Maxine Sanders
Encyclopedia
Maxine Sanders is a prominent member of the Wicca
n faith and a co-founder with her late husband, Alex Sanders
, of Alexandrian Wicca
.
Raised a Roman Catholic, Maxine was educated at St. Joseph’s Convent School in Manchester
. Sometime during the 1960s, she was introduced to Alex Sanders
. In 1964, while a student at secretarial college, she was initiated into Alex’s coven. Maxine and Alex were handfasted the next year.
In 1968 she married Alex in a civil ceremony and moved into a basement flat near Notting Hill Gate in London. In the same year their daughter Maya was born; a son Victor was born in 1972. It was about this time that the Sanders separated.
The Sanders became household names during the late sixties and early seventies. The Sanders ran their coven and taught classes on Witchcraft. A record of the initiation of Janet Owen, 'A Witch is Born', was released in 1970. The Sanders’ coven also appeared in 'Legend of the Witches' (1970), 'Witchcraft ’70' (1970) and 'Secret Rites' (1971). A biography of Alex appeared in 1969 (King of the Witches, by June Johns); biographies of Maxine appeared in 1976 (Maxine: The Witch Queen) and 1977 (The Ecstatic Mother, by Richard Deutch).
Maxine remained in the London flat where, for many years, she continued running the coven and teaching the Craft. More recently she has moved from the city and now lives in a rural setting. Though retired from the formal work of teaching she still travels and gives talks.
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Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n faith and a co-founder with her late husband, Alex Sanders
Alex Sanders (Wiccan)
Alex Sanders , born Orrell Alexander Carter, was an English occultist and High Priest in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, responsible for founding the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca during the 1960s. He was a figure who often appeared in tabloid newspapers...
, of Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca, founded by Alex Sanders who, with his wife Maxine Sanders, established the tradition in the United Kingdom in the 1960s...
.
Raised a Roman Catholic, Maxine was educated at St. Joseph’s Convent School in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Sometime during the 1960s, she was introduced to Alex Sanders
Alex Sanders (Wiccan)
Alex Sanders , born Orrell Alexander Carter, was an English occultist and High Priest in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, responsible for founding the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca during the 1960s. He was a figure who often appeared in tabloid newspapers...
. In 1964, while a student at secretarial college, she was initiated into Alex’s coven. Maxine and Alex were handfasted the next year.
In 1968 she married Alex in a civil ceremony and moved into a basement flat near Notting Hill Gate in London. In the same year their daughter Maya was born; a son Victor was born in 1972. It was about this time that the Sanders separated.
The Sanders became household names during the late sixties and early seventies. The Sanders ran their coven and taught classes on Witchcraft. A record of the initiation of Janet Owen, 'A Witch is Born', was released in 1970. The Sanders’ coven also appeared in 'Legend of the Witches' (1970), 'Witchcraft ’70' (1970) and 'Secret Rites' (1971). A biography of Alex appeared in 1969 (King of the Witches, by June Johns); biographies of Maxine appeared in 1976 (Maxine: The Witch Queen) and 1977 (The Ecstatic Mother, by Richard Deutch).
Maxine remained in the London flat where, for many years, she continued running the coven and teaching the Craft. More recently she has moved from the city and now lives in a rural setting. Though retired from the formal work of teaching she still travels and gives talks.
External links
- Maxine Sanders Web Site
- TWPT talks with Maxine Sanders
- Legend of the Witches (1970)
- Witchcraft '70 (1970)
- Secret Rites (1971)
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