Daily Devotional: Spetember 19th

Daily Prayer XIII

Justice, noble virtue, thy scales held high,

In fairness' name, beneath the open sky.

With blindfold on, impartial and true,

Guiding the hand to what is just and due.

In the heart of the city or a quiet glade,

Thy presence lingers in the choices made.

Equity's guardian, in the court's embrace,

Upholding truth and granting every case.

Oh, Justice, cultivate thy virtuous seed,

In the fertile soil of every noble deed.

Let righteousness bloom in each mindful choice,

In the harmonious symphony of Justice' voice.

Daily Meditation

"Even the most magnificent gifts and offerings are no honor to God unless a truly pious heart offers them. For the gifts and the victims of fools are only fuel for the flames, and their offerings but bait for the sacrilegious[who mock them].”

—Hierocles

Commentary on the First Golden Verse

What we offer to the Gods is less important than how we offer to them. If we approach the Gods while only thinking of ourselves and what they can do for us, we would be better off not offering anything at all. The most pious way to offer to the Gods is from a sense of gratitude and thankfulness.

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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