Daily Devotional: December 10th

Feast of Divine Plotinus

Feast for the Divine Plotinus

In remembering Plotinus, we honor one of the most subtle and profound minds who shaped Western spirituality and philosophy. Living in the third century, he refined and extended the Platonic tradition into a system later known as Neoplatonism, emphasizing the soul’s ascent from the world of fleeting appearances toward a timeless, ineffable One. Through his teachings, carefully arranged by his student Porphyry into the Enneads, Plotinus taught that philosophy is not merely an exercise of the mind but a spiritual practice—an inward journey of transformation.

His legacy can be felt at the heart of Christian, Islamic, and Jewish mysticism, as well as in the contemplative undercurrents of Renaissance thought and beyond. While others gave arguments, Plotinus offered a vision, a pathway to reconciling the material and the spiritual, the many and the One. He dared to suggest that by refining our inner lives—aligning our thoughts, desires, and actions with the ultimate source of all reality—we may approach a state of unified understanding and radiant peace. In so doing, Plotinus bridged classical philosophy with the inner quest that defines the Western spiritual tradition, guiding seekers through the centuries toward a deeper comprehension of truth, beauty, and the divine.

Hymn for the Divine Plotinus

May this prayer honor Plotinus, the Divine Philosopher, and may his profound insights continue to inspire seekers on the path of spiritual ascent and understanding.

O Divine Plotinus, luminary of the soul,

In the realms of the One, your spirit holds.

Philosopher and sage, in the cosmic scheme,

Guide us through the emanations, like a timeless dream.

Plotinus, whose thoughts like stars do shine,

In the Enneads, your wisdom intertwines.

In the divine ascent, where the soul takes flight,

Lead us through the realms of celestial light.

Bearer of the mystical and the profound,

In the metaphysical realms, where truths abound.

As we seek the union with the divine source,

May your teachings guide our transformative course.

O Plotinus, in the silent dance of the spheres,

May your essence echo in our listening ears.

In the beauty of the One, the divine spark,

Guide us through the realms, both light and dark.

Philosopher divine, in reverence we pray,

For wisdom to illuminate our earthly way.

In the boundless sea of the One's embrace,

May your influence transcend time and space.

O Plotinus, in the symphony of the cosmic song,

May your thoughts in our minds prolong.

Guide us in the contemplation of the divine,

In the eternal quest, where souls entwine.

Daily Prayer IV

Blessed are those who shun the allure of speakers' vain,

With independent thought, virtue's path they gain.

Straight intelligence guides their discerning mind,

In pursuit of ordained virtue, wisdom they find.

They eschew the folly of endless possessions' chase,

Defining limits by the body's rightful space.

Measured pursuit aligns with well-determined needs,

Guardians of balance, their action succeeds.

Blessed are they who maintain a godly bound,

In pleasures that don't in virtue confound.

No invitation to harm, for soul or body,

Harmonious pleasure, in accord with virtue's decree.

Daily Meditation

"“Withdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful: he cuts away here, he smoothes there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until a lovely face has grown upon his work. So do you also: cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is overcast, labour to make all one glow of beauty and never cease chiselling your statue, until there shall shine out on you from it the godlike splendour of virtue, until you shall see the perfect goodness surely established in the stainless shrine.””

—Plotinus

Enneads 1:6:9

Our work on ourselves is never finished. Every day is a new opportunity to chip away at our vices, revealing the stainless soul underneath.

Monthly Ascesis: Repentance

"Repentance is the beginning of philosophy"

—Hierocles

“Repentance is often seen as a particularly Christian idea, but philosophers were quite fond of reminding people to repent. Pythagoras, in particular, suggests two ways that we can begin to repent and take a better inventory of who we are. The word ‘repent’ is related to the Latin word for regret. The idea is that we should look over our actions and judge them if they are unworthy. However, the Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which means the transformation of the mind. Platonic repentance is about creating an inner change that leads us back to a life of holiness in harmony with the divine.

Pythagoras says we should “do nothing shameful, neither in the presence of others nor privately; Thus, above all things, sit as a judge over [ourself].” This suggests we should watch our actions, and when we do something wrong or shameful, we should repent, that is, regret that action. If we never do this or shun it as a practice, we effectively say we have no reason to regret our actions. However, regretting an action is recognizing an area where we fell short of our ideals. If we never regret or repent, we make any spiritual or ethical growth impossible. This is why Hierocles, commenting on Pythagoras, says, “repentance is the beginning of philosophy.””

Excerpt from Ascesis: The Handbook of Platonic Practice

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