The Church of Light is a religious organization incorporated in Los Angeles in November 1932. Its stated mission is to “teach, practice, and disseminate The Religion of The Stars, a way of life for the Aquarian Age, as set forth in the writings of C.C. Zain.” The church’s creation was prompted by county ordinances passed earlier that year which sought to restrict the teaching and practice of astrology.
The Church of Light traces its origins to the Brotherhood of Light, an initiatic organization founded in Los Angeles in 1915. The Brotherhood’s roots lie in the life and work of Elbert Benjamine, born Benjamin Parker Williams in Iowa on December 12, 1882. In his writings for the Brotherhood, he used the pen name C.C. Zain.
Benjamine developed an early interest in occult studies and, as a teenager, came into contact with the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, an occult order headquartered in Denver, Colorado. By 1909, he had established a deeper relationship with the order and was invited to succeed Minnie Higgin as its astrologer. He initially declined but later accepted an assignment to revise the order’s teachings in a form accessible to a broader audience. His work was undertaken after a senior Brotherhood figure ordered the organization’s closure in 1908. Influenced by his father, a medical practitioner who encouraged scientific observation, Benjamine spent five years preparing to adapt the order’s teachings to modern readers.
In 1915, Benjamine relocated to Los Angeles and began conducting private classes for the Brotherhood of Light, which initially functioned as a secret society. On November 11, 1918 — the way the First World War ended — the group opened its doors to the public, offering instruction both in person and by correspondence.
Over the next several decades, Benjamine authored the 21-volume “Brotherhood of Light” lessons, a comprehensive body of work. The lessons systematically addressed three branches of occult science: astrology, alchemy, and magic, with seven volumes devoted to each. Drawing from the writings of the Astro-Philosophical Publications — the publishing arm of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor — Benjamine also referenced Ghost Land and Art Magic by Emma Hardinge Britten as foundational texts.
On November 2, 1932, Benjamine incorporated the organization as The Church of Light in response to local legal efforts to ban astrology. The incorporation established a formal religious framework for the Brotherhood’s teachings. In 1943, after his remarriage, Benjamine’s son and designated successor, Will Benjamine, left the organization following disagreements and established the Stellar Ministry, a short-lived religious group combining Hermeticism and Christianity. A later schism produced another offshoot known as the Light of Egypt.
Elbert Benjamine led the Church of Light until his death on November 18, 1951. By that time, the organization’s membership had expanded across the United States, Canada, England, Mexico, Nigeria, and Liberia.
The Church of Light continues to teach the Brotherhood of Light lessons as its core curriculum. These lessons are publicly available, but the Church’s degree system is reserved for members. Advancement occurs through completion and examination of each of the 21 volumes, and those who finish all degrees receive a “Hermetician’s Certificate.” The organization’s focus remains on the study and practical application of astrology, alchemy, and magic as outlined by C.C. Zain.
Key Sources:
Gibson, C. (1996). The Religion of the Stars: The Hermetic Philosophy of C.C. Zain. Gnosis Magazine.
Godwin, J., Chanel, C., & Deveney, D. P. (1995). The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism. Samuel Weiser.
Zain, C.C. (1994). Laws of Occultism. The Church of Light.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 