Animals are magical creatures and the connection formed between you and an animal companion, pet, or fur-baby is indescribable. But, it’s very popular in the Pagan/Wiccan/Witchcraft community, in person and online, to describe this connection using the term Familiar.
They are not the same thing.
A Familiar was never the animal a Witch keeps close. A Familiar is a discarnate spirit, either summoned or created by the Witch, to assist in magical work.
The connection between a Familiar and an animal companion comes from the vitriolic accusations made by inquisitors who accused people of Witchcraft in the Middle Ages and afterward. Countless men, women, and children were put to death for this imagined crime. I say imagined because if there were any actual pagans or witches who were victims, they numbered in the minority. The Witch Trials were a religious and political attack against groups the Church did not want to compete with, or on a broader level, the accusation of witchcraft was thrown at someone unliked, unpopular, or different from the rest of the community. 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.
Pope Gregory IX in his Papal Bull of 1237, targeted black cats as minions of Satan and while he didn’t directly give the order to unalive them, he certainly influenced the holocaust against them that followed for centuries and still lingers to this day as superstitions against them.
The true definition of a Familiar is a spirit who assists and serves the witch. It is this spirit that may take the form of an animal companion, if it’s to be visible on the material plane or might enter the physical body of an animal companion (possession). This is done so that the witch’s working partner doesn’t attract unwanted attention.
Because the inquisitors were Christian, and because anything spiritual outside of that faith was evil, the Familiar was thought to be a servant of the Devil sent to the witch to assist her. In all of these cases, the Familiar is not the animal but an otherworldly spirit in animal form. Yet, folks today who have a beloved pet, maybe even one who is attuned 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 in this context.
A more accurate understanding of Familiar would be a similar to Spirit Guide or personal Angel. 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 magic; or if you get messages from your pet guiding you in your life or work, then your pet is a Familiar.
If your pet doesn’t do these things, then it’s a pet.
The act of summoning or creating a Familiar is within the realm of Witchcraft, but I’ve seen it more often done in Ceremonial/High Ritual Magick than among Witches. If you choose to work with a Familiar, it’s perfectly reasonable, and in my opinion a better action, to just keep a Familiar in spirit form. The linking of it with an animal companion was always an accusation from Church Inquisitors anyway.
Years ago, one of my cats, Violet, loved to participate in ritual with me. She was highly sensitive and would come from another room when the magic started flowing because she was drawn to it. In most cases, she just found a spot to lay down and half-closed her eyes, soaking it up like she was laying in a sunbeam. According to lots of practitioners and recent books, she fit the description of a Familiar. I trusted her in circle, she definitely knew when magic was being done, and she even turned her attention to whichever quarter had been opened. I loved her deeply and we shared a special bond.
I understand that language is fluid and terms and expressions will change over time. Maybe that’s just the way it’s going for the word Familiar. I accept that. But it’s important to know and remember where the word comes from. Remember to appreciate and understand the history of it. There’s a certain feeling of claiming ownership of the word Familiar as a Witch when you pat a dog’s head, scratch a cat’s chin, or talk to your parakeet.
Just be aware of where the word comes from, the weight and meaning of it, and take that into consideration with respect if you’re going to claim it.
The Keeper's Path 