Daily Devotional: September 7th

Daily Prayer VII

Oh gods, shield me from accidents that may befall,

My mortal frame fragile, but my soul stands tall.

Immortal, divine, separate from earthly plight,

Let not misfortunes dim my inner light.

Grant me serenity in the exercise of my will,

Troubles that befall, let them not instill

Disruption in my pursuit of liberty,

Nor bind my soul to base necessity.

When the call for goodness resonates within,

Let not my mortal self shy away from the din.

Guide me to prioritize my immortal soul's quest,

In caring for it, may I truly be blessed.

Daily Meditation

"The philosopher’s life is outside the body, the ordinary man’s life is mixed up with it; accordingly to the ordinary man ‘loss of life’ means death, to the philosopher, however, it means the life determined by the body.”

—Damascius

Commentary on the Phaedo 52

The philosopher knows that he is an immortal soul. He is merely the steward of his borrowed physical form. When death approaches, he only sheds his physical form, like removing his clothes at the end of the day. The ordinary man views this transition as his oblivion. The philosopher knows there is nothing to fear in death.

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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