Fire Child: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders, “Witch Queen”

Fire Child: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders, “Witch Queen”

By Maxine Sanders (Mandrake of Oxford, 2008)

Whilst much has been written about Gerald Gardner’s creation of Wicca, little is still known about Alex Sanders’ true influence and reasoning behind his push to bring Wicca into the public arena. That is until now. “Fire Child” is the long awaited book by Maxine Sanders, wife of the late Alex Sanders. Rather than being a tell-all book simply about Alex’s antics, it traces Maxine’s own life – warts and all – before and after Alex - and what an interesting life she has led.

Maxine was only a teenager when she met and fell in love with Alex and by her 20th birthday she had been initiated “Witch Queen”. In “Fire Child”, she frankly reveals what it was like in the 1960s and 1970s when Alex’s desire was to make Wicca more accessible to the public, some of the characters they met (including Charles Manson) and of the personal sacrifices they both made. She describes what it was like giving public rituals and interviews, her reluctance and the harassment she received.

Hyssop - the Holy Herb

As I bought a little hyssop plant yesterday, I thought I would investigate this herb more.  The name "Hyssop" (Hyssopus officinalis) is of Greek origin.  The Hyssopos of Dioscorides was named from azob (a holy herb), because it was used for cleaning sacred places. It is alluded to in the Christian Scriptures: "Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean."

It is a native of Southern Europe and is an evergreen, bushy herb, growing up to about 1/2 metre high, with a square stem, linear leaves and flowers in whorls, six- to 16 flowered.   Cultivated for its flower tops, these are often used by being steeped in water to make an infusion, however sometimes it is used as an expectorant. There are three varieties of Hyssop, known respectively by their blue, red and white flowers.

Jesus and the Persia God Mithra

In the lands of ancient Persia, the worship of a messiah like Deity was established some 600 years prior to the conception of Christinaity. This God, who was believed to have said, "I am a star which goes with thee and shines out of the depths", was Mithra.

Born on 25 December, Mithra was the offspring of the Sun, and was the third most important Persian God after Ormuzd and Ahrimanes. He was said to be a beautiful youth and a mediator, a "spiritual light contending with spiritual darkness, and through his labours the kingdom of darkness shall be lit with heaven's own light; the eternal will receive all things back into his favour, the world will be redeemed to God. The impure are to be purified, and the evil made good, through the mediation of Mithras, the reconciler of Ormuzd and Ahriman. Mithras is the Good, his name is Love. In relation to the Eternal he is the source of grace, in relation to man he is the life-giver and mediator" (Plato, Philo, and Paul, p. 15).

Solace in Service - Doing for Others

One aspect of the Wiccan Priesthood, in particular the High Priesthood, is that of service to others.  This "service" can sometimes be misunderstood with some people expecting some kind of "return" (financial or otherwise) to be received.  However, "true" service is where one does something, shares something, makes themselves available etc simply because in doing so, their actions or what they have to share may benefit another.  An example of this is the open Full Moon Gatherings that the Temple of the Dark Moon have been holding since 2004.  These Gatherings, originally held all year round, are open to the public as they are held in public spaces and, as were the case of many that where held during the Summer months at the beach, witnessed by curious passerbys - some even joining in. 

Whilst due to time restraints these Gatherings are now only held during the Winter months, they are still open to the public where they are offered free of charge - there is not even the expectation of  a donation to help cover the cost of the items used.  This is because to hold such events that may benefit the spiritual development of another is part of what I view as my service, as HPs, to the community and society at large.

The following is an article from Daily Om about being of service - something that everyone is able to do.

Endings and Beginnings as Visions mark the Way

Last night conjured up an assortment of emotions - of sadness with it being the last "official" circle that the Temple's Inner Court would hold until mid January due to the Summer break, but also of achievement as we moved through our paces, despite what had seemed to be a "broken year" with our circles, in stepping between the veils and creating magick, not to mention excitement of the proposed ideas that 2011 will bring (not to mention another member to our folds).

Almost as a sign of just how far we each had progressed in the year, both separately along our own individual paths of spiritual enlightenment, but also as a group collective, every one of us received a potent result from the meditation. 

Wormwood (Artemisia)

The Wormwoods are members of the great family of Compositae and belong to the genus Artemisia, a group consisting of 180 species, of which we have four growing wild in England, the Common Wormwood, Mugwort, Sea Wormwood and Field Wormwood.

In addition, as garden plants, though not native, Tarragon (A. dracunculus) claims a place in every herb-garden, and Southernwood (A. abrotanum), an old-fashioned favourite, is found in many borders, whilst others, such as A. sericea, A. cana and A. alpina, form pretty rockwork shrubs.  

A Sign of Imbalance - Overachieving and Overreaching

In general, an overachieving lifestyle is not balanced.

What changes can you make to slow down and feel more joy?

Overachievers are people who have achieved but still feel the need to do more, creating an imbalance in their lives.

People who exhibit this behavior may be trying to compensate for feelings of insecurity and doubts about their worth. They may be chasing unresolved issues from their past into the present, or they might not be looking at their lives as a whole, but judging themselves based only on one aspect of their being.

If this is a word that we have heard used with respect to our choices and lifestyle, it is worth examining in order to balance our lives for a more rewarding experience. 

Living for Ourselves

We do not need to live seeking approval from our parents or others;

this can be overcome no matter what your age.

Most of us come to a point in our lives when we question why we are doing what we are doing, and many of us come to realize that we may be living our lives in an effort to make our parents happy. This realization can dawn when we are in our 20s, our 40s, or even later, depending upon how tight a hold our family of origin has on our psyche. We may feel shocked or depressed by this information, but we can trust that it is coming to us at this time because we are ready to find out what it would mean to live our lives for ourselves, following the call of our own soul, and refusing any longer to be beholden to someone else’s expectations.

New Moon in Sagittarius this Sunday

The Moon will be entering the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius this Sunday, 5 December 2011, and when it emerges as the New Moon in our skies, it takes place at 13 degrees Sagittarius, in a tight sextile to Saturn in Libra at 14 degrees offering a real opportunity.

Sagittarius (Jupiter) is visionary but does not accomplish much without Saturn functions like hard work, commitment and follow through. Here we have a upbeat New Moon in Sadge in contact with Saturn in the sign of its exaltation and while it does create drag in the fun times, the chance to for solid improvement in undeniable.

To take advantage of this, note the house in your chart where the New Moon falls and set your intention along with a commitment to to work towards your vision. Since Saturn is in Libra, this most likely means working in partnership for big gains.  As an example, the New Moon falls in your 11th house, so you will work with and rely on your partner/spouse to achieve you wishes, hopes and dreams.

Where does the new moon fall in your chart? How will you use this energy?

Source: Elsa Elsa Astrology

The Reciprocal Flow of Abundance

Since giving and receiving are so intimately intertwined in our lives, we often expect that we can attract abundance by simply conducting ourselves in an openhanded fashion. Yet we find ourselves wallowing in disappointment when our ample generosity is not met with the expected results. The answer to this quandary lies in the expectations that, in part, initially prompted us to give.

Though our intention is likely pure, we can unintentionally mar the beautiful experience of giving by focusing on what we will eventually receive in return. When we let go of the notion that we deserve to receive gifts based on giving gifts, bounty can once again flow freely in and out of our lives.