The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life (20 page)

indifferently, from the perspective of universal Nature as opposed to your own

perspective. After you have some experience describing conditions with no

direct relevance to you, try it on something that matters to you (e.g., a disease

that you have or someone close to you has).

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When we understand physics and evolution we see that—in spite of indeterminate

and random aspects—they are rational, that is, orderly, intelligible, and in a sense even purposeful, by which I mean that there is an intelligible progression from simpler to more complex organisms. We can also see that the aspiring philosopher should study Nature in order to be familiar with the necessity and interrelationship of all things, and to be able to apply the Viewpoint of Science.

Nevertheless, being indifferent to calamities is not easy, and so philosophers of the Porch also practice Premeditation of Misfortune (described in Ch. 3). This lessens the impact of misfortunes, because we have anticipated them, understood them as the workings of Nature, and can be indifferent to them. Epictetus gives a shocking example: he says that when you kiss your child you should think, “Tomorrow you will die.”118 The point of this apparently morbid thought is to acknowledge a real possibility, and so to better appreciate the present moment. So also for anything that you love or value, consider that Fate may snatch it away at any time. Clearly such a practice can be overdone, which would in fact undermine the Stoic objective of concentration on the present. Seneca reminds us:

A soul obsessed with the future is miserable indeed;

it is unhappy even before any misfortunes.119

Therefore the goal of the Premeditation of Misfortune is not to worry about every-

thing bad that could happen, but rather to see that these things are not really misfortunes, because they are independent of your moral purpose, and so you should be indifferent to them. You do not need to dwell on every possible future calamity, but whenever one occurs, consider the question:

What is there in this that is intolerable and past bearing?120

Let’s try an example. Think about what you will do the next time you get stuck in traffic. Naturally, you will be frustrated at first, but what in it is intolerable and past bearing?

Nothing. It’s happened before, it will happen again. Will the situation prevent you from acting morally? Certainly not, which should please you. You can be compassionate toward the other drivers, cooperate with them, and make sensible decisions. Will you be late for your meeting? Perhaps, but that is out of your control; treat it with indifference. This does

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not mean you take no action. Rather, with your tranquil mental state you will be better able to decide what to do, such as phoning to say you may be late, or seeing if you can get off the road and take a detour. This is much more effective than banging on your steering wheel, yelling at the other drivers, or crying. By premeditating the situation and your Stoic response to it, you will be better able to face it when it occurs (and you know it will!).

Think about something we all dread: being diagnosed with a serious medical condition.

Should you commit suicide? Probably not, in which case, by definition, it is not unbearable. Of course, the condition and its treatment may be very unpleasant, but that is largely out of your control, treat it with indifference; accept it. Certainly, you should try to get well (if that’s possible) and to minimize the pain and discomfort, since that will help you to act effectively. But so long as your condition does not impair your ability to make moral choices, you remain free in the only sense of freedom consistent with human nature.121 If you desire the good in the Stoic sense, then you cannot be prevented from satisfying your desire. Though your body may be disabled and wracked with pain, you can remain serene and untroubled in your Empedoclean sphere.

Well, that’s the theory; I’m not claiming it’s easy. This is why you need to premeditate possible misfortunes, beginning with the lesser ones. That’s why you need to practice Stoic indifference in the lesser trials of life, so that you are better prepared for the greater ones, which will come. Like learning and practicing self-defense, or learning first-aid, premeditation of misfortune is a way to prepare yourself to deal with situations that you hope will never arise (but, in some form, surely will).

Premeditation of Misfortune
: Think about various misfortunes that could occur in your life, visualize them vividly, and visualize your own Stoic response to

them. Start with minor mishaps, not with the big ones like loss of loved ones.

Like all exercises, it is best to begin just a little beyond your capabilities, and

then to practice until you can do better.

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Detachment
: Epictetus122 suggests a daily exercise that begins with little things, like breaking a cup, proceeding to the loss of some clothing or a pet, then to loss

of land, then to injuries to your body or loss of limbs, finally to loss of loved

ones. (You can make up your own list.) This is an exercise in gradual detach-

ment. In each case ask yourself, “What in this is past bearing?” Recalling peo-

ple who have born these or worse misfortunes will help you realize that they

are not past bearing. At the same time, by acknowledging that you could lose

these things at any time, you become more appreciative of having them now.

All these things are exterior to your higher self, and not truly your own; in ef-

fect they are on loan from the universe. Remember the following two maxims

from Epictetus.

Purify your judgments,

and see that nothing that is not your own is attached to you.123

Don’t set your heart on them, and they won’t be necessary.

Don’t tell yourself they’re necessary, and they’re not.124

Your possessions, your loved ones, your body, and even your life: none of these are

fundamentally yours. They are on loan from Nature or Fate, who may take them back at any time. Be prepared!

Personal and Transpersonal Guides

Regular practice of the preceding exercises will lead to your inner daimon—that is,

your higher self—becoming more serene and benevolent. (Recall that the self, intellect, power of reflection, guiding principle, and inner daimon are all names for the higher self.) The goal of philosophy then is to preserve your inner daimon from disturbance and compulsion, so that it is secure and free in its spiritual acropolis. Marcus offers these maxims:
It is sufficient to attend to the inner daimon and to reverence it sincerely.

And to revere it means keeping it pure from feelings and frivolity

and discontent with what comes from gods or humans.125

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What then can be our guide?

One thing and one thing only: philosophy.

And this consists in keeping the inner daimon unwronged and unscathed,

master of pains and pleasures,

doing nothing at random, nothing falsely or with pretense.126

Chrysippus (c.280–c.207 BCE), who headed the Stoic school after Zeno and Cleanthes,

said happiness is living “in accordance with the harmony between the daimon within each one of us and the will of the governor of the universe.”127

Your guiding principle is your personal conscious ability to determine your judgments, desires, and impulses (the three disciplines). But we find hints in Epictetus of a
transpersonal guide
, a transcendent source of norms deriving from the Universal Reason of Nature.

He says God has placed this “guardian daimon,” a small portion of Zeus, in each of us. In scientific terms it is an unconscious regulatory system common to all humans (a collective unconsciousness, rooted in innate neural structures, discussed in ch. 9). Your higher self may enter into dialog with this guardian daimon so that you can live more in accord with Nature. The practices for doing so, however, are more the business of the Grove than the Porch, and I’ll defer them for now. Epictetus says we have a faculty equal to that of Zeus, for:

He has set by each person a daimon to guard him,

and committed him to its care,

indeed to one who never sleeps and cannot be beguiled.128

The Emperor advises:

Live with the gods!

And he lives with the gods who constantly shows them that his soul is satisfied with its lot
and obeying the daimon that Zeus has given each person

as guide and guardian.

This is each person’s mind and reason.129

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The View From Above

In chapter 3 I briefly described the
View from Above
, an expansive spiritual practice used by all the ancient philosophies; we can listen in as Rusticus explains it to Marcus.

“I want you to practice the View from Above, which is an exercise in which you