The Witches’ Guide to Wednesday

Wednesday is the fourth day of the week, in the Judeo-Christian calendar between Tuesday and Thursday. The name comes from the Middle English Wednes dei, which is from Old English WÄ“dnes dæg, meaning the day of the Germanic god Woden (Wodan) who was a god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until about the 7th century. WÄ“dnes dæg is like the Old Norse Oðinsdagr (“Odin’s day”), which is an early translation of the Latin dies Mercurii (“Mercury’s day”). Although Mercury (the messenger of the gods) and Woden (the king of the Germanic gods) are not equivalent in most regards, both gods guided the souls of the dead to the underworld.

 

When Sunday is taken as the first of the week, the day in the middle of each week is Wednesday. Arising from this, the German name for Wednesday has been Mittwoch (literally: “mid-week”) since the 10th Century, having displaced the former name: Wodanstag (“Wodan’s day”). The Finnish name is similarly practical: Keskiviikko (literally: “middle of the week”) as is the Icelandic name: Miðvikudagur (“Mid-week day”).

 

According to the Hebrew Bible, Wednesday is the day when the Sun and Moon were created.

 

Wednesday is also in the middle of the common Western 5-day working week that starts on Monday and finishes on Friday.

 

In Romance languages it is derived from the name of the Roman god Mercury: mercredi (French), mercoledì (Italian), miércoles (Spanish), miercuri (Romanian), dimecres (Catalan), dies Mercurii (Latin). Similarly, the Hindi name for Wednesday, Budhvar is derived from the Vedic name for Mercury, Budh. Russian does not use pagan names but instead uses sredá, meaning “middle,” similar to the German Mittwoch. Likewise, Portuguese uses the word quarta-feira, meaning “fourth day.”

 

An English language idiom for Wednesday is “hump day”, a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting “over the hump”. It is also informally referred to as “the peak of the week”.

 

Quakers traditionally refer to Wednesday as “Fourth Day”, eschewing the pagan origin of the name “Wednesday”. Most eastern languages also use a name with this meaning, for much the same reason. Extremely faithful Orthodox Christians observe a vegetarian / fish-only fast on Wednesdays (and Fridays) in some countries such as Greece.

According to the Thai solar calendar, the color associated with Wednesday is green.

Wednesday in Popular Culture
* The nursery rhyme states, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe”. This line was the inspiration for the ‘Wednesday’ character, the daughter, in The Addams Family comic and TV Show. * In the 19th century children’s rhyme Solomon Grundy, Solomon was ‘Married on Wednesday.’ * A song titled “Wednesday’s Song” is on the 2004 album Shadows Collide with People by John Frusciante * Mr. Wednesday is a main character in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods. He is the employer of the protagonist Shadow, and is a variation on the god Odin.

Astrological Sign
The astrological sign of the planet Mercury represents Wednesday — Dies Mercurii to the Romans, with similar names in Latin-derived languages, such as the French Mercredi and the Spanish Miércoles. In English, this became “Woden’s Day”, since the Roman god Mercury was identified with Woden in northern Europe.

 

Reference

Pagan Calendar

Pagan Guide to the Days of the Week – Wednesday

The name of Wednesday is derived from Old English Wodnesdaeg, “Woden Day,” named after the Anglo-Saxono chieftan God Woden, counterpart to the Norse God Odin, who is also a powerful seer. The Roman equated him with Mercury, the messenger god. In India, Wednesday is call Budhavara, “Mercury’s Day.” His Greek counterpart was Hermes, a god of transition and boundaries.

The Wicca Book of Days for Wednesday, January 4th

Healing Heartsease

One of the plants that shares it planetary ruler – Saturn_ with January 4th is the wild pansy or heartsease, which as its charming name suggests, has long been said to have the power to ease the pain of a broken heart. The flower esence is considered particularly efficacious in bringing comfort to the lovesick, while herbalists use this soothing plant to treat such skin conditions as eczema and acne. As a cooling expectorant, it can bring relief in case of respiratory congestion, too, and arthritis-sufferers also value heartsease for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Creaky Knees?

According to the ancient system of zodiacal physical correspondences Capricorn governs the knees, which may become prone to arthritis. A heartsease poultice can ease arthritis. A heartsease poultice can ease arthritic pain. Mix the dried herb with hot water to make a paste, sandwich the paste between two pieces of gauze, and then bandage the poultice into place.

Goddesses Associated With Wednesday, The Day of Wodin

Isis, Demeter, Ceres, Spider Woman, Bona Dea, Oya, Devi-Kali, Hella, Rhiannon, Coatlique, Maman Brigette

Source

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

The Goddess Book of Days for Wednesday, January 4th

Pueblo Deer Dances (Native American) women’s fertility ceremony for the Deer Mothers, so that they may have many children. (Spider Woman, Changing Woman, Iatiku, Mawu, Juno, Hathor, Freya, Oddudua, Hera, Erzulie, Aida Wedo). In Greece, the Lenaia of Dionysus, God of Fertility and Wine. He is Adonis, Bacchus, Apollo, Pan, Tammuz, Damuzi, Heme, Lugh, Osiris, Chango, and Damballah.

 

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

 

Wednesday, January 4th

Wednesday is the day of the Teutonic deity known as Wodin or Odin, an aspect of the Allfather, 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 Beth (Birch) – December 24 – January 20

The Runic Half Month of Eoh (yew tree) – December 28 – January 12

Goddess of the Month of Hestia – December 26 – January 22nd

 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

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Today is Wednesday, January 4th, We Celebrate…..

Chilseong-je (Korea)
CALLISTO

Themes: Instinct; Protection; Flexibility

Symbols: A Bear; a Willow Branch; the Constellation Ursa Major

About Callisto: Appearing sometimes as a she-bear guarding her cubs, the Greek goddess Callisto reinspires the natural instincts with which we have lost touch and illustrates the intensity of maternal love. Her other name is Helic, which means “to turn” or “willow branch”; she thus has the power to help with personal transformations. In mythology, Callisto became Ursa Major while pregnant with Zeus’s child. Artemis changed her into a bear, along with her son, who became Ursa Minor.

To Do Today: In Korea, the festival of Chilseong-je begins at midnight with an offering of white rice and water to the seven stars (Ursa Major). This gift ensures Callisto’s assistance when needed throughout the coming months. If you can’t stay up till midnight, just leave the rice and water in a special spot before you go to bed. From her celestial home, Callisto stands ready to protect us in the new year and provide us with adaptability as a coping mechanism. To encourage this, carry a silver or white stone bear, or a piece of dried willow wood. Bless this token, saying,

Callisto, release in me the power
of flexibility.
Where’er I carry this little charm,
keep me ever safe from harm.

If these tokens aren’t handy, you can substitute any white or silver item, or a hand-drawn picture of Ursa Major (the Big Dipper).

 

365 Goddess: A Daily Guide To the Magic and Inspiration of the goddess
Patricia Telesco

 

The Magick of Wednesday

Communication
Divination
Luck
Safety
Health
Wisdom
Commerce
Business

Planet: Mercury

Color: Purple

Crystals: Aventurine, Agate

The Sky This Week for January 4 to January 8

 

By Richard Talcott

Wednesday, January 4

Earth reaches perihelion, the closest point to the Sun during its year-long orbit, at 9 a.m. EST. The two then lie 91.4 million miles (147.1 million kilometers) apart. It surprises many people to learn that Earth comes closest to the Sun in the dead of winter, but the cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year arises because the Sun lies low in the sky.

The Sun is in the news more than once today. Although people in the Northern Hemisphere experienced the shortest day of the year two weeks ago (at the winter solstice December 21), the Sun has continued to rise slightly later with each passing day. That trend stops this morning for those at 40° north latitude. Tomorrow’s sunrise will arrive a second or two earlier than today’s. This turnover point depends on latitude. If you live farther north, the switch occurred a few days ago; closer to the equator, the change won’t happen until later this month.

Thursday, January 5

First Quarter Moon arrives at 2:47 p.m. EST. Our satellite rises in the east around noon local time but doesn’t become prominent until the Sun sets around 5 p.m. By 6 p.m., it appears due south and nearly two-thirds of the way to the zenith. The Moon’s half-lit orb then lies among the background stars of southern Pisces.

Friday, January 6

Jupiter dominates the morning sky in early January. The giant planet rises before 1 a.m. local time and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by the time twilight begins. Jupiter shines brilliantly at magnitude –2.0 and shows a disk that spans 36″ when viewed through a telescope. A small scope also reveals the planet’s four bright moons, though you may have to hunt for one of them this morning. The shadow of volcanically active Io starts to transit Jupiter at 5:24 a.m. EST, and the moon itself begins to cross the planet’s disk at 6:37 a.m.

Saturday, January 7

The variable star Algol in Perseus appears faintest at 12:30 a.m. EST tomorrow morning, when it shines at magnitude 3.4. If you start watching it immediately after darkness falls, you can see it dim from its peak brightness (magnitude 2.1) to minimum and then rise back to maximum all in a single night. This eclipsing binary star runs through a cycle from minimum to maximum and back every 2.87 days, but the drop from peak brightness and subsequent rise lasts only about 10 hours. Algol appears in the eastern sky after sunset and passes nearly overhead around 8 p.m. local time.

The dwarf planet Pluto is in conjunction with the Sun at 2 a.m. EST. The distant world then lies on the far side of the Sun from our perspective and can’t be seen.

Sunday, January 8

Although Mercury passed between the Sun and Earth in late December, it already has returned to view before dawn. This morning, you can find the inner planet 9° above the southeastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. Shining at magnitude 0.2, it should show up through the twilight glow. If you don’t see it right away, binoculars will bring it into view. A telescope reveals Mercury’s 8″-diameter disk, which appears one-third illuminated.

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Wednesday, January 4th

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 136.10° SE
Sun Altitude: 16.15°
Sun Distance: 91.404 million mi
Next Equinox: Mar 20, 2017 5:28 am (Vernal)
Sunrise Today: 7:08 am↑ 118° Southeast
Sunset Today: 4:51 pm↑ 242° Southwest
Length of Daylight: 9 hours, 42 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 72.45° ENE
Moon Altitude: -26.13°
Moon Distance: 234949 mi
Next Full Moon: Jan 12, 20175:33 am
Next New Moon: Jan 27, 20176:07 pm
Next Moonrise: Today11:08 am
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 37.0%

Source

timeanddate.com