Daily Devotional: September 11th

Daily Prayer III

O noble progeny of All-father, Jove, and Being,

Benevolent rulers under his command, foreseeing.

Guide us with justice, in your esteemed reign,

As we follow laws, right and dear, not in vain.

May our obedience align with your noble decree,

Laws divinely crafted for humanity to see.

O gods, illuminate our path with celestial light,

Straighten our minds, fashioned in nature's delight.

Grant us the harmony of well-ordered living,

As we celebrate great Jove, eternally giving.

In reverence, we seek your guiding grace,

O divine offspring, in this mortal space.

Daily Meditation

"O ye gods, grant unto me to have little and to want nothing.”

—Apollonius of Tyana

One of our greatest aspirations should be to want for nothing. Material possessions are a bottomless pit. We can never have enough money, enough products, or enough status symbols to satisfy our desire for more. It is better to live simply and want for less.

Monthly Ascesis

Developing a practice of watchfulness is a powerful and effective way to create stillness in our souls, allowing us to behold God's presence in our lives.

This month, add this meditation practice to your morning prayers. This is particularly effective following a chanting session.

“The most basic and fundamental meditation practice is watchfulness or Nepsis in Greek. Watchfulness is the act of observing the mind while not chasing any thoughts or emotions that arise. You only need to sit down, close your eyes, and relax to do this practice. Then, watch your thoughts as they arise and fall away. Thoughts will continue to pop into your mind, and that’s ok. The key is not to follow them. For example, if your mind starts thinking about a project at work, don’t follow that idea and start working on the project in your mind. Just acknowledge that thought and watch it. Don’t feed that idea with more ideas; just leave it alone. Eventually, it will pass by, or a new thought will take its place. If that happens, just watch that thought without following it or allowing it to disturb you.”

-Excerpt from our new book, Ascesis: the Handbook of Platonic Practice

If you would like to subscribe to the Daily Romanist Devotional, please follow the instructions here.