Daily Devotional: September 17th

Daily Prayer XV

Hail, King Jove, whose intellect divine does shine,

Grace cascading upon gods and mortal line.

First and last, in timeless majesty enthroned,

Creator, ruler, with wisdom deeply honed.

Thy gaze encompasses realms, both near and far,

Ruling over cosmos, each celestial star.

Infinite and eternal, sovereign of all things,

Jove, from thy throne, divine creation springs.

As the master architect, shaping fate's grand design,

Thy wisdom's radiance, a beacon so divine.

King Jove, in thee, the universe finds its sway,

In thy eternal light, all beings bow and pray.

Daily Meditation

"To the God who rules over all, as a wise man has said, we shall offer nothing perceived by the senses, either by burning or in words… But we shall worship Him in pure silence and with pure thoughts about Him. ”

—Porphyry

On Abstinence from animal food

Silence is the supreme way we honor the highest God. Through silence, we encourage stillness within our souls and bring ourselves closer to the ineffable oneness. All other Gods can be honored by incense, images, songs, and prayers, but when we look to the One beyond being, we do so with silence and an empty mind.

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

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