Daily Devotional: November 11th
Daily Prayer III
O noble progeny of All-father, Jove, and Being,
Benevolent rulers under his command, foreseeing.
Guide us with justice, in your esteemed reign,
As we follow laws, right and dear, not in vain.
May our obedience align with your noble decree,
Laws divinely crafted for humanity to see.
O gods, illuminate our path with celestial light,
Straighten our minds, fashioned in nature's delight.
Grant us the harmony of well-ordered living,
As we celebrate great Jove, eternally giving.
In reverence, we seek your guiding grace,
O divine offspring, in this mortal space.
Daily Meditation
"They [the poets] say that the human soul is immortal; at times it comes to an end, which they call dying; at times it is reborn, but it is never destroyed, and one must therefore live one’s life as piously as possible.”
—Plato
Meno 81b
It’s a delusion to think we only have one life. We are reborn continuously until we are liberated from the cycle of generation. Even then, we return to the world to help other souls find their way, but this return is voluntary. Our soul’s essence cannot be destroyed, but this should not encourage us to act impiously. Being an immortal soul also means that our suffering will follow us forever, both in this life and any that follows, until we learn to turn ourselves toward the good and become like God.
Monthly Ascesis: Simple Rituals
“There is a simple formula to follow to begin making offerings to the gods. Since there are many gods, I recommend beginners direct all prayers to Mercury, who is the messenger of the gods. With this simple prayer, you can begin making offerings to all of divinity and know Mercury will deliver your prayers to the proper place.
Begin with this invocation:
Lord Mercury, messenger of heaven, swift-footed guide of mortals, hear my prayer and deliver it to the proper divinity:
[speak your prayer]
After your prayer, present your offering of food or incense and say:
Lord Mercury, be honored by this offering of [incense, food]
When you are finished, end with
Lord Mercury, be blessed. Fiat.
Fiat is pronounced Fee-aht and means 'Let it be done' in Latin.
If you are unable to make a material offering, that is okay. It is a gesture of honor and respect to the gods but is not necessary. Merely offering your thoughts and prayers is enough. The gods do not need our offerings to hear prayers. We offer these things out of gratitude and respect for them, not as a bribe or exchange of goods between us and the gods.”
-Excerpts from, Ascesis: the Handbook of Platonic Practice
Making simple offerings like this regularly sets our minds on the divine and places us in a giving posture toward the gods. The purpose of our rituals is not to ask for material goods but to give thanks to the gods and allow gratitude to fill our hearts. If we ask for anything from them in our prayers, we should ask for things that are like them such as virtues.
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