3.6. Reciting the Epitomai⁑

The Epitomai are a set of 21 short meditations and contemplations, each consisting of ten lines and composed from various parts of Hermetic doctrine throughout the Hermetic philosophical and practical texts. They may be used as a kind of waypost, providing us with direction-markers of guidance to remind us of some of the fundamental ideas and tenets of the Way of Hermēs.

Although each Epitomē may be used as a meditation and contemplation of the Divine or a divine entity unto itself, or as a prayer or invocation especially in some ceremonial contexts, they may also be recited as part of a series of interlocking cycles of contemplations that span the ten days of a solar decan or lunar decameron, the three decans of a zodiac sign or the three phases of a lunar month, and the seven days of the week.

No special tools, supplies, or preparation is needed for reciting the Epitomai. However, if one is reciting the Epitomai at a bōmos, then a lykhnon should be present, and it is encouraged although optional to have a bell as well. The Kanones do not need to be followed, nor does a hormos need to be worn, so long as one is generally fit to be in a state to contemplate the Epitomai and be at a bōmos if one is reciting them there.

3.6.1. The Epitomai⁑

3.6.1.1. On the Ten Thoughts⁑

3.6.1.1.1. On God⁑

God is One, the One from whom one comes,

the Creator of All, the Parent of All,

the source of the Good, of Light, of Life,

the alone unbegotten, uncreated, unimagined,

the alone inexpressible and incomparable,

whom only silence can name yet spoken in every word,

whom only the mind can perceive yet seen in all things,

beyond speech, beyond form, beyond time, beyond power,

whose image in which is all of creation is constantly made,

whose self is forever without any equal or likeness.

3.6.1.1.2. On the Good⁑

God is the One, the Only One, the Only Unique, the Only True,

the Good and the Source from which comes the Good,

supplying all things, present in all things,

without lack and excess, without weakness and enmity,

without vice and passion in any way at any time,

utterly beautiful, utterly unlike all else that exists,

for nothing else exists that is truly Good,

though all that exists participates in the Good,

though mankind believes that which is evil is Good,

unable to behold the Good yet always needful of the Good.

3.6.1.1.3. On Creation⁑

God is the Creator of all Creation, all entirely full of God,

seeding the primal darkness from within the eternal light,

sending the Word upon the darkness to order out the elements,

separating the seven circles for the wandering stars,

shaping the bright heavens for the fixed stars,

establishing the silent heaven for the decans,

crafting all life through the craftwork of creation,

the plants and the grass, the trees and the flowers,

the four-footed, the flying, the water-dwelling, the crawling,

and mankind to adorn the Earth as the stars adorn the heavens.

3.6.1.1.4. On the Cosmos⁑

God created all of the divine cosmos, and all of Nature divine,

with God in mind, mind in soul, soul in spirit, and spirit in body,

and all that is born in Nature is mortal and ever-changing,

watched over and subject to Justice throughout all creation,

always subject to the influences and energies of the stars,

always subject through the stars to the decans,

always subject through the decans to Fate,

always subject through Fate to Necessity,

always subject through Necessity to Providence,

always subject through Providence to God.

3.6.1.1.5. On the Gods⁑

God the Good, God the Maker, God the Progenitor of All

made the cosmos, and within it all the gods of creation:

the gods of the seven spheres and the higher gods beyond them,

the gods from under the Earth in the starless Abyss beyond it,

the gods of every soul and race and place and land,

the gods beyond our senses and the gods perceivable to them;

God created them of pure divinity prior to humans,

and humanity recreates images of the gods in statues and icons

for us to call them down into, for us to call upon them thereby,

to continue the divine works and workings of Nature of the All.

3.6.1.1.6. On Mankind⁑

God made mankind an immortal soul in a mortal body,

possessing Reason and, by it, to be capable of possessing Mind,

made by God to be like God, separating from God and becoming unlike God,

coming to adore and cultivate all the works of God,

above the cosmos in authority yet bound within it by flesh,

whose body is susceptible to the workings of Fate and Providence,

whose soul strives with the energies of drive and desire,

enduring the storm of incarnation to enter into the haven of divinity

by having true faith to choose that which is truly Good,

for blessed is the one full of Mind, wretched the one empty of it.

3.6.1.1.7. On Death⁑

God made the cosmos immortal, and as the immortal can never die,

so nothing in the cosmos that is created is destroyed,

yet all that is born mortal must also die mortal,

for death is but the dissolution of the union of being,

and the death of the body is the natural conclusion of its work,

and those who give up mortality take hold of immortality instead,

shedding the union of the energies of the cosmos,

forsaking ignorance, the deceit of increase and decrease,

leaving that which moves to participate forever in its motion,

joining that which is forever motionless and perfect beyond eternity.

3.6.1.1.8. On the Way⁑

The road to God is one: to show devotion and not be evil,

to yoke reverence with knowledge together,

to revile irreverence and ignorance both,

to immerse the soul in the mixing-bowl of Mind,

to rip off the tunic of corruption that drowns,

to put on the tunic of purity that shines,

to see what we must see, to hear what we must hear,

to go where we must go, to do what we must do,

to know what we must know, to become what we must be,

to live well, die blessed, and give thanks to God.

3.6.1.1.9. On the Works⁑

The beginning of the wisdom of God is the proper work of mankind:

to know the works of the Divine and witness the workings of Nature;

to master all things under Heaven and recognize that which is Good,

to increase by increasing and to multiply by multiplying;

to consider and contemplate by the sacred observance

of the sign-seeding acts of Heaven and the courses of the heavenly gods,

which are the works of the Divine and the workings of Nature;

to mark the Good and to know the twisted, twisting lots of divine Power;

to know that which is Good and that which is not,

and to discover the skillful arts of everything that is Good.

3.6.1.1.10. On Silence⁑

In silence does God issue forth the seed of light,

for silence itself is a womb that becomes pregnant with the Good.

It is silence alone that can name the name of God,

for divine silence is the true experience and knowledge of God.

It is silence that the hymns of the powers themselves sing,

a holy and divine silence that cannot be taught, but only learned in silence.

Silence is the cessation of all sensation, perception, and thought,

where only pure illumination shines forth, kindling the very soul.

Silence is the womb of rebirth of humanity, the font of wisdom itself,

for silence is what permits the mercies of God to reach us.

3.6.1.2. On the Three Generations⁑

3.6.1.2.1. On the Revealer⁑

Hermēs sought and found the nature and knowledge of God,

and was revealed all he sought by Poimandrēs who came to him,

the Mind of Sovereignty, the Shepherd of Mankind, the Witness of God,

the knowledge and understanding of supreme authority itself,

the pure consciousness of mind illumined by pure divine Light,

the very mind and heart of the Sun reflected and revealed by the Moon,

who knows what we want, who is with us everywhere, who reads souls like books,

who, having come to Hermēs, revealed to Hermēs all he sought,

who, having taught Hermēs, commissioned Hermēs to save mankind,

who, having joined with the powers of God, unto God returned.

3.6.1.2.2. On the Teacher⁑

Hermēs it was who came to know God and all the works of God,

who was revealed the origin and nature of the All by Poimandrēs,

who was sent as a guide to the lost and savior to mankind,

who taught Tat and Asklēpios and Ammōn as his disciples,

who taught in secret rites the way to the vision of God,

who left his mysteries hidden to be revealed at a later time,

who founded all the sciences that give and sustain life,

who founded the three arts of magic and astrology and alchemy,

who became the foremost king and priest and philosopher,

who became by all this the Thrice Greatest One who shows the Way.

3.6.1.2.3. On the Students⁑

Hermēs taught three students, and through them the many, of God:

Tat together with Asklēpios and Ammōn ,

all three becoming the children of spirit of Hermēs,

the first a prophet, the second a healer, the third a king,

the three lights of the Moon, of the Sun, and of the Heavens,

all shining forth with the Primeval Light of God through the Earth,

all born descending from the gods whose names they themselves bear,

all reborn in the womb of silence impregnated with divine light,

all worthy of reverence as teachers through whom all of mankind is saved,

all passing on the wisdom of God as Hermēs had it passed onto him.

3.6.1.3. On the Seven Planets⁑

3.6.1.3.1. On the Moon⁑

God set the Moon to shine and turn in the first heaven,

tireless reflector of the light and radiance of the ungrudging Sun,

the luminary of the night illuminating her course in the wake of the Sun,

the marker of the month and the passage of all time itself,

whose conjoining and separating with the Sun marks the times of holiness,

Nature’s instrument of the transformation of all matter on Earth,

mother of silence, sleep, memory, and fear—all useful gifts to humanity—

who stands between that which is mortal and that which is immortal,

who rules over all the souls who dwell by themselves in the air,

who presides with knowledge over all the mysteries of our world.

3.6.1.3.2. On Mercury⁑

God set Mercury to shine and turn in the second heaven,

the glittering and gleaming star, forever companion to the Sun,

the order of the world and the refuge of the sages,

the perfection of all the mental powers of humanity,

the well-winged one bringing about reason and language,

the speedy one giving mortals talents innate to their being,

the cunning one who made the nature of humanity itself,

entrusting us with moderation and persuasion and truth,

enjoining us to Invention, child of Nature and spouse to humanity,

giving joy to the living above the Earth and to the dead below it.

3.6.1.3.3. On Venus⁑

God set Venus to shine and turn in the third heaven,

who, accompanying the Sun, heralds the Dawn and sends off the Dusk,

the bearer of the bridal bed and the seat of love and attraction,

the beautiful eye of the cosmos and the all-mother of Nature,

the source of all persuasion and the mother of all loves,

the progenitor of necessity and the ruler of the decree of fate,

who moves every person to men, to women, and to all others and back to them,

who joins all together in the loving embrace and generation of Nature,

who yokes Desire, Pleasure, and Laughter to the souls of mankind

that, by God’s pleasure, they might not be punished beyond measure.

3.6.1.3.4. On the Sun⁑

God set the Sun to shine and turn in the fourth heaven,

the lord of life giving freely of his light for us each and every day,

who bestows upon us laughter to rightly rejoice with all the cosmos,

our creator of all that is made by the Creator of the All,

the marker of the seasons and the passage of all growth and decay,

who nourishes all the cosmos with his four turns of the year,

supreme ruler to whom all of Nature submits and serves,

who gives spirit and power and light and fire to all hearts that beat,

the giver of increase and the enlightener of all,

sending upon the Earth from his rays pure light born from Light.

3.6.1.3.5. On Mars⁑

God set Mars to shine and turn in the fifth heaven,

the blood-red chariot of Heaven flying violently in his courses,

engendering Struggle, Wrath, and Strife among mankind,

with a mind of a destroyer and desolator and devastator,

whose blade cuts through flesh and breath and blood and spirit,

lord of battles, war, pains, wounds, and malice,

whose heart beats not with nobility but with the savagery of beasts,

fearful and awesome and threatening to all, the good and wicked alike,

who is driven out and who drives out for peace and for war,

whose iron will is bent to all works of destruction and construction.

3.6.1.3.6. On Jupiter⁑

God set Jupiter to shine and turn in the sixth heaven,

the royal star, ray-producing, mind-piercing, cunning lord,

the father of gods and men, progenitor of Fortune, Hope, and Peace,

the lord of creation and procreation, bestowing nourishing rain,

the eternal eye of of all, the daimōn of daimones and god of gods,

who gathers together the stars in Heaven and riches on Earth,

who causes the prowess of humanity to wax and to wane,

against whom none dare raise their weapons or their wrath,

transforming his nature once every year, establishing the cycle of life,

the source of all good, all goodness, and all good things for all.

3.6.1.3.7. On Saturn⁑

God set Saturn to shine and turn in the seventh heaven,

dark and slow, bedecked in unbreakable and unremovable chains,

father and mother of Justice and Necessity and the tears of sorrow,

sullen in greatness, deliberate in action, subtle in operations,

the ancient one guarding the secrets of God away from prying eyes,

whose knowledge reaches far and deep into everything beyond reckoning,

whose single glance can ruin a life and whose single touch can bless it,

who grants goodness to the worthy and abolishes it for the unworthy,

the very creator of the whole inhabited world in its fullness and stability,

who fashions the tools of power for all the gods in Heaven.

3.6.1.4. On the Mercies⁑

O God, lead me from ignorance to knowledge;

o God, lead me from sorrow to joy;

o God, lead me from intemperance to temperance;

o God, lead me from viciousness to steadfastness;

o God, lead me from injustice to justice;

o God, lead me from greed to generosity;

o God, lead me from falsehood to truth;

o God, lead me from death to your Life;

o God, lead me from darkness to your Light;

o God, lead me from evil to the Good.

3.6.2. Schema of Recitation⁑

Each day can be assigned four Epitomai based on where it falls in the cycle of a ten-day block and the seven-day week, with the fourth Epitomē recited every day.

The Epitomai of the Ten Thoughts
1. The Epitomē on God for the first day of a ten-day block
2. The Epitomē on the Good for the second day of a ten-day block
3. The Epitomē on Creation for the third day of a ten-day block
4. The Epitomē on the Cosmos for the fourth day of a ten-day block
5. The Epitomē on the Gods for the fifth day of a ten-day block
6. The Epitomē on Mankind for the sixth day of a ten-day block
7. The Epitomē on Death for the seventh day of a ten-day block
8. The Epitomē on the Way for the eighth day of a ten-day block
9. The Epitomē on the Works for the ninth day of a ten-day block
10. The Epitomē on Silence for the tenth day of a ten-day block
The Epitomai of the Three Generations
1. The Epitomē on the Revealer, for each day in the first ten-day cycle in a set of three
  - The first decan of a zodiac sign
  - The waxing third of a lunar month
2. The Epitomē on the Teacher, for each day in the second ten-day cycle in a set of three
  - The second decan of a zodiac sign
  - The middle third of a lunar month
3. The Epitomē on the Students, for each day in the third ten-day cycle in a set of three
  - The third decan of a zodiac sign
  - The waning third of a lunar month
The Epitomai of the Seven Planets
1. The Epitomē on the Sun for Sunday
2. The Epitomē on the Moon for Monday
3. The Epitomē on Mars for Tuesday
4. The Epitomē on Mercury for Wednesday
5. The Epitomē on Jupiter for Thursday
6. The Epitomē on Venus for Friday
7. The Epitomē on Saturn for Saturday
The Epitomē of the Mercies
- For every day

3.6.3. Recitation at a Bōmos⁑

Tip

If the recitation of Epitomai is performed as part of the Leitūrgia, the Anagnōsis begins with the Pleasing Call.

3.6.3.1. Lighting the Lykhnon⁑

If the Recitation of the Epitomai is being done with a lykhnon which is to be lit for the Recitation of the Epitomai 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!

3.6.3.2. Call to the Way⁑

Standing by the doorway to the euktērion facing outwards, recite (leader only):

O all you children of mankind, o all you born of the Earth,

o all who you have given yourselves over to drink and sleep in your ignorance of God!

Make yourselves sober, cease your drunken sickness,

end your bewitchment by unreasoning sleep!

Why have you given yourselves over to death,

when you have the power to claim immortality?

You who have wandered with Error, you who have partnered with Ignorance:

think again, think anew!

Free yourselves from the darkness, take hold of the Light,

take part in divine immortality, leave behind your corrupt destruction!

Do not surrender to the way of death by your mockery or distance,

but come, rise, and be guided on the way of life!

Close the door.

3.6.3.3. First Salutation⁑

3.6.3.3.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I live in wholeness and health!

3.6.3.3.2. 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.

3.6.3.4. Undertaking the Recitation of the Epitomai⁑

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

I now undertake this Recitation of the Epitomai.

3.6.3.5. 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.

3.6.3.6. 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.

3.6.3.7. Pleasing Call⁑

Tip

If the recitation of the Epitomai is performed as part of the Leitūrgia, the recitation begins at this point.

Recite:

O Parent of the All, o Thought of the Light!

O Mind dwelling in the heights above the regions below!

O Light dwelling on high, o Voice of Truth!

O upright Mind, o untouchable Word!

O ineffable Voice, o unlimited Forebear!

3.6.3.8. Recitation⁑

Recite the four Epitomai for the given day in order (Thoughts, Generations, Planets, Mercies).

Prior to each Epitomē being recited, ring the bell once. Bow, then announce the name of the Epitomē to be recited.

After each Epitomē is recited, spend some time in silent contemplation of the Epitomē. If the Epitomē is for one of the Generations or one of the Planets, offer a silent prayer and supplication to the topic of the Epitomē.

3.6.3.9. Work of the Soul⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns as needed):

Through my labor in seeking, through my learning of God,

through my distress in my body chasing after the prophets,

may I find my rising, and rest in the one who is at rest,

may I join myself to beauty in love as One,

may I eat of the banquet for which I hunger and partake of the immortal food,

may I find what I seek and receive rest from my labor.

May the Light that does not set shine upon me always,

for to the Light belongs all glory and power and revelation forever. ※

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.

Tip

If the recitation of the Epitomai is performed as part of the Leitūrgia, the Leitūrgia resumes at this point.

3.6.3.10. Singing of the Child⁑

Recite:

To you, o God, the first author of all generation, do I send these offerings of speech.

O God, you are the Source, you are the Lord, you are the Mind!

Receive these words of mine as you will,

for by your will are all things accomplished through your Word. ※

Prostrate silently, then stand.

3.6.3.11. 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.

3.6.3.12. Concluding the Recitation of the Epitomai⁑

Recite (leader only):

Thus concludes this Recitation of the Epitomai.

3.6.3.13. Final Salutation⁑

3.6.3.13.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I walk in reverence and knowledge!

3.6.3.13.2. If Others are Present⁑

The leader recites to all:

May we walk in reverence and knowledge!

All others present repeat the above as one.

3.6.3.14. Extinguishing the Lykhnon⁑

If the Recitation of the Epitomai is being done with a lykhnon that was lit for the Recitation of the Epitomai 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.

3.6.4. Recitation Away from a Bōmos⁑

3.6.4.1. First Salutation⁑

3.6.4.1.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I live in wholeness and health!

3.6.4.1.2. 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.

3.6.4.2. Undertaking the Recitation of the Epitomai⁑

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

I now undertake this Recitation of the Epitomai.

3.6.4.3. 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.

3.6.4.4. Prologue of Aid⁑

Recite:

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

3.6.4.5. Pleasing Call⁑

Recite:

O Parent of the All, o Thought of the Light!

O Mind dwelling in the heights above the regions below!

O Light dwelling on high, o Voice of Truth!

O upright Mind, o untouchable Word!

O ineffable Voice, o unlimited Forebear!

3.6.4.6. Recitation⁑

Recite the four Epitomai for the given day in order (Thoughts, Generations, Planets, Mercies).

Prior to each Epitomē being recited, bow, then announce the name of the Epitomē to be recited.

3.6.4.7. Work of the Soul⁑

Recite (changing personal pronouns as needed):

Through my labor in seeking, through my learning of God,

through my distress in my body chasing after the prophets,

may I find my rising, and rest in the one who is at rest,

may I join myself to beauty in love as One,

may I eat of the banquet for which I hunger and partake of the immortal food,

may I find what I seek and receive rest from my labor.

May the Light that does not set shine upon me always,

for to the Light belongs all glory and power and revelation forever. ※

3.6.4.8. Singing of the Child⁑

Recite:

To you, o God, the first author of all generation, do I send these offerings of speech.

O God, you are the Source, you are the Lord, you are the Mind!

Receive these words of mine as you will,

for by your will are all things accomplished through your Word. ※

Prostrate silently, then stand.

3.6.4.9. 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.

3.6.4.10. Concluding the Recitation of the Epitomai⁑

Recite (leader only):

Thus concludes this Recitation of the Epitomai.

3.6.4.11. Final Salutation⁑

3.6.4.11.1. On One’s Own⁑

Recite:

May I walk in reverence and knowledge!

3.6.4.11.2. If Others are Present⁑

The leader recites to all:

May we walk in reverence and knowledge!

All others present repeat the above as one.