The Nychthemeron is an ancient symbolic mystery of twelve hours, that hide the mysteries of spiritual initiation. Each hour relates to steps in the process of initiation, and in many levels or cycles of development. Nychthemeron: Greek νυχθήμερον, nychthēmero; spelled nuctemeron, nychthemeron, nycthemeron, or nuchthemeron. From the Greek νυχθήμερον, from the words nykt- "night", and (h)emera "day, daytime") is a period of 24 consecutive hours. Nychthemeron literally means "a night and a day" or "the night enlightened by the day." It is equivalent to: "And the evening and the morning were the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth day." - Genesis 1 The beginning of the Nychthemeron is the point where the setting sun intersects the circle of the horizon. Therefore the Nychthemeron extends from the moment when the sun disappears from the horizon till his disappearance on the following day. "Are they Diakonos (Bodhisattvas) of Christ? (I speak as the fool) I am more. I have been in (the 12) labors more abundantly, been in prison (karma) more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to (psychological) death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a Nychthemeron ("night and a day") in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is entice to sin, and I do not inwardly burn? - 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 This is a lecture from the free online course Path of Initiation Course Description: Genuine spiritual initiation is not bestowed in the physical world, but in the worlds of the soul, when the soul has earned a new level of Being. The development of the soul is a conscious work, acheived through psychological transformations, and is marked by exact steps that cannot be avoided or skipped. Telesis [τέλεσις] is a Greek term that means “progress that is intelligently planned and directed.” It means “the attainment of a desired end, by the application of intelligent effort.” This is the work of the soul to become an Initiate, whose goal is to achieve the completion of religion, which comes from the Latin religare, which means to reunite the earthly with the heavenly: to become one with God. "Initiation is something very intimate to the Soul. The “I” does not receive initiations. Therefore, those who say, “I have so many initiations,” “I have such-and-such degrees,” are liars and fakes, because the “I” does not receive initiations or degrees. There are nine Initiations of Minor Mysteries and five important Initiations of Major Mysteries. The Soul is the one who receives the initiations. This is a very intimate matter; something that one must not go about speaking of, nor something that must be told to anyone. Indeed, all the initiations and degrees that many schools of the physical world confer have no value whatsoever in the superior worlds, because the masters of the White Lodge only recognize the legitimate initiations of the Soul as genuine. These are completely internal." - Samael Aun Weor, The Perfect Matrimony