THE OFFICIAL WITCH OF LOS ANGELES

It makes a certain amount of logic that Los Angeles would be the only city in the world that has an “official witch”: this is the city of glamour, in all aspects of the word. Louise Huebner was given the title of “Official Witch of Los Angeles County” way back in 1968 as part of an 11,000-strong ceremony at the Hollywood Bowl. During the presentation, she led the crowd in a “Sex Spell” that was to ensure the continued sexual vitality of the county; to see if it worked, head into any LA nightclub, any night of the week, and see how many STDs you walk out with. Following a short legal battle with the county (short story: they wanted her to stop using the title, she issued a press release threatening to “de-spell” the county, they shut the hell up), she focused more on her writing, publishing two books and currently working on five more (“I write around the clock,” she says). Also worth mentioning is her strange psychedelic spoken word album entitled Seduction Through Witchcraft, released in 1969. Here’s a short sample from the album regarding orgies, or in her lingo, “energy exchange celebrations.” Just in time for Halloween – which, by the way, bears no significance on her plans; when you’re a witch, Halloween isn’t that big a deal – Louise Huebner spoke with us about her life as a witch. Vice: How long have you been involved in witchcraft? Louise Huebner: My entire life. My mother was a witch, my grandmother was a witch, my grandmother’s grandmother was a witch. I am also a third-generation astrologer. I began psychic readings at age two. Was growing up more of a sheltered experience then? I hung out with kids my own age. I’m assertive and a leader type, so there was never any problem gathering up a following. I make friends easily. I had a newspaper at nine. I spied on neighbors and then reported their scandals. What about growing up as a teenage witch? I hope you don’t think I am a Wiccan. When I was a teenager my grandmother had flaming red hair and penetrating deep blue eyes and was popular. She got most of the attention. She was an astrologer too. I was just a kid. Are there any film versions of witchcraft or witches in general that is accurate in the least? Bewitched did have some elements of truth in it. It was fun, but sometimes it was right on target. In the certificate giving you Official Witch status, it says you have “supernatural powers.” What kind? I’m very psychic. I read for many elected officials and famous people when I was in the mood. When I was on KLAC Radio and did psychic readings, I made predictions that came true. Like what? I predicted JFK, like every other astrologer. I was the only one who predicted President Johnson wouldn’t run for reelection. The Russian Space Walk. The Watts Riots. RFK. I said something terrible would happen that day in LA, that it would alter the course of history. Personally I wouldn’t leave the house. I was to be at a party and couldn’t bring myself to go. Anything recent? I predicted Bush [would be elected] in my newsletters and people became angry with me. They have odd reactions. I was right, twice with him. I got terrible mail from Australia. It was sort of amusing. Did you hear any reactions, positive or negative, regarding your “Sex Spell” over Los Angeles? 11,000 people are a lot to show up for one psychic at the Hollywood Bowl. I don’t think it had to work, do you? It was for 78 cities, the entire County. We generated an energy. How did becoming the Official Witch of LA change your career? I have had articles written about me exclusively in every national and international magazine of note. I’ve made movies. I appeared on over 350 TV shows, local and network. I’ve done radio all over the States. I’ve lectured at colleges. Ivy League. Good Fees! Why does anyone bother with promotion or advertising? Three pages in Life magazine alone would cost someone a small fortune. I got it all free. What’s the biggest change? I guess now my title will go on my tomb stone. It’s a given. But it is a nice ego boost to be written about in Turkey or Bosnia or Russia. Or have [my book] Power Through Witchcraft translated into Portuguese. Spanish is OK, but Portuguese really impressed me. Did your fame get you connected with any famous counterculture folks of the 60s? Not the 60s. It was the very late 60s, more like the 70s. I was traveling in Europe and having kids. We were on film locations a lot. My husband was a conceptual artist and designer for 250 feature films, so I didn’t mingle with everyone. Perhaps we were bourgeoisie. I was not into drugs. I was into adventure, travels. I wasn’t a rebel. Do you do any kinds of consultation or give personal assistance? I can’t stand one-on-one. It’s not exciting. I prefer a crowd. I lectured for a long time at colleges and gave readings to large audiences. If someone is very famous or very powerful, of course, I will do a one on one. But if I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone, I wouldn’t want to give them a reading either. It’s a two-way street. I don’t want to open myself to boredom. Can you tell me about your “Miracle Circle” experiment? It’s an experiment in gathering psychic energy to generate miracles at will. They happen randomly, so why not on demand? How does that work? Number one: Membership is free. I don’t do it for money, therefore I don’t knock myself out with any tightly organized method. The members write for assistance from other members and I let them know if someone has something pressing. It’s not impossible to estimate that we are now into several thousands who are willing participants. Is it working? Yes! I believe it is.