by Jimahl di Fiosa. 2011(c)All Rights Reseved.

Alex Sanders, “King of the Witches,” was born in Liverpool, England on June 6, 1926. He was the eldest child of Harold Carter and Hannah Bibby.  Harold was married at the time and was unable to pass his proper surname to his new son. Consequently, he and Hannah picked the name “Sanders” from a phone book and went about creating a large family together. Little is known of Alex’s early years. It would seem by later accounts that Alex was somewhat of the “black sheep” of the family.

The principal influence in Alex’s young life was his maternal grandmother, known in popular media as Mary Bibby.  She lived in North Wales and Alex went to stay with her for a period of time when he was a child. Mrs. Bibby apparently had hereditary ties to Welsh Witchcraft and was known to many as the village “wise woman.”

Alex insisted that she was a witch and would later tell the story of how he went round to her house for tea in his seventh year and found her standing naked in the middle of a magic circle.  According to Alex, the result of this impertinent discovery was that she initiated him into Witchcraft on the spot and proceeded over several years to teach him the ways of Welsh magic.  While many have been inclined to dispute the “grandmother story,” this writer considers such debates to be purely academic. Additionally, some recent scholarly evidence has surfaced which lends credence to the connection between Alex’s grandmother and hereditary Welsh magic , taking some wind out of the sails of the detractors who for whatever reason have been heretofore determined to punch holes in Alex’s firsthand account of his early introduction to the Arts Magical.

The lessons learned from his grandmother were well learned and Alex devoted his life to building upon the magical foundation laid early in life by the elderly Mrs. Bibby.  In the 1950s, Alex was well known throughout the Manchester England area as a healer, psychic, and trance medium.

In the early 1960s, Alex was initiated into Gardnerian Witchcraft, a contemporary form of Witchcraft made popular through the work of British witch, Gerald Gardner.  Differences in opinion between Alex and other prominent Gardnerians of the time, created a schism and Alex branched off to form what would later become known as the “Alexandrian tradition” of Witchcraft. The Alexandrian tradition, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Gardnerian tradition, is one of the major branches of Wicca today. Although it is generally thought that the name of the tradition is derived from “Alex”, it is believed that it was named instead after Alexandria, the ancient city of learning.

Alex Sanders met Maxine Morris in the mid 1960’s and it was a match well made. As High Priest and High Priestess, the couple went on to initiate and train hundreds of witches throughout the British Isles and around the world. In late 1960 Alex and Maxine moved to London where they would later marry and celebrate the births of their two children, Maya and Victor. 

The 1960s were a decade of social change and revolution on many levels. Witchcraft provided an alternative to established religious practices and interested people of all ages and backgrounds found their way to the London Coven seeking counsel, teaching, and initiation.  The media loved Alex and Maxine and once the publicity machine roared into gear, the couple found it impossible to escape attention wherever they went.  Several high profile publicity opportunities presented themselves to the couple in a short period of time which further catapulted them into a worldwide spotlight.  The first was a very early biography of Alex entitled “King of the Witches” by June Johns (1969 Pan Books), followed closely by a documentary film, “Legend of the Witches” (1969), a vinyl recording of actual witchcraft ceremonies on the A&M record label called “A Witch is Born”(1970), and a non-fiction account of the work of the London coven entitled “What Witches Do, a Modern Coven Revealed” by a well- known journalist named Stewart Farrar (1971.)

The basic tenets of Alexandrian Witchcraft are very similar to other branches of Wicca.  However, the emphasis in the Alexandrian tradition has always been on the quality of training.  Alexandrian covens are considered to be autonomous and each is encouraged to contribute to the basic body of lore passed down from Alex. While core principles and beliefs are shared by Alexandrian covens, specific rituals and training techniques may vary from coven to coven.  For example one coven may exhibit a proclivity toward ceremonial magic while another might have expertise in the working of spells. The basic core practices of the Alexandrian tradition include but are not limited to the worship of both the God and Goddess, the use of a “Book of Shadows” which is passed by hand of write from initiator to initiate, a sincere and unapologetic belief in magic of all types, the awareness of the unseen spirit world, a working relationship with the elemental forces of nature, the effectiveness of spells, the transformative power of ritual, cross gender initiations, and perhaps most importantly the acceptance of personal responsibility for all actions taken within the Art Magical. The rituals of the Alexandrian tradition are enacted within a consecrated magic circle. These Rites are usually officiated by a High Priest or High Priestess or both. Alexandrian covens may consist of an unlimited number of witches. They may have as few as three (two coven leaders and one other member) or as many members as the group feels is appropriate. A full coven is generally believed to contain between seven and thirteen witches. 

Although Alex and Maxine separated in 1974, both individuals remained active as Elders of the Craft.   Maxine remained in London, while Alex found a new home in Sussex where he lived until his death on May Eve 1988.

Jimahl di Fiosa 2011(c)All Rights Reseved.

This text cannot be reproduced or copied to another place or site without permission of the author.