The Circle of Cerridwen, the founding coven of the Open Source Alexandrian tradition, was founded in 2009 by Rev. Gina Pond and Sarah Thompson. Both Sarah and Gina wanted to run a coven that allowed for experimentation and inclusion in the spirit of Alex Sanders. Alex Sanders was an innovator. He included other traditions in his magick (primarily Ceremonial magick) and wasn’t afraid to experiment and be open about his practice. He also was the first to really publicize Wicca to a wider audience, and in that tradition, Gina and Sarah opened up their tradition even more by making all of the Open Source Alexandrian’s rituals publicly available on their website.

In 2010, they released the original wiki version of the Circle of Cerridwen website with essays, rituals, and statement of principles. Over the years, the Circle of Cerridwen, later the Open Source Alexandrian tradition, grew and evolved as its founders and members have grown. They did more work around radical inclusion and gender issues, particularly transgender issues (the most prominent work done in 2011 and 2012) and expanded the scope of what the tradition is about. New members were initiated into, and moved forward, the coven, creating new groups and ministries in the process. Gina went to seminary and started Between the Worlds Church (now closed) and began the podcast This Week In Heresy. Sarah and Calyxa redacted Golden Dawn rituals and started the Witches’ Order of the Golden Dawn. More new members came and started doing other new ministries such as Spirit Babies by Nisaa.

In 2015, we realized that the wiki no longer reflected what we do and who we are as a community. This website, st4r.org, was the next evolution of the Open Source Alexandrian Tradition and a way for the greater community to interact with our members, groups, and ministries, and to participate in the expansion into a greater community of radically inclusive progressive spiritual people. What we mean by radically inclusive is that we intentionally welcome all persons, to this site and to our events, of any race, color, age, ancestry, sexual or relationship orientation, body size, gender, religion, or any other difference. On this site, as best as we are able (we don’t always get it completely right, but we try our best), you will find voices from many different spiritual paths and life experiences. We want to promote the diversity of the progressive spiritual community, even while working in our own specific spiritual paths. The idea of this type of inter-faith working is what we call metafaith, and you can read Sarah’s paper about metafaith here.

In 2017, our founders, Gina and Sarah, moved to Chicago, then to Zurich, Switzerland in 2018. The Circle of Cerridwen in the SF Bay Area was then lead by Calyxa and Nisaa and continued the work that Gina and Sarah began. However, in March of 2021, it was decided by the membership that they would stop being active. While the Circle of Cerridwen is no longer an entity, the Open Source Alexandrian tradition is still in existence.

People are welcome to use the information on this website as a basis to start their own groups, as long as they follow the principles of our tradition and are inclusive of all people as stated in our inclusion statement below.

Inclusion Statement

Open Source Alexandrian Tradition groups and events are ALWAYS radically inclusive. As stated above: we intentionally welcome all persons, to this site and to our events, of any race, color, age, ancestry, sexual or relationship orientation, body size, gender, religion, or any other difference. 

We reserve the right to ask anyone to leave a OSA sponsored event or coven if they are being excessively disruptive, excessively intoxicated, or engaging in harassment of any kind. This type of behaviour by ANYONE will NOT be tolerated. If you feel you are being harassed (sexually, ideologically, etc), please talk to an OSA member, and we will help you, including reporting to local authorities.

Our Founding Principles

The Open Source Alexandrian covens practice a recension of the neopagan witchcraft tradition founded by Alex Sanders in the mid-20th century, which we call Open Source Alexandrian Witchcraft. In the spirit of Alex Sanders, we are experimental, eclectic, and open about our practices. We differ from other  Alexandrian witchcraft traditions, as summarized by our founding principles:

• It is a fundamental founding principle of our line that magickal polarity is unrelated to gender. Our rituals are not gender specific, nor are separate roles ascribed to a High Priest or High Priestess. People of any and all genders, and none, are welcome.

• We regard sexual preference as entirely irrelevant to one’s ability to practice magick.

• We have no secrets. All of our rituals, where practical, are published for the benefit of all, regardless of their initiatory degree or lack thereof. We have no oathbound material.

• We honour all gods, and no gods. There are no gods that are specific to our line, nor do we preclude working with gods, spirits, angels or daemons from any other tradition.

• We do not, and shall never, charge for teaching or initiation.

• We have no founding myths. The material stands on its own merits, and requires no invented justification or falsified lineage.

• We practice open-source syncretism. Though we have utmost respect for others’ privacy and for the integrity of all systems of magick and religion, we operate on the principle that, if a technique is openly described, it works, and it serves our purpose, we reserve the right to use it and, if we so choose, to teach it.

• We do not use a prescribed Book of Shadows. All rituals are our rituals. All gods are our gods.

And it harm none, do what you will.

Acknowledgements

We credit the following persons, past and present, for inspiration, material, and invention.

• Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders, without whom, we would not have this practice.
• Stewart and Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, who’s published works and philosophies have been a great source for our own.
• Grandfather Star, Nimishoomis Onagocag, who was Gina’s first teacher in the Alexandrian tradition, and from whom she received her first and second degree initiations. We give credit and thanks for his redaction of the original Alexandrian in order to make this tradition accessible for queer folk.
• The Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn was the inspiration for the open source aspect of Open Source Alexandrian Witchcraft.
• Victor and Cora Anderson, founders of the Feri tradition of witchcraft, who showed that gendered polarity is unnecessary and that syncretism works.
• Valerie Walker, Sarah’s Feri teacher
• Athena Wallander, who introduced Sarah to the Goetia and the Enochian angels.
• Bishop Yvette Flunder and City of Refuge UCC for teaching many of us about, and giving us the term for, radical inclusion. We thank you for your vision and hope that we can carry that vision into the Pagan community in the same spirit of love.