1
History
of the
Familiar Spirit
In this chapter we will explore the occult concept
of the Familiar spirit in Witchcraft.
According to ancient lore, a spirit from the Otherworld
was believed able to dwell within the
physical body of an animal or creature. The traditional
vessels for such spirits were the cat, mouse,
ferret, hare, bat, snake, hound, or bird—particularly
a raven or an owl. The lore surrounding the
Familiar spirit indicates that a Witch received
one following initiation into the Witches’ sect.
A magical connection between humans and
animals has its roots in Paleolithic and Neolithic
concepts, and is evident in old shamanic
practices associated with animal guides. Various
drawings and etchings in cave art depict ritualized
scenes that are believed to represent magical
themes. A variety of artifacts from these periods
represent different animals and creatures carved
and painted by ancient artisans. Many of these identical creatures
later appear as Familiar spirits in the lore of Witchcraft.
This is highly suggestive of a survival theme related to ancient
beliefs and practices.
In the earliest writings about Witches the creatures associated
with Witchcraft all possess a chthonic nature. We find many of
them to be creatures of woodlands, wetlands, and caves. This association
links them to Underworld themes and to Underworld
deities such as Hecate, Diana, Proserpina, Morrigan, Macha,
Badb, and Nemain. To our ancestors, the night and the moon
were intimately linked to the Otherworld or Spirit World. Folk
beliefs held that in the night many supernatural beings inhabited
the dark and wooded places.
The Concept of a Familiar
The basic concept of a Familiar spirit most likely arose from a
human need to communicate with the unseen world of spirits.
At first the Familiar spirit served as a type of mediator between
the worlds. Later, the concept of a companion and ally evolved.
As we shall see later in this chapter, with the rise of Christianity
the Church viewed the Familiar spirit as a servant given to the
Witch by the Devil of Judeo-Christian religion. In this biased
and distorted view of the Familiar spirit the creature was portrayed
as a “partner in evil” who aided the Witch in casting
harmful spells.
As humankind became civilized, establishing farms, cities, and
the supporting structures associated with such communities, a resulting
loss of connection with Nature occurred. Instead of working
in a “common cause” with Nature, humans set about trying
to master Nature. All of Nature came to be viewed as a resource
for the gain of humankind. In response, the spirits of Nature
withdrew from the company of humans.
By contrast the Witch seeks to maintain rapport with Nature
and to live his or her life in partnership. Wild animals, and some
“domesticated” animals such as the cat, are more in tune with
Nature in daily life than are the vast majority of human beings.
Establishing communication with such animals brings one closer
to the source to which these creatures themselves are attuned.
Possessing a Familiar spirit allows the Witch to merge with the
instincts of the animal and thereby interface with the
intelligence
of Nature.
The physical senses such as hearing and smell are more acute
in animals than in human beings. From an occult perspective,
the psychic senses of animals are stronger as well. A close rapport
with the Familiar spirit enhances the psychic abilities of the
Witch. The Familiar also benefits from having a relationship
with the Witch. Merging with human consciousness provides the
Familiar with an expanded view of reality, and intensifies the energy
pattern of the Familiar. The alien worlds of human consciousness
and “natural order” consciousness join together to
form a magical consciousness. In this the Familiar becomes the
mediator.
The magical consciousness of the Witch and the Familiar can
open portals to other realms, and can accomplish works of magic
in the material realm as well as the astral plane. This is the basis
of legends in which we find the magical servant of the Witch,
and tales of shapeshifting by Witches. In reality the Familiar is a
magical partner and companion for the Witch, and vice versa.
The oldest concept of the Witches’ Familiar was the spiritanimal
belonging to the group consciousness of a specific type of
animal. In other words, this was the spirit of the entire species
delimited into a single form. In some cultures this is called a
power animal or animal guide. Such an entity can be used as a
doorway or link connecting to the higher animal spirit or nature.
In such cases the astral form of the animal becomes the vehicle
for working with the greater consciousness.
The concept of the Witches’ Familiar is connected with
shamanic practices and the lore of magical creatures from many
cultures. One of the earliest and most clear signs of the relationship
between humans and guardian animal spirits is reflected in
the
Ver Sacrum, the ancient Italic rite of the Sacred Springtime
predating the rise of the Roman Empire. Every spring season ancient
Italic tribes observed a custom wherein a portion of the
tribe was required to divide off and form new colonies. Their sacred
animal guided each tribe in this endeavor, leading them to
new lands in which to establish villages. The people known as
the Sabellians were guided by a bull, the Piceni by a woodpecker,
the Lucani by a wolf, and so forth.
Many of the animals associated with various deities, such as
Diana and the hound, Hecate and the toad, Proserpina and the
serpent, Pan and the goat, are animals that also appear as
Witches’ Familiars in the vast literature on Witchcraft. It is worthy
of note to realize that the various types of Familiars mentioned
in Witch trials are the same creatures associated with
moon goddesses, mother goddesses, and ancient chthonic deities.
In particular these are the frog/toad, snake, bird, and lizard
among many others. This is an indication of the antiquity of pre-
Christian themes found in Witchcraft, and demonstrates a longstanding
mystical tradition.
Over the course of time humans personified various spirits and
the forces of Nature. The concept of fairies and other supernatural
beings blended together into a common mythos. Historian
Jeffrey Burton Russell, in his book
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
(London: Cornell University, 1972), writes, “The small demons
that became the Witches’ Familiars of the later Middle Ages
were originally dwarves, trolls, fairies, elves, kobolds, or the fertility
spirits called Green Men. . . .” He adds that black and green
were the favored colors of Witches, and that green was a fairy
color. Historian Diane Purkiss (
The Witch in History, London:
Routledge, 1996) comments on Familiars as being malevolent
fairies. Viewing Familiars as remnants of earlier pagan spirits suggests
a survival theme of pre-Christian religion within the folklore
and folk magic traditions associated with Witchcraft of the
Middle Ages and early Renaissance periods.
Richard Baxter (1615–1619) was an earlier figure who viewed
Familiars as Nature spirits. Baxter was a Puritan cleric who wrote
a treatise titled
The Certainty of the World of Spirits, which was
published in the year of his death. The treatise argued for the belief
in “invisible powers and spirits.” Baxter believed that such
things aided Witches in raising storms and casting spells. In his
treatise Baxter wrote that it is uncertain whether the spirits that
served Witches “are neither Angels, good or bad” or “whether
those called Fairies and Goblins are not such.” The fact that the
latter concept was even a consideration here demonstrates the
survival of such Pagan beliefs into later periods.
Nonphysical Familiars
One of the persistent themes in the literature of Witchcraft is
the tale of Witches being transported to the Sabbat through the
aid of a Familiar spirit. In Fairy lore there are also many accounts
of humans being transported into the Fairy Realm. This is suggestive
of an Otherworld experience, a crossing between the
realms of mortals and spirits by the intervention of a supernatural
being. According to oral tradition, in order to avoid detection
some Witches met within the astral realm to hold their Sabbats.
This often included the use of “flying ointment” smeared upon
the skin. In Fairy lore either a magical dust or a potion is used.
According to the literature on Witchcraft, the Witches’ flying
ointment was made from herbs: aconite (wolfsbane), belladonna,
hemlock, smallage, and cinquefoil. This was mixed with a paste
made from the meal of fine wheat, or with fat or oil. In order to
be nonlethal, such a recipe would have to be concocted under
the guidance of a master herbalist, as even small amounts of
some of these herbs are deadly. We know that the earliest word
for Witch in Western literature was the Greek word
pharmakis,
which means one who possesses the knowledge of herbs.
Inducing a trance, whether through meditation, chemicals, or
other means, can link the Witch to other realms of existence and
to altered states of consciousness. One...
