Daily Devotional: December 1st

Hymn for Calends

Juno, guardian of the fleeting days,

In each month's dawn, thy presence arrays.

At the threshold of time, where moments unfold,

In thy grace, Juno, the tale is told.

With each new moon, thy scepter in hand,

Juno, we honor, as the days expand.

In the dance of months, thy sovereignty clear,

Crowning the year, in each premiere.

At the inception of the calendar's page,

Juno, thou art the guiding sage.

Blessing the weeks with thy regal decree,

In the rhythmic cadence of eternity.

Month by month, thy influence profound,

In Juno's name, our reverence resounds.

As the sun rises on each new morn,

Juno, in thy honor, our spirits are reborn.

Daily Meditation

"Jove is the breath of all and the rush of unwearying fire;
Jove is the root of the sea, and the sun and the moon in the heavens;”

—Orphic Rhapsody to Jove

Jove is within the spirit (pneuma) of all beings. He courses through the purifying divine fire that raises our souls to heaven. He extends to the depths of all material and all the celestial realm. His is one and all; all in one.

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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