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Musings of a Hereditary Witch

Twerp – The Best Familiar

I want to share with you about the best familiar this witch has ever had. He came to me as a Mother’s Day gift from a friend, an orange Tabby that fit in the palm of my hand. She told me he was the runt of the litter and needed a good home. He was so cute! He had white from under his chin spreading out down his whole underside to his tail. The rest of him was Tabby orange. Immediately I wanted to name him Merlin, but familiars have a way of naming themselves. The little trouble maker that he was, earned him the name Twerp.

Twerp was my constant companion in ritual. As soon as I sat on the floor before my altar, he was there, often in my lap or sitting regally beside me. It didn’t matter if I was doing devotions or a full blown ritual. When students or guests were invited to ritual, Twerp would sit outside the boundary of ritual. However, once we began to share food, Twerp became everyone’s best friend. He received many praises and handouts. He would sit and eat with us. His favorite foods however, were Cheetos, hot cream of rice cereal (especially during the winter months) and tapioca pudding.

When I had clients over for healing sessions, Twerp was right there too. He would either lie beside ‘our’ client or lay between their shoulder blades. Sometimes, he would lay under the massage table. No one ever had an issue with Twerp assisting with a session. He was a healer in another since too. My 2nd husband had seizures, after a seizure he would pass out. Twerp would lie at his feet and draw him back into his body. He would then stay with him until he came back to himself.

Twerp had a habit of allowing playful little entities to pop into his body. When this happened it was like he was being takin for a test drive. You know, seeing how everything worked, like walking (more like staggering), twitching his tail and cocking his head first one way and then the other. When this would happen I would put my hands on both sides of his face, look in his eyes and in a commanding tone say: “Alright you, out of the cat. Now!” Poof, and the little bugger would leave. Poor Twerp would sit there for a moment like he was trying to understand what had just happened and then he’d want a snack. Snack cured everything.

Twerp was with me 13 years and crossed over in 2000, almost a year after my husband passed. He is buried in the Sacred Grove, where our Land Guardian dwells, she watches over him now. Twerp left with a blanket for warmth, a toy to play with and herbs of blessing.

Twerp saw me through the end of a bad marriage and through the transition of becoming a single parent. He saw me through a second marriage and subsequently becoming a widow. He introduced me to one of my patron gods, Taranis. Twerp was there for all the tears and the laughter. He was a constant companion, a magic worker, and a healer. Even today, those who knew him will remark about his time in ritual with us. There will never be another like him.

Blessings on your Hearth & Home