Despite its waning popularity at the start of the 21^st century, British Traditional Wicca is alive and well today. After twenty years as a solitary practitioner of Wicca and witchcraft (with a smattering of other practices over the years), I am now in the outer court of an Alexandrian coven.

Alexandrian witchcraft is a form of British Traditional Wicca, founded by Alex and Maxine Sanders in the 1960s. Here we use the terms, Wicca and witchcraft interchangeably. Alexandrian witchcraft is an offshoot of its parent, Gardnerian witchcraft founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. Practitioners of this tradition are known for worshipping a goddess and god, participating in skyclad (nude) ritual and working together in a coven-based setting. Witches in traditional covens are also oath-bound, meaning certain details of their craft are kept secret to maintain integrity. Because of its mature themes, British Traditional Wicca is suited for persons aged 18 and over.

I decided to look for a coven and pursue British Traditional Wicca for many reasons. First, I remember seeing an interview on Youtube hosted by Lora O’Brien of the Irish Pagan School with an Alexandrian high priestess, Barbara Lee. Barbara’s sense of presence and grace made such an impression, that it made me want to investigate Alexandrian witchcraft further. I was tired of practicing alone. I craved a sense of community and real-life connections. I wanted to be in the company of other witches. Plus, as a traditional western master of Usui Reiki, I see that Reiki and Wicca share many similarities. There’s a deep appreciation for practical training, undergoing initiation (or attunement in Reiki’s case), the passing on of spiritual wisdom, knowledge and lineage, and the experience of divine mysteries. These are all best experienced in real life, face-to-face.

Another reason I chose to go with British Traditional Wicca is because I wanted to go back to the source. Before Wicca arrived on the scene, there was no witchcraft widely available to the public (particularly in the context of an organised neo-pagan religion). Wicca opened the door for modern craft to emerge, and I think we would not be where we are today without it. We owe Wicca a certain debt of gratitude. These are my own opinions and beliefs, obviously. My way of honuring the lineage is to seek initiation.

Finally, the most vital reason I chose British Traditional Wicca is something I only hear mentioned now and then by other initiated witches, such as Levi Rowland, an Alexandrian high priest in New Orleans. Rowland observed that Gardner made contact with the divine in a very real way. Despite its imperfections, Wicca has received attention from deity and it gets results, both as a religion and a magical / magickal practise. I can expand upon this point further by adding that, while most of our pre-Christian religions and cultures have been lost, we tend to overlook what was never lost. The old gods — living deities — are with us today and are still responsive to us, if only we reach out to them. British Traditional Wicca is one way of making such contact. This is where our natural psychic abilities come into play, allowing us to feel energies, receive messages and visions, and experience the mysteries traditional Wicca has to offer.

Now let’s move on to how I found a coven. That’s easy! MandragoraMagika.com boasts a “free coven finder and worldwide network for traditional initiatory wicca, witchcraft, paganism, spiritual people, witchy stores, blogs, Youtube channels and more.” Essentially, it’s the boss witch of internet directories and has replaced the much-loved but now defunct, WitchVox. If you haven’t been to Mandragora Magika, you should definitely check them out. And no, this is not a paid promotion! Because Wicca does not proselytise, it is necessary for seekers to reach out to a coven (in a polite and orderly way, preferably). British Traditional Wicca does not charge money for its training or coven activities however, reciprocity is appreciated. Items like incense, candles and wine never go astray.

As promised, let me give you a book recommendation if you want to learn more about British Traditional Wicca. You can’t go wrong with Traditional Wicca: A seeker’s guide by Thorn Mooney. Thorn is a Gardnerian high priestess from Charlotte, North Carolina who runs her own coven and has a Youtube channel. I just began reading Thorn’s book, when I found the Mandragora Magika website and subsequently found my future coven, so the timing was perfect. I plan to review Traditional Wicca in an upcoming post but felt it entirely appropriate to mention here first.

Another of my favourite resources for BTW information is Jack Chanek’s Youtube channel. Jack is a Gardnerian high priest located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both Thorn and Jack are excellent presenters of down-to-earth content, in a what you see is what you get kind of way. There’s no pretence or preoccupation with branding or image you often see on social media. Check them out, if you haven’t already.

I hope you enjoyed this post on British Traditional Wicca and found it useful. If so, please tell us your story! My intention was to provide a first step resource to help you get started on your path, or to simply learn more about the process of initiatory Wicca.