# Herman Slater > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Herman_Slater > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Herman_Slater.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Slater > Source revision: 1352546367 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Herman Slater** (1938 – July 9, 1992) was an American [Wiccan](/source/Wiccan) high priest and occult bookstore proprietor and an editor, publisher, and author. He died of [AIDS](/source/AIDS) in 1992.[1] ## Early life Slater was born in 1938 in a lower-middle-class Jewish neighborhood of [New York City](/source/New_York_City).[1] Slater studied [business administration](/source/Business_administration) at [New York University](/source/New_York_University), [liberal arts](/source/Liberal_arts) at [Hunter College](/source/Hunter_College) and [traffic management](/source/Traffic_management) at the Traffic Management Institute in New York. He also completed a full course at the [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) Personnel School at [United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge](/source/United_States_Naval_Training_Center_Bainbridge). From 1958 through 1969, Slater had several jobs in management, traffic expediting, and insurance claims investigation. 1969 marked the beginning of significant health related issues for him. He was later forced to quit work due to bone [tuberculosis](/source/Tuberculosis), which cost him a hip bone and three years for recuperation.[1] ## Career Slater and [Eddie Buczynski](/source/Eddie_Buczynski) opened *The Warlock Shoppe*, the oldest witchcraft bookshop in [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)).[1] Buczynski was the more magical and spiritual of the two and left the business side to Slater, who helped the shop, named as *Magickal Childe*,[2] grow in profitability. The shop established itself as the central information hub for local witches and the newly emerging [neopagan](/source/Neopagan) communities.[3] The two also published a periodical called *Earth Religion News*.[1] It was successful but also caused controversy due to its explicit contents and cover designs.[3] In 1974, Slater was initiated into the Gardnerian tradition and assumed leadership of a coven in the late 1970s.[1] In 1972, Slater presented the "Inquisitional Bigot of the Year" award to [NBC](/source/NBC) during a guest appearance on the *[Today](/source/Today_(NBC_program))* show, criticizing an episode of *[McMillan & Wife](/source/McMillan_%26_Wife)* that equated witchcraft with [devil-worship](/source/Satan_worship). The crew of *Today* physically removed him from the set.[1] More controversy surrounding Slater's actual proficiency in the types of magick he claimed to practice, accusations that he [plagiarized](/source/Plagiarism) material, his abuse of dissatisfied customers of the Magickal Childe, and outrage over other behaviors he exhibited earned him the nickname "Horrible Herman".[3] Slater frequently lectured as a guest speaker at many colleges. He also appeared with his [familiar](/source/Familiar) companion, a snake named Herman. He also hosted a weekly cable show which aired in Manhattan, called *The Magickal Mystery Tour*. The show featured interviews, rituals, music, occultism, and magick instruction. He thought of the show as an Earth religion *700 Club* because it spread the word on the Old Religion and asked for donations.[1] ## Works Slater wrote the books: - *Introduction to Witchcraft*, ISBN 978-0-939708-16-1,[4] - *The Hoodoo Bible*,ISBN 978-0-939708-06-2[5] - *A Book of Pagan Rituals I & II*,ISBN 978-0-87728-348-5[6] - *Pagan Rituals III*, ISBN 978-0-939708-27-7[7] Published: - *Earth Religion News* magazine Edited: - *The Magickal Formulary Spellbook*, ISBN 978-0939708000,[8] - *The Magickal Formulary Spellbook II*, ISBN 978-0939708109[9] These two witchcraft cookbooks are based on the inner workings of his shop and formulas of his potions. They are sold worldwide and are well-respected within the witchcraft community.[10] The Magickal Childe now continues with an Internet presence.[11] ## Sources **Footnotes** 1. Guiley 2008, pp. 324–325 1. ["Magickal Childe (CLOSED)"](https://www.wakingthewitch.com/shops-in-new-york/magickal-childe-closed/). *Waking the Witch*. Retrieved 2026-02-08. 1. Knowles, George. ["Herman Slater"](http://www.controverscial.com/Herman%20Slater.htm). Controverscial.com. Retrieved April 23, 2011. 1. Vidio, Herman S. & Slater, Herman (June 1988). *Introduction to Witchcraft*. Magickal Childe. ISBN 0939708167. 1. [*Hoodoo Bible: Complete Compendium of Folk Magick*](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL11535906M/Hoodoo_Bible). Magickal Childe. October 1997. 1. Slater, Herman (January 1978). *A Book of Pagan Rituals*. Weiser Books. ISBN 0877283486. 1. Slater, Herman (1989). *Pagan Rituals III*. Magickal Childe Pub. ISBN 0939708272. 1. ["MAGICKAL FORMULARY SPELLBOOK BOOK I"](http://www.magickalchilde.com/Book1.htm). *www.magickalchilde.com* 1. ["MAGICKAL FORMULARY SPELLBOOK"](http://www.magickalchilde.com/Book2.htm). *www.magickalchilde.com* 1. ["Joliett on eBay"](http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=joliett) 1. ["MAGICKAL FORMULARY SPELLBOOKS - Herman Slater"](http://www.magickalchilde.com/). *www.magickalchilde.com* **Bibliography** - Guiley, Rosemary Ellen (ed.) (2008). [[Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=nDdcVt9-jnMC) "Slater, Herman (1938–1992)"]. *The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, & Wicca*. 3rd ed. Facts on File Inc. ISBN 978-0-8160-7104-3. ## External links - [Magickal Childe official website](http://www.magickalchilde.com/) - [Collection of citations](http://www.magickalchilde.com/herman.html) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Herman Slater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Slater) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Slater?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.