One thing that I have noticed over my years of being involved in the Craft is that so many people, especially a lot of Wiccans that I meet, have at least one familiar, if not more.  Familiar’s are interesting and have an interesting history with witches throughout time.  Most of the things that we know about familiars actually come from Christian concepts about witches as well as the famous witch hunter manual The Malleus Maleficarum which presented the idea that familiars in the form of animals “always works with the witch in everything”.

Personally I think there are a lot of interesting theories about familiars today

by some in the Craft.  Let’s start with a little history, then a bit about the different types of spirit and animal helpers we might work with in our lives and magick, and then look at why your cat, dog, or other family pet may not really be your familiar no matter how much you want them to be.

The concept of the familiar spirit in history can differ greatly from the way many modern day practitioners see them.  Historically it was believed that the familiar of a witch, typically who took the form of an animal of some kind, was thought to basically be a vehicle for the spirit of the witch at night.  During the evening the witch’s spirit would take over the animal and be able to sneak around, undetected, to cast spells and cause havoc.  Another idea was that the familiar animal would guard the witch while they were sleeping or working spells to ensure their safety.  Today familiars are seen more as partners by thoughts who work with them.

Familiars, especially black cats, have long been associated with witches in history.  This is the familiar that we know and think of the most when talking about witches and their animals.  The view of familiars was that they were lower level demons or imps that where either given to the witch by the Devil upon making their pact of service, or they were passed on from another witch.  They were often though to take the form of cats but also as toads, mice, owls, and dogs.  It was also thought that some familiars could come in the form of insects and it was thought that during a trail for the crime of witchcraft, if a fly suddenly came buzzing into the court room through a window it was believed that it was the familiar of the person on trial.

Another view that may have developed later was that there were two different types of familiars who varied based on who they worked with.  Witches, still seen as evil sorcerers and people hell bent on doing harm,  were still believed to partner with malevolent spirits but cunning-folk and healers were thought to be more benign and who were helpful, helping to diagnose disease and points of illness in and on the body.  These familiars and helpers were seen as helpful and doing something that would be “good” while the work of the witch was seen as harmful therefore making their familiars somewhat “evil” or “bad”.   This may have been the source of an idea that the cunning-folk had faery familiars while witches had demons as familiars.

Another interesting idea was that familiars may have been sent to guard and watch after new witches as they began to come into their powers and learned to work with their abilities in order to protect them, not to work magick for them.

Because of the long held idea that all witches had familiars who worked spells and carried magick to its intended target may be why many modern day Witches have adopted and somewhat adapted this practice, even though in all likelihood it was more a idea imposed on magickal people of the past.   While the traditional Christian view may have been to see the witches familiar as a demon many modern day Witches see their familiar as a sort of guardian spirit.   Because of the commonality for cats to be seen as a witches familiar many modern day Witches and Pagans also have their cats and other household pets assume the role of familiar in their lives.  But it’s important to remember that it was Christians and those outside of the magickal world that imposed this idea in a widespread fashion.  It wasn’t uncommon for Witches and other magickal people to have familiar spirits in other forms, sometimes completely in spirit form.

So if we see that a familiar is a helper, a companion or magickal assistant who we work closely with in a magickal sense, we can definitely have familiars in other forms outside of the family pet.  Spirit familiars like power animals and spirit guides can also be familiars.  If you have a deep connection, if you have a sense of feeling “familiar” with them, and they are willing to help guide you and aid you in your magickal work, then they can be a familiar.

Does this mean that your cat who you has been with you for years, even before you came to the Craft, suddenly your familiar because you’re working magick?  No.  Is the pet that you went out and got when you decided that you wanted a familiar absolutely without a doubt your magickal helper?  No.  You can’t impose this sort of role on a pet, or on anyone or anything for that matter, just because you want one.

How do you know your pet may be a potential familiar then?  Just because you have a feeling of being connected or somewhat in tune with your pet on a psychic level, that doesn’t make this pet a familiar. There are signs that you can look for to see if a pet may be a possible familiar.  If you find that when you do magickal work, hold rituals, or do meditations or journeys that the pet is always present, of its own free will, not because you bring them with you and try and make them stay with you, and you feel that they are attentive and lending energy to the work.  You may feel that when the pet is present with you in these situations that they send you a directed stream of energy to you.  You may also notice that they do something to show they are protecting you during your work like sitting at the edge of the ritual space, watching and observing the energy moving around the room.

It takes time to determine if your pet is a familiar for you.  It’s not something that I can just decide, you need to respect the animal, be it physical or in spirit, and let it tell you what role it wants to take in your magickal and spiritual life.  If you find that your pet really doesn’t fill this role and you wish to seek out a magickal familiar, seek one through meditation and journey work or put the call out there to the Universe and ask for the right one to come to you.  Then it’s up to you to be open to what comes.  You might find that it’s a spider or a lizard and not a cuddly puppy.  Just know that the right magickal helper for you at this point on your path will come when the time is right and when you’re ready to receive.