of masculine energy doesn't make a lot of sense unless you also consider the feminine side. Cernunnos is sacrificed, spilling his blood and his life energy to bring new life to the earth and its creatures. This is the "Sacred Hunt." For Cernunnos to make this sacrifice, there must be the feminine side to sacrifice him and receive His blood (and His semen) to be impregnated and give birth to new life.

i am actually a lot like you in terms of personal beliefs. i think that a lot of Wiccans focus too much on the feminine side, as a reaction to the patriarchal Judeo-Christian image of God. The pendulum swung too far the other way, in my opinion. Sometimes i resent the fact that to be Wiccan, i "have" to worship the Goddess as well as the God. i am a man, and not only that i am a gay man - so even my sexual experience is focused entirely on the male side. It has been difficult for me to find others who share this understanding and want to celebrate masculine energy in its own right, instead of just some sort of "add-on" to the Goddess because She can't get Herself pregnant, or to give Her Diana aspect somebody to hunt and kill.

But the fact is, to fully worship Cernunnos you have to put Him in the proper context, which means that He is one half of the duality of the universe. i am not saying that i believe you "must" worship a feminine aspect. i am just saying that you have to be aware of it, or else you won't really understand the Sabbats.

There are two classes of Wiccan holy days - the solstices and equinoxes, and the "cross-quarter days" which fall between the solstices and equinoxes. The cross-quarter days are actually the more important and powerful days of the Wiccan calendar, so there is more symbolism tied up in them. Also, you have to look at the oppositions - Ostara and Mabon, Beltane and Samhain, etc. - a lot of the symbolism of the Wiccan Sabbats is revealed in comparing oppositions to study how they are parallel and how they are different.

Also keep in mind that the Wiccan Sabbats have a lot of agricultural ties. The Horned God is the Lord of the Forest, but He is also the Lord of the Harvest. The life cycle of plants and the harvest isn't necessarily the same as the life cycle of animals, which can make it confusing and a little difficult to find exact parallels in the Sabbats for what you are looking for.

So given all that context, here is my input on the Sabbats...


Yule/New Year's Day - traditionally these are the same. It's only a trick of the Roman calendar and the precession of the equinoxes that the calendar day of New Year's Day has "migrated" away from the winter solstice. In the Wiccan tradition, Yule represents the death and rebirth of the Male aspect. Cernunnos has run the Hunt, has been captured and sacrificed, and poured his blood and his life energy out over the world to impregnate the Goddess. At Yule, the shortest day of the year, the old sun dies. The world holds its breath and all is silence and stillness, hoping and praying for the Goddess to give birth to the new sun.

As you pointed out, around mid-December male deer begin shedding their antlers - this is exactly the same time that the winter solstice takes place. The shedding of antlers is a very powerful symbol of the death of the Horned God.

i'm not sure why you would need to observe Yule and New Year's Day as separate days. They are so close together in time and in meaning that it seems to make more sense to unite them.


Imbolc/Candlemas - this is the first "cross-quarter" Wiccan holy day. Your description is very accurate in terms of Wiccan belief. Imbolc is the first budding of green shoots. The hoped-for rebirth of the Sun God at Yule becomes manifest in the world, and the earth begins to reawaken. The world rejoices at the first outward sign that the God has been reborn, and gives thanks that His power will bring life and sustenance in the months to come. The Horned God passes from infancy to childhood and becomes aware of the world around Him and the power that He holds. The swelling of the bellies of does as the first outward sign of the fawns growing within them is a good parallel.


Ostara/Spring Equinox - the first blossoming, as you have described. Spring fulfills the promise of the first sprouts that displayed at Imbolc. Cernunnos passes from childhood to youth and feels the first rush of life energy and sexuality in His loins, as His "horn" awakens and His Manhood becomes manifest. The God and the Goddess join as youth and maiden in their first mating of raw sexual power, wild and orgiastic and exhilarating. Their life energy rushes out into the world and imbues the earth with power. The first flowers are filled with life energy so they can grow into the fruit that will feed the world.


Beltane - the second "cross-quarter" holy day. The God passes from youth into manhood. His raw power and sexuality are tempered with wisdom, responsibility, honor, and courage. Beltane is not an orgiastic day in the same way that Ostara is - Beltane represents the attainment of maturity, knowledge, and wisdom. Beltane is sexuality in its fully mature state, focused on the creation of new life rather than simple satisfaction of lust. The God and the Goddess make a commitment to join together and work together and share their power and energy as husband and wife, protector and nurturer, with an awareness of the future. This is why marriages have for so long been traditionally performed on Beltane. At Beltane the God and Goddess embrace their maturity and become the Powers of the World instead of simply indulging in their own private passions.

In terms of agriculture, Beltane is the first budding of fruit - apples and pears drop their flowers and the small buds that will grow into fruit first appear. The wild passion of the first flowers is cast away, and the appearance of the buds of fruit represents the promise of the ultimate fulfillment of the God's and Goddess's marriage.

For your purposes, the appearance of antlers and the birth of fawns are good representations of Cernunnos acquiring maturity and moving from youth to full manhood, from simple sex to taking on the responsibility of children and a family.


Litha/Midsummer - the longest day of the year, and the height of the God's power. Cernunnos fulfills His destiny and is crowned as the Summer King, the conqueror and defender and protector, the Lord of the Forest. But this day also is a shadow of what is to come - from this point forward, the Summer King's power will begin to fade and the life cycle will turn. This day marks a celebration of the ultimate fulfillment of the masculine life force, but also the first recognition of its turning toward Yule's death and rebirth.

The gathering of the first fruit also occurs at Midsummer - it is a celebration of the richness of the life that the Summer King brings. Midsummer is in opposition to Yule - just as Yule begins the year with birth and growth, the promise of fulfillment but not yet being fulfilled, Midsummer begins the second half of the year with maturing, ripening, the fulfillment of life and promise, but also its inevitable aging and decay and death. Fawns wean off of their mothers, men assume the full mantle of their destiny, and their parents feel pride but also a sense of loss at the inevitable separation.


Lughnasadh - the third cross-quarter day; the first harvest of grain, and the beginning of the harvest season. All of the power and fertility of the God and the Goddess become fully manifest in the world. Antlers shed their velvet and emerge full and complete. The Forest rejoices in the abundance of the harvest, and gives thanksgiving to the God and the Goddess for providing the food and life the world needs. Just as Imbolc was the first outward sign of the rebirth of the God, Lughnasadh is the first outward reaping of the promise of life and food and sustenance for the world.


Mabon/Autumn Equinox - the height of the harvest. The trees begin to turn color and shed their leaves to prepare for sleep. The year has turned, and from this point forward the dark is longer than the light. All eyes are forward now with a full awareness of the coming winter and our need to prepare for it. The Forest rejoices at the height of the harvest that all of the animals will have the food they need to live through the winter. Where Ostara represents wild orgiastic sex with no thought of the future, but simply reveling in the moment, Mabon represents the opposite - facing the dark, planning for the future, and beginning to prepare to survive the winter. I have never heard Mabon being associated with the passing or death of Cernunnos - that happens at Samhain.


Samhain - the final cross-quarter day, and to a lot of Wiccans the single most important day of the calendar of the year. Samhain is the end of the harvest. The God's power has waned. The Stag has reached the end of His fertile life, and His kingship grows old and begins to fade. He unleashes the Wild Hunt as His "last hurrah," the last burst of power. The bucks begin to compete for mates, beginning the last burst of sexual energy of the mating season before they lose their "crown" of antlers for the winter.

But even as Cernunnos leads the animals of the Forest in the Wild Hunt, He is aware that the Goddess is behind Him, tracking and hunting Him. The God sees his own mortality and recognizes that his power is fading. He realizes and accepts the truth that he must be sacrificed for the world. The wisdom and maturity he attained at Beltane reach their fulfillment as the God accepts his role and his duty. He embraces the sacrifice with courage and love for the Forest, and bravely faces what must be done. In most traditions, the God as Lord of the Forest is slain on Samhain; in a few traditions, as the Sun God He is slain and reborn on Yule.

In a larger sense, Samhain is the festival of honoring all of those who have died and gone on before us, giving thanks for their sacrifices for our sake, honoring their lives and embracing the turning of the wheel of life. Cattle are slaughtered and the last of the food is put away for the winter. The rejoicing of the harvest is over, and everyone must face the cold and dark and hardship of the winter with courage.

For your purposes, the focus on death at Samhain fits well with the beginning of deer hunting season two weeks later. As the Horned God dies at Samhain, so too over the next few weeks the deer are hunted and slain. It is a necessary part of the cycle of life, just as the sacrifice of the God is necessary. Some die so that others may live.


Yule/Winter Solstice - explained above. In some traditions, the God dies and is reborn on the same day, just as the sun reaches its shortest day and weakest point and then begins to grow stronger again.