More on Familiars

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Witches and familiars, especially the cat, have long been associated. The similarities between the two are numerous, the strongest being resourcefulness and independence. Regardless of gender, both are called "she". Both have also enjoyed a long history of being deified and maligned in many cultures. Not every cat is a candidate for a familiar and not all witches like cats. There are those times, though, when a witch meets a cat and the magick is so strong the two definitely belong together. Bonding instantly is magickal, however, the relationship must grow with love and respect. It is well known that cats see very well in the dark. Their eyes reflect light which enables them to get a double dose of the available light. A cat can alert you to the presence of another human, animal or bird in the dark. There are rituals to strengthen this psychic bond.

Here, from an eighteenth century Book of Shadows, are instructions for the training of the cat to occult use:

"To be performed every evening, at the same time, in the same place....Adapt the cat to sit close by you, facing in the same direction you face which shall be the place where the moon will rise. Stroke gently but firmly with love in your hands until its purrs and your breathing are heard as one sound. Now you and the cat possess the same will, your eyes will see as its eyes see, and your thoughts will travel together. The time has come to work spells and cast enchantments for power is doubled through the agency of your familiar." Witches All, Grosset & Dunlap, 1977

Cats can be finicky. They also adapt, though they may not like the changes. So if you are a first-time cat friend here are some tips to aid you in your new friendship:

• Cat likes her food served in the same place and preferably at the same time each day.

• Prepare a comfortable resting area for Cat using a box or basket with a pillow or blanket tucked inside. Mint tucked under the bedding helps deter fleas and ticks.

• Cat is very fussy about being clean and will lick her coat many times a day. The fur accumulates in her intestines and creates hairballs which can make her ill. So brush Cat often.

• If you place a collar on Cat, be certain it is expandable. If the collar gets caught on something, Cat could choke. With an expandable collar, she can slip out easily.

• Cat will eat meat. Loves it. She needs other nutrients, however. So choose a good quality canned food and dry food to supplement her diet. Always keep a bowl of fresh water available to her. Watch her for she can easily become a Fat Cat.

• Cat does not like being followed. She will investigate any new premises until she feels comfortable that it's safe.

• Cat will have at least three names and one is her secret. Sound familiar?

• If Cat lives indoors either provide a Cat Door for easy access to the outdoors or a kitty litter box that's always in the same place. The litter box must be emptied about every day to keep her and you happy. Another indoor cat must is a scratching post or your furniture will be her target.

• Last but definitely not least - every once in a while Cat loves a little catnip to roll in and chew. Fresh from your garden is perfection. Dried will do.

Dogs

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My neighbor's dog just barked as if to say, "Remember me!"

Dogs, too, aside from being man's best friend, have journeyed with the Gods and are wonderful familiars. The Goddess, Artemis often traveled with a hound at her side. Although not as finicky as Cat, Dog is protective and loving and giving. Unlike Cat, however, Dog comes in all sizes - small, large and XL.

• Dog's rest area needs to be comfortable and large enough for his size. If he doesn't mind, the mint will work here, too.

• Brush, brush, brush. Dog will always be your friend. Also check for ticks, fleas and other problems

• Dog also appreciates something to chew. I suggest something other than your shoes or table legs.

• Dog needs exercise so plan to walk Dog everyday or allow him to romp in an enclosed yard. A Dog door should come with the yard.

• Dog's diet is important. He'll eat most anything and that's the problem. Choose healthy dog food and treats to keep him happy.

• Identifying collars are slowly being taken over by tattoos these days. You'll need one for a leash if you walk Dog.

• Dog is a devoted and lifelong friend. Treat him like one.

• The spell above can also be used for Dog.

source: http://www.amagickgarden.com/pages/wrpages/wrfamiliars.html#Anchor-14210

NOTE: Although Cats and Dogs are the most common familiars, many of us have felt an affinity for others of the animal world: A lizard, perhaps. A bird. Some birds can even speak our language. A personal animal totem we've each discovered on our travels. The above spell still holds true for any familiar, with a few changes, no doubt.


Familiar Spirits

Familiar

In early modern English superstition, a familiar spirit, imp, or familiar (from Middle English familiar, related to family) is an animal-shaped spirit who serves for witchery, a demon or other magician-related subjects. Familiars were imagined to serve their owners as domestic servants, farmhands, spies, and companions, in addition to helping bewitch enemies. These spirits were also said to inspire artists and writers (compare Muse).Familiars are considered an identifying characteristic of early modern English witchcraft, and serve as one feature setting it apart from continental or New World witchcrafts.



Familiars in European and British mythology
Familiars are most common in western European mythology, with some scholars arguing that familiars were only present in the traditions of Great Britian and France. In these areas three categories of familiars were believed to exist.


1.
The first is a human familiar, found throughout Western Europe.
2.
Second are divinatory animals, found in Great Britian and France.
3.
Third are maleficent animals, found strictly in England.

Types of familiar spirits

The most common species identified as familiars are cats ( particularly black cats), owls, dogs, and sometimes frogs, toads, crows,lynx, snakes or hares. In later cases, familiars moved to more ethereal forms, often taking the shape of a "black man" (some claim a relation to Shadow People) thought to be representative of Satan.



Familiars are generally animals. They usually have some magical power or are simply there to advance the story. Dangerous familiars are in the forms of weasels, puppies, and toads. Familiars were also animals or birds that sucked witch’s blood.

On the eastern side of England, in places like Suffolk familiars are said to be more common. Eastern familiars were cats, ferrets, mice, moles, toads, and dogs. Familiars sucked blood and were known to eat bread, raw meat, and drink milk.

Each Familiar grants special abilities to the chosen ones they visit. The first visit often occurs during childhood (between 4 and 6 years old). Each Familiar has a special power inherent to it and it is often difficult to know and learn the powers they offer as a gift.

Shadow People

Image:Shadpeeps2.jpg

Shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are said to be shadow like creatures of supernatural origin that appear as dark forms in the peripheries of people's vision and disintegrate, or move between walls, when noticed.

Reports of shadow people are similar to ghost sightings, but differ in that shadow people are not reported as having human features, wearing modern/period clothing, or attempting to communicate. Witnesses also do not report the same feelings of being in the presence of something that 'was once human'. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or attacked by shadow people. There have also been reports of shadow people appearing in front of witnesses or lingering for several seconds before disappearing. Witnesses report that encounters are typically accompanied by a feeling of dread.

Two commonly-reported types of shadow people

Accounts of shadow people typically describe them as being black humanoid silhouettes with no discernible mouths, noses, or facial expressions, though accounts also exist of them being child-sized humanoids or shapeless masses that sometimes change to a more human like form. The eyes are usually not described as being discernible but in some reports glowing eyes are mentioned. The color of the eyes is red. Often they are described as staring at the floor.

Generally, they are described as lacking mass, though their specific nature varies from a two-dimensional shadow to a vaporous or distorted three-dimensional form.

Their movement is often described as being very quick and disjointed; they may first move slowly, as if they were passing through a heavy liquid, and then rapidly "hop" to another part of a witness's surroundings. Some witnesses describe this movement as though the shadow entities they have seen "danced" from one wall to the next, or as moving around the room "as if they were on a specific track".

Some accounts describe what appears to be the outline of a cloak, and in some instances the outline of a 1930s style fedorahat. This last type is referred to by many alleged witnesses on the Internet as the "hat-man" due to its prevalence among Shadow people sightings.

Various depictions and artists rendering have been posted on the Internet.

Witch trials

The most evidence of familiars comes from the English and Scottish period during the 16th centuray and theth century. The court system that tried witches was known as the Essex witchcraft trials. The Essex trial of Agnes Sampson of Nether Keith in 1590 displays proof of a divinatory familiar. This evidence shows Sampson being tried for high treason and the court wants to prosecute Sampson for attempting to use witchcraft on King James VI. The court documents Sampson for stating familiar spirits came when she called it and resolved her doubtful matter. Another evidence of a familiar appearing in an Essex trial is that of Hellen Clark tried in 1645. This court documented Hellen and she stated that the devil appeared as a familiar in the form of a dog.

The English courts reflect a strong relationship between the witch and the familiar.

During the English Civil War, the Ryalist general Prince Rupert was in the habit of taking his large poodle dog, named "Boye", into battle with him. Throughout the war the dog was greatly feared among the soldiers of Parliament and credited with supernatural powers, evidently considered a kind of familiar . At the end of the war the dog was shot, allegedly with a silver bullet.

Familiars in modern fantasy

In many modern fantasy stories, a magician's familiar is a magical creature. In many cases the power of the familiar is directly proportional to the power of the magician.

The form taken by the familiar is also influenced by the personality of its master as in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, though the comparison is not perfect, the nature of Pullman's demons being dissimilar from standard notions of a familiar. The relationships between familiars and their masters vary by story. Some familiars do not have free will and are nothing more than tools of their masters while others are willing servants who can make their own decisions and would leave their masters if mistreated.

Yekyua

Yekyua is a class of Yakut spirits that remain hidden until the snow melts in the Spring. Each yekyua is associated with a particular animal, and they act as familiars for the Yakut shaman. The most powerful are attached to female shaman. The type of animal manifestation also determines the power of the yekyua. For example dog yekyua have very little power, while elk yekyua are quite powerful. A mammoth yekyua is most powerful. Only shaman can see the yekyua.


Shikigami

Shikigami are a kind of spirit summoned to serve a practitioner of onmyôdô, much like a western familiar. Shikigami cannot be seen by most people, but according to the Heian period onmyôji who were said to control them, shikigami often looked something like a child-sized oni demon. Although invisible, shikigami supposedly could, at the onmyôji's command, take a variety of human or animal forms, possess or bewitch people, and even cause bodily harm or death.

oni demon

The famous onmyôji Abe no Seimei was believed to be particularly skilled at manipulating shikigami, and even had them performing odd jobs around the house. The Twelve Heavenly Generals were said to be among the shikigami that he employed.

The Twelve Heavenly Generals

An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in olklore and superstition. The word is related to impious and derives from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.

Imps are usually described as mischievous more than seriously threatening, and as lesser beings rather than more important supernatural beings. The attendants of the devil are sometimes described as imps. They are usually described as lively and having small stature.


Imps in folklore

Some accounts of imps treat them as capable of being turned to good, because they are so desperately lonely they would do almost anything — even commit good deeds — to have a committed friend; however, it is regarded as almost impossible for any imp to fully forsake its "impish" ways.

The Ancient Greek demigod Pan has some features in common with an imp, but this is unlikely to be a direct connection, since the imp concept probably belongs to Germanic rather than Hellenic tradition. However, imps are sometimes described as fond of music, and capable of being charmed into making a promise to aid, and "do good" in that manner through music — though there is always likely to be some mischievous trick to be attached to the barter.

Imps were the common name given to familiar spirits that served witches in the middleages. Imps were usually kept inside artifacts such as gemstone pieces or vials and summoned for service by magics. An example of such an imp is one that was supposedly under the service of the alchemist Paracelsus, who supposedly kept one locked inside a crystal in the pommel of his sword.