Witch's Familiar

Raven Grimassi was a Neo-Pagan scholar and award-winning author of more than eighteen books on Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. He was devoted to the study and practice of witchcraft for over forty years, and was co-founder and co-director of the Ash, Birch, and Willow tradition.Grimassi's background included training in old forms of witchcraft as well as Brittic Wicca, the Pictish-Gaelic tradition, Italian Witchcraft, and Celtic Traditionalist Witchcraft. Raven was also a member of the Rosicrucian Order, and studied the Kabbalah through the First Temple of Tifareth under Lady Sara Cunningham.Raven lived in New England with his wife and co-author Stephanie Taylor-Grimassi. Together, they directed The Fellowship of the Pentacle, a modern Mystery School devoted to preserving pre-Christian European spirituality.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations x Publisher’s Note xii Introduction xiii 1 History of the Familiar Spirit 1 The Concept of a Familiar 2 Nonphysical Familiars 5 The Church and the Familiar Spirit 7 The Court and the Familiar Spirit 8 The Modern Witch and the Familiar 12 2 Choosing Your Familiar 15 Part One: The Journey Quest 16 Part Two: Creating the Links 21 Using the Magical Cord 25 Part Three: Controlling the Familiar 26 The Genesis Seal 28 The Seal of Calling 30 The Seal of Departing 32 The Seal of Protection 34 The Seal of Dreaming 36 The Seal of Carrying a Spell 38 The Seal of Protection Against Unwanted Familiars 40 The Seal of Severance 42 The Seal of Binding 44 The Seal for Controlling an Errant Familiar 46 The Seal of the Vortex 48 Using the Magical Seals 50 Ethics 54 3 Relationship with the Familiar 57 Merging with the Familiar 59 Working with the Nonphysical Familiar 62 Summoning the Familiar 62 Embracing the Familiar 63 License to Depart 63 Naming the Familiar 64 Working with the Familiar 65 For Healing 66 For Magic 66 Housing the Familiar 68 The Artifical Familiar 70 The Elemental Condensers 71 Absorption and Projection of Elements 72 Exercise/Techniques 72 4 The Guardian Familiar 75 Part One: Home Guardian 76 Personal Protector 78 Dream Guardian 82 The Plant Familiar 84 Method One 86 Method Two 88 For Extra Potency 89 Working with Plant Familiars 89 Magical Plants 91 Part Two: Magical Charges 95 The Odic Breath 96 Forming an Energy Sphere 97 Informing 98 Thought-Form Familiars 99 5 Parting with the Familiar 101 Part One: The Energy Bodies 102 Astral Doorways 115 Etheric Parasites 117 The Astral Substance 119 Part Two 120 Crossing-over Ritual 121 Ritual for Dissolving 122 The Vortex Ritual 124 Parting Words 127 Appendix 1: Keyword Associations for Familiars 129 Appendix 2: Concerning Classic Familiars 133 Appendix 3: Names of Familiars 149 Appendix 4: The Witches’ Alphabet 151 Bibliography 153 Index 155