Daily Devotional: September 2nd

Daily Prayer IV

Blessed are those who shun the grip of selfish greed,

With a wisdom that forbids harmful deeds.

In emulation of the gods, they seek the good,

Endeavoring to mirror divine brotherhood.

They hold in reverence the common good of the race,

Aware that gods' concern resides in this shared space.

They do not abandon the communal thread,

For in unity, the divine essence is spread.

Blessed are those who, with gratitude, give thanks,

To the gods for every boon, with hearts that flank

Jove, the source whence fair and good first spring,

In all things, a hymn of gratitude we sing.

Daily Meditation

"Philosophize, and above all things, consider the Gods as having an immaterial essence. This is the principal root and foundation of all the Pythagorean beliefs.”

—Iamblichus

The Gods are immaterial. This means we don’t interact with them through our senses. Our senses of sight, sound, and touch are all ways we come to know the material world. The Gods, being beyond this, must be reached through other means. The Nous, or mind, is our gateway to interact with the Gods. Through the awareness of consciousness, we can perceive the divine.

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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