Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

By Athame and Stang

Home
About

Home
Pagan
Breaking Up With Your Familiar Spirit

Breaking Up With Your Familiar Spirit

Last updated on: June 3, 2019 at 12:30 pm by Kelden

Breaking Up With Your Familiar Spirit 2019-06-03T12:30:49-05:00 Kelden

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This last March I presented a workshop at Paganicon on working with Familiar Spirits. It was an awesome class, with a great turn out. At the end, the audience was able to ask questions, one of which has stuck with me. You see, in my discussion I talked about how to find and form a working relationship with a Familiar Spirit. There are a number of ways Familiar Spirits show up in our lives and how we in turn relate to them – or how the working relationship functions. The relationship between a Witch and and their Familiar tends to be intimately close and symbiotic, with each benefiting from the other. But what happens if, over time, you come to find that the relationship just isn’t working out? How do you break-up with a Familiar Spirit?

Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash

There are several possibilities as to why you may need to end the relationship with your Familiar Spirit. Maybe they aren’t holding up their end of the agreed upon deal or perhaps you’ve come to find that you’re unable to keep up on your end. It could be that your Familiar Spirit has become out of control or that the relationship has otherwise grown toxic. So how do you start the break-up process? The best advice I can give is to think of this like breaking-up with a romantic partner – how would you want that experience to play out? It’s best to be kind and respectful, to use clear and honest communication. If you need help finding a place to start, try following these three steps:

Talk to your Familiar Spirit. Inform them of your thoughts and feelings – why is that you want to end the relationship? Is there anything that can be done to repair the bond? Are there steps that either of you can take? Sometimes talking about the issues can lead to positive solutions that actually strengthen the relationship. If the answer is no, move on the step two.
Discuss with your Familiar Spirit what it will mean for your relationship to be over. Will there be any further or future contact? Is there someone you can pass your Familiar onto?
Give thanks to your Familiar Spirit. Speak words of gratitude and given them one last offering.

Additionally, it would be a good idea to perform the following ritual as a way of magically severing your ties. You will need a length of black cord, two small pieces of paper, and a white candle. To begin, write your name upon one of the pieces of paper and that of your Familiar on the other. Roll up the papers and tie each to one of the ends of the black cord. Then, holding the cord taunt over the candle’s flame, intone the following spell:

What once was bound,

Is now unwound,

Our bond be ceased,

With peace released.

Allow the middle of the cord to burn away, separating into two pieces. You may then burn the two pieces or bury them in the ground.

Photo by Luke Besley on Unsplash

What happens if your Familiar Spirit won’t leave? If you’ve talked to your Familiar and kindly asked it to depart, but it refuses, you will unfortunately have to take harsher measures. The following ritual can be performed in order to banish a Familiar Spirit. You will need a piece of paper and a bowl containing a mixture of sage, wormwood, vervain, and mandrake root. To begin, write the name of your Familiar Spirit upon the paper. Next, mark it with a drop of your blood, symbolizing your connection. Light the paper on fire, dropping it into the bowl and intoning the following spell:

Familiar Spirit I banish thee,

From my life departed be,

As this fire burns your name,

Back you go from whence you came.

Allow the fire to burn out completely, knowing that the Familiar Spirit has been banished from your life.

Uncategorized

Familiar Spirit

Traditional Witchcraft

Wicca

Witchcraft

Previous Post

May 24, 2019

The Ultimate Traditional Witchcraft Quiz

Next Post

June 8, 2019 How Important Is It For Witches To Read Witchcraft History?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did David use to calm Saul when Saul was troubled by a harmful spirit?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Drum Harp Trumpet Flute