A speculator is a type of religious official of the Solar Temple; the position exists in all of the major denominations. It is usually the lowest rank of clergy considered to have full sacramental powers. In the Unsullied Temple, speculators can be of either gender; in the other denominations, speculators are always or almost always men. (By contrast, the sacrists, religious officials responsible for the property of the temple and its administration, are traditionally women. Again, in the Unsullied Temple, sacrists can be of either gender.)
Typically, a speculator conducts rituals and provides professional religious services for a population of between 100 and 5000 templars. However, the wealthy may have speculators on retainer to provide these services privately to their household on demand. There are also itinerant specualtors who travel in rural areas to provide for the religious needs of their inhabitants, and some theologians and other academics may be speculators despite not performing rituals on a day-to-day basis for anyone. Some high officials of the Solar Temple's temporal administration are also speculators; it is possible to advance quite far in the administration while never being ordained as a luminator.