C.C. Zain, born
Elbert Benjamine (Dec 12, 1882 - Nov 18, 1951) was a prominent
astrologerAn astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
,
occultThe word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
author, and the founder of the Church of Light. His interest in occultism began when, at the age of 18, he joined the Brotherhood of Light, where he studied occult and
spiritualSpirituality is relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material. Synonyms include immaterialism, dualism, incorporeality and eternity....
topics, eventually becoming one of the organization's leaders. In 1915 he moved to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
, where he founded the Church of Light (http://www.light.org) and taught
esotericEsotericism or Esoterism is a term with two basic meanings. In the dictionary sense of the term, it signifies the holding of esoteric opinions, and derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward", mystic. Its antonym is exoteric...
subjects.
He began writing the 21 courses of the Brotherhood of Light lessons on the three branches of occult science in the spring of 1910 and completed them in 1950. Volume XVI titled 'Stellar Anatomy' Copyright, 1947, Serial No. 197 Reprinted December, 1966 The Church of Light P.O. Box 1525, Los Angeles, California 90053.
He studied at
Iowa State UniversityThe Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced a number of astronauts, scientists, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners,...
to become a
naturalistNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards the observational than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research that is published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, Natural history is the systematic...
.
For twenty five years, he served as the President of the Southern California Nature Club. He was also responsible for the construction of a bird sanctuary in Los Angeles, CA.