The Feline Familiar

Good Morning,
I have enjoyed having the past few days off and accomplished quite a bit. Got my hair cut, colored and highlighted, got the house whipped back into shape. Finally scrap-booked all of the pictures from our 2nd annual Gothic Halloween party… and just puttered.

This morning I was awaken by my little calico cat named Brianna. We call her Brie for short, and she pounced on my head to make sure I was awake, as I had done something unheard of and had slept past 7:00am. Once she assured herself I was still among the living she snuggled into the quilts on the bed, on top of my legs, and ignored me.

When I finally did get up she followed me around the house taking a fiendish delight in knocking things off the counter and yowling at me for reasons only she knows. Here she is on the left- posing at the Halloween party on the witchy welcome mat. Yes, that is a triskel on her collar- tri-colored cat- triple knot symbol… It works for me.

She’s a tiny kitteh… only eight pounds and dainty- most of the time. When I staggered back to my office this morning, hot chocolate in hand, she lay sprawled across my keyboard and purring. As I sat there running through possible blog topics she kept staring at me with her gold eyes looking wise and mystical. So I asked her what she thought of a couple possible topics. Nothing got a reaction until I said “familiar” that got me a dainty meow and a head nudge to fulfill my duties as her human and to pet her.
So… Witch’s familiar blog coming up.

A familiar is an animal, a pet that shares a psychic and magickal connection with a Witch. They are very protective and often clue in their human when magick is afoot or the energy is off. Cats are the classic familiar, but dogs, birds and ferrets also are popular familiars. For this blog however, we are focusing on the feline familiar.

But here is the trick. You do NOT choose your familiar- they in fact choose you. Yes indeed your beloved pet may be your familiar, or they may not. You will know the difference because a familiar can not keep their feline nose out of your magickal supplies, tarot cards, magickal books, the spell candles, or your work space.
If you are working magick, they are there. Sitting politely at the boundaries of the circle, or are lounging across your workspace, twitching their tail and keeping a careful eye on the proceedings. If the coven comes over they want in on the action and will nose their way into the ritual. Or the familiar tends to find the one person who needs kitty- magick therapy and plops down on their lap and claims them for the rest of the evening. (Something I have seen Brie do on a regular basis.)

Your pet will let you know if they are interested in becoming your magickal working partner. So treat them with respect and affection, and do not force the issue. Familiars boost your energy by being close and working with you as a sort of magickal partner. In the simplest of terms they lend you a paw by boosting your energy.

Now, your enchanted cat may be one of those feline guardians who takes their role as protector of the homestead very seriously. If they constantly position themselves by the doorways and seem intent on watching out the window for possible interlopers on their turf, you have a guardian cat energy going on their. This type of guardian cat partnership would be a added bonus for any type of protection or hearth and home magick you perform. Basic rule of thumb, just like a human working partner, you work with your cat in the same way, with respect, kindness, honor and love.

For more information on the feline familiar, cat deities, folklore, history, and cat-spells, please check out my award-winning book, The Enchanted Cat: Feline Fascinations, Spells & Magick. Oh and yes indeed it is available on Kindle.

Blessed be, Ellen and Brie, the witchy calico kitteh

For more information about the author’s books and tour schedule, please visit Ellen Dugan’s website at www.ellendugan.com

Read more at Ellen Dugan’s Blog of Witchery