Daily Devotional: October 7th

Nones

Hymn for Nones

Bacchus, Liberator, on Nones day,

In thy revelry, our spirits pray.

With the grape's nectar, and the dance's trance,

Thy joyous influence, in every glance.

On Nones, when the moon's glow is bright,

Bacchus, we honor in the soft moonlight.

In the vineyard's bounty, thy blessings flow,

Liberator of souls, in thy ecstatic glow.

Thy presence unbinds the chains of the soul,

In Nones' celebration, where passion unfolds.

Bacchus, on this day, with a festive cheer,

Liberate our hearts, draw us near.

As the month unfurls, in Bacchus' embrace,

In the sacred dance, we find our place.

Bacchus, Liberator, thy spirit we invoke,

In the revelry of life, in each Nones stroke.

Daily Meditation

"If you want to grasp the ‘isolated and alone,’ you will not be thinking. ”

—Plotinus

Enneads V.3.13.33

If we are thinking of something, then we are not grasping the One. The One is all things and not one thing. Therefore if we are thinking at all, we are still thinking of something. Only when we empty our minds and bring them to stillness do we drift closer toward that ineffable space beyond all knowing.

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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