Daily Devotional: October 22nd

Daily Prayer XI

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

"The gods do not need sacrifices, so what might one do to please them? Acquire wisdom, it seems to me, and do all that is good on one’s power to those humans who deserve it.”

—Apollonius of Tyana

Epistles 26

What would the gods need for a sacrifice? To eat it? Smell it? What smell or taste is not already available to the Gods? We sacrifice for our own benefit when we sacrifice or offer material things. We honor the Gods more when we give ourselves wisdom, have prayerful contemplation, and help our fellow men who deserve it. For in this way, we imitate their nature, and imitation is the greatest honor we can bestow on them.

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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