FAMILIARS/FAMILIAR SPIRITS

FAMILIARS/FAMILIAR SPIRITS

Familiars/Familiar spirits:

HISTORICALLY familiars were not “a witch’s pet that they just love so much.” They were helpers. They were spirits that paved the bridge to the other side for you to help channel more power. They surfed the waves of your spell and helped guide the currents to the correct target. They were never physical, though people may or may not see them as if they were physical. Which explained why they could disappear mysteriously when people looked away.

That is not to say that language can’t evolve. I’m not going to stop a witch/warlock from saying they have three familiars; a cat, dog, and a parakeet or something like that.

The familiar spirits could be gifted to someone, whether through “old scratch” or the Queen of Elphame, depending on your tradition. But this was not true in every tradition. Some magicians artificially created their own, the famous ones being the Jewish Golems that served much the same purpose as a familiar spirit.

Through working with these spirits, it helped to you to accomplish your will on the magickal spectrum of things. If you want to say they’re your pets, go for it. But familiars are also meant to protect their Practitioner. Would you want your pet to take a hex meant for you?

Some pointers in working with your familiar spirit:

1. A home. Give your familiar a spirit to reside in when not accomplishing your will. And to strengthen its hold on the material realm. These can be literal small houses you’ve made for them, or a clay sculpture made in it’s likeness, or even a doll.

2. Stay on a friendly level with them. Neglect and outright rudeness will cause any spirit to become reticent in working with you. Unless it’s made without those thoughts/feelings.

3. Keep them hidden from other Practitioners that you don’t trust. All magick users have at least a toe on the other side. They may seek to garner favour with your spirit to hinder/harm you.

Your path is your own though. You do NOT have to work with one, nor do you have to work with them in this manner. I am in no way an authority on familiar spirits and magick. Either take what you can from my post, or tell me to heck off and do your own thing.

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