Her summation of each topic is woefully predictable, with no real insight into any of them. The entire book is very vague, and the sketchy autobiographical details serve only to link together several apologist mini-essays on such topics as ghost hunting, psychic healing, astrology, life among the New Forest gypsies, and various other topics near and dear to her heart. It's startling to realize after you've read an autobiography that you aren't really sure of the full name of either of the writer's husbands, or the name of the school she claimed to attend. Rather, these are claims about some of the basic facts of her life. Leek's grandmother sacrificed a beloved pet owl in order to cure Sybil of diphtheria). And these aren't even claims about her occult powers (though I do find it difficult to believe that Ms. Leek states and that I found either patently untrue or completely beyond the ability for anyone to prove. He wanted my early thoughts on the book, and I grumpily listed several facts that Ms.

Any time anyone calls themselves a legend, I start to get annoyed.īefore writing this review, I discussed it with my beloved friend and bastion of occult knowledge, Ivan. She forgot the key element of writing: show, not tell. And, it is apparent from the text of her biography that she worked really hard to be a legend. Sybil Leek is indeed a legend in various occult circles, particularly for those of the Horsa tradition. She begins her book with a dedication to her two sons and in this dedication, she calls herself a legend. Isobel Gowdie: Not much is known about this 17th-century Scottish woman, other than the fact that she reportedly offered an incredibly detailed testimony at her witchcraft trial, recounting experiences with a 'Queen of the Fairies' and shape-shifting.To begin with, you don't have to fear any false modesty from Ms.

Laurie Cabot: A current psychic, witch, author, and community activist, Laurie goes by 'The Official Witch of Salem.'Īlice Kyteler: This Irish native, accused by her stepchildren of performing witchcraft in 1324, was the first in the country to be tried for sorcery as a heretic. Sybil Leek: Author of her autobiography Diary of a Witch, Sybil became known as 'The World’s Most Famous Witch' in 1969. For costume inspiration, Angela Bassett brought this figure to life in American Horror Story: Coven.Īgnes Sampson: In the late 16th century, Agnes' ties with witchcraft lead to her untimely death during the trials in North Berwick, Scotland.

Marie Laveau: Deemed the 'Voodoo queen of New Orleans,' she was rumored to posses magical healing capabilities.

In the 1500s, she was believed to be the child of another witch. Mother Shipton: Her real name was Ursula Southeil, but she was known about town as Mother Shipton (and also “Hag Face”).

Diary of a Witch by Sybil Leek