A familiar is an animal guide or companion in the physical realm. They sometimes take on a similar form to your animal guides in the spirit realm (a wolf would be a dog, a tiger a cat, an eagle a bird, etc).

While your familiar can be your pet dog or cat, or another household pet, they can also be a pet or animal you did not necessarily choose, like a stray, or an animal from the pound or animal shelter that you just had to have, for no particular reason, just that you felt an immediate connection with it. Your familiar can also be a native animal that you found, and nursed back to health, often one that cannot be returned to the wild.

Familiars can be trained to take part in ritual, but only if they want to. You should never force your familiar to take part in any magickal working. Only attempt to train your familiar for rituals if it expresses an interest in taking part - for example, your cat suddenly prefers your altar to the bed or couch, or your dog starts scratching at your door every time you cast a circle. Familiars, however don’t need to be trained to lend their energy to your magickal working. They can lend you their energy just by being in the room with you while you perform your magick. Training a familiar often means teaching it to help you cast a circle, or bring you certain things during ritual, etc.

Because your familiar chooses to be with you, it can also choose to leave if it has to - this is usually in the form of your pet disappearing without a trace all of a sudden. While it is important to try to find the familiar, and while it is very very distressing, it is important to let go - understand that it left for a reason, maybe someone else needs the company of your familiar more than you do, maybe the familiar’s job is done and its time for you to learn new lessons on your own or with a new familiar.

When naming your familiar, try to give it a name that suits its personality. Think about naming it after your favorite deity, or thing in nature. The name will come to you eventually, and when it does, you will know if its right or not.

You can not make a familiar come into your life - however, this ritual can help bring your familiar into your life.

Cast the circle in your usual way, call the quarters and invoke the God and/or Goddess. Light the incense. As you light the white candle, say the following:

Imagine a colored light flowing out from you into the circle, where it is held for a short time, increasing in circle. You may repeat the above words a few times if you wish.

Take the pen and paper, and write down all the reasons why you want a familiar in your life, and how you think a familiar could help you grow and change. You might wish to write a small letter to the familiar. When you are ready, fold the paper up, and hold it to your heart. Now light it from the flame of the white candle, and drop into the cauldron or other heat proof container.

As it burns, chant the above words, and see the colored light flowing out from the circle into the universe. Close the circle, and thank all beings that you invoked.

When the paper is fully burnt, make sure the ashes are very powdery. Take them outside, and throw them to the wind as you chant:

If it is the right time, your familiar will come into your life shortly.

One of the hardest things to do is name your familiar. This ritual will help you chose a fitting name, or even find the name your familiar already has.

You won’t need much for this ritual, except your usual circle casting items, and a pen and some paper. You might also want to have some colored pencils, pens or crayons with you.

Cast the circle, call the quarters and invoke the God and/or Goddess like you normally do. Spend a short time in quiet meditation, to clear your mind. If possible, have the familiar in the circle with you - you might want to bribe them with a favorite toy or favorite food. If you can’t have your familiar in the circle with you, a photo or even a mental image of them will do.

Think about your familiar - how it came into your life, what it looks like, any specific markings, its personality, habits, etc. As you think, write down anything that pops into your mind, no matter how strange or unimportant you might think it is. Try to avoid naming it after physical markings like Dot or Spot or Stripe or Patch....if it has a spiral pattern on it, think of what spirals mean to you in a physical sense. Or if it has a specific marking over a chakra point, think about what the marking is, and what chakra it is, etc. Look at everything about your familiar in a spiritual way, not a physical way. If any God or Goddess names come into mind, write them down.

If you are seeing pictures in your mind while you think about your familiar, now is the time to draw them down - they don’t have to be perfect, just rough sketches. After all, no one is going to see them except you. Take note of colors also (this is where the colored pens and pencils and crayons come in handy).

Don’t spend too much time on this - an hr or less is enough. You may repeat it over a few days, and look at all your results at the end. Note things that keep coming up, or things you drew or wrote down that catch your attention. Meditate on everything you have written down - you may want to start eliminating some possibilities. Meditate for a while, and spend lots of time with your familiar. Don’t push yourself too hard - if you give yourself time, a perfect name will come to you from what you have been writing down or drawing.

Blessed be,
Taliana WolfSpirit



Email Taliana WolfSpirit at:
taliana@ihug.com.au