Who Built the Alexandrian Tradition

Who Built the Alexandrian Tradition?

Every so often, one encounters a statement repeated so often that it begins to appear factual. One such claim is that the growth of the Alexandrian Tradition was largely due to Janet Farrar.

This has always struck me as rather curious.

Not because Janet did not contribute to modern witchcraft. She most certainly did. Alongside Stewart Farrar, they produced books that introduced many people to the wider world of witchcraft and paganism. Their work reached readers who might otherwise never have encountered the Craft at all.

What I question is the suggestion that the growth of the Alexandrian Tradition can be attributed primarily to a single person.

History is rarely that simple.

When Alex and I were establishing what would become known as the Alexandrian Tradition, there were no bestselling books explaining the system. There were no internet forums, social media groups, podcasts, or online courses. There were simply people. Real people, meeting in real rooms, learning rituals, making mistakes, asking questions, and dedicating themselves to the work.

By the time Janet entered the Craft, covens already existed. Initiates had been trained. The structure, teachings, rituals, and magical framework were already established. The roots of the tree were firmly in the ground.

What followed was not the work of one individual but of many.

Some established covens throughout Britain. Others travelled abroad. Some taught quietly from their homes for decades without seeking recognition. Many trained initiates who would, in turn, train others. Like rings spreading across water, the tradition expanded through countless acts of dedication, most of them unseen.

The difficulty with history is that people often remember those who write about events more readily than those who lived them.

A book leaves a visible footprint. The High Priestess who trained three generations of witches in a small town often leaves none at all, despite perhaps contributing far more to the tradition’s survival than any author.

The Alexandrian Tradition did not spread because people bought books. It spread because initiates devoted years of their lives to preserving and transmitting what they had been taught. Books may open a door. Someone still has to walk through it.

There is another point that is often overlooked.

As the years passed, Janet’s interests increasingly moved towards what became known as Progressive Witchcraft, a path that reflected her own evolving spiritual direction. There is nothing wrong with that. Spiritual traditions grow, and individuals follow their own calling.

Yet it does make one wonder why some insist on presenting her as the principal architect of the growth of Alexandrian Witchcraft when much of her later attention was directed elsewhere.

Perhaps the answer lies in our modern fascination with finding heroes and heroines. We like neat stories. We like simple explanations. We like to believe that great movements are built by singular figures.

The reality is usually more complicated and considerably more interesting.

The Alexandrian Tradition was built by Initiates. It grew because hundreds of people carried it forward. Some names became well-known. Most did not. Yet every one of them played a part.

If there is a lesson to be learned from the history of the Craft, it is that traditions survive not because of personalities, however charismatic, but because ordinary practitioners quietly continue the work of the Initiate.

The growth of the Alexandrian Tradition was not the achievement of one person. It was the achievement of many hands, many hearts, and several generations of dedicated witches.

That, at least, is how it appeared from where I was standing.

And I had a rather good view.

Maxine Sanders