Huebner, Louise
Psychic and astrologer who enjoyed brief fame as the Official
Witch of Los Angeles County, a title she was given in 1968.
Her career as a psychic began when she was only ten years old,
when she began to give palm readings at a childrens carnival.
She later moved to Los Angeles and opened an office as an astrologer.
Through the 1960s she gained local fame as a psychic
and was a frequent guest on radio and television shows. She appeared
regularly on a talk show on radio station KLAC for four
years (196569). Occasionally she was invited to assist in crime
detection.
On July 21, 1968, she was presented with a scroll naming
her the Official Witch of Los Angeles County. At the time of the
presentation, she performed a spell to ensure the continued
sexual vitality of Los Angeles. The act had some immediate
consequences. Some in the county were embarrassed when
Huebner began to use the title to promote her writings on
witchcraft and attempted to stop her. The effort ended after
Huebner threatened to undo the spell. Second, members of the
emerging neo-pagan Wiccan movement were somewhat upset
by Huebner, who was not a part of their movement and tended
to perpetuate what they felt were negative stereotypes of witches.
Huebner continued to operate as a public psychic and witch
for several years. In 1970 she traveled to Salem, Massachusetts,
where the mayor presented her with a broom. She produced
one record album, two books, and a series of mini-books for
Hallmark Cards. By the mid-1970s, however, she had largely
retired from public life, and for a period she operated an antique
shop in Pasadena, California.
Sources
Guiley, Rosemary. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft.
New York Facts on File, 1989.
Huebner, Louise. Magic Sleep. Kansas City, Mo. Springbok
Editions, 1972.
. Magical Creatures. Kansas City, Mo. Springbok Editions,
1972.
. Never Strike a Happy Medium. Los Angeles Nash
Publishing, 1971.
. Power through Witchcraft. Los Angeles Nash Publishing,
1969. Reprint, New York Bantam Books, 1972.
. Your Lucky Numbers. Kansas City, Mo. Springbok
Editions, 1972.
