According to a French superstition, you don't see many cats on Friday because they go to Finisterre to report to the Devil after spending the week spying on human families. (Finisterre is the westernmost region of Brittany, a place with strong ties to a Celtic past.) Because such negative beliefs are often inversions of old traditions resulting from the Church's attempt to put down the old religions, this may be a survival of a Pagan belief that the cats go to Finisterre to dance with the fairies. Therefore, Witches can use this belief as an opportunity to strengthen a relationship with the fairy realm. On Friday morning, tie a red string, loosely, around your cat's neck, reciting: "Whither you wander, you carry my blessings." If the cat comes home without it, you'll know the fairy folk accept and return your good wishes. |