Above you see an image of Pashupate and the Temple of Pashupate in Nepal. The royal house of Nepal is linked with the worship of this ancient diety. Pashupate is the Hindu god of wild animals and is pictured as an entity with horns. He is the Hindu version of Cernunnos and Ochossi. Coming from the Indo-Aryan area of the world, it is possible that the worship of Cernunnos was comtemporary with the worship of Pashupate. Where does that leave us in linking the worship of Ochossi in Africa? Since Africa is too far away to be linked geographically to these primordial rites, one has to assume that the cult of Ochossi descended from african hunting societies independent of any other influence. This just goes to underline the universality of religions that are connected to worship of natural forces.
Herne is one of the Celtic versions of the Hunter God in England. He is particularly associated with Windsor Forest. Herne is the god of the Wild Hunt. He is seen here with his dogs, participating in the ghostly hunt. Dogs are very much associated with Ochossi and many say that he is the owner of dogs, not Ogun. Because Herne was said to be seen at night, he became associated with the spirits of the night and instilled fear in many. Herne is also associated with magic and witchcraft. This is also very true of Ochossi. Ochossi is one of the few Orishas that are considered to be witches (brujos). Living in the woods with all the different spirits and entities that abound in the african rain forest, Ochossi has great magical power. Ochossi is also the Orisha of intelligence. When one is praying to Ochossi and imploring his help, one should always ask Ochossi to give one the intelligence to solve one's problems. The Orishas help those who help themselves. When working with the Orishas, you cannot just sit back idly and expect them to solve all your problems without putting any effort yourself into the matter at hand. Santeria is a path that requires a lot of just plain old work. The rituals involved are sometimes long and complicated. You must study and learn so that you can be effective, as well as do many physical tasks in the correct manner. Santeria is a very "earthy" religion and is definitely not for the armchair occultist who is not willing to do any physical work or "dirty" his or her hands in any way with physical labor.
