Ah Sunday, the final day of the week! (or in some cases, the first?)

Sunday, as with Monday, is pretty easy to pick out what this day is named for- literally the Sun’s Day. In many religions, the sun deity is among the most important deities. Why would it not be, since it is the sun which is the literal source of all life on our planet? The sun is our closest star.

In ancient paganism, as well as some modern indigenous polytheism, the Sun Cult was and is incredibly popular. In Christian theology, Sunday is the most holy day, as Friday is for Muslims and Saturday for those of the Jewish faith. The name for Sunday in the Romance languages is related to Christianity

Amaterasu is one of the most revered goddesses in Shinto and the only solar deity, and the Egyptians had a great many deities whose symbol was the sun. In Chinese Tradtion, Xihe is a solar goddess who is one of two consorts to the Supreme Deity Dijun (her co-consort is Changxi, the lunar goddess). In Hinduism, Sunday is the day dedicated to Surya, the Sun God. Like many sun deities, Surya rides in a chariot, his drawn by seven horses representing the seven colors of the rainbow. Cleanliness is especially important on this day and oily and fried foods and salt are avoided.

The sun has always been a source of power and intrigue, and although in many Western cultures Sunday is a day of rest, for myself it feels more like a day of invigorating energy. Every day of the week has a different energy, and Sunday is no exception.

To say that Sunday is a day of rest is not untrue. By rest, I take it to mean doing things that bring me pleasure, but still doing things. On Sundays I go for my long morning walks, work outside more, or other such things. I generally feel energetic on Sundays, and I like to put my energy to use in some way. This does not mean I work; I consider doing anything for fun or please “not work.” Remember that Sunday can often set the tone for the rest of the week. Make sure to keep it bright and full of fun and happiness.

Animals; dragon, horse, scarab

Colors; amber, gold, red, white

Crystals; amber, carnelian, diamond, gold, sunstone, tiger’s eye, topaz

Elements; fire

Energies; agriculture, creativity, growth, happiness, hope, health, humility, self-expression, spiritual connection, success, victory

Foods; cinnamon, lemon, orange, other citrus fruit

Goddesses; Amaterasu, Bastet, Brighid, Sulis, Xihe

Gods; Apollo, Belenus, Helios, Khepri, Mitra, Ra, Ravi, Zhulong

The second day of our Week of Rituals and Correspondences, Tuesday is a day of energy. Whether this energy is positive or negative is yet to be seen, just always expect a day of fast-paced physical activity. We get the English word for Tuesday from Tiw or Tyr, a Germanic deity associated with law and heroic glory. He is often portrayed as having only one hand. So, Tuesday is Tyr’s Day.

In Romance languages such as French and Spanish, the second day of the week is mardi or mardes, which stems from the Roman god Mars, the equivalent to the Greek Ares.

On Tuesday, we bask in the glory of the gods of war. We are energized by their being, which gives us the strength to face the day ahead. This can be a double edged sword for us, as tension can also run very high throughout this day, and we must be careful not to give in to stress and anger as the gods who rule this day often did.

As we leave the calming and largely feminine influence of the moon we are thrust into a powerfully energetic day under Mars. Tuesdays are days to connect with passion, energy, courage, victory, and protection. According to Hindu tradition, those who observe a fast on Tuesday must specifically avoid eating salt.

As there are many more deities of war and combat than can be named, I have chosen only a few with whom I am familiar but it is by no means an exhaustive list.

Animals;

Colors; black, orange, red

Crystals; bloodstone, garnet, red jasper, red tourmaline, ruby, steel

Elements; fire

Energies; aggression, breaking negativity, conflict, courage, dominance, ego, leadership, marriage, protection, revenge, strength, success, victory

Foods; allspice, basil, chili, garlic, ginger, onion, pepper, red foods, spicy foods

Goddesses; Bastet, Durga, Kali, Morrighan, Sekhmet, 

Gods; Ares, Chiyou, Hanumaan, Maahes, Mars, Rudianos, Tyr

I hope to successfully complete a week’s worth of daily correspondences, so here we begin! Monday is an excellent day; personally, I feel the week begins best with what Monday teaches us.

It’s common knowledge that our word for Monday comes from “moon” and “day.” This is the same in Romance languages as well; in French, lundi and Spanish, lunes, both of which come from these languages’ respective words for moon as well (lune and luna). In various cultures around the world, the moon is an aspect of a divine being, closely associated with a deity or avatar. Many times it is of a female deity or goddess, though in some, it is of a male deity or god. I believe the moon is most often portrayed as female, as it reflects closely a woman’s cycle, though this is not an end-all, be-all strict rule.

Regardless of whether the lunar deity of a culture is particularly auspicious on Monday, we can learn a great many things from observing the daily power of moon’s day. On the first day of the week, it is always important to understand the moon and what effects it has on our life, emotions, physical state, and the earth around us. Whether the lunar deity you honor is male or female is whatever is right with you. Regardless of this, Monday is a day of reflection and introspection. We flow, we wax and wane, we reflect what we see. In this, we learn how to accept change just as the moon changes its shape daily, waxing and waning through the month. We learn how to influence the things around us just as the moon influences the tides of the ocean. We let the calming, easiness of the moon affect our activities on this day.

Monday is a day of dreamwork, psychic pursuits, and emotional cleansing. Take care to not let illusions cloud your sight or judgement. The follow list of correspondences is not meant to be comprehensive, but I would love anyone to add to this as necessary.

Animals; hare or rabbit,

Colors; silver, white, gray, deep blue

Crystals; aquamarine, moonstone, mother-of-pearl, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, selenite

Element(s); space/void/ether, water

Energies; dreams, fertility, illusion, insight, peace, prophecy, serenity, travel, wisdom

Foods; banana, cauliflower, chamomile, coconut, grapes, mint, mushrooms, sweet foods

Goddesses; Anumati, Artemis, Chang’e, Diana, Ilargi, Luna, Selene

Gods; Khonsu, Máni, Shiva, Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto