Not having a favorite God can be a positive thing. That scenario permits me to explore the possibility of working with the one that is a perfect fit for the cause and effect of the spell I may be working at the time. I mean, could you see me invoking a God of justice when I'm working on a MidSummer ritual?
It's my belief the Deities are generally easy going and versatile, but also have their own brand of specialty power. And I believe they aren't always so serious either. Yes, I can completely see Hades making life miserable in the Underworld He reigns over. I can also see Him smiling at Persephone each time She returns to Him after spending the summer in the light with Demeter. Even though Hades rules in the Underworld, He makes no judgments there, that duty falls to the three Demi-Gods who were chosen to carry out that task.
I can totally imagine Dionysus holding court, passing around the wine and encouraging all manner of joy and divine ecstasy and I can as easily see Him bringing forth brutal and blinding rage. These were just two aspects of the characteristics of His dual nature, much like the duality of the effects of overindulging in wine. Yes, Dionysus is also believed to be able to bring someone back from the Underworld, and this gives Him the perfect aspect of the culling the vines in the vineyards to prepare them for rebirth in the summer.
And then there is Manannan Mac Lir. Most of you know I am a sea Witch, I'm drawn to and get most of my balancing energies from the ocean. Each time I am blessed with an opportunity to spend time on the beach I come away with a message from Manannan Mac Lir. Manannan is closely tied to the Tuatha De Danann and the first time I felt His voice deep in my soul, I wasn't sure what I had heard. He was my introduction to the Fae and from there I have developed an unquenchable thirst for any and all things associated with Faerie.
Lastly, I've recently become more aware of Cernnunos or as many call Him, The Green Man. I've always been aware of Him as The Horned God while knowing He wears many faces. Though He wears a human face His energy and His concerns are non-human. He is the protector of animals and it is Cernnunos who is the law-sayer of hunting and harvest. While He is recognized most often through His connection to animals and our own deeply buried, dimly recalled, instinctual animal natures, Cernnunos is also a tree, forest, and vegetation god in his foliate aspect of The Green Man.
