Daily Devotional: October 18th

Daily Prayer XV

Hail, King Jove, whose intellect divine does shine,

Grace cascading upon gods and mortal line.

First and last, in timeless majesty enthroned,

Creator, ruler, with wisdom deeply honed.

Thy gaze encompasses realms, both near and far,

Ruling over cosmos, each celestial star.

Infinite and eternal, sovereign of all things,

Jove, from thy throne, divine creation springs.

As the master architect, shaping fate's grand design,

Thy wisdom's radiance, a beacon so divine.

King Jove, in thee, the universe finds its sway,

In thy eternal light, all beings bow and pray.

Daily Meditation

"Do not even think of doing what ought not to be done.”

—Stobaeus

Sentence 1

All passions and vices begin with our thoughts. We must first be fooled in our minds to pursue what we ought not to do. This is why we must remain watchful of our thoughts at all times. Even when we only think of doing wrong, we take the first step toward doing wrong.

Monthly Ascesis: Breath and the Pneuma

“In the Western classical tradition, the words for spirit and soul - pneuma, psyche, anima, and spiritus hold profound significance. Interestingly, each of these words also carries the meaning of breath or to breathe. This linguistic connection underscores the belief that breath is the essence of life. In the myth of Prometheus, for instance, it was Minerva’s breath that animated the clay figures of man, giving them life.”

The breath is one of our most powerful tools for spiritual practice and is directly linked to our souls. When we speed up our breathing, our mind speeds up. When we slow it down, our mind slows. Controlling our breath is a leap forward for control of the self and our passions.

“Once you have fixed your breath, you can start to focus on it and use it as an instrument to still the mind. With each breath, there will be a slight pause at the top of the breath and a slight pause at the end of each exhalation. To increase stillness, we will let our minds come to rest in the pause following the exhalation. Breathe out and rest in that moment between breaths. When you feel the need to breathe in again, then do so and come back around to the rest point of the next exhalation.”

-Excerpts from, Ascesis: the Handbook of Platonic Practice

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