Daily Devotional: October 21st

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

"If you suppose you must endure struggle and pain for the sake of freedom, make yourself known as a philosopher, that is a free man.”

—Apollonius of Tyana

Letter to the King of the Scythians

Philosophy cannot be only introspection and speculation. If we don’t “make ourselves known as philosophers” by living a life of virtue and dedication to our principles, then we are not truly free. Philosophy is the purification and liberation of the soul. The rational discourses are only a means to an end, not the end itself. The philosopher's path is not one of luxury and pondering but of struggle, pain, and ascesis against our irrational base nature.

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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