What Does Hermetic Mean?
Long ago, before the written word, shepherds tending their sheep observed that certain heavenly phenomena were good predictors of time, events and personality traits. This knowledge, based upon the quiet observations of the natural world, was passed from generation to generation.
Eventually humankind invented writing and these observations evolved into a more sophisticated science of the soul.
The threads of these early contributions are woven into the fabric of time the remnants of which are found today in much of western culture.
Our Egyptian Connection
Akhenaten -Though only fragments remain of the contribution of our Egyptian brother Akhenaten, we know that he was the first on record to worship a single Deity or Sun God. Under his short reign great strides were made in the healing arts. He was among the first to understand the importance of the family in cultivating the finer spiritual ideals. His concern for the people of his rulership upset the political powers of his day and for that reason he was vanquished after a few short years. Much of the material artifacts of his contribution were destroyed. The fragments that do remain clearly connect him to the evolution of what has become the Hermetic Tradition.
Hermes Trismegistis - Out of the same region comes the legend of the Egyptian Thoth or Hermes Trismegistis. It is from the lore surrounding Hermes that the term Hermetic evolves. Though his actual existence seems mythological, reference to his name appears across many languages suggesting a wide range of consistency and influence by someone or something. Whether a single person actually existed is probably not of much importance. The tradition and the soul science that is associated with his name are of importance.
He is said to be the author of a large number of Hermetic books among them The Divine Pymander, which is considered the Hermetic bible by some. Among the arts and sciences he was associated with were medicine, chemistry, law, art astrology, music, rhetoric, magic, philosophy, geography, mathematics, anatomy and oratory. Most of these embody Neo-Platonic, Judaic and cabalistic ideas as well as magical, astrological and alchemical doctrines. It is the latter three that The Brotherhood of Light Lessons employ as the framework for its knowledge base.
The early Christian Church incorporated much of the hermetic ritual and knowledge base into its corpus. However, as the priesthood became more politicized and power became vested in the material world, much of this arcane knowledge was banned and those who studied it went underground. Though evidence of this tradition grew faint over time, much of it was preserved and evolved as far as it could within the confines of the secret societies or mystery schools.
The Hermetic Brotherhood of Light
The Brotherhood of Light (now closed on the physical plane) was one of those secret societies. It is through the BofL that The Church of Light makes its connection to Hermeticism. The author, C.C. Zain had access to a wide array of material from both the inner planes and the outer planes. The underpinnings of the Church of Light's teachings are formed around the three branches of occult science: Astrology, Alchemy and Magic as taught by The Brotherhood of Light. The author, C.C. Zain (nom de plume for Elbert Benjamine) was a natural seer and trained in the natural sciences.
As a young man he was approached by the inner plane Brotherhood of Light to write a system of hermetic knowledge that would prepare people for life in the Aquarian Age. After deliberation, he agreed and dedicated the remainder of his life to the writing of The 21 Brotherhood of Light Courses. His entire life and fortunes were directed to the accomplishment of this mission. (See "Our Founder" in the About Us section of this web site.)
Is It Good Just Because It's Old?
There are many systems of study that claim Hermetic origins. Our claim to this tradition is to give credit and to clearly state that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. We also claim that just because it's old doesn't necessarily make it better! Great strides have been made in advancing the state of KNOWLEDGE. It is for this reason that The Church of Light will incorporate any new discoveries as soon as they are verified. An accurate reflection of Nature and her laws is the only true guide for how to live one's life successfully. At the heart of The Brotherhood of Light Courses is the old Hermetic Law of Correspondences:
"As it is below, so it is above;
as on the earth, so in the sky."
Zain's dedication to an evolving Hermetic Science is what makes The Brotherhood of Light courses unique when compared to many other systems. He challenges each student and member of The Church of Light to test the information contained in these lessons. He challenges The Church of Light to include all relevant discoveries. It is for this reason that Zain emphases that true science and true religion are one.
Zain has integrated the Hermetic Sciences Astrology, Alchemy and Magic into a single complete system. A student will have to travel far and wide to gain just a portion of the knowledge contained within the pages of these course books. Bits and pieces of ancient wisdom will be discovered, but nowhere is there such an honest and complete interpretation that is focused on practical application in the daily life!