Familiars, for most of my life they were just a fantasy. There's something more about them than just a fancy name for a pet. I've had many pets. Cats, dogs, lizards, snakes, fish, but I've thus far only had one familiar and she came into my life in the early spring of 2012.
Back then she was no bigger than the palm of my hand. There was nothing special about our meeting, I wanted a kitten and I found a litter being offered on craigslist. I drove to the bad part of town right around dusk and went into a small apartment. There were four kittens that all looked the same shade of black, all tiny. There were two girls and two boys. The lady giving them away grabbed two of them and one was a girl. She handed the tiny little thing to me and I took that kitten home with me. She was so tiny that I didn't trust our new puppy with her for a long time and she lived in my arms for a little over a month before she showed she had quite a spirit for such a tiny little thing.
Back then she was no bigger than the palm of my hand. There was nothing special about our meeting, I wanted a kitten and I found a litter being offered on craigslist. I drove to the bad part of town right around dusk and went into a small apartment. There were four kittens that all looked the same shade of black, all tiny. There were two girls and two boys. The lady giving them away grabbed two of them and one was a girl. She handed the tiny little thing to me and I took that kitten home with me. She was so tiny that I didn't trust our new puppy with her for a long time and she lived in my arms for a little over a month before she showed she had quite a spirit for such a tiny little thing.
She is still a little cat, some people mistake her for a kitten. She grew into a smart creature that quickly learned to open all the doors in our apartment, including the front door. Which we had to start locking so she wouldn't let out the dog. She was never quite like any of the other cats I had before. She seemed more wild, more so than even a feral cat I raised. She was much calmer than him, but more wild somehow. I think this is what drew me to her as she grew. Some part of me recognized that wildness as the same that lived inside me.
By the time she was a year old I was sure that she was what I always hoped I would have, a familiar. Some people define familiars as physical creatures that help you with your magic. I don't often practice magic in the normal way, so it was hard to determine that. She was my connection, my connection to my wild soul and the wild world that I desperately wanted to become a part of. I can not think of a way she could be more important to my magic and practice than that alone. I knew she was my familiar, because of the kinship I felt with her. It feels as thought her spirit is made up of the same things as my own.
In my life now she is as close to me as my best friend and holds a special place in my family. I have always loved cats and often joke about wanting another, but I find myself unsure. I think I would favor Melody too much. I can't imagine being this connected to another cat. A close pagan friend of mine has had two familiars at once and I wonder how that would feel. She also recently lost one of those familiars and I fear the day Melody will have to leave me. It will be a dark day.
In my life now she is as close to me as my best friend and holds a special place in my family. I have always loved cats and often joke about wanting another, but I find myself unsure. I think I would favor Melody too much. I can't imagine being this connected to another cat. A close pagan friend of mine has had two familiars at once and I wonder how that would feel. She also recently lost one of those familiars and I fear the day Melody will have to leave me. It will be a dark day.
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