~ Familiars ~
Deva Bluewing
Non-Pagan history describes
familiars as low-ranking demons in constant attentionto Witches for
the purpose of carrying out spells and bewitchments. Familiarsusually
assumed animal forms - cats, toads, owls, mice and dogs seem to have
beenthe most common - though virtually any animal or insect could be
suspected. In the Witchcraft Trials, if so much as a fly buzzed in the
window while someone suspected of being a witch was being questioned
or tried, it was said to be her (or his) familiar.The inquisitors took
the Bile to heart: those who had familiars were "an abomination unto
the Lord" and should be "Put to death: they shall stone them
withstones: Their blood shall be upon them" (Lev. 20:27).
Familiars - also called imps -
were said to be given to Witches by the Devil or bought or inherited
from other Witches. A Witch could have several of them. Cats were
thefavored forms, especially black ones. The fear that all cats were
Witches' familiarswas one of the primary reasons for the famous cat
massacres that swept through medieval Europe.
Familiars were given names like any household pet,
which most of them undoubtedlywere. Perhaps the best known familiar
name is Pyewackett, the monicker the Witch's cat in the movie Bell,
Book and Candle, and a name that dates back to Renaissance England.
Pyewackett, Matthew Hopkins (the famous Witch hunter) stated, was a
name "no mortal could invent."
During the Witch hysteria of the Middle Ages and
Renaissance, the obsession with familiars was confined mostly to
England and Scotland, where they are mentioned innumerous trial
records, especially those related to Hopkins. The Witchcraft Act of
1604 made it a felony to "consult, convenant with, entertain, employ,
feed, or rewardany evil and wicked spirit to or for any intent or
purpose." But the Malleus Maleficarum (1486),the major Witch
inquisitor's handbook, offers no instructionsconcerning familiars in
the interrogation and trial of Witches. The book does acknowledge that
an animal familiar "always works with the Witch in
everything."
There is a scant evidence of familiars in early
American Witch trials. In the Salem Trials in 1692, John Bradsheet was
indicted for "inciting a dog to afflict." The dog was tried and hanged
as a Witch.
Outside of Witch trials, more benevolent familiars
were believed to exist, servingwizards and wise men (and women) who
were magicians or village healers. The familiars helped diagnose
illnesses and the sources of bewitchment and were usedfor divining and
finding lost objects and treasures. Magicians conjured them in
rituals, then locked then in bottles, rings and stones. They sometimes
sold them as charms, claiming the spirits would ensure success in
gambling, love, business orwhatever the customer wanted. This sort of
familiar was technically not illegal;England's Witchcraft Act of 1604
prohibited only evil and wicked spirits. Somefamiliars were said to be
Faeries. Oberon was a popular name for fairy familiars in 15th and
16th century England.
Many modern Witches have animal familiars, usually
cats, which are their magical helpers. Some also have dogs, birds,
snakes or toads. Witches do not believe the familiars are "demons" or
spirits in animal form but simply animals whose psychicattunement
makes them ideal partners in magical workings. Some Witches say thatit
is possible to endow pets with magical powers and turn them into
familiars, thoughothers don't believe it should be done. Still others
believe familiars are never "pets"(and should never be treated as
such) but are animals who volunteer to work asfamiliars and are
Karmically attracted to Witches. Witches who do not have familiars
send out psychic "calls" to draw the right animal.
Familiars reputedly are sensitive to psychic
vibrations and power and are welcomed partners inside the magic circle
and other magical work. They also serve as psychicradar, reacting
visibly to the presence of any negative or evil energy, whether it
bean unseen force or a person who dabbles in the wrong kind of magic.
Familiars are also given psychic protection by their Witches. Some
Witches it seems also use theterm familiar to describe thought-forms
created magically and empowered to carry out a certain task on the
astral plane.
Sorcerers and shamans in cultures around the world
also have helpers in the form of spirits. Dispatching them on errands
to heal, harm or kill - called sending. The physicalshape of a
familiar varies. New Guinea sorcerers rely on snakes and crocodiles,
while in Malaya, the familiar is usually an owl or badger passed down
from generationto generation.
Throughout Africa, the wild creatures of the bush
are said to be Witches' familiars: for the Lugbara, they are said to
be the toad, snake, lizard, water frog, bat, owl, leopard, jackal and
a type of monkey that screeches in the night; for the Dinka, they are
black cobras and hyenas. The Zulus' familiars are said to be corpses dug
up and re-animated with magic; they are sent out at on night errands
to scare travelers withtheir shrieking and pranks. In Shamanism, a
novice shaman acquires his familiar spirits, usually manifesting in
animal, reptile or bird shapes, when he completes his initiation. He
or she may send them out to do battle in his or her place, but if they
die, so does the shaman. Familiars usually stay with their shaman
until death, thendisappear. Among certain Eskimos, the familiar is
embodied in an artificial seal, not a live animal.
In closing, what I usually instruct in this area is
that the student of magic who feels that they have found a familiar is
that they should practice an exercise called "TradingPlaces" by Keith
Harry. This exercise is simple enough to memorize and to practice, and
though it was not written specifically for bonding with an animal familiar
it was designed for becoming familiar with an animal, and inducing a
mystical experience.I think you will readily discern its value in the
acquiring of a familiar.
Trading Places
Exercise
Objective:To trade places (mentally) with a
dog or cat, or other animal. Setting:Home, Zoo, Wilderness, etc.
Instructions:
1. Relax your body as completely as you can. Calm your mind,
eliminating all thoughts which do not relate to your intent and
purpose. Sit so that you are comfortable, and as nearly as possible on
the same level with the animal you willbe working with. Lie down if
you like. The important thing is that you are able tocomfortably make
eye contact with your animal partner in this exercise. It is
alsoimportant to satisfy yourself that the animal is likewise
comfortable and secure with you.
2. Take a deep breath. As you slowly exhale, look into the
animal's eyes, and imaginethat a part of your awareness is being
transmitted through your breath into the animal'smind. Watch the
animal breathe, and imagine that a part of its awareness is being
transmitted into your mind.
3. Continue looking directly into the animal's eyes until you
fell your consciousness merge with the animal's
consciousness.
Benefits:
As the boundaries between you and the animal
dissolve, you may feel as if you've really traded places with a member
of another species, as though a part of you hasbecome the animal -
this is the height of subjective merging. You may begin to
feelcompassion for another species. You'll also probably recognize
some of the artificial differences between the human and animal
worlds. You may be able to feel or sensethe actual flow of the animals
emotions and mental imagery. Should you accomplish this then it should
be no trouble for you to contract with the animal to serve as your
magical partner. Asking another to become such a partner also places
upon you the responsibility of becoming its partner. I would not
recommend contracting an animal to become your familiar and then
treating the animal as a pet. A pet is something you possess, own. A
Familiar, to my way of thinking, is an individual who has entered
intoa mutually beneficial relationship (partnership) with you, and
therefore should be afforded the respect and consideration due a
partner.
Sources:
The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft - Rosemary Ellen
Guiley
Twelve Exercises For Inducing Mystical Experiences (Omni Dec.
1988) - Keith Harary
