Day: February 10, 2016

Squirrel in winter timeDeities Associated with Wednesdays – Hermes, Greek God

Squirrel in winter time

Hermes

 

Fast Facts About the Olympians – Hermes

Name: Greek – Hermes; Roman – Mercury

Family
Parents: Zeus and Maia

Siblings: All the children of Zeus are his siblings, but Hermes has a special younger-brotherly relationship with Apollo.

Mates: Agraulos, Akalle, Antianeira, Alkidameia, Aphrodite, Aptale, Carmentis, Chthonophyle, Creusa, Daeira, Erytheia, Eupolemeia, Khione, Iphthime, Libya, Okyrrhoe, Penelopeia, Phylodameia, Polymele, Rhene, Sose, Theoboula, Thronia,

Children: Angelia, Eleusis, Hermaphroditos, Oreiades, Palaistra, Pan, Agreus, Nomios, Priapos, Pherespondos, Lykos, Pronomos, Abderos, Aithalides, Arabos, Autolycus, Bounos, Daphnis, Ekhion, Eleusis, Euandros, Eudoros, Eurestos, Eurytos, Kaikos, Kephalos, Keryx, Kydon, Libys, Myrtilos, Norax, Orion, Pharis, Phaunos, Polybos, Saon,

Role of Hermes
For Humans:
Hermes is the god of eloquence, commerce, cunning, the inventor of the alphabet, numbers, astronomy, music, the art of fighting, gymnastics, the cultivation of the olive tree, measures, weights, and more, he sends refreshing sleep, conducts dreams, is the herdsman of the dead, the protector of travelers, the giver of wealth and luck, the protector of sacrificial animals, and patron of gymnastic games, among other things.

For Gods:
Hermes is credited with inventing divine worship and sacrifice. Hermes is the herald of the gods.
Canonical Olympian? Yes, Hermes is a canonical Olympian.

 

Author

N.S. Gill, Ancient/Classical History Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

 

Magickal Days of the Week – Wednesday

winter animal
Magickal Days of the Week – Wednesday

Wednesday is named for Woden himself, although the Romans called it dies Mercurii. This is a day associated with the color purple, the planet Mercury, and the metal quicksilver – which is also called mercury. See a pattern here?

When it comes to deities… yes, Mercury! However, there are a few other gods associated with Wednesday, including Odin and Hermes, Athena, and Lugh. Gemstones like adventurine and agate come in handy as well, as do plants such as aspen trees, lilies, lavender and even ferns.

Business and job-related issues, communication, loss and debt, traveling, and journeys are all tied in to Wednesday. This is a good day to do a working to open up lines of communication – especially if your own actions are preventing you from being an effective speaker or listener. Go someplace new or return to an old favorite stomping ground, step up your game, and settle up your accounts.

Author

Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com

Wednesday Witchery

winter
Wednesday Witchery

Be bold and daring today! Expand your knowledge of the Craft by working with the planetary energies of Mercury on this multifaceted day of the week. Consider the Greco-Roman gods Mercury and Hermes and all of the many lessons they have for you. Embrace change and movement, and work on your communication techniques. Conjure up a little good luck for yourself with that Mercury dime spell. Call on Athena to inspire you to try magickal arts and crafts and to be more creative in your own spellwork and witchery.

Meditate on Odin and see what you can discover about him. I wonder what sort of fabulous and fascinating magickal wisdom you will uncover? Odin is a shaman, after all; he may appear in many guises and faces. I guarantee that he will make you laugh at yourself before he is through with you, but you will learn. It’s up to you what you do with that knowledge. Will you let it shapeshift into wisdom?

Wednesday is the wild and wily day of the week, so try to go with the flow; don’t fight the quirky energies of the day. Most importantly, follow your heart, and always keep a good sense of humor, because of Wednesdays you will really need it.

 
Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

Wednesday – Odin and Wodan’s day

WiNtER ChAlLeNgE
Wednesday – Odin and Wodan’s day

Wednesday is the day third of the week according to the international standard ISO 8601, but some countries counts it as the fourth day of the week.

Odin – the Norse god
Wednesday between Tuesday and Thursday and is named after Germanic god Wodan and Odin, the Norse all father of the gods.

Naming Wednesday
The English, the word Wednesday is derived from Old English and literally means “Wodan’s day”. The Germanic god Wodan is also known as Odin, the Norse all father of the gods.

In most languages with Latin origins, the day is named after the god and planet Mercury.

Middle English – wodnesday or wednesday or wednesdai

Old English – wōdnesdæg – Woden’s day

Latin – dies Mercurii – “Day of Mercury”

Ancient Greek – hemera Hermu – “day of Hermes”

Third day of the Week
Wednesday is the third day of the week according to the international standard ISO 8601, but in the US, Canada, and Japan it’s counted as the fourth day if the week. It is in the middle of the common 5-day work week that starts on Monday and ends on Friday. It is also the middle day in the seven day week that starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.

“Hump day”
Wednesday is sometimes referred to as “hump day” in American English slang meaning that one has made it “over the hump” of the work week.
Source:

timeanddate.com

Did You Know This Is A Leap Year?

Rotwild im Winter
Leap Day: February 29, 2016

A Leap Day, February 29, is added to the calendar during leap years. This extra day makes the year 366 days long – not 365 days, like a common year.

On February 29th, women can ask a man to marry her.

Role reversal on leap day.

When Is the Next Leap Day?
2016 is a leap year, so the next leap day is February 29, 2016.

The last Leap Day was on February 29, 2012.

Why Add a Leap Day?
Leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the Sun.
It takes the Earth approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. This called a tropical year.

Without an extra – or intercalary – day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days in relation to fixed seasonal days days like the vernal equinox or winter solstice.

Caesar Introduced Leap Years
Roman general Julius Caesar implemented the first leap day in his Julian Calendar, which he introduced in 45 BCE (Before Common Era). A leap day was added every four years. At the time, leap day was February 24, and February was the last month of the year.

Too Many Leap Years
However, adding a leap day every four years was too often and eventually, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar, which we still use today, has a more precise formula for calculating of leap years, also known as bissextile years.

USA 1752: Why Are Some Days Missing?

Traditions & Folklore

Leap day as a concept has existed for more than 2000 years, and is still associated with age-old customs, folklore and superstition. One of the most well-known traditions is that women propose to their boyfriends, instead of the other way around.

What’s a Leap Second?

Leap Months

The ancient Roman Calendar added an extra month every few years to maintain the correct seasonal changes, similar to the Chinese leap month.

 

Source:
timeanddate.com

The Sun & Moon for Wednesday, February 10th

Morgendämmerung

The Sun & Moon for Wednesday, February 10th

The Sun Today
Sun Direction: ↑ 131.54° SE
Sun Altitude: 23.20°
Sun Distance: 91.727 million mi
Next Equinox: Mar 19, 2016 11:30 PM (Vernal)
Sunrise Today: 6:49 AM↑ 108° East
Sunset Today: 5:29 PM↑ 253° West

 

The Moon Today
Moon Direction: ↑ 105.25° ESE
Moon Altitude: 11.57°
Moon Distance: 226500 mi
Next Full Moon: Feb 22, 201612:19 PM
Next New Moon: Mar 8, 20167:54 PM
Next Moonset: Today8:08 PM

 

Source:
timeanddate.com

May The Goddess Bless You & Yours On This Glorious Wednesday Morn’!

Frau mit Wolf im Winter

Ode to the Goddess

Who is the Goddess?
Who is she to me?
All the women I love,
My Mother, Me! All of us Goddesses,
Goddesses all!
She comes to us all
We must only call
In childhood laughter
In children’s games
She is the one with a
thousand names. Isis,
Astarte, Demeter, and more,
She is Gaia, the earth’s very core
She sings in the breeze
And the leaves on the trees
She is the keeper of birds and of
bees
The Goddess is part of all of us
you see
She’s in everybody, I feel her
in me!

—Arietta Bryant, Ramblings & Rhymes