05/08/2025
Lately I’ve been thinking about familiars.
Contrary to popular belief, familiars aren’t just your furry companions. Rather, the word “familiar” as it’s used in witchcraft refers more to a familiar spirit. A familiar spirit is a spirit that the witch develops a longstanding working relationship with.
A witch’s familiar can be obtained any number of ways. Some folklore suggests that witches can be given the familiar of their witchcraft mentor. Other lore even says that witches can be granted a familiar from the folkloric devil. You can also do spiritual journey work to find a familiar spirit directly in the spirit realm.
Once a witch has obtained their familiar this relationship can be nurtured any number of ways, but it is often advised that you give the familiar a home and feed it (much like a pet!) Doing this strengthens the bond between witch and familiar, and in turn fortifies the familiar’s place in the physical realm to enact change on behalf of the witch.
Historically, witches’ familiars have been described in a variety of ways, and often with odd or unusual names. (See below. I’m quite the fan of “Pyewackett.”) This, I think, reflects the very non-linear and abstract way that spirits communicate with us. They may take multiple forms, or even seemingly impossible ones. Such is the way of the spirit realm.
I think a lot of people tend to think of familiar spirits as strictly animal, but they can also appear to us as very humanoid.
Regardless of the form they take, they often have valuable things they can teach us if we take the time to listen. Working with a familiar spirit can be deeply rewarding work in the realm of witchcraft. For me, personally, I have a small team of familiars that help me with much of the work that I do. One in particular is especially helpful when I do readings for clients.
Have you ever felt connected to a spirit? Let’s talk about it!
