Daily Devotional: November 20th
Daily Prayer XII
Courage, valiant spirit, in shadows' midst,
In the face of fear, thy flame does persist.
Armor of fortitude, glistening bright,
In the crucible of challenge, forging might.
Oh, Virtue, stand firm on the precipice high,
Where challenges loom, and courage draws nigh.
Fortitude, a stalwart companion true,
In adversity's storm, thy strength shines through.
With a lion's heart and unwavering stride,
Courage and fortitude walk side by side.
Through trials and triumphs, their banners unfurl,
Guiding the brave in life's tumultuous swirl.
Daily Meditation
"Let excessive learning be considered something superfluous for the soul.”
—Sextus
Sentence 249
The soul learns from experience, not from books. While books can help us understand many things, we know them only through experience. Even regarding logical principles, it is one thing to understand an argument and another to realize its truth. We may be able to understand something, but when we know it, we embody the principles we have learned and act them out in our lives.
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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