Witches throughout the ages have been known to have familiars. Cats. Toads. Snakes. Owls. Familiars have kept us warm in the cold nights, and been some of our only friends. Who can blame us? Animals just arnt quite capable of the emotional damage humans are. Everyone needs friends of some capacity. Why not a little dependent creature who loves us? Also, familiars isn’t about ownership, its about companionship and bonding. Today, I want to talk a bit about what they are, and how they are so amazing.
What Truly is a Familiar?
Text book definitions of a familiar all state something along the lines of : in close friendship. This has been known to be anything from personal amulets, rocks, and live animals. In Witchcraft a familiar is used for so many things. Protection, Guidance. Something to channel or amplify energy with.
I havent found an exact date where they go back to. They seem to be regarded a lot during the Witch Trials in Europe. From what I have read it seems that the idea of inanimate familiars is ore of a modern day practice. Small animals that were about to “become invisible” or hardly be seen were the most common. They needed to be able to sneak around and be unseen. Some accounts state they were used to spy and get information for young witches. Other accounts state that they were used.
How Many Can You Have?
Most people chose only one familiar, as only one familiar usually choses a person. Your craft is your own so if you feel called to have more then do what you want. I am not confortable enough in my practice yet to have one. I love the idea but Ive got so much going on right now. My house is currently flooded with three cats and a dog. At one point i owned one cat, one dog, and 19 reptiles. Plus a little spider named Aragog. It was amazing. One day ill have a reptile room again…… But as I always preach, its your practice. Do your research and do what you feel called to do.
Forming The “Contract”
I’ve seen many different forms of binding to the animals. Some people say it chooses you. Others make a whole ritual out of if. For me personally Id make a ritual of it. I would want to call on the elements to open me to a familiar and use ritual to guide me as to what type of familiar. Most likely using a divination tool or two like Oracle decks and a Pendulum. I require a lot of guidance and reassurance in my practice and life in general. We are working on the self confidence hahaha….I feel the most called to cats or owls. I feel like an owl would be amazing.
When Should You Chose?
Like I preach… Do your research. Its your craft. Personally i feel like A lot of research should be done before acquiring a familiar for both your safety and that of the animals. Make sure you have the ability to care for them properly and legally are allowed to keep them and so on. Don’t put yourself or an animal in danger by not knowing the laws and their required care. It sounds mundane but this is a task you have to research both the magic and human parts of.
Thanks for joining me on another episode of whatever the hell is going on here. I’m sorry for the delay. With the holidays and my mental health its been bumpy but I am getting back into it! If you have any questions comments or concerns feel free to reach out!
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