9.1. Structure⁑
The Synodos, the meeting of practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis for community, confession, and study, is to be done twice a synodic lunar month, ideally on the nights of the Waxing Quarter Moon and the Waning Quarter Moon. This may be done before or after any other lunar observances or offerings, and may also be done on any night convenient for people to gather for the Synodos between their respective Crescent and Gibbous or Disseminating and Balsamic phases (a span of about seven days). This meeting is generally only performed with other practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis who belong to a group, although those present may not need to belong to the same group; those who not belong to a group may participate in a Synodos with others not belonging to groups.
Although all Synodos meetings start and end the same, the Synodos held for the Waxing Quarter Moon is to center on the Epignōsis for self-reflection, self-inspection, and self-resolution, and the Synodos held for the Waning Quarter Moon is to center on the Anagnōsis for process of reading and studying the Hermetic texts.
9.1.1. Supplies and Tools Required⁑
For all meetings held:
A lamp
A tall narrow candle is preferred (e.g. taper, emergency candle); avoid using wide candles (e.g. votives, tealights) or short narrow candles unless necessary.
An oil lamp may be used instead of a candle.
The candle may be used and reused for other events of this nature.
It is ideal to have the candle in a glass holder or chimney.
An electric LED candle is permissible if an open flame is not permitted where the meeting is to be held.
A lighter or match (if a candle or oil lamp is to be used)
An icon or representation of the Kalamos or of Hermēs Trismegistos (optional)
A bell
Ideally something that can be struck once, like a singing bowl, gong, or chime.
Copies of or links to attendee guide documents with copies of prayers and readings for the Synodos and information on upcoming events
If the meeting is held in person:
A basket for donations, preferably made of natural plant-based materials
Clean water
Pitchers and cups for drinking
9.1.2. Preparation⁑
Before the Synodos, follow the Kanones of hygiene (full bathing preferred) and abstinence (lax preferred, strict required). One need not dress as one would for a ritual, although it is recommended to do so whenever possible; one need only avoid wearing clothing that should not be worn in general if possible (e.g. clothing that is red or black, animal products, torn or dirty, etc.). The leader should wear a hormos for the meeting; if desired, the reader or reciter may wear a hormos, preferably simpler than the leader’s but still visible; if desired, others may wear a hormos, either simpler than the leader’s or under their clothes.
No bōmos is required, though the meeting may be held before a bōmos if desired and feasible to do so. If a bōmos is not present with a lykhnon already lit on it, a lamp should be lit somewhere in the space as a sacred light; this is preferably placed in the east, if possible. If the meeting space does not allow open flame, an electric LED candle may be used instead. This lamp may be ritually lit during the opening of the Synodos and extinguished towards its end, or it may be lit prior to the Synodos and extinguished afterwards privately if the leader so chooses, following the appropriate process as chosen. If an icon or representation of the Kalamos or of Hermēs Trismegistos is available, it should be placed by the lamp, either in front of and below it or above and behind it, but not in a way to obscure the light itself.
9.1.3. Obligation and Permissibility to Meet⁑
9.1.3.1. Group Practitioners⁑
The Synodos may only properly be held by groups of the Hermetic Synaxis. A group may decide to allow members of other groups to participate in the Synodos, but may not allow independent practitioners or non-practitioners to participate or observe in any way.
All members of a group should do their best to meet regularly and consistently for all Synodos meetings held by their group; it is a required part of practice as a member of a group to do the Synodos whenever and however possible. If a Synodos is planned and announced by the leader, all those who are at all able to meet should do so at the time and place announced.
9.1.3.2. Independent Practitioners⁑
Independent practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis are not obligated or expected to perform the Synodos until and unless they join or form a group. Those who wish to properly perform the Synodos are encouraged to join or form a group whenever it is possible and reasonable to do so. However, independent practitioners who are not able to join or form a group can perform the Synodos together as a Ksenōn Synodos (“meeting of strangers”), an ersatz Synodos of independent practitioners without the backing, structure, or support of a formal group.
Although the following guide and script is geared towards groups, the only part of the script that requires changing for gatherings of independent practitioners is for the closing remarks by the leader during the Epilogue. Other changes may be made to preparing for a Synodos when held by gatherings of independent practitioners as appropriate. However, the rules and expectations for participants in such a Synodos held by independent practitioners are the same as those held by the group. In no case may non-practitioners participate or observe a Ksenōn Synodos in any way.
9.1.4. Quorum to Meet⁑
The Synodos can only be held in general if there are four or more people present: a leader and at least three other people. For a group, at least four people from a single group must be present for a Synodos, whether or not they allow members of other groups to participate. A Synodos consisting only of members of groups is called a Hetaireias Synodos (“meeting of a group”), but in general is simply referred to as a Synodos.
If a member knows in advance that they will not be able to attend a Synodos of their own group, they should find a Synodos of another group to attend with the blessing of their group and the other group. If that is not possible, they should instead recite the prayers of the Synodos on their own and engage in silent contemplation instead of group sharing or discussion. If it is a Waning Moon Synodos where a text is to be read, they should also read a text of their own choosing or the same text to have been read by their group if one was announced.
If there are fewer than four people from a single group present for a Synodos at the time and place announced, and no other members from other groups are present, then two or three people present 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 group if one was announced. If only one person is present, they should recite the prayers of the Synodos on their own and engage in silent contemplation instead of group sharing or discussion; if it is a Waning Moon Synodos where a text is to be read, they should read a text of their own choosing or the same text to have been read by the group if one was announced.
If there are not enough people present from a single group to hold a Synodos among themselves, even if there are enough members present from other groups who would collectively make quorum, then the Synodos cannot be properly held as a Hetaireias Synodos. This occurs when, for example, there are four people and all four people are members of different groups, or if there are six people and two people each are members of three different groups. In cases like this, if those present cannot find a Hetaireias Synodos held by another group to participate in, then they may all leave to do their own individual contemplation and recitation, or they may break apart to confer privately and informally with their own fellow group members, or a Synodos may be held among them as if they were a gathering of independent practitioners if they so choose. If such a Synodos is held under such circumstances, then the Synodos may not be held with independent practitioners; only if there are three or fewer people who are members of groups may a Synodos be held involving independent practitioners. If such a Synodos is held among only group practitioners, it is called a Philōn Synodos (“meeting of friends”), but otherwise if the Synodos is held by a mixture of group practitioners and independent practitioners, it remains a Ksenōn Synodos. In either case it is the same, but in no case may non-practitioners participate or observe such a Philōn Synodos or Ksenōn Synodos in any way.
The only other exception to the above is when a Synodos is held during a Synormisis, a retreat of the Hermetic Synaxis; in such a case, regardless whether the participants of the retreat are group practitioners of one or multiple groups or independent practitioners or a mix of them all, the gathering of participants in a retreat is effectively equivalent to a group for the purpose of the retreat, and so the Synodos is likewise considered equivalent. Such a Synodos held at a retreat is called a Synormiseōs Synodos (“meeting of an anchoring-together”), and still requires at least four people to be held.
9.1.5. Arranging the Meeting⁑
The Synodos is best held in person. However, it may also be held online on a platform with video/audio chatting like Discord or Zoom. Regardless of the manner or medium of meeting, the leader is responsible for reserving and setting up the space for others to attend. While a group may choose to record the names of attendees at a Synodos, intentionally recording or transcribing the Synodos in whole or in part using any format or method is strictly prohibited by anyone for any reason. The meeting is to be restricted by the leader so that only those allowed may participate, with anyone and everyone else being removed and prevented from entering, participating in, or observing the Synodos.
Before the meeting, with the help of the group secretary, the leader should have already chosen a person in attendance to be the meeting reciter to read the Askēmata or the meeting reader to read from the Hermetic texts. If nobody is available or willing to do so, the leader should also be the reciter/reader. If this is for a Waning Moon Synodos where a text is to be read, whoever the reader is, they should be the one to choose the reading they will read. Such a text should be reasonable to read in a brief time, ideally a short whole text or a section of a text that presents a single idea or theme. Although others may advise or suggest texts to read, it is the reader’s choice as to what to read for a Waning Moon Synodos, so long as it has not already been read within the past year by the group.
The leader should send out a notification 48 to 24 hours in advance of the meeting to the group to remind them about the meeting and to get a headcount of attendees who can participate. All attendees should reply to the leader to let them know that they will or will not attend; if there are fewer than four attendees including the leader able to attend no later than 12 hours before the Synodos, the leader may choose to send out a notification to the group to allow attendees to plan accordingly or to find a Synodos of another group to attend with the blessing of their group and the other group.
Before the meeting, the leader should fill out a brief guide for attendees including a brief copy of all prayers and readings used in the Synodos as well as information for the current Synodos, information for the upcoming phases of the Moon and the Stylos and Synodos events associated with them, and for waning Synodos only the text to be read. Those who are attending but not leading the meeting should have a copy of the attendee guide at hand for ease of recitation of prayers. To that end, if the meeting is held in person, physical copies should be provided and set out for attendees to read from; if online, digital copies or a link to a central file for the guide should be provided.
Before the meeting, the leader for the next meeting should already be chosen, along with a place, date, and time for the meeting to be announced at the end of the current one; if there is nobody to lead it, the leader for the current meeting should lead the next. Likewise, for the next Katharsis or Iasis ritual that follows, if someone from the group is planning to lead such a ritual for others to attend, it should also be made known to the leader, along with where and when, for them to announce to the group.
9.1.6. Setting Up for the Meeting⁑
The leader should be present first to set things up for the meeting. If the leader is late to set up for the meeting but arrives before the start time, the first arriving attendee should handle setting up for the meeting as they might be able to. If the leader is late for the meeting itself or absent for it, the reciter/reader should lead the meeting in their stead. If the reciter/reader is also late for the meeting itself or absent for it, the group secretary should lead it; if they are also late or absent, the seniormost available member present should lead it.
If the meeting is held in person, the meeting must be held in a place of privacy, in a closed room with doors that must be fully closed; if there are windows, the windows must likewise be fully closed. If no such place is available, then it may be held in a remote but safe place where the Synodos will not be seen, heard, or bothered in any way. A small basket to collect donations of money or supplies should be placed by the lamp; this is to be collected by the group treasurer if they are present for the meeting or collected by the leader and entrusted to the treasurer as soon as possible after the meeting. Chairs for attendees should be arranged in a circle or in a semicircle around a bōmos if one is present with the chair at the end of the semicircle closest to the door reserved for the leader, or otherwise in a circle or around a common table with the chair closest to the lamp reserved for the leader; a token or sign should be left on the seat for the leader to indicate that it is reserved. Fresh, clean, cool water should be readily available for attendees to drink. Everyone attending should provide (within their means) some form of vegetarian or vegan food or drink for a potluck-style meal after the meeting, and stay afterwards to help clean up. The leader should oversee the breaking-down of everything afterwards and to ensure that everyone leaves safely.
If the meeting is held online, only video/voice chat is permissible for the Synodos; virtual reality, avatar-based interaction, or text-only chat platforms or methods are not permissible. The leader must have a camera that is turned on for the Synodos, and the lamp (with icon or representation of the Kalamos or of Hermēs Trismegistos, if present) must be lit and visible in the leader’s video. Other attendees are highly encouraged to have their cameras turned on if at all possible. Those who participate in the Synodos online should do so from a place of privacy where they will not be seen, heard, or bothered, whether indoors behind closed doors and windows or outdoors in a remote but safe place; if no such place is available and they cannot otherwise participate in an in-person Synodos, they should proceed on their own as if they could not attend a Synodos at all. Those present should have something to eat and drink for social time after the meeting itself. The leader should be the last to exit the online meeting to ensure that everyone signs off successfully.
9.1.7. Changes for Different Types of Synodoi⁑
Besides performing the Epignōsis for Synodoi held for the Waxing Quarter Moon and the Anagnōsis for Synodoi held for the Waning Quarter Moon, there are other minor changes to what is recited or handled for different kinds of Synodos depending on who attends, i.e. whether it is a Hetaireias Synodos, Philōn Synodos, Ksenōn Synodos, or Synormiseōs Synodos.
9.1.7.1. Addressing the Attendees⁑
Although all practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis are welcome to participate in all the practices of the Hermetic Synaxis including the Synodos, it is helpful to remember the different obligations and concerns that members of groups have because they have taken on a set of rules to work by that independent practitioners have not. Moreover, the term specifically used to refer to practitioners of the Hermetic Synaxis who participate in groups is synoditai “together-wayfarer” (sing. synoditēs), as in “those who do the Synodos”. For that reason, when the meeting leader opens up the Synodos, they address the attendees as synoditai for a Hetaireias Synodos, a Philōn Synodos, or a Synormiseōs Synodos when the retreat is only held by members of a single group.
For a Synormiseōs Synodos held by participants who are either independent practitioners, who belong to multiple groups, or who are a mix of the two, the meeting leader addresses the attendees only as synormistai. For a Ksenōn Synodos, the meeting leader addresses the attendees as hoditai. In these cases, these forms of address remind the attendees that, although not synoditai, they are still engaging in the work of the Synodos as if they were for the sake of those present.
9.1.7.2. Reciting the Stoikheia⁑
As part of the Synodos, a recitation by all present is performed of the Stoikheia, consisting of the Arkhai of the Hermetic Synaxis at a minimum as a reminder to all of what it means to walk the Way of Hermēs as part of the Hermetic Synaxis.
For a Hetaireias Synodos or Philōn Synodos, because all attendees are members of groups even if not the same group, the Rules for Members and Rules for Groups are also recited. For a Synormiseōs Synodos, the Rules for Participants and Rules for Retreats are generally to be recited; however, if all participants of the retreat are members of the same group, the Rules for Members and Rules for Groups are recited instead. For a Ksenōn Synodos, because all attendees are not members of groups, rather than reciting rules for members or groups or participants or retreats, only the Protropai are recited instead.
9.1.7.3. Closing Remarks⁑
After the final prayers are recited, the meeting leader informs attendees about upcoming dates for ceremony or astrological observation and other requests for participation or logistics.
For a Hetaireias Synodos, the meeting leader gives the dates and times of the upcoming lunar phases of the Conjunction or Opposition of the Moon as well as the next Quarter Moon, the group’s upcoming Styloi dates and times and locations for those phases, who will read or recite for the next Synodos if such is already known or asking for volunteers if not, asking for volunteers to lead or otherwise participate in future Styloi or other ceremonies, and a call for donations to support the group.
For a Synormiseōs Synodos, the meeting leader gives the dates and times of the upcoming lunar phases of the Conjunction or Opposition of the Moon as well as the next Quarter Moon. If these events occur before the end of the retreat, the meeting leader then proceeds to give the upcoming Styloi dates and times and locations for those phases, who will read or recite for the next Synodos if such is already known or asking for volunteers if not, and asking for volunteers to lead or otherwise participate in future Styloi or other ceremonies.
For a Philōn Synodos or Ksenōn Synodos, the meeting leader gives the dates and times of the upcoming lunar phases of the Conjunction or Opposition of the Moon as well as the next Quarter Moon, whether a future Synodos is already planned, and if so who will lead, read, or recite for it, and if not asking for volunteers.
Afterwards, in all cases, the meeting leader may also take the opportunity to give any other announcements, news, or updates as might be helpful for the attendees.
9.1.7.4. Special Considerations for a Synormiseōs Synodos⁑
Because the Synormiseōs Synodos is held at a retreat, all participants of the retreat are to attend it in person; such a Synodos is not to be held remotely, so there are no special considerations or accommodations to be made for online or remote participation. Similarly, because a retreat must always have a lykhnon lit at all times for the duration of the retreat, rather than lighting a separate lykhnon, a Synormiseōs Synodos must take place in the euktērion of the retreat where the lykhnon is already lit; unlike other Synodoi, there is no separate task for the meeting leader to light or extinguish the lykhnon.
Additionally, at all Synodoi besides those at a retreat, the meeting leader has anyone present leave the Synodos who are either unwilling to commit to the trust, faith, and secrecy of each other or who are not participants of the Hermetic Synaxis, whether members of groups or independent practitioners. At a Synormiseōs Synodos, however, the meeting leader omits the call that allows non-practitioners to leave since all in attendance by virtue of being participants in a retreat are already practitioners. However, for the sake of propriety and reassurance of all present, the meeting leader must still confirm that all present commit to the trust, faith, and secrecy of each other.