I don't have familiars; I have cats
A pet is not a Familiar. In fact, I don’t like the word Familiar in the context of a magical animal companion. This is a situation where words and definitions are not being properly used. It’s incorrect and is full of the vitriol from the trials where countless numbers of men, women, and children were put to death for the imagined crime of Witchcraft.
Ages ago, when the word first came to be associated with the animal companions of witches, it was done so by inquisitors and not the accused, the witches, themselves. The accusation of having a Familiar was added to the charges leveled against a person and in many cases, was enough to have innocent animals killed alongside their tortured owners.
The true definition of “Familiar” is a spirit who assists and serves the witch. It was believed that this discarnate spirit was housed in the body of an animal companion to provide a disguise for it so that the witch could call upon it as needed without attracting undue attention.
Even more sinister than this was the belief that a Familiar was a demon given to the witch by the devil to assist her. In both cases, a Familiar is not the animal, but an otherworldly spirit in animal form.
Obviously, the belief in a Familiar when understood in this context should be clearly seen for the medieval superstition it was. Yet, folks today who have a beloved pet, maybe even one who is attuned to and enjoys experiencing ritual with their witch, use the label of Familiar. Most who use the term don’t really believe that there’s some alter-ego lurking within Fluffy or Fido, they just like saying, “I have a Familiar.”
No, you don’t have a Familiar. You have a pet, a friend, a companion, or an extra member of the family. When faced with the truth of what a Familiar is, most modern Witches wouldn’t dream of kicking out the soul of their pet just so that an otherworldly discarnate being could dwell their for the sole purpose of serving the Witch. Yet this is EXACTLY what the word Familiar means.
The Familiar is not the animal companion, it is the spirit that dwells within the animal companion.
I have three cats. Violet, my oldest, is a cuddle-bug who absolutely adores being in ritual with me. She’s highly sensitive and will come from another room when the magic starts flowing because she’s drawn to it. In most cases, she just finds a spot to lay down and half-closes her eyes, soaking it up like she’s laying in a sunbeam. According to lots of practitioners and many recent books, she fits the description of a Familiar. I trust her in circle, she definitely knows when magic is being done, and she even turns her attention to whichever quarter has been opened. The other two cats keep to themselves when I am in circle. The only exception to this is when Bastet is invited. All three of them will then become eager and excited, darting to and from the room like hyper little kittens. I don’t use the term Familiar to describe any of them. I’m more likely to call them “my kids.”
A more accurate understanding of Familiar would be a Spirit Guide or personal Angel. This is truer to the meaning of the word than an animal companion that houses this particular being.
If your Spirit Guide lives in your pet; if you ask your pet’s advice, trusting it as a higher being; if you invite your pet into circle with you for ritual worship; or if you get messages from your pet guiding you in your life or work, then your pet is a Familiar. (Or you should find out if you should seek psychological therapy.) If your pet doesn’t do these things, then it’s a pet.
There are some ceremonial ritualists who might actually work with animal Familiars, but I don’t, and no other Witches I know have animal companions who are actually spirits living in the bodies of their pets, called upon to serve them.
So, do you really have a Familiar?
I think not.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shawn on -
I LOVE this post, Serpent!!! And you're totally right, I hear it ALL the time.. it's a bit um... well, fluffy, to be honest :)
My baby may be a familiar with the "demon given to the witch," belief, but that's stretching it ;)
I've always considered a familiar as a servitor, essentially a thoughtform that you create and um... well, feed energy, I guess, making it stronger... Something that isn't alive, but assists you in your workings. I've never thought of this as an animal, but I think some people do at times... I think Jai was talking about ferrets, or similar, but you'd have to check with him, that he envisions this type of thing as.
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Permalink Reply by Duir on -
Excellent, I agree with this. I have a cat and not a familiar. I need no imp to work for me nor do I want one. I understand the energy transfer, but see that as unnecessary. I would much rather raise energy to work with then to work with stored. If I don't feel well or am having a low energy day then I don't do rituals or energy work. Simple as that. The Universe is made of energy so I never saw the need to store it. But that is just me and my belief.
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Permalink Reply by Nightshade on -
My cat Willow is the opposite of your violet. The moment I do a ritual, even when I just preparing the sacred space- she promptly removes herself. Even when I work with Bastet. LOL.
Nice post!
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Permalink Reply by Sangraal on -
Yes, THIS! Fantastic thread, Serpent! Thanks for writing this up- one that I am sure to reference to in the future!
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Permalink Reply by Grayson on -
Fantastic Post, it makes my teeth grind when I hear witches say they have a familier!
I was at a multi group Sabbat a few months ago and there was a woman talking about her familier, a blue tongued skink, I asked her how this familier came to her, "oh, I walked into such-and-such pet store and there he was". My coven sister and I then got chatting about this and the idea was batted about that perhaps a stray animal who found YOU could be (COULD be) a spirit in animal form, but walking into a pet store and saying I'll have that one please is you buying a pet! not summoning a familier! LOL
So, once again, Hurrah! for common sense! :D
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Permalink Reply by Rattlegrasshare on -
I have a familiar :p
But he doesn’t reside in the physical plane (and doesn’t need to). I like your post; it puts into words something I have been struggling with for a while. Whenever I heard someone say their pet was a familiar it made me uneasy but I could never pin down why I didn't like the idea, especially as I have my own 'spirit' familiar. I don’t really like the idea of servants, my familiar is much more a friend, lol he gets bored as I don’t ask his help all that much because I hate to put upon him.
A more accurate understanding of Familiar would be a Spirit Guide or personal Angel is exactly what he is for me.
An animal that is attuned to the 'otherworld' is still the animal not a vessel for something else and personally I think that's much cooler than having a spirit servant stuck in physical body they don’t need just to do your bidding.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Renee on -
Very good information indeed!! Thank you for clearing that up for me....as a seeker...I've read all about 'the familiar' and it just has never set well with me...there is one to check off the 'don't bother' list:))
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Permalink Reply by Elise on -
*stands up and applauds*
Yes! A hundred times this!
Every time I read something about "your pet is your familiar," (and they even sometimes say that "it is so, because you are a witch after all!") I want to scream/gag/commit a witchicide. :P
I agree with Shawn about that a familiar is (a construct). I can't imagine a creature from another plane would willingly become a human's familiar... But maybe that's just me. :)
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Permalink Reply by Oakthorne on -
Aaaand now it's time to play Devil's Advocate. :)
You are exactly right about what a Familiar - or Famulus - is.
You are exactly wrong about whether or not they are real.
You are exactly right that your pet is not your Familiar. I would never give over a beloved pet to act as the vessel for a Famulus, though I might be willing to go and rescue one from the pound and care for it in exchange for it occasionally acting as the vessel for my Famulus.
It is important to note the distinction between what the witch trails said a familiar was, and what witches themselves say they are. Your list of criteria - asking its advice, trusting it, inviting it into Circle, receiving messages from it? All imposed on the idea, not original to it.
A Familiar acts as a connection to a Power that you do not interact with regularly. Despite what some people believe, not all spiritual powers are interested in coming to you - sometimes, you have to go to them. That's all well and good, but sometimes you don't want to trek a couple of miles to interact with the spirit of that old oak tree, or the genius locus of that mountain. Sometimes you don't want to journey into Inner Planes to deal with these entities, and you damned sure don't have the authority to command them to come to you.
In those instances, your dealings with that entity may be sealed by it granting you a famulus spirit, a lesser reflection of its domain, to act as your go-between. It's benefits are specific. There are forms of divination that can garner messages from that entity using that animal. You have it work magic on your behalf by telling it what you want it (or its master) to do, and then letting it out of doors at night. When it returns the next morning, you feed it, with a bit of your blood mixed in.
These are not the things that people mean when they say "familiars" today, I grant you.
But don't you for a moment make the mistake of believing there is no such thing.
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Permalink Reply by Riverstone on -
Cute posting, I liked it mainly fort this reason; my pets are my responsibility. They are like children in that they would never be able to care for themselves in the outside world. I do believe a living spirit resides there in my beloved pets, and I do believe they connect me to the deeper compassion, love and responsibility, friendship and companionship that comes from caring for one of these living beings. It is difficult for me to believe that most human beings see having a pet as the privilege that I perceive it as. (Considering the number of abuse and neglect cases which exist). As you, I believe familiars to be a misunderstood term. Because of the way I see my pets; as beloved children. It feels awkward to me when someone calls them a familiar. It would be like someone calling one of their human children a 'familiar', though I suppose that would be 'changeling', or something like that (I digress). If 'familiar' becomes a pet term, a term of endearment, rather than an imposition of supernatural attributes upon an unsuspecting pet; I think I could learn to like it. That is not, however, how I see it being applied.
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Permalink Reply by Lady Elyria on -
Great posting serpent, I find it wonderful when our dog Pandora joins us in circle she to responds to the quarters when they are called and she evern goes desoil in circle ( that always seems to amaze people when they first join us in ritual), we always tease that she is so foucused that if she could learn to cast a circle we would all be in trouble.....
Animals are highly in tune with the energies but I agree they are not Familars in the sense, they are family
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Permalink Reply by Strata on -
I don't *think* that Serpent is saying that familiars are not *real.* Though I could have misunderstood considering I've had a headache for three days now, my reading comprehension is FAIL... but I think she was trying to get across the point that *most* people have a misconception of the word. They believe any pet that they have a strong bond with to be their "familiar" when, in fact, they do not have a familiar at all.
She does say that *some* (ceremonialist) work with familiars, but that she does not.
Either way this is fabulous information that you have added to an already fabulous post!! Thanks to you both!!
Oakthorne said:Aaaand now it's time to play Devil's Advocate. :)
You are exactly right about what a Familiar - or Famulus - is.
You are exactly wrong about whether or not they are real.
You are exactly right that your pet is not your Familiar. I would never give over a beloved pet to act as the vessel for a Famulus, though I might be willing to go and rescue one from the pound and care for it in exchange for it occasionally acting as the vessel for my Famulus.
It is important to note the distinction between what the witch trails said a familiar was, and what witches themselves say they are. Your list of criteria - asking its advice, trusting it, inviting it into Circle, receiving messages from it? All imposed on the idea, not original to it.
A Familiar acts as a connection to a Power that you do not interact with regularly. Despite what some people believe, not all spiritual powers are interested in coming to you - sometimes, you have to go to them. That's all well and good, but sometimes you don't want to trek a couple of miles to interact with the spirit of that old oak tree, or the genius locus of that mountain. Sometimes you don't want to journey into Inner Planes to deal with these entities, and you damned sure don't have the authority to command them to come to you.
In those instances, your dealings with that entity may be sealed by it granting you a famulus spirit, a lesser reflection of its domain, to act as your go-between. It's benefits are specific. There are forms of divination that can garner messages from that entity using that animal. You have it work magic on your behalf by telling it what you want it (or its master) to do, and then letting it out of doors at night. When it returns the next morning, you feed it, with a bit of your blood mixed in.
These are not the things that people mean when they say "familiars" today, I grant you.
But don't you for a moment make the mistake of believing there is no such thing.
© 2011 Created by Sangraal
