Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the SOL?
The Servants of the Light School of Occult Science
is a modern Western Mystery School which teaches through correspondence.
The curriculum deals with the so-called esoteric sciences, which
are the Western equivalent of the Eastern Yoga systems. The Western
system is just as effective and noble as the Eastern systems,
and they both lead to the same ultimate goal: integration of the
psyche and soul and a direct knowledge of the spiritual realities
which underlie manifestation. Another term which covers both paths
is The Way of Unification.
Is the SOL some kind of sect or a church?
Absolutely not. We are a school. We teach through
correspondence, and the school is organised as a loose structure
precisely in order to avoid any sectarianism and to encourage
independence and free thinking. We do not interfere in our members'
private lives or belief systems.
What are your aims?
The aim of Servants of the Light is to help
in spreading the esoteric knowledge in an ethical way to all who
want to receive it, regardless of religion, sex, nationality,
race, age, social status or financial situation.
What do you mean by "magic" and
"esoteric sciences"?
Magic is simply the Yoga of the West. It has
the same ultimate goal as the Eastern systems: that of service
to, and ultimately union with, the Divine. Its' methods are especially
suited to Western students. The esoteric sciences are the tools
that allow us to pursue this path of spiritual development. Some
of these tools are meditation, contemplation and ritual.
Is there a school building somewhere?
No. We are a correspondence school. All work can be undertaken
in the student's own home.
Isn't occultism black magic?
Magic and sorcery are not the same thing. The
technology of magic is neutral. It is the intention of the operator
which determines whether the magic is black or white. For this
reason, occult schools have carefully screened their candidates
throughout the ages. This school, as our name Servants of the
Light implies, is concerned only with serving the forces of the
Light. The aim of occult training is, ultimately, to enable the
student to become a conscious collaborator with these high spiritual
forces.
Are you affiliated with any other
organisations?
SOL is not dependant on any other organisation
on the earth-plane. Nor do we as an organisation, take any stand
on political issues.
What is your attitude to organised religion?
There are many paths to the Light, and we respect
them all. One of the first things an occultist has to learn is
tolerance and understanding of other religions. We do not force
any particular religious viewpoint on our students and there is
no pressure to conform in any way. We count ourselves fortunate
to count Wiccan witches, Christian priests and nuns, Shamans,
Buddhists, Hermeticists, Alchemists, Isis worshippers and other
Neo-Pagans, Hindus and many others among our students.
What is your financial status?
The SOL is a registered non-profit organisation,
which means that nobody makes any money out of it. There are no
offices and no paid staff. Not even the Director of Studies or
the Supervisors get paid for the work that they do for the SOL.
How many members do you have?
We have about 2,600 members worldwide in 23 different countries.
Are the courses available in any other
languages?
The First Degree Course is available in English,
Greek, German, Swedish and, soon, in Spanish. The Second Degree
Course is currently available in English; translations are in
preparation.
What is meant by a "contacted
School?"
A properly contacted school is a school founded
and actively headed by the Inner Plane Adepti, the Masters on
the Inner Planes. Different traditions have different names for
them - the Great White Lodge, the College of Adepts, the Ascended
Masters, the Communion of Saints, the Perfected Ones, the Withdrawn
Order, the Elder Brethren, the College of the Holy Spirit, the
Inner Order, the True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order, etc. The
earth-plane head of a contacted school has to be psychic enough
to be able to communicate with them. The influence of the Inner
Plane Adepti is transmitted through the group mind of the contacted
school to all within its sphere of influence. This tends to accelerate
the development of the students.
Why the Kabbalah?
The Kabbalah, or Qabalah as it is sometimes
spelled, has been the foundation-stone of the Western Mystery
tradition for several hundred years. It is a flexible system of
relationships which allows us to comprehend abstract realities
that otherwise would be beyond our reach. It is a powerful symbolic
language and a system of cosmology, theology and psychology. The
Tree of Life, its central symbol, has rightly been called "The
mighty, all-encompassing glyph of the Universe and the Soul of
Man". The student will find, once the principles of the Kabbalah
have been understood, that all other systems, equally valid in
their own right, can be explained in Kabbalistic terms.
Do I have to believe in God?
Not necessarily, but a belief in some kind of
a higher force or guiding power can be of great help. Atheists
rarely feel the urge to do this kind of work, but we do have a
number of agnostics in the school.
How much does membership cost?
There are no membership fees. The correspondence
courses are funded by lesson fees, which are kept as low as possible.
The First Degree Course lessons are currently £8 (US$16).
There are fifty lessons to the First Degree Course. You pay for
the lessons one at a time, as you go along. You will need to get
two text books, which are available from any well-stocked bookshop.
This is all you will ever need to pay.
Do I have to meditate for hours on end?
No. A thirty-minute meditation is all that is
necessary. However, it has to be a daily meditation. The First
Degree Course is designed to help you acquire this habit.
Do I have to travel anywhere to follow
your courses?
No. They are correspondence courses and are
designed to be done in your own home. In fact, there is nowhere
to travel to, since there is no physical school building!
Are your correspondence courses
compatible with normal modern life?
Yes. All you need to reserve for the work is
30-45 minutes each day to meditate and to read the lesson material
and the relevant section of the text book.
Am I required to perform any rituals?
No. We do offer workshops in ritual magic, but
they do not form a required part of the First Degree Course. Contrary
to what the popular press might say, ritual in its true form is
not weird at all - it is simply a form of externalised meditation.
Like meditation, it needs to be practiced with insight and care.
Do I get a personal tutor?
Yes. Each SOL student is assigned to a Supervisor
who monitors the work of the student. As a student, you are required
to keep a detailed meditation record of your daily exercises.
You send this meditation diary to the Supervisor at the end of
each lesson. The Supervisor will assess the meditation record
and write back to you with any pertinent comments. Furthermore,
you can write to your Supervisor at any time if you have questions
or problems with the course. Supervisors and Students are carefully
matched by the Director of Studies.
Am I free to leave the school whenever I
wish?
Yes. You can leave the SOL at any point in your
studies and for any reason. You do not have to state your reasons
for leaving. We will not try to stop you from leaving us, neither
will we hang on to you in any way, since we recognize that each
individual has his or her own path to follow. Should you find
that our particular school is not what you are looking for, we
will be happy to recommend other schools if you so wish.
How long will it take me to complete the
First Degree course?
There are fifty lessons of one month each. Then
there is the Preliminary Course which takes three months. This
means that if you work every day without taking any time off,
the course will take you just over four years to complete. However,
given things like holidays and vacations, the odd flu or cold,
pregnancy etc, a more realistic time-frame is five years.
What? Five years?
Yes. It is a thorough course, and it will give
results. Regard it as the equivalent of university studies.
Will it make me psychic?
It depends on what you mean by the word. All
people have psychic or clairvoyant gifts, but some have them closer
to the surface. Studies within a contacted Mystery school such
as Servants of the Light will strengthen the links between the
various levels of your being, and this in itself tends to bring
these hidden faculties closer to the surface. The results vary
greatly with each person. We do not guarantee that our students
develop into fully-fledged psychics or clairvoyants. However,
many do develop an increased awareness of the hidden levels of
existence. Others may find it takes longer, and in some the psychic
abilities are too deeply buried in the psyche.
I'm already psychic, how will it affect
me?
This, too, varies with the individual. Some
find that the psychic faculties seem to disappear for a time,
which can be disconcerting. However, those who persevere with
the training will find that the psychic faculties return in a
more reliable and controlled form. Some, on the other hand, do
not go through a "dry phase", but instead experience
a steady deepening of their psychic abilities. Yet others find
it makes no difference at all.
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