Daily Devotional: November 12th
Ides Eve
Hymn for Ides Eve
O Jove, exalted lord of skies,
Thy power no mortal can despise.
With thunderbolt and eagle's flight,
Thou reignest in celestial light.
On this eve of Ides we call,
To thee, the mightiest of all.
Grant us wisdom, strength, and grace,
To face each challenge we embrace.
In thee, the fates their course align,
With justice pure and will divine.
Protect our homes, our sacred ties,
And bless the paths where virtue lies.
O Jove, supreme in heaven’s dome,
Guide our hearts, our spirits’ home.
To thee we lift our prayers, our voice,
In thy great power, we rejoice.
Daily Meditation
"Because all come from him [Jupiter] and are under him, he [Ennius] addresses him with the words: father and king of the gods and the mortals. Pater ‘father’ because he patefacit ‘makes evident’ the seed; for then it patet ’is evident’ that conception has taken place, when that which is born comes out from it.
This same thing the more ancient name of Jupiter shows even better: for of old he was called Diovis and Diespiter, that is, dies pater ‘Father Day’; from which they who come from him are called dei ‘deities,’ and dius ‘god’ and divum ‘sky,’ whence sub divo ‘under the sky,’ and Dius Fidius ‘god of faith.’”
—Varro
On the Latin Language, V.65
Jupiter has always been known as the highest god in the Gentile pantheon. He has no second. Varro makes clear that all come from Jove. All things are under Him. Even speaking of the gods, they get their very name, deities, from the name of Jove as Dius or God. It is a mistake to think the gods are all equal in rank and greatness. There is always a one above all, and Jupiter is that One.
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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