Introduction to Animal Familiars    

By Sarah January 13, 2010 Witchcraft & Magic 18 Comments

“White-Tail Deer as Totem” by Ravenari

True witches and shamans have familiar spirits – we just do – whether we like it or
not.  Some have animal, plant, mineral, or ancestral spirit guides/ helpers/ allies/
familiars, and some have one or more of each, but in this article I will be talking
specifically of animal familiars. Most modern Pagans believe you can only have an
animal familiar and that it’s a real animal you go to the store and purchase or to a
shelter and adopt. Another misconception is that your familiar is your “totem” and of
course due to this there are the armchair reading Pagans who say you cannot have a
totem if you are from non-Native descent, that’s culture theft, haha so there! Well, 

they’re wrong too and I’ll explain why, but first I must define Animism and Totemism.

Totemism stems from Animism which every culture’s spiritual beliefs evolved from at
some point in time. Animism is the belief that everything has a spirit and a
consciousness — a soul– from the tiniest microorganism on earth to the planets in the
heavens. Animists usually believe in rebirth & reincarnation either as another human,
or an animal, tree, or star. Anything or one can be an ancestor and in a way this is true
as even scientists will tell you every single thing in the Universe is created from the
same dust resulting from the explosion of the “big bang”. Spirits of place (genus loci)
are thought to be a soul who has come to reside in a hill, stream, or grove as its
guardian and benefactor.  Animism is usually viewed as more primitive with
Polytheism being seen as more advanced (think Stone Age vs. the Roman Empire). But
as many modern religious scholars have discovered there is more natural harmony and
more earthly wisdom within animism than almost any other world religion. You can
easily have one without the other, however, in some cultures the two did go hand in
hand: the Norse had their pantheon as well as strong beliefs in land spirits and even
the ancient Greeks had spirits of springs, rivers, hills, forests, etc which were
worshipped almost at the same level of devotion if not more as their pantheon of
deities with sacrifices, offerings and festivals in their honour. Anthropologists call
these divisions the “low cult” (animism) and the “high cult” (polytheism).

Totemism is the belief that your family, tribe, or village have some kinship link with a
specific animal, plant, or mineral –contrary to the belief that totems are just animals.
My own Scottish clan was known as the Yew Tribe once upon a time, meaning we
believed we had a kinship affinity with the Yew tree. Another example is a small tribe
in Africa today who believe they are descended from crocodiles and revere them as
ancestors in an annual ceremony where a cow is butchered and fed to the crocs. There
are many such folktales which explain the origin of a tribe’s totem. Each person has
only one totem and it is the same as everyone else in their family. You do not work with
this totem on a regular basis, you do not ask it for aid in your magic or day to day tasks,


and you do not ask for your totem’s aid except in life and death situations of dire need.
Even then, it is taboo in most animistic cultures to call upon your totem more than
once or twice in your lifetime. It is totems you do not eat of as it is taboo, not animal or
other familiars. The consequences are supposed to be severe illness, severe bad luck, or
death.

So you can only have one totem for your entire life, but your animal familiars may
change throughout the course of your lifetime and you will usually have more than one
at a time.
 

“Totem Art” by Ravenari

Can anyone have an animal familiar?

Yes, you do not need to be a shaman, seer, priest/ess, witch, hedgewitch, etc to have or
acquire animal familiars. The ordinary layperson/pagan throughout Pagan Animistic
cultures also takes on spirit guides, the differences being: the layperson’s is an ordinary
animal found in nature and the shaman has at least one supernatural creature or being
as a familiar; the shaman or witch can see and/or directly communicate with their
animal familiar whereas the layperson cannot; and the shaman’s familiar(s) gift him or
her their supernatural powers as well as knowledge and wisdom whereas the
layperson’s might gift them with knowledge, foreknowledge, or aid with troublesome
situations, but not with magical abilities. Anyone can be a Pagan, but not everyone has
the ability to be the priesthood of the Pagans as it is an innate talent and gift one is
given and cannot be taken.

Can you have more than one animal familiar?

Yes, records of witches and shamans report they had anywhere from one to ten
familiar spirits which can include plants allies, mineral allies, or spirits of the dead as
well. I myself currently have six – two plants, two insects, one land animal, and one
bird.

Why have one or more?

Because, as mentioned above, they can gift you with their knowledge and/or power.
Imagine knowing all the uses of the your local wild plants and medicines that can be
made from them. Imagine all the wisdom an animal has living in perfect harmony with
nature by following their true purpose and instinct as the animal they are. They can
teach you how to live in harmony with your body and your environment.  Also, your
animal familiars can come to your aid when called or even when they sense you are in
danger. They can gift you with supernatural powers: second sight, foreknowledge,
healing with your hands, the ability to travel between worlds, the ability to see and
hear spirits of the unseen realms, the ability to converse with the spirits of the dead,
among other talents. Also, when you converse and work with spirits both great and
small and travel to the Otherworlds, your animal familiars can take you there and back


safely as well as protect you while you are there. Think of the Siberian shaman flying
into the heavens on his Reindeer or on the wings of an Eagle. It is incredibly easy to
lose your soul to spirits or to get lost in the unseen realms and your animal guides
prevent this from happening.

How do I acquire an animal familiar?

First of all, they select you, not the other way around. Everyone wishes their familiar
was a bear, wolf, mountain lion, fox — all the usual suspects — but in reality this is
usually not the case. In most cases an apprentice witch or shaman starts with smaller
less powerful animal helpers and over time as their power and knowledge increases
they acquire stronger and more powerful animal familiars. Keep in mind that the size
of an animal does not reflect its power as some of the most powerful animals are also
the smallest. In cases of true hereditary witchcraft or shamanism animal familiars can
be inherited from a dying elder as they have a vested interest in you as family. Even
though you cannot select one, you can seek them out and invite them into your life, but
you cannot request which animal they will be.

Do not expect your animal helper to appear to you inside your home or within a city as
domesticated creatures are as far removed from harmony with nature as we are. Also,
do not think you have to go on a vision quest to acquire them – this is only to be used
within the cultural context – as in you’re from an indigenous tribe who practices it.
Don’t spend all your energy looking for your familiar to be one of the usual suspects
everyone claims when in reality that golden orb spider on your favourite woodland
path has been trying to get your attention for years! Do not forget that “animal”
familiar includes insects, birds, as well as creatures of fresh and saltwater. Today’s city
dwellers have such negative views of wild animals and insects that no wonder many
haven’t found their familiars – they’re terrified or grossed out by them!

To acquire your familiar you must first venture out into nature – real wild nature, not a
tidy safe campsite full of playing children and blaring stereos.  This factor is prescribed


in all Animistic cultures who take on familiars. First, the animal will appear to you
plain as day – whether it is a vision, daydream, or real life – who is to say? But they will
appear before you nonetheless – in reality not in a visualization or guided meditation.
You may miss it completely if it is a native animal, but exotic species will definitely get
your attention! As in “what’s that tiger doing in the Saskatchewan prairie?”! If it is a
native animal do not assume right away it is your familiar, it could just be a chance
meeting, but if it appears to you 3, 4, or 7 etc times in unusual circumstances there is
no question. Unusual circumstances can mean out of season, strange behaviour,
interacting with you in a way the actual animal simply does not, or it listens to you and
understands your speech and reacts to it… and sometimes talks back.  These are dead
giveaways you’ve met your animal familiar. Also keep in mind that sightings or dreams
of a particular animal may not mean it is your familiar, but sacred to your God(s) and a
messenger from them – to find out use divination. Many have recurring dreams of
animals, this is them trying to get your attention, but until you see the animal before
your very eyes, they are not yet yours.

Methods

Disclaimer – I do not recommend any or all of the methods prescribed nor do I take any
responsibility for those who chose to try them

However having said all this, the seeing is not the acquiring it is the knowing. In order
to claim your familiar there is a ritual ahead; you must lose consciousness without
falling asleep — the little death, the sacred threshold between sleep and awake, life and
death — to achieve an altered state. This can be achieved in multiple ways so chosing
one that fits your comfort level is not difficult. Some methods include ingesting or
inhaling entheogens (mind-altering drugs, but never alcohol as it is for a different
purpose), breathing techniques (breathing too little or too much), death postures,
extreme physical exhaustion (pushing your body to its absolute limit until you pass
out), fasting & dehydration (results in hypoglycemia which creates an altered mental
state),  extreme purging of bodily fluids and waste by using purgatives or emetics (also
results in dehydration and hypoglycemia). Traditional methods within tribes included
practices as dangerous as being kicked and beaten until unconscious, thrown into
freezing lakes or rivers repeatedly until you pass out, having to run up and down a
mountain until you pass out, being ritually cut or mutilated until you faint, etc. The
other methods aren’t looking so bad now…

The idea is that when you are in this special state your spirit can journey to the spirit
world to meet with and learn from your animal familiar. When you return/wake up
you will have any knowledge or wisdom the animal gave you as well as possibly
supernatural powers that you did not have before the rite. Sometimes they will give
you a new name or title you bring back to your people and this is how shamans of old
determined if you were faking or not, but this is not reported in every Animistic
culture.

The rest is up to you my friends. May you be worthy.

References & Resources:

Anderson, Cora. Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition

Bates, Brian. The Way of Wyrd
Eliade, Mircea. Rites and Symbols of Initiation : The Mysteries of Birth and Rebirth
Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Jilek, Wolfgang G. Indian healing : Shamanic Ceremonialism in the Pacific
Northwest Today
Jorgensen, Grace M.M. A Comparative Examination of Northwest Coast Shamanism
Müller-Ebeling, Räsch, & Storl. Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic
Practices, and Forbidden Plants
Wilby, Emma. Cunning Folk & Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in
Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic
 

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18 Comments

Anthony
January 14, 2010 at 1:23 am

a facinating post…I have two familiars…a bird-like creature who gives me

the sight, and a golblin (not exactly animal), who, although small, serves as a
protector. I sense the need to feed my spirits each time i think of them…they
are starved of my love and devotion. thanks for the reminder.

Melissa
January 14, 2010 at 11:00 am

I just wanted to thank you for all your informative posts! I recently came
across your blog when Ian Corrigan mentioned it on his and I’ve been
hooked ever since! Just recently I’ve been working with swans a lot. I ‘ve
been confused as to what it was about, and I’m thinking that rather than
being a familiar, (which it didn’t feel like at all) they are messengers from a
deity. Now the question remains, which deity!

Spiritscraft
January 14, 2010 at 1:49 pm

Could you link to Ian Corrigan’s blog. I like his Portal Book a lot.
And I would love to read more.
Michelle 
January 14, 2010 at 11:05 am

Hi Sara,
The first part of your post reminds me of a book I read a couple of weeks
ago, The Cosmic Serpent, DNA and the Orgins of Knowledge by Jeremy
Narby. If you haven’t already read it I highly recomend it! It gives a possible
scientific explanation for the validity of animism.

Sarah
January 14, 2010 at 1:13 pm

I haven’t read it but I think my sister has… I’ll see if I can borrow it
from her, thanks!

Liz
January 14, 2010 at 12:36 pm

Out of curiosity, do you have a citation or reference for the statement:

“Totemism stems from Animism which every culture’s spiritual beliefs
evolved from at some point in time.”?

Sarah
January 14, 2010 at 12:52 pm

Just to clarify, I meant all religion stems from Animism, not from
Totemism – This is a very recent belief of modern scholars and
anthropologists, despite Mircea Eliade being an early proponent,
and not yet well circulated among the Pagan population. Perhaps
 read my article on “Syncretism as Religion” to see where I am 

personally coming from. Being that this is a personal blog you

should assume that my writings are my own opinions based on my
beliefs, my research, and my training. For similar opinions try the
writings of Mircea Eliade, Ronald Hutton (Shamans), Emma Wilby,
Hilda Ellis Davidson, Wolf Dieter-Storl, Christian Räsch, and
Claudia Müller-Ebeling.

Spiritscraft
January 14, 2010 at 1:50 pm

I am a big fan of Ravinari’s work. Do you know her?

Sarah
January 14, 2010 at 4:10 pm

We are buddies on Deviant Art and she was active on the TW

forums for a little while. I would wallpaper my house in her artwork
*drool*

Spiritscraft
January 14, 2010 at 4:27 pm

err, somehow my reply ended up in the wrong spot, sorry.

newworldwitchery
January 14, 2010 at 3:56 pm
“To acquire your familiar you must first venture out into nature – real wild 
nature, not a tidy safe campsite full of playing children and blaring stereos.
”

Right on! My feeling is that if you aren’t a little bit scared of being eaten by
something or getting lost forever, you’re not far enough in the sticks. But
then, I think that witchcraft has a heckuva lot to do with conquering fear
(the same kind of fear that keeps most people at arm’s length from
witchcraft).

Anyhow, great post! Thanks for the fantastic information!

Spiritscraft
January 14, 2010 at 4:26 pm

I have purchased one of her prints, they are just so lovely. Someday I will
have to buy an original before she is discovered and the price goes up
astronomically, she is just so amazing.

hidingplainsight
January 14, 2010 at 6:52 pm

“The other methods aren’t looking so bad now…”

Bwahahaha. You so funny. Knowledgeable which is great but it’s a rare gift
to be throughly fun and interesting too…

Thanks for the Ravenarri tip too.

~C~ 

Juniper
January 21, 2010 at 5:44 pm

Brilliant post! Thank you

Juniper
January 21, 2010 at 6:29 pm

And another thing! Nice to meet a Yew clanswoman, I’m a Poplar myself!

Lilac
June 5, 2010 at 3:30 am

Love your article! My feline familiar found me 5 months ago. He just started
coming in our dog door and stayed – we have no idea where he came from
and he was for sure not feral. His name is Xerox, and he’s a Russian Blue
mix. 2 years ago I added him to my Yahoo! Avitar because I did desire a
feline familiar and he finally showed up! I suffer from depression and
when I am depressed he never leaves my side for more than 5 minutes. This
last time I got depressed, he started shadowing me 2-3 days before the
depression hit. He is my true spirit match.

Eric
October 13, 2010 at 11:30 pm
 Wassail! 

A Yew tribe eh? The MacLeod crest is supported by the Bull. However, the
MacLeod clan also has the Faery Flag which was a flag gifted to us by a
Faery of Elphame to one of our chiefs. It was only to be used in times of
great distress for the clan. It was prophecised that if it were to be used for
any other purpose certain events would come to pass, and so they did. There
is one final unfurling left in the Faery Flag and it is said that after that last
wave it will vanish back into Elphame.

Today it is held on display and during World War 2 MacLeod soldiers were
given little pieces of the flag for luck. All those that carried the piece of their
flag in their pocket were gifted with great luck!

Regards!
Angus

Mugami
November 1, 2010 at 12:24 pm

Do you have trouble navigating? Dispite all of my familiars being

psychopomps as well, they never go with me nor have I ever seen them in
The Deadlands, sometimes in heavens or hells, but never any deeper.
They all serve other purposes for me.

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