Daily Devotional: September 5th

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

"Blessed are you then in your treasure if you rate your friends more highly than gold and silver, for out of them grows up for you a harvest of blessings.”

—Apollonius of Tyana

Friendship is one of the pillars of philosophic life going back to Pythagoras. The bonds between friends are sacred and more valuable than any material possession or money. We should cherish each one and not look down on our friends for slight faults. However, friends that lead us to vice are no friends at all.

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.