Familiars, not to be confused with the closed Native American term/concept of Spirit Animals, are, in short, familiar spirits that can aid a witch in their magical practices. In pop-culture, you mainly see familiars referenced as stereotypical witch-related animals such as ravens/crows, foxes, black cats, or bats. As with many witchcraft related things that are shown in pop-culture, this is a misrepresentation. Foxes, ravens, crows, and bats are not only quite dangerous to work with, but a familiar can range from your pet hamster Fluffy to your Great Dane named Tiberius. Note: not all pets are familiars! For people who believe in past lives and their domestic (note: physical) familiar has died, they may try to relocate the familiar spirit.
So, how do I obtain one?
Well, obtaining a familiar is both simple and difficult. People often jump right to their pet, thinking that of COURSE it’s their familiar, it’s their pet after all. But in reality, most pets have no interest in your practice, whereas a familiar will. It is a wild misconception that a familiar is only an animal, in reality, the familiar is not the body it inhabits, but the spirit. Meaning, you do not need a physical animal to have a familiar, but your familiar can take on the body of an animal/pet/etc. There are familiar summoning spells (some linked below) – and if your kitty takes an interest in your magic, it may very well be a familiar!
Spirit companions and familiars may seem to have a lot of crossover, but they are very different entities that hold a similar purpose. Spirit companions do not tend to take on a physical body, whereas often times familiars do. Spirit companions are also mainly astral and spirit work based, familiars have more of a physical world base and are not as related to direct spirit work.
Can my familiar perform magic?
In short, not really. Familiars are not there to cast spells (your cat isn’t going to give you a tarot reading, trust me, I’ve tried), but rather to help and strengthen YOUR magic/witchcraft. Familiars often help using their energy and presence rather than actually ‘casting’ spells, drawing tarot cards, etc.
How can I tell if my pet is my familiar?
Takes interest in your magical practice.
Does not shy away from witchcraft.
Seems to want to be around you when you are performing rituals/spells/etc.
Immediate strong bond.
Honestly, use your intuition! It will be different for everyone.
Spirit animals vs familiars:
So, I’m not going to discuss this much because the concept of spirit animals and totem is closed. But I will mention that familiars are NOT spirit animals, not even remotely the same thing. Please do not call your familiar a spirit animal and please do not use the term unless you are Native!
Everything else I could find was inaccurate, highly appropriative, outdated, or all three.
Conclusion:
Go with your gut feeling and intuition on familiars, sometimes you just “know”, sometimes you don’t. The experience of familiars is different for EVERYONE. It can take some time to actually find one. If you’re in the market for adopting a new pet, maybe take familiars into consideration! If you have an immediate strong bond with them, they may be your familiar.
fair--y backup 