Daily Devotional: October 26th

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

"Every passion of the soul is hostile to reason.”

—Sextus

Sentance 205

A passion is what arises in us in thought, emotion, and deed that causes us to seek something against our own reason. When we are driven to eat junk food against our better judgment, passion has conquered us. When we lust after material goods when we know they are ephemeral and don’t bring happiness, we again succumb to passion. When a passion takes us over, we mistake the object of the passion for the Good. This is what leads to moral error or sin.

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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