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 Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:55 am
A very loose definition would be a helping or guiding spirit that may or may not present itself in the form of an animal. As Sanguina pointed out the original concept of a witch's familiar was a demon in animal disguise to help/guide the witch. Anymore people tend to use to describe pets they have a strong bond with. If I had a familiar it would have to be my cat Neptune, though I usually consider him more of a feline gargoyle, mostly because he has a fondness for sitting next to me any time I happen to be up to magical mischief and standing guard. He'll just hang out near by and relax unless he thinks there is some kind of threat, then he tenses up and hisses violently in the direction of whatever it is. (he has only freaked out three times in the last ten years of watching me practice, usually he just snores.) He is just a protective kitty by nature, so I tend to think his reasons are less magical and more that he is simply loyal.  There he is hanging out with me at home.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:50 pm
Unrelated: I have this pretty white kitten that comes up to my house that I absolutely love. She has one green eye and one blue eye. I wish I could have her, but I think she belongs to someone already since she looks well taken care of. Dispite the fact that she always comes to my house for food.[/end]
As for an animal I have a close bond to? It would have to be my current cat Shailoh. He's always with me. Even right now he is sleeping beside me on a blanket on the floor. If I'm upstairs in the living room on the laptop there, he's just under my propped up feet under the coffee table sleeping. Pretty much where ever I go, he goes.
Lol. Though it is cute when I come home late from work at night and see his tiny little nose pressed up against the window waiting for me. My mom watches him from the living room and he's always there from 9pm till when I get home (since it can be anywhere from 9:20-11:45 at night). And then when I get home he follows me into the kitchen, or he races down to the basement and into my room (or to the door if it's closed) and waits until I come down and let him in when I go to change.
He monopolizes my bed. When I do my oracle readings he's right beside me on the bed, perched on his favourite pillow and purring up a storm. Not much has freaked him out, though I do watch him sometimes since he can sense spirits. It's quite funny the way he acts.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:52 pm
I am personally from the school of thought that a familiar is spiritual in nature. I have had many familiars come and go as I need them, and I have even created a couple. There is one that is with me at all times and resides in my chest. I have only sensed it once or twice, as I do not believe myself worthy to know its true nature yet.
Currently I am working with hare familiars. They have been in my dreams a lot of late and have been teaching me various things. A few months ago they gifted me with a name that I have not told anyone else.
Note that these fleeting familiars may also be called spirit guides, but I tend not to call them that for some reason.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:01 pm
IIBlack-Embers48II Question: what's a familiar? sweatdrop Familiars are spirits with whom the practitioner has either created for a specific purpose or has had meetings with on various strange occurrences, either in ritual or in dreams. They are primarily teachers and guardians. I am of the school of thought that we each have a Fetch beast that is with us at all times. Upon greeting this fetch beast it becomes the personal familiar, one that will stay with the witch for ages. It is the primary teacher and the medium of spells and the bridge between the Underworld and the witch's self. In contemporary witchcraft a familiar can also be a physical pet, and I have read that the Sabbatic Witchcult has certain rituals that make a beloved pet into a familiar. I have them around here...somewhere....hm... Anyway, according to lore familiars help the witch with her spell work and are famously gifted to them either by a former witch in the family or by the devil himself. The Witch's Mark was said to be the place from which the witch fed her familiar. It was, apparently, an extra teat. This mark can still hold true today, funnily enough. There are plant familiars, usually created from the Mandrake root. Upon the replanting of this root one is to feed it a mixture of water, milk and a bit (I wrote three drops here in my grimoire...I'm a sucker for magical numbers blaugh ) of the practitioners blood. Every full moon one would "feed" the mandrake with a bit of blood and milk to remind the spirit who its master was. Sometimes coins are laid under the mandrake as an offering as well. Thus your wound (on the left forefinger I have here) is your Witch's Teat xp There are plant familiars, human familiars (that is usually a dead relative or some other human spirit), animal familiars, and other such Underworld creatures. I think I found the subject for my next blog post biggrin
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:40 am
Arcanist Angus Currently I am working with hare familiars. They have been in my dreams a lot of late and have been teaching me various things. A few months ago they gifted me with a name that I have not told anyone else. That's pretty cool. Especially since in this years Chinese Zodiac, it's the year of the rabbit. http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:44 am
broken_bleeding_angel Arcanist Angus Currently I am working with hare familiars. They have been in my dreams a lot of late and have been teaching me various things. A few months ago they gifted me with a name that I have not told anyone else. That's pretty cool. Especially since in this years Chinese Zodiac, it's the year of the rabbit. http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/ Hares and rabbits are quite different.
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:45 am
MercyWild A very loose definition would be a helping or guiding spirit that may or may not present itself in the form of an animal. As Sanguina pointed out the original concept of a witch's familiar was a demon in animal disguise to help/guide the witch. Anymore people tend to use to describe pets they have a strong bond with. If I had a familiar it would have to be my cat Neptune, though I usually consider him more of a feline gargoyle, mostly because he has a fondness for sitting next to me any time I happen to be up to magical mischief and standing guard. He'll just hang out near by and relax unless he thinks there is some kind of threat, then he tenses up and hisses violently in the direction of whatever it is. (he has only freaked out three times in the last ten years of watching me practice, usually he just snores.) He is just a protective kitty by nature, so I tend to think his reasons are less magical and more that he is simply loyal. There he is hanging out with me at home.
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Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:52 pm
broken_bleeding_angel That's pretty cool. Especially since in this years Chinese Zodiac, it's the year of the rabbit. http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/ As San said rabbits and hares are very much different. But that is an odd coincidence.... Though I have had these hare(y) dreams since last year starting in March.
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:30 am
Little Batwing MercyWild A very loose definition would be a helping or guiding spirit that may or may not present itself in the form of an animal. As Sanguina pointed out the original concept of a witch's familiar was a demon in animal disguise to help/guide the witch. Anymore people tend to use to describe pets they have a strong bond with. If I had a familiar it would have to be my cat Neptune, though I usually consider him more of a feline gargoyle, mostly because he has a fondness for sitting next to me any time I happen to be up to magical mischief and standing guard. He'll just hang out near by and relax unless he thinks there is some kind of threat, then he tenses up and hisses violently in the direction of whatever it is. (he has only freaked out three times in the last ten years of watching me practice, usually he just snores.) He is just a protective kitty by nature, so I tend to think his reasons are less magical and more that he is simply loyal. There he is hanging out with me at home. I was gonna say the same! :O She's very beautiful, and that cat is just gorgeous! =D
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:32 am
broken_bleeding_angel Unrelated: I have this pretty white kitten that comes up to my house that I absolutely love. She has one green eye and one blue eye. I wish I could have her, but I think she belongs to someone already since she looks well taken care of. Dispite the fact that she always comes to my house for food.[/end] As for an animal I have a close bond to? It would have to be my current cat Shailoh. He's always with me. Even right now he is sleeping beside me on a blanket on the floor. If I'm upstairs in the living room on the laptop there, he's just under my propped up feet under the coffee table sleeping. Pretty much where ever I go, he goes. Lol. Though it is cute when I come home late from work at night and see his tiny little nose pressed up against the window waiting for me. My mom watches him from the living room and he's always there from 9pm till when I get home (since it can be anywhere from 9:20-11:45 at night). And then when I get home he follows me into the kitchen, or he races down to the basement and into my room (or to the door if it's closed) and waits until I come down and let him in when I go to change. He monopolizes my bed. When I do my oracle readings he's right beside me on the bed, perched on his favourite pillow and purring up a storm. Not much has freaked him out, though I do watch him sometimes since he can sense spirits. It's quite funny the way he acts. Haha. His little nose pressed against the window. That is probably the cutest thing I've EVER heard. Or visualized =) You sound very lucky to have him, and that white kitten outside your house sounds beautiful!!
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:23 am
wiccan_sk8er broken_bleeding_angel Unrelated: I have this pretty white kitten that comes up to my house that I absolutely love. She has one green eye and one blue eye. I wish I could have her, but I think she belongs to someone already since she looks well taken care of. Dispite the fact that she always comes to my house for food.[/end] As for an animal I have a close bond to? It would have to be my current cat Shailoh. He's always with me. Even right now he is sleeping beside me on a blanket on the floor. If I'm upstairs in the living room on the laptop there, he's just under my propped up feet under the coffee table sleeping. Pretty much where ever I go, he goes. Lol. Though it is cute when I come home late from work at night and see his tiny little nose pressed up against the window waiting for me. My mom watches him from the living room and he's always there from 9pm till when I get home (since it can be anywhere from 9:20-11:45 at night). And then when I get home he follows me into the kitchen, or he races down to the basement and into my room (or to the door if it's closed) and waits until I come down and let him in when I go to change. He monopolizes my bed. When I do my oracle readings he's right beside me on the bed, perched on his favourite pillow and purring up a storm. Not much has freaked him out, though I do watch him sometimes since he can sense spirits. It's quite funny the way he acts. Haha. His little nose pressed against the window. That is probably the cutest thing I've EVER heard. Or visualized =) You sound very lucky to have him, and that white kitten outside your house sounds beautiful!! I am lucky to have him, heès always so adorable. And she is, I don't have a picture of her face to show you her eyes, but this is all I've got. I've named her Cinders.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:41 pm
I am very jealous. I've been looking for my familiar. It'd be so nice to find it. I think I shall go mediate on it.
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Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:04 am
I think I might've found my animal guide. Not entirely sure yet, but I'll try to explain.
A couple of months ago I tried to do a meditation journey exercise where you're supposed to meditate while building a place in your mind for you to go, and then explore it. So I did, constructing the main area out of places I'd seen before in dreams, then sort of wandered off to explore it, letting my mind find what ever was in my subconscious and not trying to expect or consciously create anything else.
Long story short, I ended up seeing a fox there, which surprised me. I didn't know what, if anything, I would find there, and I didn't have any particular reason to be thinking about foxes either. But it was friendly, so I didn't mind. After the meditation, nothing really came of it, and I didn't run into it again on any other meditations, so I figured it was a one-time visit from a curious spirit, or a random part of my subconscious, or something like that.
Fast forward to a couple of nights ago, I had a very clear dream that I was at my parents' house. They have an orange striped cat, who was also in the dream. But in the dream, the cat transformed into a fox, and started talking to me. Unfortunately it was hard to hear what it was saying, though, and awake I couldn't remember a single word. Later on in the dream I was at a grocery store with my Mom, and the fox showed up and was following us around, though from a distance. When I woke up, aside from what the fox said, I remembered the dream very clearly, which I haven't been able to do very well lately. I also remembered my meditation where the fox showed up and wondered if the two instances were connected.
Then the next day, I was surprised to see that my roommate had changed her usual computer background (generic swirly blue image) to a picture of a baby fox. I hadn't even mentioned the dream to her at all before that. Weird coincidence, maybe, but I didn't know she even liked foxes.
So tl;dr: Maybe my animal guide or familiar is a fox.
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