The multi-dimensional cosmos, like the gigantic theatre of descent and ascent, of the eternal “divine comedy”, may be crossed through and deconstructed by employing instruments provided by the Demiurge himself who bestows true love, that is, love of wisdom, to men and guides them by awakening the epistrophic forces that perform purifications, initiations, and telestic operations. Sacrifices and prayers are part of the way towards luminous self-knowledge.(5) Therefore Iamblichus distinguishes three classes of prayer, in ascending order of perfection. 60
The first type is described as knowledge of all divine orders (gnosis ton theon taxeon pason) and concerns the approach (sunagogos) to the divine realm. The suppliant must know all these orders and their specific attributes, i.e., must have a map, like the Egyptian initiate, before entering “the hidden place", Amentet. The Egyptian map-making tradition is concerned with the archetypal range of reality and possible states of the soul (ba) through its Otherworldly travel when each psychic or spiritual state is experienced as an externalized environment.
The second type of prayer links us with the divine by sympathetic association, or similarity (homoiosis pros to theion) in matters of purity, education (paideia, which provides knowledge of how the right prayers are to be addressed to the right deities), and rank (taxis). In this case the gods send their gifts even before our requests are expressed. The efficacy of prayer is based on the teaching that all things proceed from the gods and remain in them at the same time. By means of ineffable symbols (sumbola arrbeta) the grace of the gods is actualized. As all things, which belong to various chains (seirai) of gods, experience manifestation, coming forth from initial principles, they also experience return (epistrophe), and to this epistrophe much is contributed by prayer.61
The third and highest type of prayer unites the immanent divine element to theion) in us with divinity itself, and is described as he arrhetos benosis, unity beyond expression, establishing all power in the gods and completely integrating the soul in them by performance of the proper ritual acts (hagisteia). However, Iamblichus emphasizes that it is impossible to participate individually in the universal orders of existence (ton koinon taxeoon), but only in communion with the divine choir of those who, with intellects united (homonoetikos), experience a common uplift (anagomenon). (Damascius In Phileb. 227.107).