Days of The Week & Their Relevancy To Magick And The Occult

In many traditions of Paganism and Wicca, days of the week are very important aspects of effective spell-casting. For example, spells to do with abundance or prosperity could be done on Thursday, because it is associated with riches and desire. When casting a spell concerning business or communication, one might prefer to work on a Wednesday due to its associations.

While not all traditions follow this rule, when you’re doing any sort of magical working, always be sure to document the day of the week you’re performing the spell. You might be surprised later on to see some connections!

SUNDAY

Color ≽≻  Yellow & gold

Planet ≽≻  SunMetal ≽≻  Gold

Deities ≽≻  Brighid, Helios, Ra

Gemstones ≽≻  Quartz crystal, diamond, amber, carnelian

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Marigold, sunflower, cinnamon

Associations ≽≻  Agriculture, beauty, hope, victory, self-expression and creativity

MONDAY

Color ≽≻  Silver, white, light blue

Planet ≽≻  Moon

Metal ≽≻  Silver

Deities ≽≻  Thoth, Selene

Gemstones ≽≻  Pearl, opal, moonstone

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Wintergreen and other mints, catnip, comfrey, sage, chamomile

Associations ≽≻ Childbearing and family life, purity and virginity, healing, wisdom, intuition

TUESDAY

Color ≽≻  Red and orange 

Planet ≽≻  Mars

Metal ≽≻  Iron

Deities ≽≻  Lilith, Mars, Aries, the Morrighan

Gemstones ≽≻  Garnets, ruby

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Thistles, holly, coneflower, cactus

Associations ≽≻  War and conflict, enemies, initiation, marriage and protection

WEDNESDAY

Color ≽≻ Purple

Planet ≽≻  Mercury

Metal ≽≻ Mercury (Quicksilver)

Deities ≽≻  Odin, Hermes, Mercury, Athena, Lugh

Gemstones ≽≻  Adventurine, agate

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Aspen trees, lilies, lavender, ferns

Associations ≽≻  Business and job-related issues, communication, loss and debt, traveling and journeys

THURSDAY

Color ≽≻  Royal blues, greens

Planet ≽≻ Jupiter

Metal ≽≻  Tin

Deities ≽≻  Thor, Zeus, Jupiter, Juno

Gemstones ≽≻  Turquoise, amethyst, lapis lazuli

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Honeysuckle, oak trees, cinquefoil

Associations ≽≻  Honor and family loyalty, harvests, clothing and riches, fealty

FRIDAY

Color ≽≻  Pink, aqua/blue-green

Planet ≽≻  Venus

Metal ≽≻ Copper

Deities ≽≻  Freya, Venus, Aphrodite

Gemstones ≽≻  Coral, emerald, rose quartz

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Strawberries, apple blossoms, feverfew

Associations ≽≻  Family life and fertility, sexuality, harmony, friendship, growth

SATURDAY

Color ≽≻  Black, dark purple

Planet ≽≻ Saturn

Metal ≽≻  Lead

Deities ≽≻  Saturn, Hecate

Gemstones ≽≻  Apache tear, obsidian, hematite

Herbs & Plants ≽≻  Thyme, mullein, cypress

Associations ≽≻  Agriculture and creativity, fortune and hope, protection and banishment of negativity

Ancient Mesopotamian astrologers devised a seven day week inspired by the heavenly bodies that wandered about the sky.  There were seven in total.  The equally sized flashlight and nightlight in the sky, the sun and moon, along with the other five wandering orbs of light thus form the basis of this alchemical cosmology.

The word planet comes from the Greek planētēs, meaning “wanderer”.  So by definition the Sun and Moon were considered planets to the Ancients.

Of the days that are not named directly after the seven planets, their name is derived from the Norse Gods associated with the respective planet.  The origin of Sunday is of course from the Sun, the giver of life.  Of the seven known metals, the Sun has always represented gold, irrespective of time and place.

Monday ≻ or more properly, ‘Moon-day’, is known as Lunes in Spanish, and dies Lunae in Italian.  The Moon has always been associated with silver.  The word ‘month’ and ‘menstruation’ also have etymological roots in the Moon, in addition to having cyclical intervals of about 28 days.

Tuesday ≻ comes from Old English “Tīwesdæg,” after Tiw, or Tyr, a one-handed Norse god of dueling. He is associated with Mars, the Roman war god and also the Greek War God Ares. In other languages, the etymology of the days of the week is less occult(hidden).  Whereas in English, we disguise Tuesday through Friday with the Germanic and Norse Gods, in many other languages they are named after the planets directly.  Tuesday, or “Marsday” is martes in Spanish, and dies Martis in latin.

Wednesday ≻ is “Wōden’s day.” Wōden, or Odin, was the ruler of the Norse gods’ realm and associated with wisdom, magic, victory and death. The Romans connected Wōden to Mercury because they were both guides of souls after death. “Wednesday” comes from Old English “Wōdnesdæg.”  Hermes Trismegistus is also long associated with Mercury.

Thursday ≻, “Thor’s day,” gets its English name after the hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder, strength and protection. The Roman god Jupiter, as well as being the king of gods, was the god of the sky and thunder. “Thursday” comes from Old English “Þūnresdæg.”  Thursday is Torsdag in Swedish, and jeudi in french.

Friday ≻ is named after the wife of Odin. Some scholars say her name was Frigg; others say it was Freya; other scholars say Frigg and Freya were two separate goddesses. Whatever her name, she was often associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility. “Friday” comes from Old English “Frīgedæg.”  In Spanish Friday is Viernes, and in Portuguese, Vernes.

Saturday ≻ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Sæturnesdæg,” which translates to “Saturn’s day.” Sabado in Spanish, and dies Saturni in latin.  Lead is Saturn’s alchemical metal.

Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus

The two standard sex symbols denoting male and female are derived from astrological symbols from the planets Mars and Venus which represent iron and copper respectively.

› The two signs, planets, days, and metals sit diametrically opposed to each other at 10 and 2 o’clock on the heptagon above.   Woman and Man.  Venus and Mars, Friday and Tuesday.  Copper and iron.  The Norse and Germanic equivalents, Freya and Tiw, are also of course female and male.

› Women are from Venus because Venus is associated with copper.  Women have about 20% higher copper serum in their blood than men.  Men have about 33% more iron in their blood than women.  Of course Mars is associated with iron, the brute and rustic metal, and as the axiom goes, that’s where men come from.

› The deep significance of this fact is entirely ignored by modern medicine. Iron and copper levels are sex-linked in exactly the way expected from the gender symbolism of their planets. The level of copper in human blood is critical, being around one part per million by weight, and normally it remains fairly steady around this value.

› Copper in women’s blood serum has a monthly cycle in tune with their menstrual period, peaking a week or so before the period arrives. This is because their serum copper exists chiefly as the protein, ‘ceruloplasmin’, whose metabolism is closely linked to the female sex hormone oestrogen. The Pill works by emulating conditions of pregnancy where oestrogen is high, and this has a drastic effect upon serum copper levels. During pregnancy, copper serum in the mother climbs up to double its normal level, reaching 1.9 parts per million. Conversely, iron in foetal blood also increases as the time of birth approaches, so a copper-iron polarity develops between mother and child. Insomnia, depression and changeable moods towards the end of pregnancy have been related to the raised copper levels. A woman taking the Pill has blocked off her monthly rhythm of serum copper, and instead retains a permanently high level corresponding to the ninth month of pregnancy. Evidence suggests that copper has a dynamic role in the reproductive process, rather than just being a by-product of the raised oestrogen.

› In the early 1970s it was discovered that coil contraceptives using copper were much more successful than previous coil designs. The ‘copper-7’ coil became the most popular design and was marketed world-wide, used chiefly by women who have already had one child. Despite intensive research however, no-one had any idea as to the mechanism whereby copper in the coil helped prevent conception. Copper ions have a biological action on the inside of the uterus, preventing implantation of the fertilised ovum. Its modus operandi is thus quite unconnected with that of the Pill, where overall blood serum levels are raised. The sole connection is that in both situations a striking Venus-quality is shown by copper’s behavior.

› Having compared copper and iron in the blood, let’s compare them in other aspects – as their two planets are nearest to us, one within Earth’s orbit and the other outside it. Pure copper is a metal of reddish-pink hue, and has a warm, beneficial glow which contrasts with the cold glint of steel. With something made out of iron one may feel ‘how strong’ or ‘how useful’, whereas with something made out of copper, the first impression is more aesthetic. Whether it is a copper bowl, a trumpet, or a green-domed copper roof, it is the visual appearance rather than the utility of the metal which first strikes one. It is such a soft and pliable metal that it needs to be alloyed with other metals, into brass or bronze, before it can be used for a structural purpose.