Daily Devotional: November 16th
Daily Prayer XVI
Hail, Magna Mater, healer and bestower of life,
Thy touch brings both ailment's end and peace from strife.
Goddess of fertility, from thy sacred womb life springs,
In thy nurturing embrace, all creation sings.
Amidst the battlefield, thy shield provides defense,
Protector of the faithful, a guardian immense.
Thy bountiful gifts, a testament to nature's grace,
Magna Mater, in thee, all find a sacred space.
Thou art the arbiter of health and soothing cure,
Yet, in thy hands, the power to afflict and obscure.
To those who seek, thou offer immortality's gleam,
In devotion to thee, a timeless, eternal dream.
Daily Meditation
"Then Jupiter omnipotent, whose hands have governance supreme, began reply; deep silence at his word Olympus knew, Earth’s utmost cavern shook; the realms of light were silent; the mild zephyrs breathed no more, and perfect calm o’erspread the levelled sea.”
—Virgil
Aeneid, Boox X
When Jove speaks, all the cosmos stills itself and listens. There is nothing that can be outside the will of Jove. When we learn to submit to that will and live in accordance with it, we become closer to Him in likeness. But to do so, we must give up our will that wrestles for control, desire, and false identities in opposition.
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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