Inspired by the experience of attending early-morning Mass in several ancient monasteries in Greece, Heirmos is the composer's musical response to the complex emotions the "timelessness" of the ritual aroused. Certain aspects of this experience, such as the cantors' philosophical approach to time and the way the ambient space affected the timbre of their voices, made Hatzis aware of unexplored potential in his own work, prompting him to consider alternative ways of thinking about musical continuity. His reflections on how a listener becomes involved in a musical ritual heightened his awareness of music's role not just as an aesthetic unfolding in time but also as a catalyst for an individual and social "unfolding". Hatzis has structured Heirmos to encourage patience as a means of spiritually experiencing music, having being influenced by 20th century American prophet Edgar Cayce who claimed that patience is the only means by which to spiritually experience the dimensions of time and space.