Things familiars are / can be :
A spiritual guide or protector that has no physical form
A physical pet or animal that in some way “choses” you
A protector who can sometimes sense negative energies, toxic environments and toxic people, and usually warn you about them
It doesn’t have to be a animal you “own” (as in; a pet that lives in your house). It can be a wild animal (depending on where you live) that follows you around and enjoys spending time with you
A animal or spirit that lends you energy for spells or rituals, or simply gives you energy by comforting or playing with you
A helper in some way, be it by comforting, protecting or physically aiding you in some way
A companion with witch you share a special connection
Things a familiar is not / doesn’t have to be :
Familiars souls are not owned by the devil
A super magical pet that can read your mind and does your bidding
A cat. Familiars can be any kind of animal
A pet. A familiar can be a wild animal. A pet might also not be a familiar, just because an animal lives in your house doesn’t mean it’s your familiar
For an animal to be your familiar it does not have to had chosen you in some extremely magic way.
A familiar does not have to be an animal you don’t “own”. So your dad got you a kitten for your birthday that curled up in your lap as soon as you got it or you went to the dog rescue center with the intention of getting a dog and one particular dog walked up to you straight away? Do you feel a spiritual connection with the animal you “own”? Congratulations! You have a familiar.
What kind of animal is a familiar?
A familiar can be any kind of animal. Size doesn’t matter. One witch might have a familiar that is a mouse and another might have a familiar that is a cow.
A familiar doesn’t have to be either a pet or a domesticated animal. Nor does it have to be a wild animal.
Does what kind of animal my familiar is matter?
When it comes to physical animals it doesn’t matter in the sense that any animal can be a physical companion. What type of physical familiar you have will probably be affected by your lifestyle and where you live, just like it does when talking about ordinary pets.
Spiritual familiars however can be very different, and so can (of course) the energy of your physical companion. Traditionally, animals and particularly animal spirits are believed to have different energies - sometimes called “medicine”. Depending on what type of animal medicine you channel into your craft the energies of your craft will differ from that of others. Someone who channels badger medicine will heal differently that someone who channels snake medicine. The energy of your spells will differ depending on what animals energy (or medicine) is helping you in your craft.
( If you want to read more specifically about spirit animals and spirit animal allies I personally recommend reading “The Shamanic Temple Of Witchcraft” by Christopher Penczak )
Does it make me more of a witch if I have a familiar?
There are plenty of witches who don’t have a single familiar, either spiritual or physical.
You are no less of a witch for choosing to only practice herbal magic, weather magic or any other kind of magic that doesn’t involve spirits or animals. Choosing to not have spirit or animal allies does not invalidate or diminish your witchcraft. And wanting but not yet having a spirit or animal companion doesn’t mean you are failing as a witch. They will come.
Yes. He’s a 2 year old Norwegian forest cat. His name is Tony.
Take care or your familiars and respect them. Specially if they live with you. Make sure they have the right food and stimuli. Play with them. Do “mundane” things with your familiar. They are your magical companion but also your friend.
Don’t just use their energy for rituals and then ignore their “mundane” animal needs. Remind them that they are loved and appreciated.
An animal that chooses you can un-chose you. But if you treat them with kindness and respect the will stick with you until they die, and after that you might just find them waiting for you. In the spirit world.
