What are familiar spirits?

Answer 1

"Familiar spirit" is the designation of a specific type of evil spirit. It is so classified because of its chief characteristic: namely, familiarity. It is a relationship, a familiarity, with a person or personality. For example, a woman, whom Paul encountered in Macedonia, had a familiar spirit which gave her powers of divination. (Acts 16:16-18)
Familiar spirits are common amid the practices of spiritism and witchcraft, but their activity is by no means limited to persons and practices so obviously occult. Evil spirits are personalities. They can reason, decide, express emotions and communicate. Personalities have the capacity to relate to one another. Two human personalities can form a relationship; and, through communication and communion, that relationship can be enhanced. Likewise, a person can form and develop a close relationship with an evil spirit. When a person forms a relationship with an evil spirit (which can be done either willfully or through ignorance), he then has a familiar spirit.
Communication is the chief characteristic of a familiar spirit. The spirit responds quickly to the summons of the medium. A medium, such as the witch of Endor whom Saul consulted (I Sam. 28:7), is a go-between which forms a communication link between the earthly world and the demonic realm. Thus, anyone who becomes a channel of communication for an evil spirit is a medium. He has a familiar spirit.
A familiar spirit is something that a person has, because it is a personality identified with a certain individual. In the same sense that one has a book, a friend or a cold, one can be personally identified with a demon spirit.
"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." Lev. 19:31, KJV,
The seriousness of entertaining familiar spirits is plainly set forth in God's Word. Under the Old Testament law, involvement with familiar spirits was punishable by death.( Lev. 20:27, Lev. 19:31. Deut. 18:9,11,12, KJV

Answer 2

Good question. I had to do a little research because I wasn't too sure myself. The term was coined in the King James Version of the Old Testament. The original Hebrew word is, "ob" (pronounced "oh-b") which is used to describe someone practicing divination from a vessel such as a wine skin (dead animal skin sewn up to be used for containing wine or any other liquid for storage and consumption). That is to say, a genie in a lamp type of thing. Brown-Driver-Briggs Old Testament definitions says that there was the implication of necromancy (communicating with the dead). The Lord God said that anyone having a familiar spirit was to be put to death under the terms of the Old Covenant (Leviticus 20:27).

The term "familiar" spirit was provided by the King James translators, as the term "familiar" itself is not found in the original language. Apparently in the middle ages there was some superstitious belief that there were spirits who were "familiar" or, attached to a particular family to do them service in some way.

Answer 3

In Christian mythology, familiars are spirits housed in the bodies of animals such as cats and mice - and sometimes in inanimate objects like teakettles and brooms. Those "familiars" can be persuaded to act as go-betweens to the devil. During the middle ages in western
Europe, many people were so convinced that cats in particular were agents of Satan that the poor critters were slaughtered wholesale, which may well have contributed measureably to the spread of the Black Death (bubonic plague) by removing an important control on the rat population. Plague was spread by the fleas that infested the rats when the rats moved in with people and shared their fleas.
So it's rather wise to cast a seriously skeptical gaze upon any sort of far-fetched religious ideology, 'cause it can, and too often does, lead to horrendous consequences. How horrendous? The plague wiped out whole towns, and a third of the population of the known world. That horrendous enough for ya?

Answer 4

The term familiar refers to a relational aspect of association--servitude. In the Old Testament we find that familiar spirits are mentioned more than a few times: Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 1 Samuel 28:7-9; 2 Kings 21:6, 23:24; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 8:19, 19:3, 29:4. A familiar spirit, then, is a demon who identifies itself with another person. We also see similar demon-human relationships in the New Testament: Matthew 9:32, 12:43-45, 15:22, 17:15-18; Mark 5:1-20, 9:17-26; Acts 16:16-18, 19:15-16; 1 Timothy 4:1.



In the above mentioned verses, the Bible speaks very clearly regarding familiar spirits. They are demons, and only propagate the will and message of their master, Satan. They use people to spread lies and deceit, to thwart the Kingdom of God. Knowingly opening oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing: "For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD," (Deuteronomy 18:10-12a NLT).



Some avenues through which demons, a.k.a. "familiar spirits," are given entrance to a person's life are: divination, transcendental meditation, visualization, necromancy, witchcraft, drugs, and alcohol. These are all activities that believers are exhorted, commanded even, to avoid. Instead, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with love, with joy, and with the fullness of life that comes from Jesus Christ. We are also to be on guard, "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms," (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).

Answer 5

Familiars or familiar spirits are animals, often cats, but can be other animals that heighten your psychic energy and spiritual awareness. Witches often have a familiar to help carry out their magickal work.

Answer 6

A familiar is a living thing, like a cat that carries other worldly spirits.

Answer 7

generic spirits are linked to witchcraft and finding on what sort of witchcraft you prepare you will get a distinctive definition. some witches believe their cats are famiiliar spirits. some spirits that are often demons, are nicely generic to each and each witch. so verbal substitute with demons turns into the area of the definition of divinity. in yet another sense of the observe, kinfolk and freinds that bypass away could be generic to the dreamer or the medium. in yet another definition generic spirits could be compelled upon the mind's eye to work out somebody that may not real the two in a dream or a hulicination, a guy or woman can actually dream of somebody it is generic to their concepts and thoughts however the guy inflicting it is the single appearing the act. I even have heard this comparable element callled a glimmer in television fiction. interior the action picture the craft one witch seduces a youthful guy yet she looks to him interior considered one of those his lady freind.

Answer 8

The opposite of stranger spirits.

Answer 9

Evil spirits familiar with a person's family. Usually has to do with some sort of idolatry or addiction.

Answer 10

They are 'animals' (*usually) that are used in conjunction, with, 'a' spirit, to carry out Magick...The animal (*or familiar) can sometime 'come' to you, and offer their services.They do not always have to carry out 'bad' deeds. They can be helpful, and protective.