Music in Alexandrian Witchcraft

‘My first experience of circle music of sorts was at cakes and wine after my initiation; the wine was flowing, and the singing of the Witches became progressively, if not less joyously, out of tune.

It was 1964 when the Manchester covenstead became the proud owners of a grand music cabinet, highly polished with sliding doors; impressively, it could stack ten records at a time.

Sandy Shaw, Anthony Newley and Cilla Black would be playing at full blast as we regularly practised different scrying techniques in full daylight.

The lively market in Manchester provided us with much of our second-hand vinyl music library. The Czechoslovakian choir and orchestra performed Carmina Burana at the bargain price of five shillings. Its tone is slightly more vital, the timing more inviting to dance the Circle into its powerful magic.

Long before Torvill and Dean’s ice-skating Olympic gold win in 1984, Ravel’s Bolero taught the Circle the art of joyful anticipation. Its insistence on direct-energy building made the magical outcome both eruptive and fulfilling.

Good ritual voice can be encouraged with music; Wagner’s ‘Tannhauser’ and ‘The Ride of the Valkyries’ are perfect examples of this. ‘Tubular Bells’ was another favourite to ease us into the magic when we were in danger of taking the Circle for granted; it does happen.

The use of music in the training of ritual breath, voice and dance can be anything from Jazz, pop, the classics, ‘The Planets’ and ‘Moon Dog’.

The essence of musical cadence is akin to that of the Earth Mother and the nature of her being, although that is never truly predictable; I believe the chanting of the witches’ runes are acts of attuning to the rhythm of the centre of the witch’s Circle.

Like everything magical, the obvious is hidden.

Visitors to our circles were surprised by our use of recorded music; they were even more impressed by our Coven musician, Dennis, whose ability to lift and direct the Circle’s energy, was particularly magical and, more often than not, exhilarating.

We were not afraid to experiment with recorded music to enhance our rituals. Indeed music enlivened and intensified the power raised within the temple’s sacred space. Having said that, one coven musician played the saxophone; it did not quite produce the finesse for indoor circle work.’ — Maxine Sanders.