5.20. Mourning Nekysia⁑

As one of the offerings to the dead, the Mourning Nekysia is to be made for a specific person within the first month of their passing, reckoned either calendrically or by the synodic lunar month, but ideally within a week. The Mourning Nekysia for the dead generally should not be held on a day that other non-Nekysia events are held; the Mourning Nekysia is to be rescheduled to a different day if such an overlap occurs. A Mourning Nekysia may be held on the same day as another non-Nekysia event, although not concurrently with them, or which may cause other events to be rescheduled to accommodate it. If a Mourning Nekysia coincides with the day for another event, the Mourning Nekysia should take priority over the other event which can cause the other event to be rescheduled or replaced entirely:

  • If a Mourning Nekysia is made on the same day as another non-Nekysia event that was already planned, the Mourning Nekysia should either be held prior to the other event or in the opposite phase of the day (e.g. if a Katharsis is made in the day, the Mourning Nekysia should be made at night, and vice versa), or the other event should be rescheduled entirely to accommodate it.

  • If a Mourning Nekysia is made on the same day as a Lesser Nekysia that was already planned, the Lesser Nekysia is simply omitted and the Mourning Nekysia is done in its place.

  • If a Mourning Nekysia is made on the same day as a Greater Nekysia for the dead generally, the Greater Nekysia for the dead generally should be delayed by at least one day but no more than seven days.

The Mourning Nekysia should not be combined with other offerings or done as part of the Leitūrgia.

This offering should be attended only by group members as well as non-member relative or closed friends of the deceased if desired.

If done in a group, this offering may be attended by anyone if desired, but all group members should be present, and non-member relatives or close friends of the deceased should be invited to be present if desired. If done independently, it may be attended by anyone unless decided otherwise.

5.20.1. Special Considerations for Mourning⁑

Due to the sensitive nature of mourning, when a Mourning Nekysia is made, it is not recommended for someone surviving especially close to the departed or someone with whom there is a special group relationship to make the Mourning Nekysia on their own or lead the Mourning Nekysia in a group for the departed. Those who should not make a Mourning Nekysia due to personally mourning are those for whom the deceased is their:

  • Personal relationship

  • Child

  • Parent

  • Sibling

  • Partner

  • Dear friend

  • Inductor for one’s original induction as a new member to the Hermetic Synaxis

  • Co-founders of a group one also founded

  • Mentor

  • Mentee

In such cases, if at all possible, it is preferred to let the seniormost available member of one’s group lead the Mourning Nekysia for the departed on behalf of the surviving with the surviving in attendance; if there are no such members of one’s own group, either another group on good terms may be petitioned to make the Mourning Nekysia with one’s own group or anyone able and willing from one’s own group may do so.

If the Mourning Nekysia is held on the same day as another event, it is permitted for the surviving to abstain from the other event regardless of what kind of event it is, even if it is a Stylos ritual or the Hypsōsis.

5.20.2. Supplies and Tools Required⁑

  • A match or lighter

  • Offering dishes as necessary

    • While other offerings may make use of the usual set of offering vessels, it is preferred for the Mourning Nekysia to make use of a separate set reserved only for the dead if available; otherwise, the usual offering vessels or vessels used for household works are acceptable.

    • Chipped or cracked (but not wholly broken, shattered, or leaking) vessels are ideal, especially if already previously used for offerings generally but are no longer fit to do so.

    • Unlike with the usual offering vessels, offering vessels for a Mourning Nekysia need not be in a matching set, and indeed are preferred if they do not match each other.

  • Seven lights

    • Candles or oil lamps are equally acceptable.

    • Narrow candles (e.g. tapers) or wide candles (e.g. tealights, votives) are equally acceptable.

  • Incense in a holder

    • The incense should be of a smell or blend of smells appropriate for general offerings. Scents favored by the person being mourned is being made for are preferred.

    • Loose incense burning on charcoal in a brazier with a plate or handle is ideal, but self-igniting stick or cone incense burning in a holder that can easily and safely be held is acceptable.

  • Drink, food, and flowers as desired

    • At least one kind of drink, one kind of food, and a flower must be offered at minimum.

    • There are no restrictions on the number or kinds of food or drink that may be offered in a Mourning Nekysia; unlike with other offerings, a wider variety of them being made than a smaller one is appreciated and encouraged.

    • If one cooks food in preparation for a Mourning Nekysia, at least the first portion of it should be given to the Mourning Nekysia, and the remainder is ideally eaten as part of the post-offering meal.

    • Any drink and food favored by the person being mourned is made should be offered, but meat is not to be offered.

    • Flowers in species, scents, and colors favored by the person being mourned should be used.

  • Bell (optional)

5.20.3. Preparation⁑

Before the offering, follow the Kanones of hygiene (full bathing required), clothing, and abstinence (both lax and strict required); the hormos should be worn.

This offering does not strictly require a bōmos; one’s permanent bōmos is preferred, but if one already has a dedicated place for ancestral worship or veneration that is open to such an offering, that may be used instead, or it may be done directly on the floor.

5.20.4. Offering⁑

Note

Where indicated by “SS.”, use the name of the person the Mourning Nekysia is being made for.

5.20.4.1. Prologue⁑

5.20.4.1.1. Lighting the Lykhnon⁑

If the Nekysia is being done with a lykhnon which is to be lit for the Nekysia and is to be extinguished afterwards, light it and recite (leader only):

I call upon you, o living God, radiant with illuminating fire,
o unseen parent of the Sun, o invisible begetter of light!
Give your strength to this fire,
pour forth your light-giving power into this fire,
and set to work your divine spark within this fire.
Let it enter into this flame and fill it with your spirit,
moving it by your holy breath and presence!

O sacred fire, o light that shines with the light of God!
Manifest your power for my knowledge, and let there be the light of knowing!
Manifest your power for my rebirth, and let there be the light of life!
Let the holy temple of almighty God within you open for me,
let there be breadth, depth, length, height, fullness, and brightness,
let the crown of your Sun-like radiance appear!
May God shine forth through your flame and within your light,
and may your light remain by me here in this place and now at this time!

5.20.4.1.2. Call to the Way⁑

Depending whether the Nekysia is to be done publicly or privately, either the Call to the Way or the Closing Off of the Temple is to be recited, or (if desired) the former followed by the latter.

5.20.4.1.3. First Salutation⁑

5.20.4.1.3.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I live in wholeness and health!
5.20.4.1.3.2. If Others are Present⁑

The leader announces:

Hail to those whom the greeting is given with blessing,
to my siblings, to holy children of God!

The leader recites:

May we live in wholeness and health!

All others present repeat the above as one.

5.20.4.1.4. Assertion and Confession⁑

Standing in front of but some distance away from the bōmos, recite:

I am one who stands in the House of Life.
I am one who sees in the Chamber of Darkness.
I am one who hears in the temples of divinity.
I am one who speaks in the halls of humanity.
I am one who loves mind, word, and knowledge.
I am one who seeks order, truth, and wisdom.
The wish of my heart is that which brought me here;
may I be counted among the disciples of the gods!

Bow, then recite:

O gods who watch over and give life to humanity,
receive me and deliver me to dwell with the eternal gods!
For I have ever revered the gods whom my parents revealed to me,
and as long as I live my life in the lot of the living,
I always honor those who begot my body and of other human beings.
I do and will not kill anyone,
I do and will not steal anything entrusted to me,
I do and will not do any other pernicious thing.
But if I have transgressed in anything during this life,
or have consumed of what was not licit,
it was not of my own account,
but because of this drive and desire
that arose from the pits of this body.

Move towards the bōmos and prepare to take your place at it.

5.20.4.1.5. Undertaking the Nekysia⁑

Recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

I now undertake this Nekysia.

5.20.4.1.6. Foundation — Opening⁑

Clap, extend the arms out, and recite (leader only):

The glory of the All is God, both Divinity and Nature,
for natural Divinity is renewed by Nature,
and divine Nature is founded in Divinity.

Prostrate silently, setting intentions silently if desired, then sit or kneel at the bōmos.

5.20.4.1.7. Opening the Doors of Divinity⁑

Tip

Optional, but encouraged if done at a temporary bōmos.

Make an opening gesture with the hands above the bōmos, and recite (leader only):

Open, Heavens and Earth! Open, Day and Night!
Open, East and West! Open, South and North!
Open, winds and waters! Open, fire and stone!
The two doors of the Earth are opened!
The two doors of the Heavens are opened!
The four doors of the horizon are opened!
The four doors of the world are opened!

The gods send forth their light through the doors;
exalted be all the gods upon their great thrones!
My face looks upon the gods on their thrones,
and the gods on their thrones look upon me.
I am about to sing the hymns of divinity;
may my hymns be heard and my praise be accepted!

5.20.4.1.8. Prologue of Aid and Seven Requests⁑

Recite:

Almighty God, Lord, King, Master, Helper, hear me!

Recite, bowing at each “O God”:

O God, hear me my prayers.
O God, save me from error.
O God, cleanse me from vice.
O God, protect me from danger.
O God, rescue me from torment.
O God, keep me from irreverence.
O God, free me from ignorance.

If desired, prostrate and recite the Supplication of the Holy:

Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, be merciful to me.
Holy God, Holy Maker, Holy Forebear, be gracious to us.
Holy God, Holy One, Holy Source, be propitious to us all.

5.20.4.1.9. Ritual Invocation of Hermēs⁑

Recite:

Hail to you, Hermēs, prophet and scribe and teacher!
O thrice-great, great among the great, greatest beyond greatness!
You who know the sacred mysteries,
you who establish their utterances,
you who distinguish truth from falsehood,
you who witness the Light and Life of God,
you who have entered into the goodness of God!

Bless my thinking, bless my speaking, bless my working, o Hermēs,
that all that I think, all that I say, and all that I do may be for Life, Light, and Goodness,
that I may have your guidance and assistance in this Nekysia.

5.20.4.1.10. Invocation of the Agathos Daimōn⁑

Tip

Optional, but encouraged if alone.

Recite:

O my companion, o my genius, o my angel!
Honor our bond, honor my destiny, honor God’s will!
Manifest yourself to me as my Agathos Daimōn!
Be faithful and steadfast for me!
Be loving and passionate for me!
Be my complete contentment!
Be my total nourishment!
Grant me every success and all attainment!
Make my mind lucid and bright in all things!

O never-born crown of the powers of divinity!
O holy one, mighty one, immortal one,
do not abandon me!
O my friend, my savior, my protector,
reveal yourself kindly to me as Truth!
Join yourself to me that I may join myself to you
as One, in One!

5.20.4.1.11. Shining Prayer⁑

Recite:

O God! I greet you and call upon you, eternal and unbegotten,
you who are One,
you who alone hold together and surround the whole creation of all things,
you whom none understand,
you whom all daimones fear,
you whom the gods worship,
you whose name not even the gods can utter!

O God, you who are greater than all,
you who are the creator of all,
you who see all and are not seen,
you who hear all and are not heard!
O God, you who gave to the Sun all power and glory
and to the Moon the privilege to have fixed courses,
yet who made the Sun to rise and set and the Moon to wax and wane,
that none can compare them with your true glory!
O God, you who took nothing from your own creation,
but created all things that exist!
O God, you who took nothing from the firstborn darkness,
but apportioned all things that they might be equal!
For it is with you that both order and light arose,
and it is by you that all things were arranged.
O God, all of your creation is subject to you,
you whose true form whom none can truly see,
you who yet change into all forms!

Hear me and help me, o Lord,
joyful and willing, faultless and unflawed, who pollute no place,
King of kings, Daimōn of daimones, Aiōn of aiōnes, God of gods,
by your Glory and Holiness and Beauty and Goodness,
for I call upon you and bear witness
to the unsurpassed mystery of your name now and forever. ※

5.20.4.2. Preparation of Offerings⁑

For whatever is to be offered, so long as it is not ceremonially set aside for later, set it out as appropriate to the offering, e.g. prepare vessels, light charcoal, pour drinks, etc., but do not light any light or incense as yet.

If one is making an offering at a bōmos with a loibeion, remove the lid from the loibeion and set it down to the side of the bōmos. Dip the forefinger of the dominant hand into the water and flick it upwards above the head, reciting (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

An offering of water to the Heavens from whence I come.

Then dip the forefinger of the dominant hand into the water and flick it downward (even onto the psiathos if present), reciting (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

An offering of water to the earth from whence I am born.

A drop of water from the loibeion may be put into the drink offering, but otherwise the loibeion is not used for this offering. Whether or not one puts a drop of water from the loibeion into the drink offering, the lid is to be put back on the loibeion at this point.

5.20.4.3. All-Greeting to the Gods⁑

Recite:

Hail, o Agathē Tykhē!
Hail, o Agathos Daimōn!
Hail, o daimōn of this place!
Hail, o daimōn of this hour!
Hail, o daimōn of this day!
Hail, o daimones of every place, of every hour, of every day!
Hail, o whole Cosmos composed of Earth and Heaven!
Hail, o Aiōn, who have established yourself
in invisible light over the holy firmament!

5.20.4.4. Collection of the Dead⁑

Note

Where indicated by “NN.”, “MM.”, and “FF.”, use the names of oneself, one’s mother, and one’s father; if a parent’s name is not known, it may be omitted.

Light the incense.

Recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

May the blessing and peace of all the gods always be upon me,
who has come to remember and honor all those who have left this world,
who upholds their virtue and merit and righteousness as a legacy.

May the blessing and peace of all the gods always be upon the sages,
whose words reveal to me the mysteries once revealed to them,
who set out on the Way for me to follow in their footsteps.

May the blessing and peace of all the gods always be upon all the dead,
those who have gone before me from life into death,
those who have left this world for the next.

Hear me, all you of my blessed dead!

Recite (one by one by each person in decreasing seniority if in a group):

I am NN., child of MM. and FF. …

Recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

I am your child who carries on the light you have passed to me.
I am your child who carries on the life you have given to me.
I am your child who carries on the goodness you have entrusted to me.
May the blessing and peace of all the gods be upon you and your graves.
As I pray and work for you and your blessing and peace,
so too pray and work for me and my blessing and peace.
Never will I forget you, that you might never forget me.
Always will I honor you, that you might always honor me.

Honor to the blessed dead of my family, my name, and my blood.
Honor to the blessed dead of my faith, my religion, and my gods.
Honor to the blessed dead of my work, my trade, and my labor.
Honor to the blessed dead of my lineage, my tradition, and my inheritance.

Honor and reverence to…

At this point, recite the names of one’s deceased ancestors, teachers, guides, friends, and the like, only reciting “Honor and reverence to…” once at the start; if in a group, all people are to list their ancestors equally, starting with the leader and proceeding in decreasing seniority from there, each person starting their own list with “Honor and reverence to…”.

The name of the person for whom the Mourning Nekysia is made is to be recited (by everyone if in a group) at the end of this list with a separate “All honor and all reverence to SS.”.

Recite:

Honor to the great dead of this land.
Honor to the great dead in the heavens.
Honor to the mighty dead whose names we all know.
Honor to the mighty dead whose names we have forgotten.
Honor to all the dead whose spirits we still carry on.
Honor to all the dead who walk with us in our lives.

5.20.4.5. Seven Lights of the Dead⁑

Recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead may have light, I give light.
Light to honor you, light to remember you,
light to guide you, light to empower you,
light to comfort you, light to cheer you, light to enlighten you.
As you give me light that supports me, I give you light that supports you.
May the light of God forever fill your graves and your spirits,
and may you rest in peace and rise in power for us who remain behind.

For each of the following dedications, light one of the seven lights and recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the mighty founders of my Way,
those whose works enable me today to follow in their steps
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of those who are no longer among the living,
those who have passed from this life to the next
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead who abide in this land,
those who lived here, died here, remain here, and roam here
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead who abide in Heaven,
those who walked the final, fated road to take their place with God
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead of my family and kin,
those whose blood flows in my veins and whose breath fills my lungs
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead of my tradition and faith,
those who teach me, guide me, support me, and strengthen me
may have light, I give this light.

That SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead of all of my companions in the Work,
those who surround me in life and welcome me in death
may have light, I give this light.

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

I give these seven lights for SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead
that in every realm of Heaven and in every land on Earth
for SS. and all those who have gone before me from life into death
may have light abundant, perpetual, eternal, and everlasting.
May the light of God forever fill your graves and your spirits,
and may you rest in peace and rise in power for me who remains behind. ※

5.20.4.6. Mourning Glorification of the Dead⁑

Recite (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

Hear me, hear me, o SS., o beloved and blessed among the dead,
together with all the dead!
I call out to you: hear me, and take heart!
The gods call out to you: hear me, and ascend!
You are given offerings, offerings that I give,
offerings the priest gives, offerings the king gives.
With my love and my praise, with my hopes and my wishes:
may you hear me, take heart, and ascend;
may you be made great in the heavens;
may you go forth in the shining light;
may you receive offerings that uplift you!

Entering into eternal purity, beholding eternal goodness,
standing tall amongst the gods, supported by the gods,
beloved by all, all having awe in their hearts of you—
as night gives way to morning, as rain gives way to sunshine,
so too does your ignorance give way to knowledge,
so too does your weakness give way to power.

The gods call out to you: hear me, and take heart!
I call out to you: hear me, and ascend!
Glory to you, honor to you, o beloved dead, o blessed dead!

5.20.4.7. Dedication of Offerings⁑

5.20.4.7.1. Dedicatory Invocation⁑

Where marked, announce the overall types of things to be offered (“light” for candles and lamps, “incense” for incense, “drink” for water or wine, etc. according to the labels given below). Even though no light is offered separate from the seven lights lit with the Seven Lights of the Dead above and so no dedication is given below, “light” should still be mentioned as part of the dedicatory invocation.

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead! By your blessing and by this offering I make to you of …, may you ascend to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and receive virtue, merit, guidance, and support for the way up, and be for us all a source of blessing as we remember you!

5.20.4.7.2. Dedication of Incense⁑

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, I burn for you this…, sweet-smelling, sacred, and pleasing to you, that it may fortify you, dignify you, and satisfy you. Grant that as this incense rises up to you, so too may you ascend in divine virtue to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and may your virtue rise up to me as a blessing. Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead!

5.20.4.7.3. Dedication of Drink⁑

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, I pour out to you this…, fresh, sweet, and pure, that it may please you, sate you, and cheer you. Grant that as this drink is poured out to you, so too may you ascend in divine merit to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and may your merit be poured out upon me as a blessing. Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead!

5.20.4.7.4. Dedication of Food⁑

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, I set out to you this…, fresh, hearty, and pure, that it may please you, sate you, and cheer you. Grant that as this food is laid out for you, so too may you ascend in divine guidance to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and may your guidance be laid out for me as a blessing. Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead!

5.20.4.7.5. Dedication of Flowers or Other Offerings⁑

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, I place out for you this…, whole, splendid, and pure, that it may please you, sate you, and cheer you. Grant that as these gifts are given to you, so too may you ascend in divine support to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and may your support be given to me as a blessing. Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead!

5.20.4.8. Prayer for the Dead⁑

If desired, recite whatever personal prayers for the dead as one might choose, especially those from traditions or cultures one is familiar with. Using prayers for the dead from the traditions and cultures of the person the Mourning Nekysia is being held for is encouraged.

5.20.4.9. Ascent of the Dead⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

I remember you now, o SS., you who have gone from life into death!
I remember you always, o SS., you who have passed from this world to beyond!
I remember you forever, o SS., you who have left corporeality for spirituality!

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your body;
give the body now changed to its own ends of dissolution and fading away,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your persona;
give the persona now dormant to the daimōn of justice and judgment,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your senses;
give the senses now separate to the cosmos from which they came,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your drive and desire;
give the drive and desire now to irrational nature of your animal form,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of waxing and waning;
give the energy of waxing and waning to the Moon, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of cunning machination;
give the energy of cunning machination to Mercury, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of deceptive longing;
give the energy of deceptive longing to Venus, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of domineering arrogance;
give the energy of domineering arrogance to the Sun, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of impious audacity;
give the energy of impious audacity to Mars, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of impulsive greed;
give the energy of impulsive greed to Jupiter, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that it is time to release yourself from your energy of ensnaring deceit;
give the energy of ensnaring deceit to Saturn, whose domain is open to you,
that you may go forth on your final ascent to Life and Light and Goodness.

Know, SS., that this is the way up, your ascent for you to make.
In stripping yourself of the effects of the cosmos, may you find your own power;
in leaving behind the spheres of the cosmos, may you enter into the blessed;
in rising through the harmony of the cosmos, may you find your hymn to sing.
In forsaking mortality, may you claim immortality in Life;
in freeing yourself from darkness, may you take hold of the Light;
in saving yourself from evil, may you rejoice in the Good.
May you begin your final ascent in Life;
may you continue your final ascent in Light;
may you achieve your final ascent in Goodness.
May this be your ascension, your salvation, your sanctification,
and may you in your going forth be a guide for me in my own.
and may we who remain achieve this in our own time. ※

5.20.4.10. Final Mourning Offering for the Dead⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead!

May you be given sustenance and comfort and ease;
may you be given strength and hope and joy;
may you be given beauty and grace and honor.
May you have these and may you enjoy these,
all things and every thing that is good and pure
that the souls of the blessed dead thrive upon,
and may you have them in your ascent and help me ascend after you.

You whose goodness to me is as a sheltering refuge,
you whose heart is joined to truth now and always,
you who know the difference between good and evil,
you whose goodness is a monument for all your children,
you who went before me, whom I here now remember!

May you rise in divine knowledge and joy,
may you rise in temperance and steadfastness,
may you rise in justice and generosity,
may you rise in truth and understanding.
May divine peace and mercy be with you,
may grace and light be with you,
may blessing and power be with you.
May everything good and pure be with you,
and may you enter into the Life, Light, and Goodness of God. ※

5.20.4.11. Mourning Blessing of the Dead⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

By their light, their virtue, their merit, their guidance, and their support, may SS. and all the blessed souls of the dead come into their own proper power and rise, free of the effects and energies of the harmony of the cosmos that is fate, into the highest heavens of the blessed to hymn the Forebear of All, entering into the Life and Light and Goodness of God, enjoying eternal union with the divine Source from which all things have come and to which all things will return, together with all those who have gone before us from life into death. May we who yet live find strength and support in each other as we continue in our sojourn in the world, and may the memory and works of SS. be for me a constant blessing and inspiration as a newborn star in the sky to guide me as their deeds continue to flourish throughout the world.

Ring the bell seven times softly and slowly.

5.20.4.12. Rededication⁑

Recite, recounting the offerings made and specifying any unique or special aspects of the offering and stating the “in my home” part if the offering was indeed made in one’s home (leader only, changing personal pronouns if needed):

O SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, I have made these offerings to you of (light, incense, etc.). I have made these offerings for you for your passing and final ascent, here at this place and now at this time and today on this day (…). I have made these offerings to you freely and mournfully, and I ask that you accept them in a spirit of the same. I have made these offerings to you as an expression of my thanks, my love, my honor, my respect, my trust, and my mourning for you. May you abide in the Life and Light and Goodness of God, and know that, with these offerings, I honor you (in my home and) in my heart and in my head and with my hands. Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead, and may you ascend to the Life, Light, and Goodness of God, and in your ascent grant me your blessing that I might ascend after you! Hail to you, o SS. together with all the blessed souls of the dead! Hail to you, o SS.!

5.20.4.13. Epilogue⁑

5.20.4.13.1. Prayer of Thanksgiving⁑

Recite:

We give thanks to you!
Every soul and heart reaches up to you,
o ineffable Name honored as “God” and praised as “Forebear”,
for to everyone and everything you have shown
tender kindness, affection, love, and sweetest activity,
granting to us mind, word, and knowledge:
mind, that we may understand you;
word, that we may call upon you;
knowledge, that we may know you.
We rejoice, for we have been enlightened by your knowledge.
We rejoice, for you have revealed yourself to us.
We rejoice, for you have made us incarnate divine by your knowledge.

The thanksgiving of humanity to you is this alone:
that we may know you.
O Light of Mind, we know you.
O Life of Life, we know you.
O Womb of every creature, we know you.
O Mother pregnant with the nature of the Father, we know you.
O eternal permanence of the begetting Source, we know you.

Thus do we worship your goodness.
Thus do we ask for one favor:
that we be preserved in your knowledge.
Thus do we ask for one protection:
that we not fall away from this sort of life. ※

If desired, prostrate and recite the Supplication of the Holy:

Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, be merciful to me.
Holy God, Holy Maker, Holy Forebear, be gracious to us.
Holy God, Holy One, Holy Source, be propitious to us all.

5.20.4.13.2. Conclusion of Work⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns if needed):

I have been attached to your holy form.
I have been given power by your holy name.
I have been filled with your holy emanation.
I praise you with a gladdened heart!
I thank you with an outstretched soul!
Be merciful, be gracious, be propitious to me,
o Lord, o God of gods, o Master! ※

Prostrate silently, then stand.

5.20.4.13.3. Foundation — Closing⁑

Extend the arms out, and recite (leader only):

The glory of the All is God, both Divinity and Nature,
for natural Divinity is renewed by Nature,
and divine Nature is founded in Divinity.

Clap once.

5.20.4.13.4. Concluding the Nekysia⁑

Recite (leader only):

Thus concludes this Nekysia.

5.20.4.13.5. Final Salutation⁑

5.20.4.13.5.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I walk in reverence and knowledge!
5.20.4.13.5.2. If Others are Present⁑

The leader recites to all:

May we walk in reverence and knowledge!

All others present repeat the above as one.

5.20.4.14. Post-Offering Breakdown⁑

If desired, eat a meal, especially if there are others present. If food was cooked from which the first portion was taken as an offering for the Mourning Nekysia, this is ideal and encouraged to eat as part of the meal. Food for the Mourning Nekysia should always be vegetarian.

With the exception of the offerings made, break down and clean up the euktērion. Dispose of the offerings as appropriate when possible to do so. Unlike most other offerings where they may be respectfully consumed or repurposed as a means of disposal, food and drink and flowers should not be consumed or repurposed but should instead be dumped in the trash or outside; incense ash should be either be dumped in the trash or outside, or repurposed only for necromantic works. When disposing of offerings outside, disposing of them in a well, pit, or at the gate of a graveyard is encouraged if possible and safe to do so; however, disposing of them at the gravesite of the person being mourned is most encouraged if possible and safe to do so.

Those who make, lead, or attend a Mourning Nekysia are encouraged to bathe and dress in fresh clothes after the Mourning Nekysia, regardless of having done so prior to the Mourning Nekysia.

5.20.4.14.1. Recounting of Hermēs’ Final Words⁑

If desired, read Hermēs’ final words upon his deathbed, whether aloud or silently. This is especially appropriate to read for a Mourning Nekysia, preferably aloud in the company of those who have attended the Nekysia prior to or over a meal.

Thus far, my children, I, expelled from my homeland, have lived as a sojourner and an exile. Now, safe and secure, I seek my home again. When, after a little while, I am fully released from my bodily chains and depart, see to it that you do not bewail me as if I were dead. I return to that best and blessed city in which all its citizens know not death or corruption, a city governed by God, the One, the Unique, the Supreme. As long as all people desire to know and revere God, they are united by the fullness of God’s inestimable and inviolable goodness, and filled with God’s wondrous sweetness.

I confess to you, my children, that that life is the true life. In it, all effects of changeability are banished, while its citizens join themselves inseparably to the eternal Good and enjoy true blessedness. It is this life which many consider to be the only one that is rather called “death”, nor is there one single mortal life, but many–as many, I would say, as there are hindrances to the virtues of the highest God, as many as there are clouds of ignorance, as many as there are failures to fulfill sacred vows, and all the other errors in which our mortal condition is entangled.

So dry your tears, my children! For this dissolution in which occurs the unloading of the burden of corruptibility brings with it no calamitous end for me, but to me offers a glorious return! There is no reason to mourn me when you devote yourselves to the glory of true life as I give myself over to it now. Thus far I have gasped as one about to receive the prize of true immortality, which the divine steadfastness of my soul, providence, sobriety, justice, and the unimpaired worship of God has earned for me.

You yourselves will follow me and find me in the homeland–and surely you will not fail to know me in my transformed state. This is because each person, when the darkness of unknowing is dispersed, will recognize all their fellow citizens by that single immense light of goodness which is God–more truly than I am able to tell. I tell you, you will follow me if you most wholly venerate the virtues of divine Life, Light, and Goodness. By these virtues, I earnestly exhort you: despise the multitude of diversions and distractions of this world and its life that is to be called “death”, and worship instead with knowledge and reverence, supplication and hymning the One who brought about the entire mechanism of the world’s body and who put souls in these earthly tents.’’

Silence, and hearken—for I know not what wondrously sweet music echoes in my ears, whose immensely pleasing melody I confess that I have never more fully attended to. It is so different than the sounds of musical instruments by which we enjoy the symphony that procures and preserves good habits. I cannot, for lack of experience, describe that which the swiftness of the wondrous firmament produces by the mixing of high and low notes, with the seven celestial spheres veering in a contrary direction.

5.20.4.14.2. Extinguishing the Lykhnon⁑

If the Nekysia is being done with a lykhnon that was lit for the Nekysia and is to be extinguished afterwards, recite (leader only):

It is you who gives us fire, and through the fire light;
it is you who gives us light for our eyes and our hearts.
I put out this lamp that shines with your holy fire,
not to quench your light nor to stem your blessing,
but for the safety and preservation of my life.
As I put out this flame, grant me your Light forever,
for yours is the light that can never truly be extinguished.

Go forth from this lamp, o holy light of the highest God;
depart, holy brightness, and let your flame be scattered,
but let your light always dwell within me as a lamp in my soul,
that I too may always shine with the holy light of the highest God.

Extinguish the lykhnon.