Familiars

We have all heard about Familiars, and their strong connection with practitioners of the craft, but what exactly is a Familiar? And the most important question, how can somebody get one?

To start with, a Familiar is a spirit with free-will, usually in an animal form, that voluntarily decides to help a practitioner of the craft. It is believed that a Familiar provides guidance, protection, physical healing & special knowledge to the practitioner. The stereotypical Familiars are black cats, due to their strong connection to the craft and highly developed intuition. Other common Familiars are crows, dogs, toads, owls etc. Furthermore, Familiars can also be spirits, something very usual for Shamans, for them Familiars are mostly on the Astral Plane and protect them and guide them during their Shamanic Journeys. 

But, let's travel back to the Witch Trials, when Christianity took over and every spirit that wasn't an angel was considered a demon! It was believed that every Witch had a Familiar, and that it was given to them by Satan, in order to enhance the practitioners magickal powers. So, almost everyone who had a black cat or another small animal, was considered a Witch, and went through the Trials. In our days, some people still call them that way, like in The Golden Compass movie, where they call them dæmons, but they are actually Familiars.

A Familiar is recognized by the mutual respect and the connection you feel towards it, and if you don't have a Familiar, yet, here are 3 major ways to get one! First way, it will find you by itself, most of the Familiars just appear in our lives out of nowhere, and you know from the first sight that it's them. Second way, many Familiars are passed by another member of the family, a friend or even a complete stranger. Finally, the third way is meditation, once you feel relaxed and ready to start, visualize a landscape, like a forest, a beach, a river etc. Explore the landscape and observe the astral creatures around you. Pay attention to those that try to approach you and don't hesitate to communicate with them. Once you've explored many different sceneries and have found your familiar, bring yourself back and place something that represents it on your altar. In that way, you will always have it in mind and it will draw your Familiar to you.

Brightest Blessings to you and your little companions on this long journey!

)O(

Pic by Blaise

Written by Domi