Pagan / Wiccan
Alexandrian Wicca (traditional initiatory)
Export 1 entries:
Alex Sanders / Maxine Sanders-derived Wiccan tradition (1960s). Slightly more ceremonial than Gardnerian. Mainstream low-control.
CLCI radar
Loading radar…
Low Control
BITE breakdown
Behavior Control2/10
Information Control1/10
Thought Control1/10
Emotional Control2/10
Modifiers (+0)
0 — Alexandrian Wicca initiatory tradition; voluntary low-control.
Profile facts
Founded
1960s
Members
Tens of thousands globally
Active in
Europe, USA
In context
Alexandrian Wicca was founded by Alex Sanders in the mid-1960s. More ceremonial-magic-influenced than Gardnerian. Coven-based with three-degree initiation. Mainstream voluntary tradition.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
Information Control
- voluntary low-control
Timeline
- 1960sAlex Sanders founds Alexandrian tradition
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Various Pagan-studies academic work search ↗
- The Goddess and the Great Rite _Sex_ Magic and Feminism in the Neo-Pagan Revival — https://academic.oup.com/california-scholarship-online/book/28586/chapter/238856112 open ↗
- The Goddess and the Great RiteSex Magic and Feminism in the Neo-Pagan Revival — Magia SexualisSex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism (2006) — https://doi.org/10.1525%2Fcalifornia%2F9780520247765.003.0008 open ↗
- The Scholars and the Goddess — https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2001/01/the-scholars-and-the-goddess/5910/ open ↗
- Real Witches Practice Samhain: Wicca on the Rise in U.S. — https://abcnews.go.com/WN/real-witches-practice-samhain-wicca-rise-us/story?id=8957950 open ↗
- Something Wiccan This Way Comes — http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol2No2/wicca.htm open ↗
- Use of Wiccan Symbol on Veterans' Headstones Is Approved — https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/washington/24wiccan.html?_r=0 open ↗
- The Meaning of "Wicca": A Study in Etymology, History, and Pagan Politics — Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies (2011) — https://doi.org/10.1558%2Fpome.v12i2.185 open ↗
- New Age Witchcraft? Popular spell books and the re-enchantment of everyday life — Culture and Religion (2003) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F01438300302813 open ↗
- Witchcraft: Changing patterns of participation in the early twenty first century — Pomegranate (2010) — https://doi.org/10.1558%2Fpome.v11i2.165 open ↗
- The Witch (2017) — https://doi.org/10.2307%2Fj.ctv1bzfpmr open ↗
- “Going Native in Reverse”: The Insider as Researcher in British Wicca — Nova Religio (2001) — https://doi.org/10.1525%2Fnr.2001.5.1.52 open ↗
- “Going Native in Reverse”: The Insider as Researcher in British Wicca — Nova Religio (2001) — https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2001.5.1.52 open ↗
- Inappropriate Sexuality? Sex Magic, S/M and Wicca (or ‘Whipping Harry Potter's Arse!’) — Theology & Sexuality (2005) — https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1355835805051876 open ↗
- Margaret Murray: Who Believed Her, and Why? — Folklore (1994) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F0015587X.1994.9715877 open ↗
- Administration Yields on Wiccan Symbol — http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042302073.html open ↗
- Registro de entidades religiosas — http://www.mjusticia.gob.es/cs/Satellite/es/1215197983369/Estructura_P/1215198058699/Detalle.html#id_1215327679960 open ↗
- American Religious Identification Survey — http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm open ↗
- Rio é o estado do Brasil com mais bruxos: são 40 mil adeptos da religião wicca — https://oglobo.globo.com/rio/rio-o-estado-do-brasil-com-mais-bruxos-sao-40-mil-adeptos-da-religiao-wicca-23157104 open ↗
- 2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales — http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?newquery=%2A&newoffset=25&pageSize=25&edition=tcm%3A77-286262 open ↗
- Compliance Manual Section 12 - Religious Discrimination — http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/religion.html#_Toc203359487 open ↗
- Handbook of religious beliefs and practices — http://www.doc.wa.gov/aboutdoc/docs/religioushandbook.pdf open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.miviludes.interieur.gouv.fr/publications-de-la-miviludes/rapports-annuels/rapport-dactivit%C3%A9-2021 open ↗
- Women's Spirituality Research: Doing Feminism — Sociology of Religion (2000) — https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3712524 open ↗
- Lesbian Rituals and Dianic Tradition — Journal of Lesbian Studies (2003) — https://doi.org/10.1300%2FJ155v07n02_03 open ↗
- The Effects of Ritual Healing on Female Victims of Abuse: A Study of Empowerment and Transformation — https://academic.oup.com/socrel/article-lookup/doi/10.2307/3711562 open ↗
- The Effects of Ritual Healing on Female Victims of Abuse: A Study of Empowerment and Transformation — Sociological Analysis (1989) — https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F3711562 open ↗
- Women, Ritual, and Power — Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies (1990) — https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F3346820 open ↗
- Government Furnished Headstones, Markers & Medallions — http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/docs/factsheets/hmm.pdf open ↗
- Britannica (онлайн) — https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wicca open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: academic sources. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.
Disclaimer. This profile is an educational summary based on publicly available reports. Many members of this group do not experience the patterns described. Individual congregations and chapters vary widely. If you or someone you know needs support, contact a licensed therapist or the International Cultic Studies Association.