The Du Bandia Grasail line of the Alexandrian Tradition (1970) by Janus The Du Bandia Grasail line of the Alexandrian Tradition is engaged in the worship of the Old Gods,  particularly the  Great Mother Goddess and the Horned God in Their many forms; in teaching the ways of the Craft; and in building and maintaining an extended Wiccan community. These covens teach and practice ethics based on  the Wiccan Rede ( "An it harm none, do what ye Will") and the Threefold Law ("What you send out shall return to you threefold"). Covens in the Du Bandia Grasail line are initiatory and  unabashedly hierarchical within each coven,  while covens are more or less autonomous from each other. Initiatory rank achieved in one coven is not automatically transferrable to another coven, though initiatory rank in one  coven usually does confer a general status within the Wiccan  community. Initiatory lineage is of interest in the Du Bandia Grasail line, though it is not so meticulously recorded or ferociously challenged as in some  traditions. In practical terms, relatively little hinges on the determination - it's  just interesting to know who we're related to. Ideally, Alexandrian covens should be led by both a High Priestess and a High Priest  working equally and cooperatively together. In practice, though, it is sometimes the case that a coven will  only have one leader, or that one of the coven leaders will have so much more experience than the other that the two  do not in fact have an equal relationship. This is accepted as a normal and workable arrangement, if less than ideal. Most  covens in the Du Bandia Grasail line have three degrees of initiation, plus a preliminary grade  called 'Dedication' which marks formal acceptance into a coven while studying toward the first degree of initiation. Spawn Far Coven and some  covens descended from it have combined the second and third degrees of initiation  into a single Elder Degree. In general, Alexandrian covens recognize Second Degree Initiates as Elders, which differs from some traditions that only recognize  Third Degree Initiates as Elders. There are currently at least two distinct branches (the Ganymede/Chthonioi branch and the NFG branch) of the Du Bandia Grasail line, which have diverged enough that they could be considered different traditions. Both branches continue to refer to themselves as 'Alexandrian', much to the confusion of outsiders. DISCLAIMER: Each coven in the Du Bandia Grasail line is autonomous, therefore any generalizations made about the line as a whole may not apply to every coven, and may not continue to be generally  true of the  line over time. I can only speak authoritatively for Spawn Far Coven, a coven in the Ganymede/Chthonioi branch. My remarks are intended to be descriptive of the general character of the covens in this line as I  have experienced them, and  should not be construed as reflecting the official policies, rules or requirements of any coven. To learn more about the branches of our line: Separate pages are available, concerning the Ganymede/Chthonioi branch and the NFG branch.  For further information about the Du Bandia Grasail line, look at: Spawn Far Coven (Ganymede/Chthonioi branch) Coven Synchronos (Ganymede/Chthonioi branch) Coven of NFF (NFG branch) You may also return to: The index of English Traditions of the Craft. The Alexandrian Tradition in America page. written by Janus updated: June 8, 1998 navigational structure revised: November 7, 1998, by Brigantia document  DBG-TRAD © 1998 Janus