Mercury Attributes: communication, creativity, divination, thankfulness, mental focus, changes
Element: Air
Herbs: lavender, lemongrass, peppermint
Stones: fluorite, agate, aventurine
Day: Wednesday
A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen
Wednesdays are wild and wacky days. They are for communication, change, cunning, and the arts. This is a Mercury day, and just its patron god this day is full of contradictions, change, and excitement. Some suggestions for Wednesday enchantments would include:
Pulling a little Wednesday color magic into your life by wearing purples or orange
Carrying a multipurpose agate with you and tapping into its various charms
Working with magical plants such as the fern for protection. This plant will also boost the power of any other magical plants with which it is arranged.
Incorporating lavender into charms and spells for transformation
Using the charming scent of lily of the valley to improve your memory, or working with the aspen tree for communication
Calling on Athena, patron of arts and crafts, for inspiration for a new project
Fanning out a Tarot spell to increase you creativity
Calling on Hermes on a Wednesday night to bring movement and good luck into your life
Mercury/Neptune/Air/North/West/Southwest/Female/Male/Gemini/Virgo
Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel, Money Matters
Color: black, light blue, brown, gray, green, magenta, orange, peach, purple, red, silver, turquoise, violet, white, yellow; orange is the primary color
Number: 3, 5
Metal: mercury
Charm: distaff, rod, runes, staff, iridescent garments
Stone: moss agate, amethyst, bloodstone, emerald, hematite, lapis lazuli, lodestone, pearl, ruby, sapphire, sodalite, all blue stones
Animal: bear, dog, fox, magpie, swan, weasel
Plant: almond, bayberry, chamomile, cherry, cinnamon, cinquefoil, clove, coltsfoot, ginger, hazel, hazelnut, jasmine, lavender, millet, oak, peppermint, periwinkle, rosemary, sage, St. John’s wort, sweet pea, tamarind, lemon verbena, violet
Incense: cassia, cedar, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, mastic, mint, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, storax, dried and powdered citrus peel, and all incense made from aromatic bark, wood, and seeds
Goddess: Carmenta, Hecate (Queen of Crossroads), Hel, Ishtar, Ma’at, the Morrigan, Nike
God: Anubis, Bragi, Elath-Iahu. Enki, Garuda, Hermes, Maximon (Black Magician), Mercury, Nebo (Wise God of Wednesday), Odin, Shango, Ullr, Vishnu, Wayland, Woden
Evocation: Agrat Bat Mahalat, Michael, Miel, Raphael, Seraphiel, Tiriel
Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination, and wisdom.
Waning Moon
The Waning Moon (from the Full Moon to the New) is a time for study, meditation, and little magical work (except magic designed to banish harmful energies).
Moon Phase: Third Quarter
Moon Sign: Capricorn
Capricorn: Develops strong structure. Focus on traditions, responsibilities, and obligations. A good time to set boundaries and rules.
Incense: Marjoram
Color: Brown
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.
Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article published on & owned by About.com
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
Ruler: Wodin, Mercury
Colors: Orange, light blue, and gray
Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following
Keywords: Success, creativity, communication
The word Wednesday is reminiscent of the Norse wind god Wodin, which is referenced in the popular rhyme verse “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” This does not mean that those born on this day are full of sorrow or trouble. To be full of Woden (Wodin) means to be full of wind, to be spirited. Woden was such a powerful pagan god that the German church fathers changed the name of his day to Mittwoch, meaning midweek, in an attempt to exorcise his influence.
In the Spanish word for Wednesday, miercoles, we clearly see its connection to Mercury. Under the guidance of Mercury; Wednesday is a day of swift activity, communication, correspondence, and phone calls. This is a good day for journalists, writers, poets, bargaining, hiring employees, and visiting friends.
On Wednesdays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Mercury, making these times of the day doubly blessed. These are the strongest four hours for ritual work. Check your local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine when sunrise occurs.
Woden, Isis, Demeter, Ceres, Spider Woman, Bona Dea, Oya, Devi-Kali, Hella, Rhiannon, Coatlique, Maman Brigette
The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein
Trinity Sunday or St. Sarah of the Gypsies in France and Europe, commemorating three Goddesses appearing from the sea. They are the Norns, the Fates (Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos), the Morrigan (Ana, Badb, Macha), the Erynies, Furies, or Eumenides, the Three Mothers (Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Parvati), Fortuna, and Mother Holle. This is a day of Fortuna in Rome. Also birthday of Apollo in Greece, twin brother of Artemis.
The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein
The Anglo-Saxon king, Edmund I, was stabbed to death on this day in the year 949 c.e.
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Wednesday is the day of the Teutonic deity known as Wodin or Odin, an aspect of the All father, god of knowledge, wisdom, enlightenment and combat, the parallel of Hermes, the planet Mercury.
Deity: Woden
Zodiac Sign: Gemini & Virgo
Planet: Mercury
Tree: Ash
Herb: Cinquefoil
Stone: Emerald & Sardonyx
Animal: Raven & Cat
Element: Air
Color: Red & Blue
Number: 6
Rune: Odal(O)
Celtic Tree Month of Hauth (Hawthorn) – May 13 – June 9. Hawthorn month is a time of fertility, masculine energy, and fire. Also associated with the realm of Faerie.
Runic Half-Month of Ing (expansive, energy) – May 14 -28
Goddess of the Month of Hera – May 16 – June 12. Hera is associated with motherhood, marriage, the household, infidelities, beauty, luxury
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
Wednesday – is associated with Mercury
Candle colors – Purple
Magickal Conjuring for the Day: Mastery, Domination Work, Wisdom, Healing, Dealing with Legal problems.
—Starr Casas, Old Style Conjure Wisdoms, Workings and Remedies
Mars is the star of the show this week, but comet fans and a few gas giants will make welcome appearances in the night sky.
By Richard Talcott
Wednesday, May 25
• Brilliant Jupiter appears high in the southwest as darkness falls and remains on display past 2 a.m. local daylight time. The giant planet shines at magnitude –2.1 — tying Mars as the brightest point of light in the night sky — against the backdrop of southern Leo the Lion. Jupiter appears equally dazzling through a telescope, which reveals a wealth of atmospheric detail on a disk that spans 38″. Notice in particular the two parallel dark belts that straddle a bright zone coinciding with the planet’s equator.
Thursday, May 26
• One of the spring sky’s finest deep-sky objects, the Beehive star cluster (M44) in the constellation Cancer the Crab, lies about one-third of the way from the western horizon to the zenith after darkness falls. With naked eyes under a dark sky, you should be able to spot this star group as a faint and fuzzy cloud. But the Beehive explodes into dozens of stars through binoculars or a small telescope at low power.
Friday, May 27
• Although Saturn will reach opposition and peak visibility one week from today, observers will be hard-pressed to see it as inferior this week. The ringed planet rises before 9 p.m. local daylight time and appears highest in the south around 1:30 a.m. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.0 and stands out against the relatively dim background stars of southern Ophiuchus. If you target the beautiful world through a telescope, you’ll see its 18″-diameter disk surrounded by a ring system that spans 42″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.
Saturday, May 28
• Mars’ westward motion relative to the background stars carries it from Scorpius into Libra today. But for a quick change of pace, grab your binoculars tonight and target Zubenelgenubi (Alpha [a] Librae), the modestly bright star on the constellation’s opposite side. With even the slightest optical aid, Zubenelgenubi resolves into two stars. Nearly 4′ separate the 3rd-magnitude primary from the 5th-magnitude secondary.
See “10 tempting spring binocular targets” in the May issue of Astronomy for other treats visible through binoculars.
Sunday, May 29
• Last Quarter Moon arrives at 8:12 a.m. EDT. It rises around 1:30 a.m. local daylight time and climbs higher in the southeast as dawn approaches. During this period, our half-lit satellite lies near the center of Aquarius the Water-bearer.
Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 102.79° ESE
Sun Altitude: 51.28°
Sun Distance: 94.163 million mi
Next Solstice: Jun 20, 2016 5:34 PM (Summer)
Sunrise Today: 5:39 AM↑ 63° Northeast
Sunset Today: 8:04 PM↑ 298° Northwest
Length of Daylight: 14 hours, 25 minutes
Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 257.78° WSW
Moon Altitude: -14.69°
Moon Distance: 243533 mi
Next New Moon: Jun 4, 20169:59 PM
Next Full Moon: Jun 20, 20166:02 AM
Next Moonrise: Today11:15 PM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 86.7%
Attention: carelessness is hazardous
to your health and others’;
So always do your homework
And be scrupulous and thorough
Guard against intemperance
But lapse not into total abstention
Let your ambitions be small and healthy
Your intentions ever useful and kind
For if you wreak changes too large
Chaotic principles will apply
If you are not careful you can harm
Even more than if you intentionally try
So do what you will if you may
Never forgetting the rule of three
And ever take care not to play out
Someone else’s version
of who you are going to be.
—Poetry, Songs, and Enchantments: A Pagan Sourcebook
Gwenhwyfar Rhwwttchen
The Easter Egg
The holiday of Easter, known as Paschal in some regions, is celebrated across many many nations and peoples around the globe, especially if they are pre-dominantly affiliated in religious culture as Christian. However, Easter Sunday as we know it now, has a pretty interesting background of traditions going back into the times of pagan Europe and even becoming such creative symbols as the exquisitely jeweled eggs of Russia’s House Faberge. Let us take a look at this hallmark springtime festivity and check out some of its rich history. At the end, we can all enjoy a hand at DIY non-toxic natural egg dye options for some creative, de-stressing fun no matter how old you are or how you’ll be celebrating the holiday!
Lore
Easter originally was a pagan European holiday that centered around a feast to the Germanic Goddess of Spring Eostre/Ostara around the Spring Equinox of March 21st. A mother goddess of Northern Europe who was honored as the bringer of the dawn and of springtime, Ostara had a couple of stories about her regarding white rabbits and bird eggs (symbols that would come to represent the Easter feast). One of the myths of Ostara features the bunny. As the story goes, Ostara, was late bringing spring one year. As her energy swooped across the land, she came upon a little bird whose wings had been frozen in the snow. Filled with compassion for him since he could no longer fly, she turned him into a snow hare and gave him the gift of incredible speed, to flee from the hunters. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts and painting them pretty colors. The Goddess loved the gifts so much, she ordained that her feast would always feature this activity henceforth.
Such is as the saying goes…
So how did the Easter feast get turned into Easter Sunday?
In his 1835 Deutsche Mythologie, Jacob Grimm cites comparative evidence to reconstruct a potential continental Germanic goddess whose name would have been preserved in the Old High German name of Easter, *Ostara. Addressing skepticism towards goddesses mentioned by Bede, Grimm comments that “there is nothing improbable in them, nay the first of them is justified by clear traces in the vocabularies of Germanic tribes.” Specifically regarding Ēostre, Grimm continues that:
- We Germans to this day call April ostermonat, and ôstarmânoth is found as early as Eginhart (temp. Car. Mag.). The great Christian festival, which usually falls in April or the end of March, bears in the oldest of OHG remains the name ôstarâ … it is mostly found in the plural, because two days … were kept at Easter. This Ostarâ, like the [Anglo-Saxon] Eástre, must in heathen religion have denoted a higher being, whose worship was so firmly rooted, that the Christian teachers tolerated the name, and applied it to one of their own grandest anniversaries.
Thus, as Christianity spread throughout all of Europe, Easter (originally a celebration of the renewal of life during springtime) became transformed into Easter Sunday (the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ) to help the new religion integrate with the natives of whom were the primary converts to such.
Inspiration
The beautiful painted eggs became a symbol widely recognized across not only Western Europe, but later on Eastern Europe, North America, South America, and beyond as a tradition that still holds weight to this day. In fact, some artists took their inspiration from these eggs to scale their fame quite far.
The House of Fabergé (French pronunciation: fabɛʁʒe) (Russian: Дом Фаберже) is a jewelry firm founded in 1842 in St. Petersburg, Imperial Russia, by Gustav Faberge. Using the accented name “Fabergé”, Gustav was followed by his son Peter Carl Fabergé, until the firm was nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1918. The firm has been famous for designing elaborate jewel-encrusted Fabergé eggs for the Russian Tsars and a range of other high quality and intricate works. Faberge is a brand you might recognize in a lot of places, especially if you see one of these delicate lavish pieces of art:
DIY all-natural dyes
Whether your Easter weekend will be filled with children, family and traditional Easter activities or drinking wine, donning bonnets, and making vegan chocolate rabbits in a friend’s apartment kitchen, I encourage you to take up with the season and make the brightest, most colorful Easter eggs you can dream up—without using artificial colors and potentially toxic dyes. These eggs can eventually be eaten, displayed (if drained), and just plain recycled at the end by burying the shells in your garden (makes for great plant fertilizer!).
You can keep things safe (and thrifty) by making your own natural dyes from things you probably already have in your kitchen.
For Orange, use yellow onions. mix 1 cup yellow onion skin (about 2 onions’ worth), 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water in a pot. Boil for one half hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the onion skins, then soak hard-boiled eggs in the dye for one half hour.
For Red, use beets. Combine 2 cups of grated raw beets with one tablespoon vinegar and 2 cups of water. Boil for 15 minutes. Let water cool, then add eggs; the longer you soak, the deeper the red color will be.
For Yellow, use cumin or turmeric. Boil three tablespoons turmeric or cumin. Strain the ingredient (if necessary) and add one tablespoon vinegar to the dye. Allow the dye to cool a bit before (adding) the eggs.
For Lavender, use Hibiscus tea bags.
For Blue, use purple or red cabbage. Dice ¼ head of cabbage and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 tablespoons vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and strain before adding eggs.
For Green, use parsley and/or spinach.
Want to make intricate designs easily on these eggs? Check this video out.
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I hope you had fun learning!
For those who don’t want to go the DIY route but still want to keep things natural, check out these natural dye kits on Eupterra Foundation’s article page.
For more on all-natural DIY, visit Eupterra’s homepage.
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