Each of the seven days is traditionally linked with one of the seven bodies that the ancients called planets: the sun, the moon, and the five planets visible to the naked eye. Each day is thought to favor a particular kind of work, which makes the week a simple tool for timing.
The seven days
| Day | Planet | Named for | Favors | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Sun | The sun | Success, health, confidence, leadership, joy | Gold, yellow |
| Monday | Moon | The moon | Intuition, dreams, feelings, home and family | Silver, white |
| Tuesday | Mars | Tiw, the Germanic god of war and justice | Courage, action, protection, standing your ground | Red |
| Wednesday | Mercury | Woden, known to the Norse as Odin | Communication, study, travel, trade, divination | Orange, yellow |
| Thursday | Jupiter | Thunor, the thunder god, known to the Norse as Thor | Prosperity, growth, luck, generosity, legal matters | Blue, purple |
| Friday | Venus | Frigg, the goddess of love and the home | Love, friendship, beauty, pleasure, the arts | Green, pink |
| Saturday | Saturn | Saturn, the Roman god of sowing and the harvest, later linked with time and limits | Banishing, boundaries, endings, discipline, protection | Black, dark gray |
Where the system comes from
The seven-day planetary week took shape in the ancient Mediterranean, where the astronomy of Babylon met the philosophy of Greece. The Romans named the days after their planetary gods: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. You can still hear five of them, from Monday to Friday, in French, Spanish, and Italian.
When the Germanic peoples adopted the week, they replaced four of the Roman gods with their own nearest equivalents. Mars became Tiw, Mercury became Woden, Jupiter became Thunor, whom the Norse called Thor, and Venus became Frigg. English keeps those names in Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and keeps Saturn in Saturday. Every time you say the days of the week, you are naming old gods.
How to use the days
Choose the day whose themes match your intention, and combine it with the phase of the moon if you can.
| If you want to | Choose |
|---|---|
| Draw money or work toward you | A Thursday while the moon is waxing |
| Strengthen a friendship or a relationship | A Friday while the moon is waxing |
| Find the courage for a hard conversation | A Tuesday |
| Prepare for an exam or an interview | A Wednesday |
| Break a habit or end something | A Saturday while the moon is waning |
| Practice divination or dream work | A Monday, or a Wednesday |
| Bless a new venture | A Sunday |
Times of day
The day itself has a rhythm that mirrors the year and the moon.
| Time | Mirrors | Favors |
|---|---|---|
| Dawn | Spring, the waxing moon, Air | Beginnings, hope, cleansing |
| Noon | Summer, the full moon, Fire | Strength, success, confidence |
| Dusk | Autumn, the waning moon, Water | Release, reflection, gratitude |
| Midnight | Winter, the new moon, Earth | Rest, deep work, banishing |
A light touch
Timing is a refinement. It adds to a working, and it is never required. If you can only practice on Sunday evenings, then Sunday evening is your time, and it will serve for everything. Older books describe a further system of planetary hours, which divides each day into periods ruled by each planet. It is interesting to study and is not needed by anyone who is starting out.