Daily Devotional: September 23rd

Daily Prayer IX

Ceaseless gratitude to thee, O blessed gods divine,

For the bounties bestowed, and those in future twine.

Jove, the fount of highest blessings, we extol,

In thankfulness, let our grateful voices roll.

May the welfare of my kind not escape my sight,

In my capacity, strive for the common light.

Aid willingly for the greater good we share,

Knowing that such endeavors make my fortune fair.

Let not my actions be the source of woe,

But, to the best of my ability, let goodness flow.

Becoming akin to your celestial grace,

In virtuous deeds, may I find a blessed place.

Daily Meditation

"Now he who exercises his reason and cultivates it seems to be both in the best state of mind and most dear to the gods.”

—Aristotle

Nichomachean Ethics 10.8

Reason is not contrary to faith or to spirituality in general. Using reason, we can understand God and the Gods as much as possible. From the knowledge we gain, we, like Aristotle says, become most dear to the Gods; that is to say, we become more like their perfect nature.

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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