Spiritual Alchemy
Author of the Brotherhood of Light Lessons C. C. Zain is the pen name used by Elbert Benjamine(1882-1951), the noted astrologer, naturalist and occultist, for those writings done under the aegis of The Brotherhood of Light during the years 1914 - 1934. This body of knowledge, referred to interchangeably as The Brotherhood of Light Lessons or The Religion of the Stars, was envisioned by Zain to be a world religion of the future. The mission of Zain s writing is centered on a nine-point plan to insure the citizens of the world Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Expression, and Freedom of Religion. To obtain these freedoms he encourages the individual to become familiar with the Facts of Astrology, the Facts of Extra-Sensory Perception, the Facts of Induced Emotion and the Facts of Directed Thinking. The moral code is Contribute Your Utmost to Universal Welfare. Within the first half of the 20th century B. of L. teachings were distributed around the world. Like the writings of Bailey, Blavatsky, Steiner, and Heindl, the works of C. C. Zain have impacted the lives of thousands of students of Western Occultism.Elbert Benjamine, was born Benjamin P. Williams in the small town of Adel, Iowa, December 12, 1882. His family remembered his birth because it was the year a comet flashed across the sky. His father was a doctor and a deacon in the Disciples of Christ Church. His interests in occultism and astrology were frowned upon in his community. He changed his name to Elbert Benjamine upon moving to Los Angeles in order to protect his family.Benjamine s desire was to be a naturalist. As a boy he spent every free hour in the woods observing the habits of wild things, an enthusiasm that would continue his entire life. He later held the position of president of the Southern California Nature Club for 25 years and was responsible for the establishment of a bird sanctuary in Los Angeles. Benjamine contacted the Brotherhood of Light in the spring of 1909 and was commissioned to place the teachings in writing.In his day Elbert Benjamine was a unique leader. He opposed hero worship and cult-like behavior. He discouraged members from taking any of his writings on blind belief. Instead he encouraged them to subject them to rigorous testing of their own. Church of Light members are given freedom of conscience and encouraged to study as many things about religion, science and the mysteries as they can and then draw their own conclusions.