Daily Devotional: October 6th

Nones Eve

Hymn for Nones Eve

O Bacchus, Liberator, hear our plea,

In sacred song, we lift our hymn to thee,

On this holy Eve of Nones, we sing,

To thee, O Bacchus, ever-freeing King.

With ivy crown and thyrsus in your hand,

You guide our souls to freedom, as you planned,

In mysteries profound, your truth we find,

Unchain our spirits, free our mortal mind.

On this sacred night, we seek your light,

With offerings pure, we honor your might,

Unveil the paths to realms of divine,

O Bacchus, guide us to the truth's design.

O Liberator, break the bonds we bear,

In your embrace, we find the freedom rare,

With reverence deep, we honor you this night,

O Bacchus, lead us to the endless light.

Daily Meditation

"That the universal principle dwells in unity, truth, and goodness is proved by the fact that their traces are found in all things, as though everything emanated from them, and that all things desire them, inasmuch as they are seeking their principle again.”

—Marcilio Ficino

Platonic Theology, book II.1.2

When anything aligns with its highest principle, it becomes beautiful, true, and good. When the soul returns to its good, it becomes virtuous. When the body returns to its good, it becomes beautiful and healthy. When the mind finds its good, it becomes pregnant with truth and wisdom.

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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