Let’s Make a Servitor, Part 1

What is a Servitor?

Before you can build a servitor, you need to know what one is and not to confuse it with some of the other created entities.

A servitor is an artificial entity created through magical or psychic means to serve a specific purpose or task. It is a type of thought-form; a manifestation of mental or spiritual energy given a semi-autonomous existence. Servitors are essentially simple, programmed constructs that lack a full sense of self-awareness or consciousness. They are imbued with enough energy and intent to carry out their designated functions, which can range from assisting in mundane tasks to more complex metaphysical or magical workings.

Servitors are found in various magical and occult traditions. They are a staple element of chaos magic and certain forms of witchcraft. They are highly effective aids in achieving desired outcomes because they act as intermediaries between the practitioner and the subtle realms of energy and consciousness.

Levels of Beings

There are several related entities that are often confused with servitors. It’s important to know the difference and limitations of each before attempting to create a servitor. Here are the most common from (very roughly) lowest to highest. YMMV.

Sigil

This is the lowest level. You’ve probably made sigils before. It’s similar to knot, mantra, or even gris-gris magic but in a visual form. Sigils do one thing and can continue to perform that task for a very long time without their creator’s input or attention. Unlike the other levels, sigils are simply programs or spells and have no consciousness of their own.

Servitor

The next level up is the servitor — which we will create in this series — are a step up from sigil magic. The thought form created has a basic knowledge of one thing (what it was tasked to do) and it is very good at that task if programmed properly. Many magicians and witches use the analogy of servitors as being robots or software programs that only do one thing, but they do it very well — like Roombas. Servitors require care to continue working and existing. The renowned Chaos magician, Phil Hine says servitors are created “by deliberately budding off portions of our psyche and identifying them by means of a name, trait, symbol,” after which “we can come to work with them (and understand how they affect us) at a conscious level.”

Familiar

A common mistake you see among inexperienced witches is that they call their pets their familiars. Pets are not familiars. They are family. You may have a close and magical bond with your pet toad or cat, but it is not that of the familiar + witch. Then idea that a witch’s cat is their familiar is a creation of medieval witch hunters in their quest for “proof”. The true familiar is a spirit often appearing as an animal, but just as likely to appear as one of the Fae or an imp. Like the servitor, the familiar is there to help you. There are various methods, indeed entire books, on how to summon and find your familiar.

Fetch

Unlike the familiar, the Fetch is usually born with you. It is often described as a type of Shadow Self. It is like a helper spirit that appears randomly in your life, offering crucial information or steering you away from bad decisions. Some people never meet their Fetch. A Fetch cannot be summoned nor can you go for a walk in the woods or to the crossroads at midnight to meet it. It finds you. That said, there is a version of Fetch that can be given to you by the Witch Mother and Witch Father (if you are a traditional witch). There is another version of Fetch that can be created like a servitor with a “shelf date” and if you are interested in that, here is a video detailing how to create one. Some people equate the Fetch to Doppelgängers.

Golem

A staple in old, schlocky horror movies, the golem is not much mentioned anymore. It is old Kabbalistic magic that, if done right, will produce an animated being. Traditionally, the golem is made from river clay, calfskin parchment upon which is a shem (magic word), silver shavings, and some blood from its creator. Here are a few deeper dives into the creation of a golem, purely for academic interest.

Tulpa

A Tibetan creation, tulpas are thought-forms created through specific meditations. Tulpas develop their own consciousness. Tibetan masters can control theirs. Outside of Tibet, tulpas rarely obey their creators. They often behave like mean poltergeists, and cause a lot of havoc. A method of creating a tulpa is to fracture one’s soul and use the fractured piece to perform tasks, similar to the horcrux in the Harry Potter series. Tibetan Sherpas say the three species of Yeti are tulpas created by Tibetan mystics to guard the Himalayas.

Egregore

Similar to a servitor but more complex and capable, the egregore is also created to perform simple, repetitive tasks. The biggest difference between a servitor and an egregore is that the servitor is created by a magic worker. The egregore requires a group to create it. Like tulpas, egregores have a conscience, but it is more of a hive mind consciousness, as it was created by a group. Some company cultures and tight families unknowingly create egregores over time that take on the characteristics, manners, and feelings of the group. Houses can contain family egregores.

Deity (godform)

The highest level. An egregore or spirit that is much beloved and given offerings and worship can eventually become a godform. For example, the beloved Orisha Shango was once the actual king of Oyo. He hung himself from a tree, but in a Fortean plot twist, a bolt of lightning from a clear, blue sky struck the tree. He fell and lived. Now he is worshiped as one of the most powerful Orishas. I have a theory that Elvis Presley will become a godform similar to Bacchus over time, owing to the sheer volume of love, libations, and offerings placed on his grave every day. His spirit must be insanely powerful by now.

IMAGE COURTESY NY POST

Uses for Servitors

Anything you might make a spell for, you can make a servitor for. As said before many times, the servitor is made for one purpose alone. Do not make a servitor for protection AND love. If you need both of those things in your life, make two dedicated servitors: one for protection, one for love.

If you find yourself doing lots of money spells, you may find that one servitor dedicated to keeping money coming in is a better option (it’s certainly less expensive and it keeps doing its job until you end its task or its life. Yes, you can end the task and give it a new one, but ideally in the same vein as what it was doing before.

For example, say you want your TikTok following to explode, you would make a servitor for that. If later on, Threads or LinkedIn suddenly become your Next Big Thing, you might stop it from TikTok and charge it to work on the new platform.

Now that you know what a servitor and all of its “cousins” are, in our next installment, we will create a working servitor. Do not miss it! This is a magical skill you will use for your entire life.