About a month ago, my dog passed away. I always referred to her as my familiar because she was so dear to me, and so sensitive to the spiritual world. But I never included her in my craft practices. I don't entirely know why, I just never felt like I needed her there for them. Perhaps she wasn't my familiar. I know animals are more sensitive to the spiritual world than humans.
Perhaps that is what confused my view of her.
During her final years, she developed senility. At age 17 and a half, it's understandable. It became a struggle to tell whether she was sensing the spiritual, or if her brain was just warping her senses. If she was younger, I'd have no question that she was sensing the spiritual. But getting stuck in corners, staring into space, and going berserk over nothing is all signs of senility as well. She would sleep so soundly that she would often times forget to breathe. I found myself questioning if she was slipping into the spiritual realm herself, even if for just a brief moment until my touch startled her back earthbound.
Sometimes I humor myself and believe it was true.
Three days ago, I found myself bringing home a sweet-hearted, eight-month old hound dog. Sawyer has definitely been a blessing in our house. My son has taken to him, so have my parents. He needs some training; he lacks leash manners, and is quickly learning that counters and tables are not for doggy noses. He has some separation anxiety; scared that we will leave him like his former family. But he's trainable, and smart, and learning quickly. We have been blessed to find such a perfect match for our family.
But he is not my familiar.
I don't know how I know this. I just do. I can tell just by looking at him that he is just a companion pet. He is here just to make my family's lives that much more enjoyable. We need his love and he needs ours. There's nothing wrong with that.
I don't have a familiar.
I'm not even sure if I need one. I've never needed help in my craft. I've always done it alone. It seems like a lonely reality, but to me it makes sense. I'm so empathetic that I would never want another entity to assist me in my craft, and risk them being affected negatively. That's the risk a familiar takes, and I could never ask that of anyone, let alone an innocent animal who wants nothing more than to love and be loved in return.
That's the thing about familiars though.
They don't need you to allow them into your craft. If they want to be a part of it, they will. No matter how much I would avoid allowing someone into my craft, if a familiar entity was supposed to be there, they would be. Is it possible I've just not come to a point in my spiritual path where I need a familiar? Possibly. Honestly, I'm not surprised. I've always been a solitary practitioner. Why would it be any different with familiars?
It is a little annoying.
So many modern witches talk about having familiars, and confusing familiars and pets. Not every pet is a familiar, and I don't understand why a person would even want their beloved pet to be such. Familiars aren't pets. They're free entities, blending into our modern world. They're our partners in craft, willing to suffer the repercussions of our work. Do you want your pet to risk negative suffering because of your craft? I don't know, it just seems strange...
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