About Us

Stillwater Coven

An Alexandrian Training Coven based in Englewood, Ohio

Stillwater Coven is a training Coven rooted in the Queensberry Line of the Alexandrian Tradition of Witchcraft. We are dedicated to preserving and transmitting the initiatory Mysteries of Alexandrian Witchcraft through structured training, ritual practice, and personal transformation.

At the heart of the Alexandrian Tradition is initiation, through which the Mysteries, teachings, rites, and practices of the Craft are transmitted. These are entrusted to those who enter the Tradition through initiation and commit themselves to its discipline, priesthood, and Great Work.

Our work is guided by the virtues of Beauty, Freedom, and Power, principles that shape both our ritual practice and our conduct as Priests and Priestesses of the Goddess.

Stillwater Coven traces its origins to a Gardnerian Coven established in 2022. Through continued study, growth, and initiatory development, the Coven transitioned into the Alexandrian Tradition in 2025. Today, Stillwater Coven provides training for neophytes seeking traditional initiatory Witchcraft throughout Ohio’s Miami Valley and surrounding region.

The Alexandrian Tradition

Alexandrian Witchcraft emerged in Britain during the 1960s through the work of Alex and Maxine Sanders. Rooted in British Traditional Witchcraft and drawing upon Gardnerian foundations, the Tradition developed a distinctive approach that integrates Hermeticism, Qabbalah, Ceremonial Magick, and the broader Western Esoteric Tradition.

Alexandrian practice places particular importance on initiatory experience, disciplined magickal training, skilled ritual practice, and direct engagement with the Mysteries. Rather than approaching the Craft solely as a body of teachings, the Tradition emphasizes knowledge gained through initiation, practice, and personal experience of the Divine.

Our Lineage

Stillwater Coven belongs to the Queensberry Line, through which our initiatory heritage ultimately descends from Alex and Maxine Sanders. Within this lineage, our practice reflects the convergence of three streams:

The Alexandrian Line of Kent
Du Bandia Grasail
Temple of the Mother

This inheritance informs the ritual and magickal work of Stillwater Coven, with particular emphasis on the teachings, influence, and spiritual legacy of Maxine Sanders and Temple of the Mother.

Coven Autonomy

Stillwater Coven operates as an autonomous Alexandrian Coven, responsible for its own leadership, training, and internal practice. Our autonomy exists within a broader initiatory tradition united by shared lineage, transmitted Mysteries, and the continuing practice of Alexandrian Witchcraft.

Our Approach

We believe the future of Traditional Witchcraft rests in the hands of its initiates. Training within our Coven is designed to cultivate capable, knowledgeable, and spiritually mature Priests and Priestesses.

Our teaching emphasizes:

Ritual competence
Personal responsibility
Spiritual transformation
Magickal development
Service to the Circle

Every initiate brings unique strengths, experiences, and challenges to the Circle. While our standards remain consistent, instruction is adapted to support each individual’s growth within the framework of the Tradition.

Training and Study

Stillwater Coven provides structured training in the foundational disciplines of Alexandrian Witchcraft, including:

Ethics and Priesthood
Hermetic Philosophy
Magickal Tools and Symbolism
Meditation and Energy Work
Ritual Structure and Practice
Theology and Cosmology
Witchcraft

Additional workshops and specialized studies may be offered throughout the year.

Training is provided without financial cost. Instead, students are expected to contribute through commitment, participation, preparation, and the acquisition of materials necessary for their own practice.

Coven Life

The Coven gathers for Sabbats and Esbats throughout the year to celebrate the rites and Mysteries of the Tradition.

These rituals form the heart of our spiritual and magickal work and are reserved for initiated members of the Coven.

In addition to ritual observances, the Coven meets weekly for instruction, discussion, and practical training.

Initiation and Degrees

Initiation marks a deepening of commitment, knowledge, and responsibility within the Mysteries. It is never automatic or guaranteed and is conferred only when an individual has demonstrated the readiness, maturity, and dedication required for advancement.

Stillwater Coven does not utilize the traditional three degree progression commonly associated with Gardnerian Witchcraft. We understand the Degrees as stages of initiation into the Mysteries themselves rather than academic achievements.

Accordingly, the Second and Third Degrees are conferred together in a single rite that recognizes the culmination of advanced training and assumption of priestly responsibilities.

All initiations are conducted in accordance with established Alexandrian customs and standards.

Coven Expectations

Those who train and work with Stillwater Coven are expected to uphold the standards necessary for meaningful initiatory work and a healthy Coven environment.

Embody Our Virtues

Carry the principles of Beauty, Freedom, and Power into ritual practice, personal conduct, and relationships with others.

Pursue Personal Development

Approach the Craft as an ongoing discipline through regular study, spiritual practice, self-reflection, and continued growth.

Foster Mutual Trust

Cultivate Perfect Love and Perfect Trust through honesty, respect, reliability, and consideration for others within the Circle.

Engage in Coven Life

Maintain consistent attendance and participate meaningfully in training, ritual, discussion, and other aspects of Coven work.

Honor Privacy and Tradition

Protect the confidentiality of Coven matters and initiatory teachings while respecting the boundaries and sanctity of ritual space.

Practice Accountability

Take responsibility for personal conduct, commitments, and development. Training, initiation, and priesthood are to be approached with maturity, integrity, and dedication.

Contribute to the Coven

Share appropriately in the practical responsibilities of Coven life by contributing the time, effort, and resources needed to support its work and activities.

Aslan, Witch & Priest of the Goddess

Aslan, High Priest of Stillwater Coven, has taught Witchcraft, Paganism, and Western Esoteric subjects since 2014. His experience includes public ritual, community education, interfaith engagement, and academic presentations on Pagan religion and practice. His approach to Coven leadership combines practical experience, continued study, and traditional initiatory training.

Early Training

Aslan’s interest in the Alexandrian Tradition began in his youth, although circumstances prevented him from pursuing formal training at that time. During college, he encountered Gardnerian Witchcraft and entered training under Coven based in Salem, Massachusetts. He was subsequently initiated into the Long Island Line of Gardnerian Witchcraft in 2021.

Together with his former working partner, Lady Stella, they established Buckeye Grove in 2022 and continued their development within the Gardnerian Tradition. Their work together welcomed new initiates and fostered a small Outer Court before their respective personal and spiritual paths eventually led them in separate directions.

Returning to the Alexandrian Tradition

Following the dissolution of that partnership, Aslan remained responsible for students who had begun their initiatory development. This period prompted a serious reassessment of his spiritual direction and the structure in which he wished to serve.

Differences in Coven governance were particularly significant. His experience of Gardnerian practice centered Coven authority in the High Priestess, while the Alexandrian Tradition offered a model in which initiated Priests and Priestesses could exercise greater autonomy in establishing and leading their own Coven work. Its emphasis on the complementary authority, responsibility, and spiritual agency of both Priest and Priestess aligned more closely with his understanding of initiatory Priesthood.

What initially appeared to be a difficult transition ultimately provided an opportunity to pursue the tradition that had first inspired him.

Alexandrian Training

Seeking instruction independent of his former Gardnerian connections, Aslan approached an established Alexandrian High Priestess for guidance. Through her, he was reconnected with Karagan Griffith, High Priest of the Coven of Tomar in Portugal, whom he had first contacted years earlier while exploring Alexandrian Witchcraft.

Under this guidance, Aslan undertook Alexandrian training and entered the tradition he had originally hoped to pursue. His transition was not intended as a rejection of his Gardnerian education, which remains an important part of his history, but as a deliberate return to the spiritual path most consistent with his beliefs, vocation, and understanding of the Craft.

Approach to the Craft

Aslan’s work draws upon more than a decade of teaching and community involvement alongside experience in both Gardnerian and Alexandrian initiatory traditions. His leadership emphasizes education, disciplined practice, personal responsibility, initiatory development, and direct experience of the Mysteries.

This combination of scholarship, practical experience, and traditional training informs the educational philosophy and spiritual work of Stillwater Coven.

A Living Tradition

Stillwater Coven is dedicated to preserving the Alexandrian Tradition while ensuring its continued vitality for future generations.

Through study, ritual, service, and direct experience of the Mysteries, we seek to cultivate knowledgeable and capable Priests and Priestesses who can carry the Tradition forward with integrity, wisdom, and devotion.

For those seeking a serious path of traditional initiatory Witchcraft within a structured and LGBTQ+ supportive environment, Stillwater Coven offers a path of depth, discipline, and transformation.