Alexandrian Wicca - Origins and History

Origins and History

The tradition is based largely upon Gardnerian Wicca, in which Sanders was trained to the first degree of initiation, and also contains elements of ceremonial magic and Qabalah, which Sanders had studied independently.

The name of the tradition is a reference both to Alex Sanders and to the ancient occult library of Alexandria, which was one of the first libraries in the world. The choice of name was inspired by a view of the library as an early attempt to bring together the knowledge and wisdom of the world into one place. Maxine Sanders recalls that the name was chosen when Stewart Farrar, a student of the Sanders', began to write What Witches Do. "Stewart asked what Witches who were initiated via our Covens should be called; after much discussion, he came up with "Alexandrian" which both Alex and I rather liked. Before this time we were very happy to be called Witches". Conversely, the most recent addition of What Witches Do(2010) includes previously published interviews between Sanders and Farrar. In one interview from 1970 Sanders clearly states: "the Gardnerians call my witches Alexandrians", suggesting that it was not Farrar who coined the term.

Alexandrian Wicca is practiced outside of Britain, including Canada, the United States and Australia. Encyclopedia Mystica states that Alexandrian Wicca "never gained the popularity as did the Gardnerian tradition because it is believed Sanders’ negative publicity hurt it. As of the 1980s none of the American Alexandrian covens had any connection with Sanders himself. The Alexandrian covens have done better in Canada where they were more firmly established before all of Sanders’ negative publicity".