Calendar of the Moon

Holly Tree Month

Colors: Iron-grey, red, and dark green.
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of dark grey set many sprigs of holly, real or created, four red candles, a spear and a sword.
Offerings: Honor your inner warrior, including examining the areas where s/he overreacts.
Daily Meal: Red food. Meat of any kind.

Tinne Invocation

Call: Hail the month of the Holly King!
Response: Hail the King of the waning year!
Call: Hail, sharp leaves and sharper eye!
Response: Hail, white flowers that give way to blood-red berries!
Call: Hail the month of the starling’s flock!
Response: For the starlings move together as one!
Call: Like them, we defend what is dear to us!
Response: Like them, we do not let each other stand alone against opposition!
Call: Hail the color of cold iron!
Response: Hail the sword and the spear!
Call: For our sword is Reason….
Response: And our spear is the death of Illusion!
Call: Hail the color of cold iron!
Response: Hail the armor and the shield!
Call: For our armor is Hope….
Response: And our shield is Love.
Call: The Oak King gives way to the Holly King…
Response: For all things have a time of increase, and a time of decrease.
Call: For all things wax and wane.
Response: For all things rise and fall.
Call: This is the moment just beyond the year’s apex!
Response: This is the time of the beginning of the end!
Call: May we take courage with every passing morning!
Response: May courage fill us with every breath!

Chant:
Spear of truth, find me,
I open myself to you.
Chains of honor, bind me,
Bound, I am free to hold true.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun

Solstitium

Colors: Green and gold
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green and gold set flowers and herbs in pots, a bowl of rainwater, a large pitcher of manure tea, and several empty baskets.
Offerings: Water and fertilizer, to be added to the garden.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian.

Solstitium Invocation

Earth, you begin to give forth your bounty!
Like the maiden blossoming into the mother,
Like the youth growing into the father,
You yield your children up to us
For our sustenance and health,
As we are also your children.
We will not waste your gifts!
We will nurture what you bring forth
With the labor of our hands,
That those gifts shall be sustained
Year after year, and that you shall
Never be exhausted.
We will not be ungrateful, O Earth whose life is ours,
But we will give back as much as we take,
For this is the way of balance.

Chant:
Life harnessed
Call the sun to us
Sacred harvest
You are one with us

(Two who have been chosen to do the work of the ritual take up the rainwater and the manure tea, and carry them out to the garden, where they are ceremonially poured around the roots of the herbs and vegetables. All others follow with the empty baskets, and harvest some thing from the garden, whether a token or a main part of the next meal. After this, each should do some part of the work of further watering, or fertilizing, or mulching, to give back to the earth as much as is taken away.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

July 9 – 16

Panathenaea

The Panathenaea (all-Athens) was celebrated annually in Midsummer. Instituted by the Athenian tyrant Pisistratus in the mid-500s B.C., the festival served as a national religious holiday that celebrated the birthday of Athena-the city’s patron Goddess. During the weeklong celebration, there were sacrifices, sports competitions, and a procession of citizens. Every fourth year the festival was especially elaborate and called the Great Panathenaea, during which the procession of citizens would carry a new pelops, or lady’s gown, up to the Athenian Acropolis. The gown was then offered up to the ancient olive wood statue of Athena.

Athena

Athena the warrior Goddess was admired for her intelligence and dislikes of senseless violence and was adept at the art of peace. The patroness of architects, sculptors, spinners, and weavers, Athena was the proctor of all towns, especially Athens, of which she was the patron deity. The most notably celibate of the Greek Goddesses, Athena’s symbols include the owl, olive tree, spear, shield, chariot and flute. her colors are gold, blue, and olive green, and she is associated with the numbers 9 and 25. 

Saturday Is Ruled By Saturn

This day of the week got it’s name from the god of karma and time, Saturn. This day is obviously associated with the planet Saturn and is our last day of the week. Traditionally Saturdays are great days for protection, banishing a negative situation, and generally a good time to clean up any magical messes that you have been ignoring. Some suggestions for Saturday enchantments would include:

◦Wearing the colors of the day, black and deep purple. Here’s your perfect excuse to be dramatic and witchy. Empower these dramatic pieces of your wardrobe for protection and strength.

◦Burning black candles to absorb negativity and burning purple ones to increase your magical wisdom and boost your spirituality

◦Adding a touch of garden witchery to your Saturday spells by working with the pansy (in black or purple of course), the morning glory flowering vine, or the cypress tree.

◦Carrying an obsidian, hematite, or jet tumbled stone in your pocket to reinforce your personal protection and to ward off bad vibes and sour feelings. You can also add these crystals to a candle spell on a Saturday night to really increase the punch of your spellcasting.

◦Cleaning your house and cleansing it while you are at it. Tap into those obstacle-removing vibes and the positive, concluding energies.

◦Closing up the final day of the bewitching week with a bang by calling on Hecate for protection and guidance.

MOON IN VIRGO

Magical Work Because the energy of the Virgo Moon lends itself to anything that requires detailed organization, use it to boost matters involving finance, structure, productivity, and the completion of old projects. It also lends itself to romantic endeavors where traditional values are important.

Mundane Event Planning
Since organization is key when the Virgo Moon appears, use it to clear away clutter and discard the old and useless; this includes not only material possessions, but worn-out ideas. Then devise new systems for handling everything in life more efficiently. This is also a good time to schedule surgeries, both major and minor. Other good bets for this energy might include the signing of contracts, financial planning, service-oriented efforts like volunteer work, and future plans that involve a committed relationship.

Gardening Tips
Another barren sign, this energy is best used to make initial garden and soil preparations, and handle weed and pest problems.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living (Everyday Series)
Dorothy Morrison

The Witches Almanac for Saturday, July 9th

Saturday (Saturn): Longevity, exorcism, endings, homes, and houses.

Battle of Sempach Day (Swiss)

Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon (from the New Moon to the Full) is the ideal time for magic to draw things toward you.

Moon Phase: First Quarter

Moon Sign: Virgo
Virgo: Favors accomplishment of details and commands from higher up. Focuses on health, hygiene, and daily schedules.

Incense: Pine

Color: Gray

Magickal Days of the Week – Saturday

It’s the end of the week for many of us, so Saturday – named for the god Saturn – is a good time to wrap things up. Associated with the colors black and dark purple, and the metal lead, this day is also connected to the goddess Hecate. Gemstones like Apache tear, obsidian, and hematite are all connected to Saturday’s magic, as are plants such as thyme, mullein, and the cypress tree.

When it comes to magical workings, focus on agriculture and creativity, fortune and hope, protection and banishment of negativity.

Put up a barrier to keep the unwelcome out, eliminate the things that make you miserable, and wash your hands of anything other than your hopes, dreams and goals.

Author

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

Saturday’s Witchery

Saturday is a day filled with opportunities to clean up and clear out. So if you are wondering why Hecate is assigned to this day, take another look at what she symbolizes and the magick that is associated with her. That should answer the question.

Hecate was the oldest form of the Greek Triple Goddess, as she presided over heaven, the underworld, and earth. Crossroads where three roads met were especially sacred to Hecate, earning her the title of Hekate of the Three Ways. It’s interesting to note that even after the worship of other goddesses waned, ancient people still worshiped Hecate as the Queen of the Underworld and the Guardian of the Three-Way Crossroad. It was also believed that if you left her an offering of food there, she would grant you her favors. As Hecate Trivia, her triple images were often displayed at these crossroads, where she was petitioned on the full moon for positive magick and on the dark of the moon for cursing and dark magick.

While this last bit of information sounds a little ominous, keep in mind that Hecate/Hekate was known by many titles and is a shapeshifter. Her appearance could and did change often. As a dark moon goddess, her faces are many. To some she may appear as a old crone, hunched over a smoking cauldron and draped in a midnight cape. To others she may appear as a dark beautiful, mysterious, and mature woman wearing a shimmering crown. To some she may be perceived as a maiden priestess. She was called the “most lovely one,” the Great Goddess of Nature, and the Queen of the World of Spirits. This dark goddess knows her way around the earth and the underworld. All the powers of nature, life, and death are at her command.

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

Saturday

The planetary correspondence for Saturday is Saturn. Matters dealing with the public, farming, family ties, legal matters (such as wills and estates), taking care of debts, dealing with lawyers, financing, joint money matters, real estate, older people, banishing or binding negativity, and getting rid of bad habits all fall under the charge of Saturn. It’s easy to see why “Saturday’s child works hard for his living.”

Saturday’s angels are Cassiel, Machatan, Uriel, and Orifiel. Cassiel is the angel of solitudes and tears. He is one of the rulers of the planet Saturn and occasionally appears as the angel of patience. Cassiel links himself to dragon energy. Regarding Machatan, the only information we get is that he works well with Cassiel and is also a power of Saturn. Orifiel is an angel of the wilderness, a ruler of the second hour of the day, and also associated with Saturn.

On Saturday, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Saturn, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. These four hours are the strongest four hours for conducting ritual. Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.

Source:

Gypsy Magic

Pagan Saturday

Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. It is the either the sixth or seventh day of the week as discussed below.

Origins of the name
It was named no later than the second century for the planet (Saturn), which controlled the first hour of that day according to Vettius Valens. The planet was named for the Roman god of agriculture Saturn. It has been called dies Saturni (“Saturn’s Day”), through which from it entered into Old English as Sæternesdæg and gradually evolved into the word “Saturday”.

Saturday is the only day of the week in which the English name comes from Roman mythology. The English names of all of the other days of the week come from Germanic mythology. In India, Saturday is Shanivar, based on Shani, the Vedic God manifested in the planet Saturn. In the Thai solar calendar of Thailand, the day is named from the Pali word for Saturn, and the color associated with Saturday is purple. The Celtic languages also name this day for Saturn: Irish an Satharn or dia Sathuirn, Scottish Gaelic Disathairne, Welsh dydd Sadwrn, Breton disadorn.

In Jewish tradition Saturday is the Shabbat. Christianity adopted this tradition in terms of the Sabbath. Thus, in many languages the Saturday is named after the Sabbath. Eastern Orthodox churches distinguish between the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Lord’s Day (Sunday). Roman Catholics put so little emphasis on that distinction that many among them follow – at least in colloquial language – the Protestant practice of calling Sunday the sabbath (see Sabbath in Christianity). Quakers traditionally refer to Saturday as “Seventh Day” eschewing the “pagan” origin of the name. In Islamic countries, Fridays are holidays, however they are considered as the sixth day of the week.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church Saturdays are days on which the Theotokos (Mother of God) and All Saints are commemorated, The day is also a general day of prayer for the dead, because it was on a Saturday that Jesus lay dead in the tomb. The Octoechos contains hyms on these themes, arranged in an eight-week cycle, that are chanted on Saturdays throughout the year. At the end of services on Saturday, the dismissal begins with the words: “May Christ our True God, through the intercessions of his most-pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and right victorious Martyrs, of our reverend and God-bearing Fathers…”. For the Orthodox, Saturday is never a strict fast day. When a Saturday falls during one of the fasting seasons (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles’ Fast, Dormition Fast) the fasting rules are always lessened to an extent. The Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist are normally observed as strict fast days, but if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the fast is lessened.

In Scandinavian countries, Saturday is called Lördag or Löverdag etc., the name being derived from the old word laugr (hence Icelandic name Laugardagur), meaning bath, thus Lördag equates to bath-day. This is due to the Viking usage of bathing on Saturdays.

Today, Saturday is officially called Samstag in all German-speaking countries, however, there are two names for this day in modern Standard German. Samstag is always used in Austria, Liechtenstein, the German speaking part of Switzerland and generally used in southern and western Germany. It derives from Old High German sambaztac, which itself derives from Greek Σάββατο, and this Greek word derives from Hebrew שבת (Shabbat). However, the current German word for sabbath is Sabbat. The second name for Saturday in German is Sonnabend, which derives from Old High German sunnunaband, and is closely related to the Old English word sunnanæfen. It means literally “Sun eve”, i.e. “The day before Sunday”. Sonnabend is generally used in northern and eastern Germany, and was also the official name for Saturday in East Germany. In the Westphalian dialects of Low Saxon, in East Frisian Low Saxon and in the Saterland Frisian language, Saturday is called Satertag, also akin to Dutch Zaterdag, which has the same linguistic roots as the English word Saturday.

Similarly, the Romance languages follow the Greek usage, so that their word for “Saturday” is also a variation on “Sabbath”: the Italian is sabato, the French is samedi, the Spanish and Portuguese is sábado and the Romanian is sâmbătă.

The modern Maori name for it, Rahoroi, means “washing-day”. For other languages, see Days of the week Planetary table.

Position in the week
The three Abrahamic religions, via their original languages, regard Saturday as the seventh day of the week (Judaism via Hebrew, Christianity via Ecclesiastical Latin, and Islam via Arabic) by naming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as the second through fifth days of the week. This is concordant with the European Pagan tradition, which named the days of the week after the seven Classical planets (in order Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn), naming the first day of the week for the Sun, perceived as most important, and moving to those perceived as lesser.

The Slavic languages of Eastern Europe regard Saturday as the sixth day of the week by naming Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as the second, fourth, and fifth days of the week, although their name for Wednesday, middle, would imply that Saturday is the seventh day of the week.

Beginning in the twentieth century, many Europeans have considered Saturday the sixth (penultimate) day of the week, and Sunday the last[citation needed]. This current European labour-oriented convention has been formalized by ISO 8601 which is used by businesses such as airlines in drawing up timetables, etc

Pagan Calendar

Goddesses Associated with Saturdays

Ops, Rhea, Tellus Mater, Gaia, Eartha, Ge, Tonantzin, Ashera, Anath, the Shekinah, the Matronit, Mary, Gula, Herodias, Oddudua, Demeter

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

The Goddess Book of Days for July 9th

The Panathenaea in Greece, for six days every fourth year, dedicated to Athena. (Athena, Minerva, Sophia, Sarasvati, Maat, Oya.) The ninth day of the Moon/month is the birthday of the Goddess Rhea and God Dionysus (the Earth and the Sun).

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

The Celtic Tree Month of Tinne – Holly Lore

8th Moon of the Celtic Year – (July 8 – Aug 4)

Latin name: English Holly (also called Scarlet Oak) – ilex aquilfolium; American holly – ilex opaca. The Holly is an evergreen tree.

Celtic name: Tinne (pronounced: chihn’ uh)

Folk or Common names: Holly, Scarlet Oak, Kerm-Oak, Holy Tree. Holly actually means “holy”.

Parts Used: Leaf, berry, wood.

Herbal usage: The leaf of the Holly can be dried and used as teas for fevers, bladder problems and bronchitis. The juice of the fresh leaf is helpful in jaundice treatment. Holly can be used homeopathically as a substitute for quinine. Note: Holly berries are poisonous!

Magical History & Associations: The Holly, a masculine herb, is associated with the element of fire, and is an herb of Saturn and Mars. The bird associated with this month is the starling, the color is green-gray, the gemstone is yellow caingorm, and the day of the week association is Tuesday. Holly is the first moon of the dark half of the year, and the Holly is sacred to both the Winter and Summer Solstices. Summer Solstice is the time when in mythology, the Oak King is slain by his twin, or tanist, the Holly King, who rules until the Winter Solstice, when he in turn is slain by his tanist, the Oak King. Tanist is related to the tannin found in an Oak tree; Oak and Holly are two sides of the same coin, the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. The Holly is also sacred to the deities of Lugh, Habondia, Tina Etruscan and Tannus. There are special spirits that dwell within Holly trees: the Holly Man lives in the tree that bears prickly Holly, and the Holly Woman dwells within that which give forth smooth and variegated leaves. Holly is also associated with unicorns, since the unicorn is one of the Celtic symbols for this tree – the other symbol is the Flaming Spear.

Magickal usage: The month of Holly is a good time to do magick designed to help bring about a successful harvest. The Holly has applications in magick done for protection, prophesy, healing, magick for animals, sex magick, invulnerability, watchfulness, good luck, death, rebirth, Holiness, consecration, material gain, physical revenge, beauty and travel. Holly also has the ability to enhance other forms of magic. As a symbol of firmness and masculine energy, Hollywood was used by the ancients in the construction of spear shafts, which were thought to then have magickal powers.

Uses of Holly in protective magick includes hanging a sprig of Holly in the home all year to insure protection and good luck. Holly is also an excellent charm to wear for protection. ‘Holly Water’ can be made by soaking Holly overnight in spring water under a full moon. This water can then be sprinkled over infants to keep them happy and safe. Holly Water can also be used to sprinkle around the house for psychic cleansing and protection. Holly leaves can be cast around outside to repel unwanted spirits or animals and a Holly bush can be planted close to houses to protect against lightning. Ensure that the Holly has a place in your garden because its presence wards off unfriendly spirits. Do not burn Holly branches unless they are well and truly dead, for this is unlucky. Holly, intertwined with ivy, is traditionally made into crowns for the bride and groom at weddings/handfastings. Holly and Ivy also make excellent decorations for altars. Holy is also a traditional decoration for Yuletide as in sung in the traditional Yuletide song:

“Deck the halls with boughs of Holly, fa la la la la, la la la la.”

If you gather nine Holly leaves in complete silence on a Friday after midnight, wrap them up in a white cloth, use nine knots to bind the cloth, and then place them under your pillow, your dreams will come true. When harvesting the leaves from the Holly, remember to ask the tree if it will allow you to take the parts and be sure to leave the tree an offering of thanks when you are done. Holly favors red and yellow stones as gifts.

Saturday, July 9th

Saturday is dedicated to the shadowy Anglo-Saxon God Saetere or Seater, equivalent to the God Saturn. It is a day also associated with the Norns, the Norse equivalent of Three Fates, and the trickster God Loki. It is connected generally with apprehension, austerity, caution, and excessive self-limitation.

Deity: Saetere

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Planet: Saturn

Tree: Alder

Herb: Daffodil

Stone: Amethyst

Animal: Eagle

Element: Earth

Color: Dark Blue

Number: 4

Rune: Dag(D)

Celtic Tree Month of Tinne(Holly) – July 8 – August 4. Holly, an evergreen plant reminds us all year long about the immortality of nature. A symbol of masculine energy and firmness.

Runic Half-Month of Ur (primal strength) – July 4 – July 28

Goddess of the Month of Rosea – June 13 – July 10

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Do You Really Know Saturday?

Saturday is the most awaited day in a week by everyone as we all temporarily disembark from our five day long official journey, only to continue after a couple of days on Monday, which could be possibly the most dreaded day of the week, for similar reasons.

Thus Saturday becomes the day for fun and recreation where most of the people indulge themselves in abandoned gay especially during the night, popularly called across various cultures as ‘Saturday Night’.

Memes can be found in plenty trolling Mondays and celebrating Saturdays and are mostly created as emotions out pour on a Monday lamenting its arrival and on Fridays when everyone is set ready to enter the weekend through a joyous Saturday.

This is what one can summarize about the Saturdays that we spend, which is routine in our lives, like everyone’s’. There are more interesting facts both fun and historical, about Saturdays that are worth knowing.

Birthday of Vampire Hunters
Traditionally, in olden days it was believed that Saturdays are the appropriated days to hunt down Vampires as they are restricted only to their coffins and are not allowed to get out on that day. In the Balkans tradition, those who are born on Saturdays are entitled to become vampire hunters as they can see vampires but not by others.

Swedish Saturday Candy
Children are allowed to have candies only on Saturdays, every week in Sweden. This is termed as Saturday Candy. The reason behind this practice of allowing children to have candies on Saturdays is to prevent tooth decays, yet it has an historical reason that was considered controversial in medical ethics.

Known as Vipeholm experiments, during 1945-55, mentally challenged people at the Vipeholm mental hospital in Lund, Sweden, are fed too much of sweets to study dental health. This was the result of an experiment sponsored by both the sugar industry personals and the doctor community to know if carbohydrates have a direct impact in the formation of dental cavities.

The only weekly off in Nepal
Saturdays are the only official weekly holidays in Nepal and not Sunday. Also, it is the last day of the week in Nepal. Even though there is no factual information about how long this is in practice, it is said that for a century Nepal follows the one weekly holiday procedure. It is even said that the idea to improve efficiency by making both Saturdays and Sundays as offs didn’t work. Strange? Very!

Election Day
In many countries Saturday is the preferred day for election of public representatives. In Australia, elections are held usually on Saturdays and in New Zealand, Saturdays are the only days in which elections can be conducted. It is also preferred by the State of Louisiana, in the United States.

Why the name Saturday?
The seven day week came into the practice of Roman Culture in 321 AD, after being originated in Mesopotamia. These seven days are based on the seven planets that were then believed to revolve around the Earth and thus control the events happening. Saturday is named after the planet Saturn, which is the god of agriculture in Roman mythology. The astronomical symbol of the planet resembles the sickle carried by the god of agriculture.

Saturday as the Seventh day

The calendar that we follow considers Saturday as the sixth day of the week and is the idea of the international standard ISO 8601 that was created to represent date and time in a seamless way, so that they are not confused as they differ to a great degree across various geographical locations of the world.

But the Abrahamic religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism consider Saturday as the seventh day of the week.

The day of rest

As Genesis sums up the creation f world in seven days, it considers the seventh day, when God took rest after creating the whole universe during the previous six days. Thus the seventh day is considered to be a Sabbath or day of rest.

As religions consider Saturday as the seventh day, they also make it as a day of rest or worship, calling it as Sabbath. There is a lot of controversy around changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, which just to mention and not go into the details, is the purpose of this article.

Saturday is no day for controversy! Sit back, relax and chill!

Author

readnlove
Published on the website ReadnLove