An Essential Part

From the Llewellyn Tarot, the Wild Herdsman (Devil); from the Beasts of Albion, the Wolf:

Oscar Wilde wrote: "We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." I suppose on some level the early Celts recognized this, so they had no need of a Devil in their mythology. Instead, they had the Wild Herdsman (aka the Horned God) who saw it as his sacred duty to protect the natural world from those who would abuse it. Of course those who did were humankind, and it only got worse when religion underscored the belief that humans were given dominion over the earth. The Wolf was the longest surviving large predator in Britain, yet the Celts looked on this wild animal favorably. Merlin, Cormac, Brigid and Cernunnos were all said to have a wolf as a close companion. As a result, the wolf came to symbolize companionship and cooperation. It's appearance suggest we see all of creation (not just humans) as family, recognizing they are an essential part of us.

For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it. —Jacques-Yves Cousteau