The Light of Egypt

During the years 1884-1886 the Brotherhood of Luxor was the most influential spiritual-occult organization in Britain.

Its founders – Max Théon, Peter Davidson and Thomas H Burgoyne – did their utmost to spread The Brotherhood of Light’s spiritual and occult teachings in a practical format.

As they understood it, the Brotherhood of Light was a spiritual-occult order that was formed to oppose the dominant religious powers of the day in ancient Egypt.

But a scandal involving Burgoyne – the group’s secretary-treasurer – in 1886 brought a sudden and unexpected change of fortune.

Following the scandal Burgoyne traveled to America where he eventually settled in Monterey, California.

There he reestablished the Brotherhood of Luxor and continued to spread the spiritual light through writing and teaching.

The Light of Egypt

Soon after arriving in California Thomas Burgoyne again encountered change.

He met Norman Astley – a brother of the light here on Earth – who suggested that he write a set of lessons to introduce the brotherhood’s teachings to the public, and Burgoyne accepted.

At Astley’s home in Carmel, California during 1887-1888 he wrote the lessons that comprise The Light of Egypt.

The original manuscripts, which present the Brotherhood of Light teachings on the science of the stars, were copied by 12 students who donated $5.00 a month to support the project.

Sarah Stanley Grimke – Burgoyne’s soul-mate – assisted him in writing the manuscripts.

She too was a writer and daring pioneer who did her utmost to spread the Brotherhood of Light teachings.

In 1889 Belle M Wagner and her husband Henry established The Astro-Philosophical Publishing Company of Denver.

They provided $100,000 in financial backing to publish and distribute The Light of Egypt.

It was through Belle and Henry Wagner that the Hermetic teachings reached a wider audience.

They were torchbearers of the light.

Following a lifetime of persecution and ceaseless toil Thomas Burgoyne passed over in March 1894, in Humboldt County, California, still a relatively young man.

Henry and Belle Wagner continued his work.

Belle M. Wagner succeeded Burgoyne as The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor’s scribe. She was a medium.

Their publishing house in Denver, Colorado, published Burgoyne’s other books including The Language of the Stars (1892), Celestial Dynamics (1896), and a second volume of The Light of Egypt (1900).

The Light of Egypt today

The popular astrology that’s practiced today is a pseudoscience.

It’s engaged in by charlatans and misguided fortune-tellers.

But the astrology that Thomas Burgoyne wrote about in The Light of Egypt was a spiritual science that explained astrology’s role in life and the soul’s character development.

Astrology is the science of the soul and stars.

As the Religion of the Stars it’s a sacred science.

And in The Light of Egypt that’s what Thomas H Burgoyne wrote about.

In his book published in 1889 he placed the Brotherhood of Light teachings on the science of the soul and stars before the world.

Is it any wonder that Elbert Benjamine claimed that The Light of Egypt was ‘the greatest spiritual work of the 19th-century’.

But while The Light of Egypt has enormous historical significance it provides little practical spiritual-occult knowledge in the Age of Aquarius.

The Brotherhood of Light teachings on the soul and stars have now been scientifically upgraded by Elbert Benjamine (aka C. C. Zain).


Author: DW Sutton

Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge

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