Customer Reviews
sincere exageration ? - By: Alexi Rublioff, 25 May 2010 
Maxine Sanders' autobiography is interesting to say the least. I was torn between feeling that I had been given a privileged view into the early development of an exiting & powerful spiritual movement (these were the moments that made Firechild an exquisite read), & the feeling that I was reading a fantasy novel.
At one point, the reader is asked to believein the actual materialisation & psycho kinesis of some ingredients of a typical English breakfast, these being used as part of a malign magical attack. Even given that my belief system is sympathetic to much of Maxine's subject matter, I found these particular sausages a little too hard to swallow.
I was left with a feeling that it was being suggested surreptitiously that one should be willing to display unrelenting credulity or if questioning the validity of claims madein the book accept the chance of being dismissed as not a proper witch or a good enough a magician to work "real magic" (of the kind often written about including remote viewing, materialisation & many other psycic phenomenon that have been disproven to my satisfaction beyond reasonable doubt). For the record this particular "Catch 22" does not need to getin the way of my own magic because I simply do not accept it. My own works are quite efficatious but they do not include achieving the impossible.
The book is full of the highs & lows that seem to have been experienced from a lifein the Craft & seems to be a genuine account of the courage needed to stand up & be counted when many others stand against you,in much the way that the tabloid press & media are wont to do (along with their readers) when there is a chance to unite against a "common foe" & transfer their (probably self directed) anger & disappointment onto others. In this sense Maxine comes across initially as victim but ultimately as a true (but reluctant hero).
The book also filled me with a sense of pity because of some of the darker influences that the craft has seemed to bring into Maxine's life but it does serve as a useful warning. I was also struck by a sense of sadness especially concerning the matter of ethics. This book gave me the uncomfortable feeling at times that I was witness to a person attempting to justify her views & actions. In some cases, asin the case of Maxine's views on Euthanasia I simply could not find itin my heart to condone her ethics; Especiallyin the case of a mentally ill person no matter how disturbed or ill they may have been. Nor could I buy into her views on access to witchcraft & magic to the disabled or those of alternative sexuality. This lastin particular seemed to be an internal contradiction as I get the impression that this ruling was extolled by the King of the Witches, himself a homosexual (if not originated by him) & passed on to Maxine (apparently his magical protégé).
This book then gives anin depth view of the origins of a path that I have been know to flirt with & if read between the lines gives a valuable insight on how considering one's self a witch does not give one the right to play God with others lives. It illustrates how we must all pay close attention to when our workings leave the path of honest help & when they stray into the land of unethical meddling (no matter how initiated or knowledgeable we may think we are or whether our opinion is requested). This very principle is illustratedin plenty of cases & to me was the primary lesson to be learned from this work. It strongly illustrates that It is what we do not know, that we do not know, that should concern us most. (Gandalf puts this succinctly "even the very wise cannot see all ends").
Secondary to this, is a feeling of vindication about choosing to follow my own somewhat private path (albeit rootedin much of what others have made available through literature such as the workin question) & not to be distractedin my magic by the politics, egos & back biting that is so often described about working within a coven structure or with the many mountebanks that vie for the attentions of the unwary seeker. I would highly recommend this work to anyone with an interestin modern magic or witchcraft, it is highly relevant to us all. I would however add the qualification that I would maintain about any work on the craft but which seems to be particularly relevant here; magicians are often know to exaggerate (it is generally part of the art) only you can judge the validity of their claims & how true they arein terms of your own magical knowledge. It cannot be overstated that to simply receive facts from any magician by word or letters is to invite oneself to be made a fool of. This goes as much for deciphering whether another has understood the truth of what they have been told as much asin what they are telling you.
Allin all though I agree with Professor Hutton; this is a very important book. It will be highly enjoyed by those who are stuckin the 50s but anyone with intentions of practising a craft that is suited to the agein which they live may find the views contained somewhat stifling but above all enlightening.
Fire Child by Maxine Sanders - By: Lorenza, 11 Feb 2010 
Very dissapointed with this book. I felt much of the lifestyle of both the Sanders much of the time lacked integrity & was quite feckless. There was not much of a work ethnic it would appear & the various backbitingsin much of the book makes me realize how right I was to come out of a coven & be Solitary.
FireChild - By: ~*~Tinkerbell~*~, 08 Feb 2010 
This book is an open, honest & brave account of Maxine's life: the abuse by her father, her life with & without Alex, her successes & failures, her views on witchcraft now & back then, her role as child - mother - priestess - wife - teacher & more. Still it's very readable, almost like a novel. I'm glad I read it & learned more about this inspiring woman & her extraordinary life. She is so much more than 'just' the (ex-)wife of Alex Sanders!
Next to the personal part I'd say this is a must-read for witches/wicca anywhere. This is part of our history. The things witches had to go throughin those early days are shocking; for example being stoned (literally!) or having their house set on fire... It shows the way things were done, what changed & what didn't. Of course it is a personal account, people will disagree with her views, but that's okay. This is her story.
Slaying those sacred cows with style ! - By: Sorita d'Este, 01 Apr 2008 The long awaited autobiography of Maxine Sanders does not pull any punches! Until now the only available works were the difficult to obtain Maxine: Witch Queen or the almost impossibly elusive Ecstatic Mother. The influence of Maxine Sanders on the development of the Wiccan tradition has long been overshadowed by Alex Sanders & others, whenin fact Maxine has more claim to being the "first lady of Wicca" than any other high priestessin the history of the modern Craft movement.
This book reflects Maxine's character. It is not an easy read, & it certainly slays a herd of sacred cows! Nevertheless, shining through the humour & sadness foundin equal measure, is a sense of the inspiration which flows through Maxine & has inspired so many people into the Wiccan path. As can be seen from the accounts of her life with Alex, if he was the mind, she was the heart. Maxine was the pre-eminent priestess during the decades when Wicca went from being a small elite club to being a global spirituality.
So what stands outin Maxine's tale of her magickal life & the people who have populated it? Her early life & the influence of her familyin shaping Maxine's future are well documented. However it is when she reaches the influence of Alex & how the two of them interacted that things quickly become more revealing (happily this is from chapter 3 onwards!). Maxine is very honest about how her shyness was almost painfully clear during her early exposure to the media. What is more surprising is her revelation that Sharon Tate was initiated into Wicca during the filming of `Eye of the Devil'.
It would be too easy to recount lots of fascinating details from this book, presented from a unique perspective from the point of view of the development of Wiccan & modern paganism. However it is more appropriate to look at what the book says about Maxine. Here is a woman of courage, who has been to hell & back many times, & is still around to tell the tale. Not only that but she has grown strongin the fires of testing which she has been repeatedly exposed to through her life. Maxine is also very honest, admitting her own mistakes & failingsin a way that many people would find difficult to.
Firechild is a wonderful book that is very difficult to put down. It will give you a completely different view of the development of Wicca, & many of the people within it. As such it is a very important book for everyone interestedin the history of modern paganism (whichever tradition) & of course everyone whose work, beliefs & practices have been inspired,in one way or another, by Maxine - which quite possibly includes all of us.(Only those suffering from extreme arrogance or who prefer to bury their headin the sand, will tell themselves differently)
The Craft book that everyone should read - By: Guy reid-brown, 19 Jan 2008 This (along with 'Triumph of the Moon' by Ronald Hutton) is the Craft book that everyone should read -in this age of dilettantes, it is instructive to find out just how hard working, disciplined, driven & sometimes ruthless these people were. Alex Sanders runs like a magical thread through the book, encompassing all the highs & the pitfalls that someone on the Path can encompass - a real Magician & medium with a breathtaking capacity for healing & generosity coupled with an equally dark magical past & destructive egoism.
Running along her day to day life as a Witch, Maxine had a footin another, more formally ritualised Occultic world - the Egyptian Mysteries - a fabulously wealthy but deeply serious organisation led by a man who Maxine makes clear was as important a part of her life as Alex.
Joyous celebration with wild nature is coupled with a dark sixties undertow giving a new light on the Tate/Manson/Process connections that should be of interest to counter culture historians.
Recommended!
