What Witches Do Stewart ~Contents Introduction CHAPTER | detitieativnns CHAPTER 2 The Rows of odern Picea (CHAPTER 3 Whuy Biches fedieve CHAPTER 4 Training of a Witch — CHAPTER § The Coven at Mark (CHAPTER & Wie Giresw Rine CHAPTER 7 Tire Seasonal Festivals CHAPTER 8 Chaireovamee CHAPTER 9 The Tero aud she Tree (CHAPTER. It Magic CHAPTER, 11 Healing (CHAPTER 12 Worle of the Elemencs CHAPTER 13 Asirav Prisiectien CHAPTER [4 The Mie of Queen Bagiet CHAPTER 13-4 Witch Henkin (CHAPTER 16 Svdoreuw “Appendices APPENDIX | The Legend of the Descent of she Goxkiieee fia the Underwired APPENDIX 2 The Charge APPENDIX 3 Harctary Howes APPENDIX 4 JPicca Travescriprions APPENDIX § Je Ader Sanetors fnterviews APPENDIX 6 The Boe eyf the Lane ‘Bibliography: NGaaaany? FootnvtesJntroduetion Late in 1969, my Editor sent me to the press preview of a film called Leger afte Weehes, Qur paper dees net review films, but “King of the Winches’ Alex Sanders and his wife Maxinc==who had given technical advice on the film and also appeared in it—were to be present, Alex was just beginning. to get inte the mews, and the Editor felt there might be a story’. Aller the screening, free Scotch in haad, | maneuvered my way through the crowd around the Sanders. Alex was a slim, balding man im his early forties, weartng dark glasses, answering questions in a soft Northern voice and grving a quick, genuinely humorous smile every now and then Maxine, taller than Alex and twenty years younger, a striking figure with long blonde haar and a diaphanous white gown, looked a very believable witch. [awaited ay moment and asked if Reweie could have an interview some time in the next week or two, Alex agreed courteously, said a fiew kind things about the paper, and gave me his address in Notting Hill Gate. Before the interview I did my homework by reading Alex's biagraphy, Karn atthe Witches by June Johna, which had been published the month before. 1 found it an absorbing account of an eatraordinary man. He had been initiaved asoa witch by his grandmother when he was seven wears ald, after he had acadently interrupbed one of her solitary rituals. Neither Alex nor the family hod any idea she was.a witch, and it could have been a traumatic experience for the boy, bursting through the daor to find the old lady stark naked among her strange weapons and paraphernalia, but she gave him to time to brood. She had the clothes off him, initiated him on ihe spat, and told hin that he was now a witch too and that various dreadful things would happen i he betrayed the speret Fortunately for his mental health, Alex not only lowed his grandmother but was himself a psyelic ‘natural’, 40 le took to her taining like a duck to water. For long after her death, he tried vainly to contact other witches while he continued ig study of all the material he could lay hos hands on Then there was a long, maternally poofitable, but spiritually disastrous period of dewotion tp Black Magic, from which he finally extricated himself with a drastic proves of sel f-purification