Familiars

The definition of a familiar spirit:

A familiar spirit (alter ego, doppelgänger, personal demon, personal totem, spirit companion) is the double, the alter-ego, of an individual. It does not look like the individual concerned. Even though it may have an independent life of its own, it remains closely linked to the individual. The familiar spirit can be an animal (animal companion).

Pierre A. Riffard

You maybe wondering “How do I get a familiar?”

Creating a Familiar (Thought-Form Method)

One practical way to obtain a familiar is to create it deliberately as a thought-form or energy construct. This is not the only method, but it is a recognised one, especially among practitioners who already have solid skills in meditation, visualisation, and energy work.

Requirements

This approach assumes you can already gather, shape, and hold energy with reasonable stability. If visualisation is weak and concentration collapses easily, the resulting construct will be weak or unstable. In that case it is better to strengthen those foundations first.

Basic process

Decide the purpose of the familiar with precision. A vague purpose produces a vague entity. Determine its form, its limits, what it is allowed to do, and what it is not allowed to do. Then build it through repeated sessions of focused visualisation and energy feeding until it begins to hold together on its own.

Once the construct has some coherence, it must be fed regularly and given clear tasks. Without sustained attention it will fade or become unreliable. With consistent work it can develop greater responsiveness and usefulness over time.

Demonic assistance

Some practitioners ask a demon to empower, stabilise, or help govern the created familiar. This is optional, but it is a traditional support for the method.

Buer has the strongest reputation in the older sources for this specific service. The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum states that he “giveth the best familiars.” Other Goetic spirits also have records or practical reputations for assisting with familiars, including Paimon, Purson, Marax, Gaap, Belial, Amdusias, Alloces, Shax, Malphas, and Sabnock. Relationship and affinity matter more than simply choosing a name from a list.

If a demon is asked to help, the familiar remains the practitioner’s responsibility. The demon may strengthen or help control it; the ongoing management still belongs to the magician.

Important distinctions

A familiar created this way begins as a construct. It is not the same as a spirit that arrives independently, a living animal, a spirit bound into an object, or a dead human used as a familiar. Treating a thought-form as if it were already a fully independent spirit leads to confusion about what it can and cannot do.

Clear terms, regular feeding, defined tasks, and the ability to dissolve or retire the familiar if the work is finished remain essential. A created familiar that is left without structure can become a drain rather than an asset.

Let’s get specific. What do you need to do to make this happen?

Follow these steps I recommend for any person with Intermediate skills. At this point you should have put in a request with your demon for a familiar to do the task you need. When you have the go ahead from the demon, begin the steps below.

1. Decide on the familiars name – This makes it easier to call upon the familiar. A name that will remind you of its purpose can be helpful. As long as the name means something to you, you can use any name (even codes)
2. Assign the familiar a sigil – You may create a new sigil based on the purpose for the familiar, or perhaps you want to link the demons sigil to the familiar at the point of creation.
3. Provide an object for the familiar to reside within – This could be a voodoo doll, a fixed object, or something live. You will be “feeding” this object so ensure you can get to it when needed.
4. The “Awakening” Ritual – (you could do this ritual on the astral plane) or in the same manner as you do your current ritual openings.
   • As long as you include the following elements in your opening you can use any opening ritual method you normally use.
     • At least 15 minutes of visualization of what the familiar will look like
     • Tracing the sigil in the air
     • Calling the familiars name out at least 3 times
     • You know you have created the familiar – When you feel the energy taking shape, then rest for the day, and set your object at the altar for “feeding”
   • Next 7 Days – Repeat the above, and offer the familiar what you feel the familiar is asking for – I normally give blood
   • Assignment of task – You now assign the familiar with its task, and place it under the control of the demon. This part is totally up to you, as you need to be able to trust that your demon is on your side. Personally, with so many familiars, I need the help from the demons. However, I will call the familiar back from time to time to check it is completing the assigned task.

Familiar Assignment Charge

Hear me now (familiars name)!

I, (Black Witch Savannah) who created you from the abyss,

charge you to rise from (the object you assigned to be the familiar eg this voodoo doll) bearing your sigil and name.

I, who created you from the abyss for the sole purpose of working my will upon this plane,

command you now to hear and fulfill this task.

I, who feed and own your very existence,

command you to (do the assigned task).

Fulfilling this and all tasks I give you is your duty and sole justification for having been created.

By the decree of the Great (demons name)

Obey now with full cooperation and faithfully serve your witch who created you and who will destroy you if you are disobedient.

So be it.

 

Lastly, do make sure you call the familiar back from its assignment to “feed” and love on IT. Do this at least weekly, and otherwise whenever you feel you have the time. Feeding and checking in on the familiar helps for you to keep “control” on the familiar. Remember that the familiar is now a separate entity and very much alive. And to quote a line from the movie Jurassic Park, “Life Will Find A Way.” The last thing you need is for the familiar to free itself from your control, as it may turn its attention, and purpose onto you.

Should the familiar not complete its tasks, then ensure you follow through with the punishment as stated in your charging ritual. Destroy the familiar. Some people will choose to banish their familiar after the task is complete. If you choose to do this, just ensure you thank the spirit for working with you, and also thank your demon. There is nothing worse than a spiritually weak witch who is fearful of destruction and the possible consequential retaliation.

Chaos Magic Servitors and Egregores

In chaos magic the same basic technique of building a working entity appears under different names.

A servitor is a created spirit given a specific task or set of tasks, fed by attention or other means, and often given a finite lifespan or a clear condition for retirement. Functionally it is a modern form of the created familiar.

An egregore is related but operates at a different scale. It is an entity or current brought into being and sustained by the attention of a group rather than a single operator. It is not a personal familiar in the ordinary sense, yet it demonstrates the same principle: sustained mental and energetic investment can produce a functioning non-physical presence that continues to act.

Both belong in any serious discussion of constructed familiars. The difference is mainly one of ownership and feeding. A servitor is usually private and directed by one practitioner. An egregore is collective and draws power from shared focus, repeated ritual, or group identity.

Practical use

A well-built servitor can perform many of the same functions as a traditional familiar: watching, fetching information, applying pressure, guarding, or maintaining a working over time without the magician having to hold every detail in constant attention. Because it is created rather than encountered, the operator has more control over its purpose, limits, and eventual dissolution. That control is also the responsibility. A servitor left without clear instructions or proper feeding can become weak, erratic, or a drain.

Egregores are less commonly built for private work. They tend to arise around groups, currents, or long-running magical projects. Once established they can be powerful, but they are harder for any single person to direct or dismantle.

Black Witch Coven and the Power of Constructed Forces

At Black Witch Coven we have built our work around very powerful sigils, familiars, and egregores. Some of these are visible and can be worked with directly. Others have been fed, refined, and strengthened over decades until they function as substantial egregores in their own right. This is not theoretical. It is part of the operational foundation of what we do.

We regard the deliberate creation of these forces as one of the most practical and effective approaches available. A well-made familiar or servitor becomes a working assistant that extends the practitioner’s reach. A properly established egregore becomes a sustained current that continues to act and accumulate power through repeated use and attention. Both are tools of real magical advantage when they are built with clarity, fed with consistency, and governed with discipline.

This is why we recommend their creation so strongly. Independent spirits have their place. Long-term relationships with demons and other intelligences have their place. But the ability to construct, empower, and direct your own working entities is a form of self-reliance that sits at the centre of serious occult practice. It is one of the methods we have used, tested, and refined for decades, and it remains one of the most reliable ways to build lasting magical infrastructure.