The Octad Program

How the Program Works

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus

The most important factor for making this program work for you is you MUST become a student again. Some of you may already be students and for others it may have been years since you picked up a pen and paper, but all great purveyors of Stoicism were once but learners in the presence of wisdom. If it weren't for Arrian, a student, writing down the lectures and teachings of Epictetus, we would have never had his great words preserved. A teacher is nothing without an ear to hear and you are that ear. Take great notes, study daily (at least for 8 days), implement what you have learned in your life and take pride in knowing that you are taking the steps to apply your knowledge to your health and wellbeing.

Ryan Mayes has been in the world of child development and education for nearly two decades. When creating the technologies for The Octad program, he turned to the theories of one of history's greatest developmental psychologists, Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky developed a concept known as the Zone of Proximal Development; a concept still used in classrooms today. His theory states that a student can advance their learning by operating in the presence of "the more knowledgeable other." By simply observing the actions, and practical applications of one who has a better grasp on understanding, one's own intellect and comprehension can expand. The Octad Program works because it is based upon the teachings and applications of these more knowledgeable others known by the names of Epictetus, Musonius Rufus, Lucius Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. The works of these great stoics have been written about, pondered over, analyzed and implemented for two millennium and the concepts are just as applicable today. These philosophers were tested and tried to levels most of us will never know. Rufus was exiled to an island multiple times yet found joy in his solitude. Seneca was one of the richest men in Rome yet preached the virtues of a simpler life while being hunted by a murderous emperor. Epictetus was a slave for 30 years with a leg crippled by his cruel owner yet refused to allow his malady to define him, and Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man in the world yet secretly wrote about his thoughts on leadership, equanimity and accepting death with grace. All of these life events presented these men with the possible excuses to allow themselves to fall into depression, anxiety, ill-health, and anger yet they chose to THINK their way through their trials and apply wisdom, temperance, courage and justice to their daily lives.

Today, we can see the influence of these stoics in the way we treat mental health disorders in our society. Dr. Aaron Beck credited many elements of western philosophy in his creation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dr. Albert Ellis placed heavy emphasis on the teachings of the Stoics, in particular, Epictetus in his creation of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. Both doctors agreed that western philosophy can have an exceedingly positive effect on mental health and the Stoic theories of how we react to outside influences are still used in prominence. These are our examples. The Octad marries western philosophy with modern, developmental, and cognitive psychology and produces this simple formula, create a healthy lifestyle free from overindulgence, learn how to discern the things we can control and examine how we react to the world around us, and learn from those before you then apply it to make yourself the person you were meant to be, the more knowledgeable other.

Becoming A Student Again

How The Program Was Developed

There are a few things needed to help the learner to succeed in this program.

1. The Octad Program Book- Instruction and Implementation of the program principles

2. A Journal - It doesn't matter the design or size, you will need a journal to jot down your daily thoughts.

3. A Good Book-The program requires 8 minutes of reading a day. Meditations, The Enchiridion, the Discourses, Seneca: Letters from a Stoic and the Bible are all great suggestions.

4. A Backpack, Messenger Bag or Purse- You may need to get away for your meditation or journaling and you'll need something to haul your book, journal and pens.

5. A diet strategy (We will discuss more about this in the manaual)

What You Will Need.

The Rules of the Octad

The Following 8 areas begin on day 1 and culminate on day 8. The program is designed to implement major core philosophies of Stoicism and must be adhered to as closely as possible.

8 Days

The program duration last for 8 days and should be started on a schedule that is easy for you to meet. If Starting on a Monday, the program will run for 8 consecutive days ending at 12:00am on the following Monday. You may want to consider holidays, birthdays, dinner meetings and other special occasions that may interfere with the program's success.

800 Calories A Day

Fasting is an important part of this program. It is a form of voluntary discomfort that the stoics practiced increasing clarity of mind and self-control.

we should voluntarily set aside a few days to subsist with little food, coarse clothing & no material comforts. We should prepare for adversity, amidst the favours of fortune. Such practices of endurance will help us realise we can make do with very little. Vagaries of fortune won’t effect us.

- Seneca,

8 acts of Kindness

Showing an act of kindness to another everyday takes less effort than you may think but makes a world of difference in the way you view the world and yourself.

A human being finds delight in doing what is proper to a human being; and what is proper to him is to show goodwill to his own kind." Marcus Aurelius,

Meditations, 8.26

8 Minutes of Meditation/Prayer

Aurelius, the most powerful man in Rome, ended his day meditating on the things he did well and the things he could improve on. Meditation or Prayer allows us to block out the noise of the world and focus on what we need to do make ourselves better each day.

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius,

8 Minutes of Exercise

8 minutes may not seem like much if you are used to pending hours in the gym but remember you are only consuming 800 calories and excess exercise can be unhealthy. Take a stroll and contemplate nature or take a brisk walk and feel your heartbeat reminding you about the gift of life.

"See what daily exercise does for one."

– Seneca the Younger

8 Minutes of Journaling

Writing may be an integral part of your daily life, or it may just be a product of your bygone school days, either way it is extremely important. The Stoics wrote daily, and this exercise not only allows you to become a better transcribe but it also provides another opportunity for self-reflection. Write about your day, your struggles, your triumphs, or write about some great idea that you have. This is for you! Enjoy the process.

“If you wish to be a writer, write.” ― Epictetus

8 Things to Remove

This rule will be harder than you think. Each day of the program, you will throwaway, give away, or remove one item or task from your life. This could be as simple as getting rid of the extra keys on your keychain or as big as donating furniture to a friend. The goal is to make your life simpler.

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus

8 Minutes of Reading

Unfortunately reading has become a chore in our age of modern necessity but it is important for our growth.

“Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.” – Epictetus