What's up Hivers!
So yesterday I shared with you guys reasons why philosophy is more than what contemporary philosophers make it to be in my post.
Today I will be sharing three practices, put forth by the ancient philosophers, the philosopher practiced the exercises with the aim of potentially raising one's self and worldview to a level higher than most can even comprehend. As the Greek philosopher Epicurus puts it:
Practice these and the related percepts day and night and you will live as a god among men.
Epicurus
The philosopher Pierre Hadot spent much of his life investigating these practices, calling them Spiritual Exercises. French sociologist Georges Friedmann capturing the essence of the nature of spiritual exercises with the following words:
Take flight each day! At least for a moment, however brief, as long as it is intense. Every day a “spiritual exercise,”…Leave ordinary time behind. Make an effort to rid yourself of your own passions… Become eternal by surpassing yourself. This inner effort is necessary, this ambition, just.
And while the ancient philosophers put forth numerous Spiritual Exercises, I choose to focus on the more powerful ones, in the future I will, of course, look into more spiritual exercises. And they are a meditation on death, premeditation on future evils, and assuming a view from above.
We are all aware of how most of us spend their days wholly consumed with planning and acting for the sake of the future. One is unable to enjoy the pleasures and beauty of the present moment. The unfortunate thing is one is completely unaware that the future which consumes so much of our time and energy may never come. We would be wise thought the ancients, to remind ourselves of the uncertain and uncontrollable nature of death more often, Horace advising that one should:
Persuade yourself that each new day that dawns will be your last; then you will receive each unexpected hour with gratitude. Recognize all the value of each moment of time which is added on as if it were happening by an incredible stroke of luck.
Horace
Marcus Aurelius echoing this sentiment, writing in his Meditations
Let your every deed and thought be those of one who might depart from life this very moment.
Marcus Aurelius
He robs present ills of their power who has perceived their coming beforehand.
Seneca
If we contemplate potentially painful events ahead of time, acknowledging situations we are afraid of as a possibility, we will be better prepared to endure and overcome them. As Seneca further explained:
What is quite unlooked for is more crushing in its effect, and unexpectedness adds to the weight of a disaster. The fact that it was unforeseen has never failed to intensify a person’s grief. This is a reason for ensuring that nothing ever takes us by surprise. We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of only the usual course of events.
Seneca
Lastly, one of the more powerful and potent of the ancient spiritual exercises involved assuming a view from above. The ancients thought that by contemplating the vast and majestic universe one can raise above all earthly troubles and look down upon the world as if from above, Marcus Aurelius writing:
Watch and see the courses of the stars as if you are running alongside them, and continually dwell in your mind upon the changes of the elements into one another; for these imaginations wash away the foulness of life on the earth. When you are reasoning about mankind, look upon earthly things below as if from some vantage point above them.
Marcus Aurelius
Plato's entire philosophy was built around transcending one's individual perspective for a more total universal perspective. His words helped Nietzsche, an artist of life like the ancients, escape from the pressures of being human, and realize that , in the end, it's all only human, all too human.
At sunset in Genoa, I heard from a tower a long chiming of bells: it kept on and on, and over the noise of the backstreets, as if insatiable for itself, it rang out into the evening sky and the sea air, so terrible and so childish at the same time, so melancholy. Then I thought of Plato’s words and felt them suddenly in my heart: all in all, nothing human is worth taking very seriously; nevertheless.
Friedrich Nietzsche
So there we go. As promised, I will be providing more information on other spiritual practices.
In the meantime, have a great day, and stay safe. 👋
Also, please don't forget to follow me @peeterx to keep up to date with my updates.
