8.1. Structure⁑

Between the different approaches of the Hermetic Synaxis for individual practice and group practice as well as the different options for levels of involvement in various rituals and offerings, any given practitioner of the Hermetic Synaxis has much to choose from to determine the level of intensity and dedication for their practice. However, the practices of the Hermetic Synaxis are designed primarily with householders in mind: people with jobs, commutes, families, pets, chores, nights out with friends, and the like. To that end, the Hermetic Synaxis does not generally make long-term intensive demands of practice outside a few days of ritual preparation. However, for those who are willing to make such a commitment, one can remove themselves apart and away from householding life to dedicate themselves for a short period of time to a more intense practice. Undertaking such a retreat, also called the Synormisis or “anchoring together”, can be a way for practitioners to develop themselves and their practices more deeply in a way that may not be so easily attained in the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life, no matter how well-scheduled. Because undertaking such an intensive practice is dangerous on one’s own, a retreat can only ever be done with other people who are as dedicated and as serious about the work, both to ensure the retreat’s success as well as the stability of all those involved; besides this, especially for the sake of independent practitioners who may wish to operate in a group setting but cannot join a group, a retreat may be arranged for at least a short-term group-like framework for spiritual development in the Hermetic Synaxis.

To distinguish practitioners who work together in a formal group of the Hermetic Synaxis, the term used for a practitioner who participates in a retreat with others is synormistēs (pl. synormistai), to be used in the sense of both “one who anchors together with others” as well as “one who wears the hormos together with others”; to distinguish from hetaireia “group”, the term hormos “anchorage” is used instead. For simplicity’s sake, they are referred to as “participants” and “gathering” respectively below. Similarly, the formal term for the location used for a retreat is limēn “harbor, haven” (pl. limenes). This may be used for any place used for a retreat while the retreat is used, but it may also be used to refer to a place where retreats are held generally, as well as any permanent establishment used for longstanding or extended practices of the Hermetic Synaxis that includes a temple space.

During the retreat, although it is permitted for participants to have some recreational time to themselves or with others apart from Hermetic study or practice, it is strongly discouraged outside of emergencies or in other extenuating circumstances to engage in any matters or affairs pertaining to one’s family, household, or career. The purpose of a retreat is to retire temporarily from the mundane world and focus on developing one’s spiritual practice in an intensive and focused setting. As such, participants of a retreat are expected to have any external affairs put on hold or handled by others for the duration of the retreat, and are likewise expected to minimize exposure to current events generally except as strictly necessary for the purposes of maintaining the retreat.

8.1.1. Attendance⁑

When a retreat is desired to be held by practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis, they should first agree on who would attend such a retreat. The bare requirements for participating in a retreat are similar to those for becoming a member or founder of a group:

  • Willing to walk on the Way of Hermēs to develop themselves and support their fellow siblings of humanity

  • Participating in the retreat of their own free will and awareness

  • If also presently or previously a member of a group, not automatically or permanently expelled from any other group of the Hermetic Synaxis

  • In good legal standing with the broader community where they live

  • At least the age of majority where they live, or at least some higher threshold according to the decision of the gathering

Unlike with groups, depending on the wishes of the gathering, other requirements may be allowed within reason to narrow the retreat to specific demographics or for specific purposes, e.g. holding a queer-only retreat or a women-only retreat. Such requirements should only generally be made after serious consideration and deliberation made with other attendees and unanimously agreed upon by all involved. Requirements that go beyond reason, especially those that veer into bigotry, should be cause for one to abandon the gathering and retreat, and if such a person who encourages or recommends such a faulty requirement is a member of a group, it should be reported to their group.

Because a retreat should not be someone’s first introduction to the Hermetic Synaxis, in addition to the above requirements, all participants must have an active and stable practice in the Hermetic Synaxis, whether independently or as members of a group, prior to participating in a retreat, consisting of at least one year of performing the daily Leitūrgia, monthly Katharsis and Iasis, and at least one kind of offering practice regularly as much as their schedule can allow. If desired, the gathering may make familiarity with particular practices or ceremonies of the Hermetic Synaxis or engaging in such practices a requirement of participating in the retreat.

All participants of a retreat must agree to each other’s attending the retreat. Due to the intimate nature of participants residing together in close quarters, no matter how briefly, everyone who participates in a retreat should be on at least friendly terms with each other to live, pray, and work together to support each other as one.

Similar to forming groups, retreats must have at least four participants to be established. For the purposes of holding ceremonies, the gathering of a retreat qualifies as their own quasi-group, somewhat outside the formal group structure and considerations. As with groups, there is no upper limit to how many people may participate in a retreat, so long as administrative or organization concerns or issues involving the timeliness and function of ceremonies and other events do not arise and so long as the gathering can still function cohesively. As a loose recommendation, a retreat should aim to limit itself to no more than 16 participants at any given time.

It is permitted for group practitioners to participate in a retreat with members of other groups as well as with independent practitioners. If a member of a group wishes to participate in a retreat with members of other groups or with independent practitioners, they should get the blessing of their group before doing so and keep their group periodically updated during the retreat as to its proceedings. However, if a retreat is held by members of a single group amongst each other, no such blessing or updates are needed.

8.1.2. Retreat Facilitator⁑

Unlike with groups, there are no offices of secretary, treasurer, or representative. However, all gatherings are to designate one participant as the limenophylaks “harbor-watcher” to act as the facilitator for the retreat. The responsibilities for limenophylakeia should be considered as an office unto itself, and the person fulfilling the role of retreat facilitator should be considered and elected likewise. Such responsibilities include:

  • Keeping track of participants, their contact information, and emergency contact information

  • Being the point of contact for making any reservations or purchases needed for the retreat

  • Being the point of contact for any new participants interested in joining the retreat upon its renewal, as well as for other communication needs generally

  • Procuring, managing, disbursing, and keeping track of supplies, funds, and other resources

  • Finalizing and disseminating itineraries and schedules

The office of facilitator effectively combines the group offices of secretary, treasurer, and representative into a single office; although this would be too much to expect for any one person in a group, because of the full-time nature of participating in a retreat, it is both more feasible and more reasonable to centralize these responsibilities into a single full-time role. Like with group offices, the facilitator is required to keep a record of all information, decisions, and other happenings that occur during the course of the retreat. To accommodate the handling of their responsibilities, the facilitator may be allowed to have a lesser involvement in chores, cooking, errands, and other activities of the retreat so as to better facilitate it as a whole, and may arrange or coordinate others to take on such activities in their stead when necessary. However, a facilitator is not completely freed of other such obligations or tasks, nor are they entitled to any other privileges.

Although the facilitator is responsible for the execution of any administrative or logistical needs for the retreat, all decisions regarding such needs are to be made by the participants as a whole, requiring similar two-thirds or unanimous consent as for similar group decisions. The facilitator is not to make any unilateral decision on behalf of the retreat except in case of an emergency, and once the emergency has passed, such a decision should be reviewed by the participants to see whether it should stand or whether such decisions should be made in the future by the facilitator. Any and all actions of the facilitator may be reviewed by the participants of the retreat at any time, and, if need be, corrected by vote held by the participants. The facilitator may reasonably delegate tasks to participants and may ask participants to act towards or behave in certain ways, but it is not permitted for the facilitator to command such from other participants.

In order of priority, the facilitator would ideally be:

  1. The owner or manager of the location of the retreat, if they are also a participant in it

  2. The seniormost member who has experience with facilitating at least one retreat

  3. The seniormost member who has experience with participating in at least one retreat and at least holding the office of secretary or treasurer in a group

  4. The seniormost member who has experience with at least one retreat

  5. The seniormost member who has experience with the office of secretary or treasurer in a group

  6. The seniormost member

The facilitator should be chosen among the participants in a gathering following the same procedures as members of a group would for an office. Upon the beginning of the retreat, the role of facilitator will be officialized formally by oath and is to be maintained consistently throughout the retreat or until they leave the retreat or step down, and treated with all gravity much like the office of a group. Unlike offices, there is no limit to how long one may hold the role of facilitator. A facilitator may choose to step down at any time, or the participants of the retreat may vote to have them step down; if so, a new facilitator should be voted on by the participants of the retreat. When a new facilitator is chosen, they are to take charge of all responsibilities, records, and communications established by the prior facilitator.

In general, the facilitator is not obligated to perform ceremonial tasks except in some cases. However, the facilitator is responsible for the lykhnon used for the communal bōmos for the entire retreat, lighting it once everything starts, extinguishing it once everything ends, and ensuring that it is always lit as an eternal flame for the sake of the retreat. The lykhnon should not be extinguished and relit in the case of one facilitator stepping down and a new one taking their place, but the new facilitator should make a perfunctory check of the lykhnon to make sure that it is burning properly and to assess when it might need to be replaced or refilled.

Instead of only one facilitator, a gathering may consider having two, with the first being primary and the second being an assistant to the primary and to serve as a backup in case the primary is unable to fulfill their responsibilities as facilitator. Even though a secondary facilitator should be chosen among the gathering as the first, no oath is taken by the secondary facilitator unless and until they take on the role of primary facilitator. When this occurs, a new secondary facilitator should likewise be chosen.

8.1.3. Timing and Duration⁑

In general, a retreat may be scheduled at any time for any definite duration between three days and one year; the gathering is to agree on how long the retreat is to last and when it is to start and end, and a retreat may not be held without this being decided first. At the end of the duration of a retreat, individual members of the gathering may renew the retreat and continue their work with the same processes of the old for a new duration, or they may simply complete their retreat and leave. Although a retreat may not be held indefinitely, it may be renewed at the end of each duration.

Whenever possible to do so, retreats should avoid being scheduled if they:

  • Start or finish during periods of Mercury retrograde

  • Overlap with a Greater Nekysia on the first anniversary of the passing of a close personal or group relationship of a participant (e.g. child, parent, mentor)

  • Overlap with an Ekklēsia, unless all participants are either:

    • All independent practitioners

    • All group practitioners who are themselves at the Ekklēsia and the activities of the retreat do not conflict with the activities of the Ekklēsia

A retreat must take place across at least three calendar days: one partial day to open and set up the retreat, one full day on its own, and another partial day to close and break down the retreat. The partial days at the start and end of the retreat are the “opening day” and “closing day” respectively, and are dedicated to their own activities apart from the “full days” where the retreat is engaged in earnest. For most standard retreats, a retreat should last for seven full days (plus a partial day on either side) or ten full days (plus a partial day on either side).

Except for emergencies, illness, or other extenuating circumstances that the gathering agrees to, participants are discouraged from ending their participation in a retreat before it is formally planned to close. If such a situation prompts a participant to leave a retreat early and leaves the retreat with fewer than four people, the retreat may still continue if there are at least two participants left, but it may not be renewed unless there are at least four participants, whether continuing from the old retreat into the new or whether joining the retreat anew. If there are only two participants remaining and one of them must leave early, the retreat is to be ended immediately by them both. If a participant needs to leave temporarily to handle urgent affairs, they may do so for no longer than a full day unless the rest of the gathering permits them a longer duration of no longer than seven days before returning for at least one full day; otherwise it is preferred that they end their participation in the retreat early.

8.1.4. New Participants and Renewing the Retreat⁑

New participants may not join an ongoing retreat after it has already begun. However, if the retreat is renewed, new participants may join at the renewal of the retreat after being informed ahead of time of the schedule, assignments, and other obligations they are expected to hold themselves to, and so long as all participants of the retreat agree to them joining the retreat. So long as the retreat has a reasonable expectation of being renewed, new participants interested in joining the retreat are to reach out to the facilitator, who would then interview them with another participant of the retreat in a manner much the same as a group might interview a petitioner to join them. Deliberation and discussion should be held in a timely manner by the participants of the retreat regarding any new participants joining.

In order for a retreat to be renewed, it must have at least four participants participating in it, either all participants from the existing retreat or a mixture of new and old participants. A retreat cannot be renewed if there are less than four participants or if all existing participants leave and end their participation in the retreat.

8.1.5. Location⁑

Once the gathering have agreed on who is attending the retreat and its duration, a location must be decided for where the retreat may be held. The location for a retreat should ideally have the following:

  • Exclusive availability for the whole duration of the retreat

  • Privacy from other people not participating in the retreat itself or upon whom the retreat does not directly rely

  • Adequate sleeping space for everyone, most preferably with each person having their own private space

  • Permissibility for open flames and incense

  • A common space large enough to accommodate everyone for group prayer, work, and study

  • A cooking area for preparing food

  • A dining area large enough to seat everyone

  • Adequate facilities for personal hygiene and sanitation

  • Outdoor space for fresh air, recreational activities, skygazing, and ritual work

Although an indoor communal space (e.g. house) is recommended, an entirely outdoor camping site with tents or a series of smaller lodges and larger pavilions may be used if deemed adequate for safety, accessibility, and sanitation.

Whatever the location for a retreat, the location should be left in at least as good a condition it was in when the retreat began. Except and unless the owner or manager of the location gives their explicit permission otherwise:

  • All participants must arrive no earlier and leave no later than the dates and times agreed by the owner or manager and the rest of the participants.

  • The location must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the retreat.

  • All possessions of the gathering, whether as a whole or by its individual participants, must be removed from the location by the end of the retreat.

  • No permanent change may be made to the location.

  • All waste must be safely and sanitarily removed from the location both during and at the end of the retreat.

  • Any damage incurred to the location must be either satisfactorily repaired by the gathering or have such repairs paid for by the gathering.

8.1.6. Resources and Funding⁑

If a location is to be rented for such a retreat, the gathering should collectively provide the funds to rent such a place, ideally in a way that is distributed fairly among all participants. If the retreat is held by members of a single group, the group is encouraged to use its monetary resources towards such a retreat; if members of different groups participate in the retreat, although it is best if they contribute their own funds, they may petition their respective groups for contributing a reasonable share of the overall cost for such a rental. However, even if the location to be used for the retreat does not require payment for its use (e.g. the house of a member of a group of the Hermetic Synaxis), it is still encouraged for the gathering to contribute some sort of monetary donation or other gift as an expression of thanks for the free use of the location.

Besides whatever funding or monetary donation is called for for the location of the retreat, all participants are expected to also provide whatever tools, implements, and resources are required for the retreat, or at least the means to procure them with other funding. All participants are expected to bring their own clothing, hormos, loibeion, psiathos, toiletries, and (if necessary by the location) their own bedding and linens. Consumable supplies like food, drink, cleaning supplies, ceremonial supplies, and other goods are expected to be contributed fairly by all participants, whether directly or through monetary contributions. If not otherwise provided as part of the location, cookware, diningware, tools, ceremonial implements, educational materials, presentation or information technology, and the like must be contributed by at least one of the participants for use by the whole retreat. If there are any bills that must be paid for at a location during its use for water, electricity, waste disposal, or the like that are not handled by the owner or manager of the location as part of the agreement to use it for a retreat, they must be paid for by the gathering as a whole.

If the retreat is held by members of a single group, the group is encouraged to use its monetary and other tangible resources towards supplying such a retreat; if members of different groups participate in the retreat, although it is best if they contribute their own funds and resources to supply it, they may petition their group for contributing a reasonable share of funds and resources to do so. However, even if any resources to be used for the retreat are provided freely by the owner or manager of the location, it is still encouraged for the gathering to replace them, renew them, or contribute some sort of monetary donation or other gift as an expression of thanks for the free use of such resources. Whatever non-consumable goods or tools are provided by the location, if any, are to be returned to the owner or manager of the location in at least as good a condition as they were provided, with the gathering providing replacements for any damage or missing items as needed.

At the end of a retreat, any leftover resources or supplies may be evenly split among the participants and their respective groups (if any), be gifted to the owner or manager of the location of the retreat, or be donated to a local charity if in a suitable condition and amount to do so.

As with groups, the gathering as a whole is not to depend on or rely on other organizations outside of the Hermetic Synaxis to provide resources or funding for a retreat.

8.1.7. Routine Scheduling⁑

Once the location for a retreat has been established and any reservations or other plans made for it, the gathering should proceed to planning the schedule for the retreat. Each full day of the retreat should have fundamentally the same schedule, and such a daily schedule should be specific as to the time when each event happens, e.g. rousing at 5:30am, morning group worship at 6:00am, breakfast at 8:00am, etc.

Regardless of the specifics of any general daily schedule, rousing should ideally occur shortly before sunrise, morning worship at or around sunrise, evening worship at or shortly after sunset while there is still light in the sky, and retiring before midnight. Every retreat should account every day for both morning prayers and evening prayers done together and some time every day to study or discussion, both on one’s own and as a gathering. For health and hygiene, everyone is to be entitled to at least six but no more than nine hours of sleep per night (naps permitted within one’s daytime free time if needed) and at least one but no more than two baths per day (unless ceremonial needs demand otherwise). There must be at least two but no more than four meals per day (the more meals, the smaller); snacking is to be avoided when possible (with exceptions for those with health needs) and all meals should be communal. Everyone should sleep and eat at the same time to keep everyone aligned on the same schedule. Depending on facilities, baths may be taken at different times throughout the day by different participants or groups of participants.

Along with the general daily schedule, any dates and times for specific rituals, offerings, or other events should be planned as well, making changes to the daily schedule for that day as needed to accommodate the ceremony . At the appropriate times, the Styloi and Hypsōsis should always be done; beyond these, the gathering should also agree on what other rituals, offerings, and other events should be done amongst them and when. Because everyone is already engaged and present for prayers and ceremonies, all available lunar and solar Hēmerasia (all six lunar phases, Sun ingress signs of the Zodiac as well as decans) should be done at the first available morning or evening group worship. If a retreat lasts for longer than ten days or is renewed once (whichever comes first), either a Panthysia or Lesser Nekysia should be made during it; if longer than twenty days or is renewed twice (whichever comes first), both a Panthysia and Lesser Nekysia should be made, or whichever offering was not done in the first renewal; if longer than thirty days or is renewed three times (whichever comes second), the offerings should repeat in the same order.

Once a general daily schedule has been developed and any specific ceremonial times have been ascertained, a detailed schedule for the whole retreat should be made and agreed upon by the gathering as a whole for each day.

If the retreat is longer than seven or ten whole days, at the discretion of the gathering, the detailed schedule for the entire retreat may be made prior to it begins, or new detailed schedules for shorter periods may be drawn up at regular intervals to account for new events and adjustments to the general daily schedule as needed.

An example of a daily schedule can look like the following:

  • 6:00am: Rousing

    • Wash face, brush teeth, get dressed

    • Individual Khairetismoi to Agathē Tykhē and Agathos Daimōn

    • Personal prayers

  • 7:00am: Morning group worship

    • Silent meditation

    • Prayer

    • Epitomai recitation for the day

    • Offerings for the morning (if any)

    • Orkhēsis

    • Khairetismos of the Rising Sun

  • 8:30am: Cooking + light breakfast + cleanup

  • 9:30am: Group reading, study, discussion, or meditation

  • 11:00am: Cooking + lunch + cleanup

  • 1:00pm: Afternoon activities

    • Group ceremony or event (if any)

    • Chores

    • Bathing

    • Rest, recreation, or outing

  • 4:00pm: Group reading, study, discussion, meditation, or ceremony

  • 5:00pm: Evening group worship

    • Silent meditation

    • Prayer

    • Offerings for the evening (if any)

  • 6:30pm: Evening activities

    • Group ceremony or event (if any)

    • Group study or discussion

    • Chores

    • Rest, recreation, or outing

  • 8:00pm: Cooking + light dinner + cleanup

  • 9:30pm: Breakdown

    • Recreational time

    • Chores

    • Bathing

    • Private meditation and prayer

    • Sleep

8.1.8. Holding the Synodos at a Retreat⁑

For the purposes of a retreat, the Synodos held by participants at a retreat is considered in most ways equivalent to a Synodos held by a group, whether or not all the participants are members of a group or not. As such, the Synormiseōs Synodos is similar to a Hetaireias Synodos, with a few special considerations:

  • All future events mentioned in the closing remarks, so long as they occur during the retreat, assume that they are to take place at the retreat without further specification about location.

  • Calls for volunteers to lead future events for the retreat are simplified.

  • The call for donations is not made.

Most importantly, for the recitation of the Stoikheia, retreats will generally recite the Rules for Participants and Rules for Retreats instead of the Rules for Members and Rules for Groups, respectively. However, if all participants of a retreat belong to the same group, then the Rules for Members and Rules for Groups are recited instead.

A Synodos at a retreat still requires at least four participants in order to be held. If there are fewer than four people still participating at a retreat due to emergencies or extenuating circumstances, the Synodos may still be held by inviting others to attend at the retreat for the sole purpose and duration of the Synodos if it is reasonable and feasible to do so, not otherwise allowing such people to remain at the retreat overnight or lead events. If all participants remaining are members of the same group but there are others of their group who are not participating in the retreat, the retreat may invite the non-participant members of their group to hold a Hetaireias Synodos with them; if members of different groups or inviting only members of other groups, a Philōn Synodos; if inviting independent practitioners, a Ksenōn Synodos. However to preserve the integrity, privacy, and seclusion of the retreat, it may be better to may pray and confer with each other instead informally, checking in with each other, praying together, and (for a Waning Moon Synodos) reading and discussing a text of their own choosing or the same text to have been read by the retreat if one was already decided.

8.1.9. Scripting and Assignments⁑

Once the detailed schedule has been made, a set of scripts should be made for all prayers, rituals, offerings, and other events made that accommodate the expected processes for all participants to follow in a standard way agreeable to the gathering as a whole. The usual scripts of the Hermetic Synaxis should be used as a basis for this, including any extra prayers or making any customary changes for the gathering (especially if all participants are from the same group to follow their group’s customs) as necessary.

In addition to specific scripts, leaders should be chosen for prayers, rituals, offerings, and all other events. Depending on the wishes and preferences of the gathering, the same participant may lead all such works, or they may rotate such responsibilities, or they may schedule them according to availability, preference, and seniority as desired. For Synodos meetings, readers and reciters should also be assigned in addition to leaders.

Whenever there is confusion about who is to lead something or whenever someone becomes unavailable to do so, the facilitator must delegate an available participant to lead it or lead it themselves; if the facilitator is unable to do either, the most senior participant available instead becomes the leader. All participants are expected to help set up and break down all events as necessary; event leaders together with the facilitator may designate specific participants to do just this ahead of such events.

Due to the communal nature and living situation of a retreat, it may be desired to also assign responsibilities for the upkeep of the retreat in general. Cooking, kitchen cleaning before and after meals, bathroom cleaning, landscaping, resource provisioning, waste disposal, driving, and any other responsibilities necessary for the orderly operation and performance of a retreat should be assigned fairly and equitably according to every participant’s capability and capacity for doing so. As with leaders for events, responsibilities for the upkeep of the retreat may be assigned based on availability, preference, and seniority as desired, or rotated periodically amongst all participants, whichever method the gathering prefers to use.

8.1.10. Running Errands or Going on Outings for the Retreat⁑

During the retreat, it is permissible for participants to leave the location to run errands or retrieve supplies to support the retreat and take care of necessary work to continue holding it. It is also permissible for participants to have group outings as a recreational activity, volunteer to support the local environment or community, or engage with nearby groups of the Hermetic Synaxis, so long as such outings do not interfere with the general daily schedule or other plans. For running errands or retrieving supplies, it is ideal for participants to go out in at least pairs if not as a gathering, although participants may go as individuals if necessary; for recreational or other non-errand outings, any participant must go out with at least one other participant. However, the whole gathering cannot leave the retreat at the same time; at least one but preferably two participants must remain at the retreat at all times.

8.1.11. Hosting Guests at the Retreat⁑

Although the purpose of a retreat is to retire from the world and to give participants an opportunity to focus on their practice in an intensive setting among peers committed to doing the same, because a retreat is already a gathering of practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis, this can be an opportunity for other practitioners or groups to visit and join in on particular events, especially if the retreat is hosted in a place where there are already independent practitioners but no formal group. At the discretion of the gathering, they may notify nearby practitioners of ceremonies they hold for others to attend, or invite others to join in on their group study, reading, and discussion. Depending on those in attendance, a guest may be invited to give a talk or presentation as part of such study.

Guests may also stay for a meal and group prayers. However, unless discussed and agreed upon by the gathering and the guest along with them agreeing by all the terms and rules of the retreat, guests may not stay overnight at the retreat or lead any prayer or ceremony.

Donations of food, drink, supplies, and other non-monetary resources may be accepted from individual guests but not solicited.

8.1.12. Maintaining the Kanones⁑

As part of the retreat, all participants pledge to uphold the Kanones on an ongoing basis, following lax abstinence in general plus strict abstinence and full bathing as part of ceremonial preparation. However, because the Kanones are generally intended as a temporary practice for the sake of developing a sense of spiritual purity ahead of a ceremony, certain considerations must be made for maintaining the Kanones on an ongoing basis in a group setting, especially those of lax abstinence as a baseline.

8.1.12.1. Abstinences for Food and Drink⁑

All participants are to abstain from consuming the meat, blood, fat, and all other parts of animals. Because of this restriction and because all meals for a retreat should be communal, everyone is required to keep to at least a vegetarian diet; depending on the preferences of the participants, a stricter vegan diet may be maintained instead for all participants. Any food allergy, taboo, or other restriction should also be accommodated for the retreat by participants.

Delicacies and desserts may be served in moderation or as special meals for after events, but the diet for the retreat as a whole should tend towards simplicity, fresh foods, and staple foods.

8.1.12.2. Abstinences for Drugs⁑

Participants of the retreat are to abstain from consuming intoxicating substances, psychotropic substances, or other drugs, but not including things taken strictly for health and only as prescribed and as necessary. Because of these concerns, those who make non-medical use of any sort of drug are encouraged, however feasible and reasonable to do so, to spend the weeks leading up to a retreat weaning off them to make the retreat easier on their bodies.

Alcohol is not to be consumed by anyone in the retreat, although it may be used as an offering when and as necessary. Although it is better to avoid using alcohol in cooking, it may be used in moderation and after taking care to cook off as much as possible.

No smoking of any substances is permitted during the retreat. If one requires the medical use of cannabis, an alternate consumption method should be used instead of smoking. If this is not possible, it must be consumed outside away from others, followed by at least washing the hands and face and brushing the teeth.

Although stimulants are discouraged as part of the Kanones of abstinence, coffee, tea, and similar herbal infusions containing a moderate amount of caffeine may be drunk in moderation during the retreat at any time between the morning Leitūrgia and evening Leitūrgia.

8.1.12.3. Other Abstinences⁑

Participants are to abstain from all sexual activity and violent activity, whether on their own or with others, as well as lying.

8.1.12.4. Hygiene⁑

On all days on which it is possible, all participants should bathe fully and brush their teeth at least once a day. Bathing facilities and scheduling for bathing at a retreat should accommodate this, depending on the number of participants at the retreat; depending on the number of participants and the size or number of such facilities, bathing may be split into several sessions across a day to allow everyone to bathe, or bathing may be done less regularly (no less than once a week) if it is agreeable to all participants.

Regardless of how often full bathing is, all participants are to at least wash the face and hands and mouth prior to any worship or ceremony. Whether fully bathing or only washing, the Prayers of Ablution should always be said.

As always, scented bathing products and antiperspirants are to be avoided, using either unscented or minimally scented products whenever possible. In addition to colognes and perfumes, cosmetics in general are not to be used. However, scented oils may be worn only if they are intended for and limited to ceremonial use; these may be used only to the degree necessary.

8.1.12.5. Clothing and Linens⁑

White clean modest clothes should be worn as much as possible and whenever possible. If nothing else, a white shirt with non-white shorts that are not black or red will suffice especially for rigorous activities or venturing out for errands, but ideally participants should wear white clothing that covers the shoulders down to the knees at all times, and such must be worn for any ceremony. It is discouraged to sleep nude if one is sleeping alone, and doing so is not permitted if one is sleeping in shared quarters with another.

Participants are responsible for bringing their own clothing, and should have enough clothing and of the appropriate seasonality to get them through the retreat as scheduled. Whenever possible, a retreat should have laundry facilities of its own or easy access to them to allow participants to wash their clothes as the need arises, especially if the retreat extends past several days. Similarly, participants may also be responsible for bringing their own bedding and towels, if the retreat does not supply them of their own.

8.1.12.6. Hormos⁑

The hormos is to be worn at all times when not sleeping or bathing. When one retires to sleep, the hormos is to be removed and placed near where one sleeps; when one wakes up, they are to put it on immediately after brushing their teeth and washing their face as part of getting dressed. If heavy labor or exercise is undertaken that would risk damaging the hormos, it may be removed for the duration of it and kept securely in one’s pocket, then put back on afterwards. If the hormos breaks, a new one must be made immediately and without any delay.

Whenever the hormos is put on, the Hyposkhesis is to be recited.

8.1.13. Seniority at a Retreat⁑

For the purposes of a retreat, when a retreat is held on its own without being renewed or for the first time before it is renewed, seniority is to be considered according to one’s start date, with all group practitioners all considered senior to independent practitioners. If a retreat is renewed and new participants join at the renewal of the retreat, for the purposes of the retreat, all new participants are considered less senior than all existing participants, but new participants among themselves are to be considered more or less senior amongst themselves according to their own start dates as above.

8.1.14. Group Concerns at a Retreat⁑

Although not a formal group that requires officers or recordkeeping, a gathering behaves much like a group of the Hermetic Synaxis for the duration of the retreat. As such, regardless of whether a participant in a retreat is a member of a formal group, all the Rules for Members and Rules for Groups implicitly apply to the retreat and to its participants, and all decisions are to be made following similar processes of voting by its participants, up to and including expelling people from a retreat. Expulsion from a retreat applies only to that retreat and to any renewals of that retreat, but it does not necessarily apply to other retreats, nor can such an expulsion be rescinded by the retreat. However, even if expulsion from a retreat does not necessarily impact groups, such an expulsion may be taken into account by one’s group for further disciplinary action.

Although members of groups who participate in a retreat should keep their group periodically updated during the retreat as to its proceedings, group business should not be engaged with by any participant during a retreat, unless all participants are members of the same group, a majority of the group is present for the retreat, and the usual group routines of elections, reporting, or expulsion must be done. Participants in a retreat are not to form, join, leave, or dissolve a group while at a retreat; if a retreat is being done by members of a single group, an expulsion from the retreat entails expulsion from the group and is handled accordingly.

If a retreat is being done by members of a single group, officers maintain their offices for group-related matters and should work with the facilitator to coordinate overlapping matters for the sake of the group and the sake of the gathering; whenever possible, the facilitator should not be a current office-holder.

8.1.15. Other Administrative Concerns⁑

Whenever a matter needs to be handled by the gathering, any participant can raise the matter for discussion, deliberation, and voting during any time given to recreation, study, or other discussion. If necessary, the facilitator is to handle or direct any affairs of the retreat accordingly.

As with other scheduling concerns, after the first seven or ten days, according to the preference of the gathering, the participants should gather at regular intervals to evaluate the affairs of the retreat, make adjustments, and handle any other issues accordingly.