Daily Devotional: November 7th
Feast for the Divine Plato
Feast for the Divine Plato
Since ancient times, philosophers have celebrated November the 7th in remembrance of the Divine Plato. It’s nearly impossible to overstate Plato’s contribution to the Western classical tradition and, by extension, Romanism. The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead put it well when he said, “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.” All that we cherish in the classical tradition begins with Plato. This is not to say that everyone has followed his ideas, but that he sets the standard by which all other philosophy is judged as either Platonic or non-Platonic. What we get in Plato's writings is the most thorough and comprehensive outline of the ancient understanding of God, the gods and our relationship to them.
I remember when I first discovered that Plato was a "pagan" and how excited I was to explore his ideas that had never even known about the abrahamic religions. If Moses and Abraham are the founders of the abrahamic religions, then Plato is the founder of the Gentile religious tradition.
We don't take Plato as revelation however. Plato is brilliant but we must always use reason as our guide as Pythagoras says in his Golden Verses. We are free to disagree with the Divine Plato but more times than not we come to the realization that Plato was correct all along. Nonetheless, today is dedicated to that towering divine intellect that lit the fire of philosophy so that we could forever find our path back to the Gods and walk that long and difficult path to regrow our wings and enter into the chorus of the gods.
For the Glory of Jove.
Prayer for the Divine Plato
May this prayer honor Plato, the Divine Philosopher, and may his wisdom continue to inspire seekers in the pursuit of truth, justice, and virtue.
O Divine Plato, philosopher supreme,
In the realm of ideas, your light doth gleam.
In the dialogues, where wisdom takes flight,
Guide us through the realms of eternal light.
Plato, whose words are like celestial fire,
Igniting minds with a sacred desire.
In the Academy's hallowed halls,
May your presence echo through wisdom's calls.
Bearer of the Forms, in the cosmic dance,
Lead us through the realms of transcendence.
In the Symposium of knowledge's feast,
May your teachings be the eternal yeast.
O Divine Plato, guardian of the ideal,
In the world of shadows, your truths reveal.
In the Allegory of the Cave's dark night,
May your wisdom bring forth the radiant light.
Philosopher king, in the cosmic plan,
Guide us toward justice, as only you can.
In the pursuit of virtue, truth, and grace,
May your divine essence forever embrace.
Plato, whose ideas like stars do shine,
To open our souls to the most Divine.
Guide us through the labyrinth of thought,
In the eternal quest, where truths are sought.
In the divine symphony of forms and ideas,
May your wisdom resonate in every sphere.
O Divine Plato, in reverence, we pray,
For guidance on the philosophic way.
Daily Prayer VII
O gods, shield me from accidents that may befall,
My mortal frame fragile, but my soul stands tall.
Immortal, divine, separate from earthly plight,
Let not misfortunes dim my inner light.
Grant me serenity in the exercise of my will,
Troubles that befall, let them not instill
Disruption in my pursuit of liberty,
Nor bind my soul to base necessity.
When the call for goodness resonates within,
Let not my mortal self shy away from the din.
Guide me to prioritize my immortal soul's quest,
In caring for it, may I truly be blessed.
Daily Meditation
"Now goods are of two kinds, human and divine; and the human goods are dependent on the divine, and he who receives the greater acquires also the less, or else he is bereft of both. The lesser goods are those of which health ranks first, beauty second; the third is strength, in running and all other bodily exercises; and the fourth is wealth—no blind god Plutus, but keen of sight, provided that he has wisdom for companion. And wisdom, in turn, has first place among the goods that are divine, and rational temperance of soul comes second; from these two, when united with courage, there issues justice, as the third; and the fourth is courage.”
—Plato
Laws 631b-d
The cardinal virtues of wisdom, temperance, justice and courage are first laid out here by Plato in his Laws. These four virtues are the compass that leads our souls to the divine. The more we align with these, the more we resemble the gods. In wisdom, we learn what is right and wrong. In temperance, we control our human passion and appetites, aligning our souls with rationality over irrationality. In justice, we learn what is due to each person and what the rightful order of the cosmos ought to be. And finally, in courage, we learn the strength and fortitude to do those things that are good and right, even though they may be difficult, and invoke fear in our hearts.
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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