At the close of last week’s post, we concluded that, although the ‘week’ was only broadly defined as a fraction of a moon-cycle, it had become an essential ‘container’ in our our outer lives. Our working and social existence depends on the week being in place. International travel would be unworkable unless we had agreement on which day of the week was being swept across the world with the sunrise.

Can we move this usefulness from a purely convenient and temporal basis to something that might help us on a higher level of our being?

The beauty of the week of seven days is the power inherent in its recurrence. Like the notes on a keyboard, the pattern is always the same, though the octave may be different. From ancient times, the days were seen to have different ‘characters’, just like the notes of music are seen to combine in different ways that can be harmonic or not.

Viewing the names of the seven days in French gives us a clue to this ancient derivation of a link between each day and the energy of one of the seven planets visible to the naked eye.

The Days: Lundi – Monday; Mardi – Tuesday; Mercredi – Wednesday; Jedi – Thursday; Vendredi – Friday; Samedi – Saturday; and Dimanche – Sunday.

Some of these immediately suggest a planetary connection. Let’s examine the list again with this in mind:

Lundi – Monday – suggests ‘Moon’ ; Mardi – Tuesday – suggests ‘Mars’; Mercredi – Wednesday – suggests ‘Mercury’; Jeudi – Thursday suggests Jupiter; Vendredi – Friday suggests Venus.

For the weekend, English is good enough: Saturday suggests Saturn; Sunday speaks for itself…

We can put our results into a table, as below:

Note that the planetary names have been replaced by the letters A-G. We will refer to these as intervals. There are also a majority of blank squares in the above matrix, which we will address, later. But first things first…

In this table, the interval letters (A-G) in this table are the ruling planets for each day. ‘Ruling’ here means the planet in question lends a positive and creative flavour to that day. We are going to examine a method of using this energy to take things forward in our own lives.

The days of the week were assigned these planetary attributes in ancient times to convey that each day had a specific nature. This is not the same thing as having a personal horoscope charted. These are general energies that work to assist everyone.

Through popular astrology, we have a ready-made set of mental and emotional associations for them. A few examples of these characteristics are:

The Sun (A) is all-feeding, glorious in its power, benign and seemingly ever-giving. It promotes growth and development. It shines the light of truth and knowledge on things, but it can also burn.

The Moon (D) relates to the emotions and also to the reproductive cycles of women and their higher energies. It is nurturing and linked to mysteries in general.

Mars (G) is warlike and typically male. It is linked to initiative, energy and assertiveness, but can be impetuous.

Mercury (C) is quick-witted and the heart of communication. It is the thinking core of the ‘messenger’. But it can be shallow and move on too quickly.

Jupiter (F) is a party- animal. Bountiful and playful. The bringer of good fortune to all, but excess might beckon…

Venus (B) is the goddess of love, sex and beauty. Feminine, but capable of being beyond sexuality.

Saturn (E) is limitation. The rule and law maker that creates a framework in which orderly things can happen. Often misunderstood. It slows to ensure perfection…

The above are just a few examples of the characteristics of the ancient planets. Those familiar with astrology will be able to add many more to each. If not, a small reference book will flesh out this list of attributes.

This small amount of effort fits with the essence of what we do next, which is to work to make these personal.

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, when taken at the flood leads on to fortune…

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where Brutus talks to Cassius

Equipped with the above, we can use the week to establish a principle of recurring harvest. Regardless of what time actually is (or is not) there is a principle of seed to flower to harvest to seed in nature. For, say, an apple harvest, this is an annual cycle. For our psychological intent, which moves within faster cycles, we can use the week as the period of recurring harvest – and subsequent re-sowing.

Select from your own life an aspect of yourself you’d like to work on – something you’d like to improve, to moderate, or to extend. Let’s say you decide that the pressures of life, and specifically that big undertaking you’re working on, are making you too reactive.

Firstly, examine the nature of each of the planets (A-G) to see which is the best fit to your desire for change. I might be going through a period of great effort where I want to acknowledge that things will take time – but that I need to accept this seeming delay to my goals – in the interest of greater ‘fit’ of the result.

I look at the table and see that this goal corresponds well with the character of Saturn. Indeed, my quest seems to align closely with the ‘hidden nature’ of this vast ruler of time…and process.

I see from the table that the day ‘ruled’ by Saturn (E) is Saturday. I resolve that, as close to the sunrise as possible on the next Saturday, I will take myself away from my normal routine (including sleep) for a short period in which I will focus on the desire and the fact that it will benefit everyone if it is successful.

With some gentle breathing, I note how the breath has an in and out cycle. With the next in-breath, I take into myself the essence of this ‘Saturn’ interval, and ‘feel’ how the powerful slowing and limiting energy is the real nature of its effectiveness. I use this to align my being with the natural power of the Saturn effect.

Now, I breathe out, feeling that I am letting go of my preconceptions of things that take too long and opening myself to what might enter my life with the next in-breath.

I take that in-breath and feel, with confidence, that something new has happened. At this stage it is just a seed… but seeds are mighty…when planted.

After that, I only need close my short vigil with whatever positive words I wish. It is always important to see any benefit being shared with others.

Now I need to leave the ‘earth’ of my life to bring the seed to the start of its development. For the next six days, I will attune to the idea and the feeling that this dawn of the new is taking place within me.

On the evening before the next ‘Saturn dawn’ I take a notebook and jot down what each day – at work and in my home life – has brought me, in terms of understanding of the process I have begun. I sort these into a short summary of positive results and prepare to take this, mentally and emotionally, into the new Saturn dawn of the next Saturday.

This next step is most important: we must be prepared to let go the gain we have seen. Letting go is as important as gaining and taking. But our letting go is back into the process of harvest.

After the general alignment of the first out and in-breath, I let go the gains of the past week with the next out-breath and feel them enrich the general ‘earth’ of my life. Then I take the in-breath and know that the previous gains have become new seeds.

This exercise is repeated each week at the time (in this case) of the Saturn-dawn.

The exercise can be repeated for as long as you wish. You will know when the results have reached a point of maturity. At this stage you might have a new perspective and wish to continue the method but with a new objective inspired by the success of the previous stage.

Next week, we will fill in the blanks of the table, and in the process examine the deeper nature of the constant effects of these ancient guardians on the Earth’s life.

©Stephen Tanham 2022

Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being.

http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog