Under the Gardenerian / Alexandrian traditions (the most accepted and widely used by Wiccans), the Goddess is portrayed as having three faces, similar to the Norse Fates, the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She is also assumed to have two aspects, a Light and Dark side, the Healer and Warrior. These aspects are all a part of us as Her followers, powers to be called upon in times of need, or meditated on for growth in areas we find imbalanced.

However, the God is glossed over in our new traditions. I feel this may be a deep-seated dislike and avoidance of the precepts of Christianity and other mainstream Patriarchial religions, who have so long force the Earth Mother into the darkness. While I feel it a good thing to attempt restoration of the balance between Male and Female, God and Goddess, this is not the way to do it. Some traditions, namely the Dianic, completely ignore the God, and all male influance. If we continue this way, the balance will swing, and then we'll be in the same fix as before.

Here is my belief. As a nod to standing traditions, I hold that the God has two aspects; The young Summer God, and the old Winter God. Where I break from the norm is in my thought that the God, like the Goddess, also has three Faces. Like the Goddess, these aspects and faces are part of us and usable by us for power and growth.

The youngest face of the God I call the Warrior. He is a brash youth, newly come into his full growth and ready to prove himself to his mother/sister/lover, the Goddess. He has the strength and impetuosity, and the knowledge of his immortality (grin) that all young men have.

The middle, more mature face of the God, I know as the Healer. The god has grown older and sees the error of his youthful ways. He has now turned his hand to a craft and undertaken the healing of the earth and its people.

The oldest face of the God is our Teacher. The wheel has turned and life has caught up to the Aging God. He is ready now to sit back and enjoy the twilight of his life. Like all Grandparents, he is more than willing to pass on what he has learned to his younger children and grandchildren. We need but take the time to listen.