Exclusivity and elitism turns magical groups into dangerous cults. It may not happen for years. It may not happen overtly. But as soon as a group's beliefs and practices become streamlined, tidy, and rigidly defined—as soon as the leadership says, "We are this and not that," without room for messy exploration and speculation, and "We are more correct than that"—orthodoxy and sectarianism will emerge.
Fear of being wrong will emerge. Bullies and power players will rise to the top. Initiates will be afraid of losing all they've invested, including friends and even livelihoods. Dangerous information will be supressed and hidden. Abuses will take place. And the ecstatic, poetic truth that (nearly always) diverges from established dogma will become heresy.
Don't join a group that says it relies on the best scholarship or only accepts the best and brightest. In every case, you'll find an ulterior motive behind what "best and brightest" means. In every case, you'll find people who have failed themselves spiritually, trying to patch that hole in themselves with authority, arrogance, degrees and titles, and claiming to be something they are not.
Make the best, most sincere study you can make. Learn to recognize poetic truth. Engage in excellent scholarship. But keep in mind that everyone needs to be free to find their own level, their own depth. And all that can be honestly said in the end is "This is how it is for me. How is it for you?"
The rest is marketing, coersion, fear, and violence.