Daily Devotional: November 23rd
Daily Prayer IX
Ceaseless gratitude to thee, O blessed gods divine,
For the bounties bestowed, and those in future twine.
Jove, the fount of highest blessings, we extol,
In thankfulness, let our grateful voices roll.
May the welfare of my kind not escape my sight,
In my capacity, strive for the common light.
Aid willingly for the greater good we share,
Knowing that such endeavors make my fortune fair.
Let not my actions be the source of woe,
But, to the best of my ability, let goodness flow.
Becoming akin to your celestial grace,
In virtuous deeds, may I find a blessed place.
Daily Meditation
"He [Plato] maintained that the end to aim at is assimilation to God, that virtue is in itself sufficient for happiness, but that it needs in addition, as instruments for use, first, bodily advantages like health and strength, sound senses and the like, and, secondly, external advantages such as wealth, good birth and reputation. But the wise man will be no less happy even if he be without these things.”
—Diogenes Laertius
Lives of the Philosophers, Plato 78
Our first and foremost goal is assimilation to God. To become as like God as possible through the process of theosis. After that our happiness comes from virtue. Lastly we look to advantages like health, wealth and social standing. However, the true philosopher is just as happy with only God and virtue.
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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