Pseudonym of Elbert Benjamine (1882-1951), astrologer and occultist. He was born December 12, 1882, in Iowa. As a young man he became associated with an occult organization, the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, which presented itself as the outer court of the Brotherhood of Light, a group of spiritual masters equivalent to the Great White Brotherhood. In 1907 Benjamine became one of the Hermetic Brotherhood's three leaders. He was asked by the other two leaders to write a series of lessons in occult wisdom. He began to write in 1914. The lessons, published under the pen name C. C. Zain, appeared in 21 volumes, each dealing with one area of occult knowledge.
While Benjamine was writing, the Hermetic Brotherhood was discontinued, and in 1932 Benjamine founded the Church of Light as a new outer court for the Brotherhood of Light. Benjamine died November 18, 1951, and was succeeded by Edward Doane as president of the church.
Sources:
"The Founders of the Church of Light." Church of Light Quarterly 45, no. 1 (February 1970): 1-2.
Zain, C. C. [Elbert Benjamine]. Brotherhood of Light Lessons. 21 vols. Los Angeles: Church of Light, 1922-1932.
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