Alex Sanders 'King of the Witches' by J. Johns

[Freddie]

Hi All,

Anybody else here ever read this? It seems rather sensational, but I also feel he was genuine in his personality and his ex-wife seems to be a nice gentle person as well. He mentions the Tarot a few times in the book and it has a photo of the Smith-Waite deck and another photo of him doing a ritual with the Tarot laied out in a circle. I cannot make out the circle Tarot deck. He calls it an important tool for 'Wicca' and he also mentions working with angels as well in his rituals.

The only turn off in this book is the Grandmother story at the start of it or am I misunderstanding what happened?

I love the pictures as I was just a little boy during the flower power movement, but I always wished I was born about 15 years earlier so I could've taken part.

Any opinions on this book?

Freddie

 

[Carla]

I haven't read this book, but I have read (in Doreen Valiente's Rebirth of Witchcraft -- do try that one!) that much of what Alex Sanders claimed was complete and utter fabrication (including the grandmother story). However, Valiente still maintains that despite Sanders' foibles, his rituals were some of the most powerful she was ever involved with. So!

Have you finished the book yet? Do you recommend?

 

[Micheál]

Heya Freedie,

Apologies as I'm only seeing this due to me being an occasional visitor. Oh yea I think it's a great book. Alex was an eccentric character, showman, I guess true "cunning-man" if you will, so it has its moments.(Maxine's Firechild is even worse!) Yea later in his life he hinted at coming clean with the granny story. At that time the blurry line between Wicca&Witchcraft wasn't as established and it was highly believed to be inclusively initiatory. He was a Gardnerian initiate, but feuding with Gards like the Crowthers that set out to discredit him he came out with that tale in a way to legitimise his identity as a 'Witch' further, and I guess made it up using her since she really was a spiritualist.

There's a decent part of Ronald Hutton's "The Triumph of the Moon" on Sanders that adds to the humbleness of his character. Sorita D'Este&David Rankine's "Wicca Magickal Beginnings" bring up a few notes that Sander's concept of magic(k) may have surpassed Gardner's as well. He did incorporate more Hermetic&ceremonial elements personally as you can tell with the angel stuff, but I'm an Alexandrian initiate myself(of only a few years so I didn't know him or anything lol, but am of the Farrar down-line with Elders that did), and we don't all do that .........been a while since I last read it though, might have a wee re-read thinking about it.