Many sources would have you believe that you always have to wait for a familiar to come to you. I didn't have that luxury, partially because of my timelines and partially because I needed an animal that fit my lifestyle, so I wanted to take a more active participation in the search than a general "help wanted" ritual.

I spent several weeks giving thought and energy to the idea, building the intent in my mind until I felt it was ready to release it into action. I didn't think about specific types of animals other than the practicality of something that would be happy in a relatively confined area, given my one-bedroom-apartment status. I didn't do too much formal work; rather, I used a form of trance I get into when I go for long walks and focused the energy from those walking meditations into my quest.

I also emphasized the need for a familiar that would be an active and equal participant in ritual. Most of the examples of familiar animals I found in modern practice involved someone's dog that would "guard the door during ritual" or cats "that always come running when I cast a circle." I definitely wanted a familiar willing to keep an eye on things while I was in altered states of consciousness, but I also wanted to be able to ask for active aid with magical work. I wanted a familiar that would be a partner as well as a guardian and general source of animal energy and inspiration.

I ended up with Tatzelwurm, a lovely ocellated skink, named after a mythical giant lizard reportedly living in the Alps (Unexplained - 1993/Clark/p. 360-361). She's quite practical-she lives in a sand substrate in a roomy tank, so she's easy to clean up after. She eats mealworms and she makes absolutely no noise. She's incredibly solitary-she's living up to her namesake's cryptozoological shyness. She was perfect for my need at the time.

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