Page 43 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - April 2022

and she was soon in demand for interviews during which she also professed to be an astrologer and psychic.
Her neighbours in the village were not happy with having a witch in their community, and even less so with the sudden influx of tourists which Sybil had created.
Then the stars aligned!
In 1964, Sybil was invited to be interviewed in New York (on TV!) to promote her latest book (A Shop on the High Street) and her landlord (not keen on witches) refused to renew her tenancy, so she took it as a sign and flew to New York where she did many interviews, fell in love with the country and stayed.
She became a celebrity and was invited to appear on many TV shows in America and by the time she passed on in 1982, she was a millionaire.
She had written over 60 books, been interviewed many hundreds of times, made countless TV appearances as a guest and appeared in many shows where she ‘investigated’ psychic phenomena and hauntings.
She’s often attributed to being both a pioneer of her time, and inspirational to the fact that the art of witchcraft is thriving in America, the British Isles, and beyond.
However, she was also highly confrontational with other witches, and not slow in fiercely challenging any view that wasn’t hers.
Rather controversially, she openly approved of the practise of ‘cursing’ which was totally at odds with the majority of the practitioners of white magic.
Like her or loathe her, there can be no denying, she was a colourful character, who played a major role in diminishing the Christian stereotype of witch = devil worshipper.
Boltons Bench & Yew Tree
Sybil Leek
The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Witchy Village of Burley | 43