Introduction to Feline Magick
What is it about the cat that we are so drawn to? This answer may vary depending upon whom you ask. For myself, it is many things about her that I am drawn to; her power, her gentleness, her aggressive, her eyes, the way she carries herself and all that she gives in her love.
I have owned many in my lives and in this lifetime, only a few. My first one came to me from a neighbor, she was black with bright green eyes, and was always there for me; even if I wasn’t for her. She was a powerful and wonderful cat. Her name was Black Widow, Widow for short. She was a Pisces, amazingly powerful and intuitive as to when I was home from my trips. She was a free spirited cat and one of my strongest familiars. I had her for many years until she fell ill and I had to put her down. That was the hardest time in my life. I felt like I had lost the one person who was always next to me. She slept with me, woke me up, took care of me when I was sick, made me laugh when I was sad; and did all the things a best friend would do. I would see visions of her, images would appear before me when I would just be in a trance. Then one day, she spoke. She told me that she was fine and would always be there, and yes would return to me one day. I have always to this day cherished her in my life and always will.
Eight years later, I was in the salon and one of the hairdressers had a carrier with a little 15 day old black kitten inside. Instantly, she leapt toward me and wanted me to pet her. Well, I went home and asked my boyfriend at the time, husband now, if I could bring her home. He agreed, and the following week I went and picked her up. Her name is Onyx, born on Aug 20, 2000. She is a Leo with a Virgo Moon Rising. She is very much a gem and a familiar.
Now, in the talking of my familiars in the past few years more have come and gone than I would have ever imagined. After Onyx came, then less than a year later another came to me on the Full Moon of Samhain. I had seen her around the house for a while, but on this particular night she made her presence known to me. The moon was at its’ fullest power and bright orange too. My stones were out in the front yard in the circle for cleansing and charging. She walked up to the door facing my office.She appeared and we chatted for some time through the door. She eventually became a permanent part of the house. On January 29, 2001 she was hit by a car. Her name was Agatha.
Upon that happening, I created a Spirit Call Spell for Felines, which will be included in the Feline Book of Shadows Lesson. In this lesson we will cover the history briefly. In the others, we will cover other futther areas of the Feline and her Magick.
The cat is an interesting being, as I have come to learn in my life. They are not possessed, they are very observant and watchful. When they choose the person they wish to be their friend, they will watch them for a time from afar. This is to see how they are, how they act, how they treat others; humans and animals, and how they respect their surroundings.
Upon doing this, they will choose whom they are to live with for the time that is needed. They are wonderful friends to have, and in them choosing you, they are telling you that you are being blessed with their presence. Cats are great hunters, and love to share trophies with their human counterparts. I can only say so much there. I have had more than my share and some not-so-good in appearance. They expect to be treated properly, pampered, spoiled and allowed to come and go as they wish. Now, in today’s society it is harder, as more do get hurt from ignorant drivers.
History of the Feline
It is common knowledge these days where the history begins, Egypt since around 2600 B.C.E.
In Egypt the cat is the most worshipped of all the animals. It is a punishment of death if anyone were to kill a cat. They worshipped the following deities: Bastet, Pasht, Ubastet, Sekhmet, Set, and Ra. All were with cat heads and human formed bodies. Set and Ra were with the male human body. Ra was the Sun god, Pasht was the aggressive side to Bastet, Sekhmet was the lion figured one and loved blood. Set, we know was known to have murdered his brother Osiris.
So what about the treatment of the feline and how they were revered? Well, they were sometimes considered more important than the human counterpart themselves. If a house was seen burning down, it was the fireman’s job to get the cat out first and then go back for the human. If a person was seen purposely harming a cat, they would be put to death. This was considered an act worse than murder. I some cases mobs would be seen ripping a person limb from limb if they witnessed this person harming a cat. This was a very common occurrence in Egypt cultures.
What of the meaning "nine lives?" Well, this simply meant that a cat could only live nine separate lives as a cat. Meaning it could reincarnate nine times to a cat form, and no more. When a cat completed this cycle it was a time of great mourning for the families involved. They would shave off their eyebrows, this was considered to be full mourning upon their death. Once this happened they could no longer incarnate into a cat. From this point on they would reincarnate into other life forms.
The funeral rites were very important to the Egyptians in how they buried their cats. They would be embalmed, with various herbs, oils, drugs, and spices. Depending on the families status they would then wrapped the cat in either plain or multi-colored linen. Following, paper mache or a sculptured wooden mask would be placed over the cat’s head, and then they would carefully cover this with either plain or multi-colored linen. Some would be painted and then decorated with the finest of gold, if the family could afford such luxuries. Once the mummification was completed, they would then be placed into a mummy case, along with the necessary afterlife objects and foods. If this was for a kitten of course the case would be smaller and the metal bronze instead of gold.
The Egyptian word for cat is ‘’Mau," likely based for the sound that cats made. However, the meaning of the word is light, this eluding to the Sun god Ra. In Sanskrit the word for cat is ‘’margaras," meaning hunter; in Hindu ‘’cleaner;" Aryan ‘’ghad:" Latin ‘’cattus;" French ‘’chat;" Italian ‘’gatto;" German ‘’katze;" and Arabic "kittah." Original origins for the cat are believed to have come from the Greek word ‘’catus," meaning acute.
In the occult cats are viewed as being all knowing, all seeing, and with great psychic abilities. It is even said that if a cat allows you too look into their eyes long enough, you will see the land of the fey and the underworld. This is a rare blessing if one allows this of their human counterpart. They are known for predicting all kinds of weather, natural disasters [prodigies], omens and portends. I usually know what kind of weather to expect, as Onyx is like a weather man, and she is always on target. She is observant and very powerful.
Later in history, the cat was associated with witchcraft, and causing harm at the wish of their human counterpart. This caused a great fear of the feline by many people. So much so, that they created a device that was a cat trap, called the “cat o gan." It was a musical instrument that was used to entrap as many as 20 cats at a time, their tails being pulled by a mechanism that made them meow in grave pain. The "cat o gan" remained in use for exactly 100 years. However, during the hunts some were lucky enough to have escaped the tortures of their organs being removed and races that were used to torture these beautiful beings. They escaped a most interesting way, by way of ship. They were a welcomed sight, as they kept the rodent population down and became then a favorite pet of the human. This was the time of the 1700s.
I will end this lesson here, as there is way too much in the history of the feline to put in just one lesson, so we shall continue forward in the other lessons. I hope that you will enjoy this class and that you will learn more of who your familiar really is and how much a part of our lives they really are.
The Little White Cat
[Folk song from the Gaelic]
18th Century
Anonymous—Translated by Mrs. Costello of Tuam
The little gray cat was walking prettily,
When she found her little son stretched dead
And ‘twas only a year since her family
Were cast out and drowned in a trench.
The little white cat, white, white, white,
The little white cat, Breed’s cat.
The little white cat, snowy white
That was drowned in a trench.
The little mother stood upright,
When she found her little son dead;
She brought him in and made a bed for him,
And then began to lament him.
The little white cat, white, white, white,
The little white cat, Breed’s cat.
The little white cat, snowy white
That was drowned in a trench
Andrew, the blind, had some of her family,
And they came together to lament him,
I am sure if Barry hears it,
He will regret the death of the Breed’s cat.
The little white cat, white, white, white,
He broke no chest, nor lock of the neighbors,
Nor did he destroy the cows’ butter.
And you never heard such discourse,
As the mice had in telling it.
The little white cat, white, white, white
His eye was grey, his walk was pretty,
His step was light and active:
And I’d rather far be going to the clay
Than the province of Munster should hear of it.
The little white cat, white, white, white,
The little white cat would hump his back.
As big as a three pint jug.
Wasn’t he a fine show for the gentry to see,
Poll, Breed’s pretty little cat?
The little white cat, white, white, white,
Walter’s Martin will put a wooden coffin on him,
And it’s he that is able.
And were it not for the time at which he died
We should have every cause for lamenting
The little white cat, white, white, white,
The little white cat, Breed’s cat.
The little white cat, snowy white
That was drowned in a trench.
Bibliography for this section:
Along with my own person experiences are the following;
cover 1000 Years of Irish Poetry
Edited by Kathleen Hoagland, Intro by Malachy McCourt
cover Egyptian Magic
by E.A. Wallis Budge
cover Cat Magick
by Patricia Telesco
cover Your Magickal Cat: Feline Magick, Lore, and Worship
by Gerina Dunwich
cover The Mysterious Magickal Cat
by D.J. Conway
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