Anti-witch books such as the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch's Hammer, the medieval tome that explained how to hunt witches and kicked the hysteria into action) say that familiars are demons disguised as animals provided by the Devil to be witches' servants. A familiar is not a demon; it is a companion spirit or an actual animal that is more of a partner in magic, not a pet or a servant. They help witches with their spells, answer questions and give opinions, and communicate with witches in a special way. Just remember to first politely ask the animal if it would like to be your familiar! Ideally, it should be an animal that you live with, so that you can take care of it and interact with it. You do not need a familiar to be a witch, but it's always helpful to have one!
Familiars don't necessarily need to be physical. Maybe you can't have a pet, or your pet doesn't want to work with you. (Pets are not automatically familiars.) If you need the help of a tiger for a certain spell, good luck trying to keep one as a pet! It's easier to call on the astral form of the Tiger. Unless you live in a zoo, it's usually easier to call on the astral form of a specific animal, because you likely won't have access to the physical body of the animal. You can also communicate with and call on mythological creatures, such as unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and gryphons, which only exist in the Astral. Animal guides come from Native American and Shamanic traditions, but witches can use a version of them.
There are two simple ways to find your own animal guide. One thing you can do is cast a spell for a sign of the unknown animal. Then some time after, you may see something depicting an animal, or the actual animal in nature, and you'll know when you see it. Another thing you can do is go into meditation and meet the animal in the Astral, face to face. Then you can converse with it and ask it questions. For information about the magical abilities of specific animal spirits, see the Your Spirit Animal correspondences page.
(To get a good idea of what an animal spirit guide is, think of Harry Potter and the patronus. The patronus will always take the form of that person's animal spirit. So Harry's is a stag, Ron's is a dog, Hermione's is an otter, Ginny's is a horse, Dumbledore's is a phoenix, etc. Another good example in media is the daemons in His Dark Materials.)
Cats are the most famous witch familar:
"Cats can be harbingers of coming prosperity and good fortune. A cat of three colors is extremely lucky and will keep a house from harm. A smutty-nosed cat will bring wealth to its companions. Stroking a cat's tail nine times grants good luck in love. And just sharing your home with cats will bring you many blessings. Cats are known to hold the spirit of the witch they belong to and will protect [witches] against evil." -- From Book of Shadows by Kelly Fillon
This is a spell for calling on your cat's magickal abilities or asking a cat to be your familiar.
Littlest Lion, Panther in miniature,
Help me in my magical endeavors,
Teach me to see my path through dark places,
Help me to sift the necessary from the unnecessary
And to relax and enjoy life.
Strengthen my magic and carry it to its destination.
--From Animal Magick by DJ Conway
Here are some other familiar spells:
Dog
Goddess-companions, we trail the truth
Understand our night-cries!
We guide and protect Her children.
Heed our warnings!
We sing to the Moon to show you the way
To ancient Moon magicks!
We stand at the gates between the worlds.
Follow us!
Horse
Pounding hooves, tossing mane,
Take me swiftly on life's journey.
Loyal friend, take me to a place of safety.
Lift me over the obstacles in my path.
Phoenix
Out of ashes, new beginnings,
Out of fire comes new power,
Out of darkness, new day dawning
Phoenix, help me in this trying hour.
Wolf
The mournful cries rise in the night
We are seeking!
Wolves' song greets the Moon so bright.
We are brave and wise!
Sleek, muscled bodies beneath the Moon
We help turn the wheel of death and rebirth!
By our magick we send a boon
Of true dreaming!
Deer
Woodland dreams of intuition come with the graceful deer.
I greet you, brothers of the forest.
Your gift of magick will brighten my life.
Transformation will come to me.
Like you, I stand listening to the drumbeat of life,
Poised to follow my guiding spirits.
Lynx
Keeper of the ancient secrets,
Teacher of the hidden skills,
Open my heart and mind to wisdom.
Fill my days with strengthened will.
Reveal the fearful truth of being,
The part of us we fail to see.
O lynx of smiling, hidden secrets,
Bring aid and wisdom now to me.
Crow
Prince of thieves, cunning and swift,
Your black wings glide among the trees.
Your harsh laugher breaks the silence
As you preform your stealthy magick,
I would learn your cunning and swift magickal ways.
Raven
Wing so black it shines like the Moon at midnight,
O Raven strong, hear my cry!
Teach me old magick, powerful, bold,
O Raven, eloquent and wise.
Bat
Dark night flyer, lift me higher
To realms of life where loved ones go,
That I might find joy, mind to mind,
My heart hurt less. I miss them so.
Teach me that death can hurt much less
If I accept it as no end,
But see it true, just another view
Of life continuing round a bend.
Owl
Soft darkness of night, a time of deep magick,
Your realm, great owl whose eyes see reality in the darkness
I would call up wise and deep magicks,
Magicks bold and strong, creating change.
Hawk
Soaring, gliding, wind-current riding,
Hawk of wisdom, creativity,
Seeking, hover, bright Sun-lover,
Bring inspiration now to me.
Swan
White bird of graceful beauty.
Lift my thoughts to spiritual things.
Let me not be confined by physical matters,
But aware that spiritual outcomes guide me.
I seek higher knowledge.
Show me the way.
Dragon
Dragons strong and dragons bright,
Dragons full of wisdom old,
Teach me the spiritual light.
Let me walk with knowledge old.
Dragon fire, lift me higher!
Unicorn
A child of the unicorn, that I would be.
Your goodness and wisdom reflected in me.
Let me seek for the good things that brighten my name.
For gentleness, purity, abundance, and fame.
Let me know that my power is forever unbound,
That what's given in love circles right back around.
Griffin
The griffin in its mighty form
Stands at the gates between the worlds,
And ushers the seekers of
Initiation, enlightenment.
The wisdom-filled Doorkeeper
Guards us from the dark sides of ourselves.
Until we gain the strength and knowledge
To bring the dark into submission,
Guard and guide me, O Great Griffin!
The Spell to Ask an Animal to Be Your Familiar:
By the Moon that shines at night,
And the Sun so very bright,
I ask you once,
I ask you twice,
But more than twice would not be nice.
With a wag, a croak, or mew,
Pray tell me now what you will do.
Will you my familiar be?
Give your answer unto me!
Source: Animal Magick by D.J. Conway
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Book of Shadows
Non-FictionSo you want to learn magic? This is a manual of magic in which I have compiled all the basic information I've learned about magic so far. In this little grimoire you will find theory of magic, types of spells, lists of herbs, oils, and stones, pant...
