SES Forums

Does anyone know why the SES chose to call its day schools St James and St Vedast?

Also which of the many St James is the day school supposedly affiliated with?

It would seem that the names of the schools more than anything is what is so misleading. Does anybody know the actual history behind the choice of names?

Bonsai

Bonsai asks:

Does anyone know why the SES chose to call its day schools St. James and St. Vedast?

It is a common tactic for Cults to hide behind elaborate 'Fronts'.

Presumably, if the SES had called the schools 'The Vasudevanandra Saraswati Academies' parents might have thought twice about sending their children there.

For anyone who has only recently joined the bulletin board, please note that Vasudevanandra Saraswati is the 'Mystic Guru who offers guidance to the SES and St. James'. See the link below for his photo:

http://ayurvedahc.com/ayphoto2.htm

Justice,

I entirely agree and I am aware of this. I was just interested whether anyone was aware of any rational reasons for the choices of the names other than to make the schools appear innocuous to the casual observer or prospective parent/pupil.

I am very aware of cult methods and after all I've been in one and I am well out now.

bonsai

I don't know why the schools have chosen to call themselves after St James, but I do know which St James it is - he is often referred to as St Jacques de Compostelle (France) and Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and thousands of Catholics every year take on a very physically demanding pilgrimage through France and Spain to visit his shrine for healing.
The shell (or more specifically the sea creature that lives in it!) which the schools use as their symbol (the background image for the inquiry website to name just one instance of its use) is known in France as the "Coquilles de St Jacques" and is something of a delicacy here. Of course, it's also used as the symbol for Shell petrol!
To find out more about St James, visit http://www.csj.org.uk/, the website of the Confraternity of St James.
My apologies if my French/Spanish spelling is not up to scratch - can't be bothered to find the dictionary!
There may be some deep and meaningful reason why SES choose to affiliate themselves with St James, but I think it's most likely to be about "fitting in" with other schools.

The uniform sports a shell which is usually the symbol of St James, the patron saint of pilgrims.

I think the pilgrim may be the connotation of a spiritual seeker/on a path to self realisation. I know it sounds a little absurd but the S.o.E.S is made up of a lot of random associations like this that then become God given inspiration

I think there is a St Vedast in the official list of Christian saints. I suspect it's significant for the SES that his name contains the word 'Vedas'.

(BTW, Zathura, I notice the new 'SoES' acronym is catching on!)

Tom