Alexandrian Witchcraft

Alexandrian Witchcraft is a specific, initiatory tradition of modern Witchcraft, founded in Britain in about 1962 by Alex and Maxine Sanders. It is a living spiritual practice rooted in working with nature, the divine, and Self, following the cycles of the seasons and the phases of the moon, and expressed through the power of ritual. It is not something acquired through books or online courses, but a path traditionally shared through initiation, training, and direct experience within a magic circle.

The full account

There is controversy surrounding Alex Sanders’ initiation into Gardnerian Witchcraft, including who initiated him and exactly when. Nonetheless, he went on to build his own version of modern Witchcraft, making distinct changes in approach and shaping it with ceremonial magic, the Qabalah, Thelema, folk magic, traditional witchcraft and Freemasonry. Through the mid to late 1960s he and Maxine Sanders carried the Craft into public view. In 1971, while Stewart Farrar was writing What Witches Do, the three of them settled together on the name Alexandrian Witchcraft.

Contrary to a story that developed over the years since, the name had nothing to do with the Library of Alexandria, although both Alex and Maxine held an appreciation for it, so much so that they gave their firstborn, Maya, the middle name Alexandria. Years later, Maxine pondered how the erroneous connection to the Library came about, and in her 2017 interview with Simon Costin of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, she suggested it may have arisen from Maya’s middle name.

A hallmark of Alexandrian Witchcraft is its polarity based, initiatory structure. It is organised into three degrees, each conferred through male-female polarity, and traditionally passed on through an unbroken lineage tracing back to Alex and Maxine Sanders. Practitioners follow the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, work with moon cycles, cast circles, and perform ritual with intention. Most Alexandrian witches work within a coven, a dedicated group led by a High Priest and High Priestess.

Alexandrian Witchcraft is not a historical curiosity. Maxine Sanders continues to teach High Priesthood, and covens exist worldwide. In 2026, marking 100 years since Alex Sanders was born, it remains a living, thriving tradition, one of the most structured and historically significant initiatory paths in modern Witchcraft.