Let me start by clarifying what I mean by Traditional Wicca or British Traditional Wicca , or in Britain commonly called " Initiatory Wicca ".
British Traditional Wicca or Initiatory Wicca is a term used to refer to those Traditions of Wicca which have an initiatory lineage which can be traced directly back to Gerald Gardner and the New Forest Coven. Some of these Traditions are Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Silver Crescent, Blue Star, and Central Valley alone with a few others. So to be clear, in order to be considered a member of a Tradition of British Traditional Wicca, there are some specific requirements. They include:
1. You must have been properly trained and initiated into the specific Tradition by someone who is themselves an Initiate with a traceable lineage back to the New Forest Coven.
2. You must be at least 21 years of age. British Traditional Wicca does not initiate anyone who is not legally an adult.
3. You must be part of an established coven of that Tradition and your rituals must be drawn from the Book of Shadows of your Tradition. Such Books of Shadows are oathbound and never revealed to someone who is not themselves an Initiate.
In the Craft we refer to this as " A proper person, properly prepared ."
Now there are a good number of individuals out there who claim to practice British Traditional Wicca who have not met the requirements I just mentioned. Those of us who are actually British Traditional Wiccans often refer to them as "Fraudnerians" and "Lexienots"
In some cases the person who is making this false claim simply does not understand the requirements of initiation. They have read the publicaly available books by Gerald Gardner and by the Farrars. Or, heaven forbid, they have read one of the fake Books of Shadows that you can sometimes find on the internet. As a result they think they know how British Traditional Wiccans practice and they feel free to take on a name they don't actually have a legitimate claim to making. All of the books out there regarding British Traditional Wicca will give you a hint at what is like, but they will not make you a member of those Traditions.
On the other hand, there are also those Fraudnerians and Lexienots who have ulterior motives in mind when they make their claims. Some may use it as a way of having sex with unsuspecting students. Some may do it to seem more important than those self-taught. Some may form covens and claim to be training and initiating their students into British Traditional Wicca...but of course they are not. You cannot pass on a lineage which you don't have yourself. Sadly we often find ourselves taking on these students who were so deceived and training and initiating them properly.
So, what can you do to protect yourself from the Frauds? There is in British Traditional Wicca this thing called a " vouch ". If you are considering training with a British Traditional Wiccan coven and you are unsure as to whether it is a legitimate group or not you can ask any member of that Tradition you might know to advise you as to whether the group in which you are interested is legitimate. There are also on-line sites designed to help Seekers determine the legitimacy of someone offering to teach them. Those of us, like myself, who are members of BTW covens want to make sure to protect any Seeker from those frauds out there. So if you are considering Gardnerian Wicca, please feel free to ask me for other resources.