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The shallows of Wicca are entirely suitable for some people. But personally, I prefer the profound depths of Cunning Craft..

That's not to say it isn't a valid path if you're into that sort of thing; however, I will issue the caveat that "that sort of thing" usually also entails the sort of lunatic fringe which delights in fluffiness and eclecticism (both fluffies and eclectics tend to burn easily), imposters and losers who think that the title "Witch" will somehow buy them respect. I suppose it may buy them respect from the sort of freak who will fall for a loser anyway, but anyone with a bit of nous should be able to see through that farrago erelong. And for the record, a Wiccan and a Witch are two entirely different things. I am a Witch - a traditional Witch with roots which go back long before Gerald Gardner was a twinkle in the milkman's eye. I practice Brythonic Witchcraft - whereas Gerald Gardner's faith is a mixture of a supposed connection with the New Forest coven, a dab of Freemasonry, a dash of S&M, a smattering of Thelema/OTO from Crowley and a touch of Buddhism from Crowley's friend Alan Bennett. For a Wiccan to call himself a Witch, therefore, insults me; just as one wouldn't call someone an electrician purely on the basis of having changed a lightbulb so it isn't fair to call someone a Witch whose craft is mixed with many other influences - even if it is there at all.

So much for Gardnerian Wicca. As I say, there's nothing wrong with its practice just so long as the practitioner is aware - that is, fully aware - of its provenance. But then there's Alexandrian Wicca, which is a sort of Wicca for those who can't get into a Gardnerian coven. Its progenitor, Alex Sanders, claims to have been initiated aged eight by his Welsh grandmother, Grandma Biddy, who he found dancing naked in the kitchen and who subsequently swore him to secrecy, initiating him on the spot by taking a knife to his scrotum. Quite apart from all the child welfare implications, this is unlikely to have happened, not least because hereditary lineage doesn't need initiation; indeed, his claims of Grandma Bibby - that She is directly descended from Owain Glyndwr, the Welsh prince who fought for Welsh independence, and that that made Her a Witch - have all been debunked in one form or another. The Book of Shadows Sanders had inherited from Her was therefore spurious; and given that he founded Alexandrianism partly on that Book of Shadows, the case for that particular

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