The Planetary Day and Personality
by William 'Trav' Travers
By tradition, temperament and destiny could
be determined by the day of birth. A reminder of astrology’s part
in this thinking.
‘Dancing Around the May-Pole.’ An
illustration from A Little Pretty Pocket Book for Children by John
Newbery. (1744)
It was believed in days gone by that a child’s temperament could be influenced by the day of the week it was born. The following old poem below was designed to teach children the days of the week and is one of many old fortune-telling poems illustrating a traditional belief in the planetary link between the days of the week, a child’s personality and what fate had in store for them.
There are variations of the poem. I will use the one I know, taught to me in primary school in Scotland where the word ‘bonnie’ is commonly used – I still use it myself. It is worth remembering that the meaning of words change over the years so planetary links are not always apparent. A good dictionary is also a useful tool for astrologers. Some words have a totally different meaning nowadays so bear this in mind as you read the poem.
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonnie and blithe, and good and gay.
Monday
“Fair” obviously refers to beauty but since the Moon reflects the light of the Sun it’s a less robust kind of beauty: it’s fairer, pleasing, rather than the knockout variety. Fair means just and free from bias but the word fair is also linked to auspiciousness and good fortune. So, according to the rhyme, anyone born on Monday will have a pleasing countenance, a balanced view and a lucky life. The Moon is the ruler of our emotions and the non-rational mind of our gut reactions and intuition, neither of which is necessarily based on established fact. So, it is just as well that these children have a bit of luck on their side. The Moon is hidden under the Sun’s beams at the time of a New Moon, becoming visible in the sky as a thin crescent a few days later. Being the lesser light, it is fitting that the Moon governs the day after the Sun’s day of Sunday. This reflects the Thema Mundi where both the domiciles of the Sun and Moon and exaltations are adjacent.
Tuesday
“Full of grace” from a day ruled by Mars? It seems like a contradiction because Mars is the god of war. But the drive of the battlefield Mars is as equally useful in daily life as in warfare. In both instances, attack and aggression can be planned. Our physical energy and enthusiasm can be channelled in various ways. Athletes, dancers, acrobats and those who perform their daily physical tasks with precision and dexterity (like the village blacksmith or a stonemason) have one thing in common. They are bodily fit with well-practised skills at their disposal. Smoothness of movement and effortless dexterity is second nature to them. Mars joys in the 6th house of drudgery, slavery and hard work, so practise truly does make perfect. These finely honed physical skills are the product of controlled physical strength and stamina. This is why Tuesday’s child is full of grace. They say that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind and this will give the individual the attractive qualities of good manners and a sense of appropriateness and decency that make this child full of grace.
Wednesday
“Full of woe” nowadays refers to grief, bemoaning and bewailing one’s lot in life. In the past these attributes were normally linked to having a lot of responsibilities, challenges and liabilities brought about by managing the affairs of others. As Mercury governs this mid-weekday he is appropriately sandwiched between the other planets, exactly where a scribe or messenger should be: Mercury was the messenger of the gods and at their service. Mercury is the ruler of our rational mind and intellect, so it is well suited to tasks of this kind, channelling them to the matter at hand with precision and excellence. In mythology it was believed that Mercury could be mischievous. A heavy burden kept Mercury constantly occupied with no free time to do as he pleased, hence he was full of woe. Mercury joys in the 1st house which has general signification over the head and its contents which includes the brain.
Thursday
This child has “far to go” and this brings to mind long journeys to foreign places. It seems as if this kid has hit the jackpot. But until recent times most people didn’t travel far from their hometown, village or hamlet unless on a religious pilgrimage. These were quite common in medieval times. Apart from the religious aspect, travel gives us the opportunity to meet and experience new people and new cultures and the realisation that there is something beyond ken. This can be paralleled with religion. Travel does indeed broaden the mind. However, travel can also be internal and might involve study and contemplation for it is via knowledge that we better ourselves. We gain a greater understanding of the world, a positive trait that can take us far in life. Jupiter’s benefic nature enriches us, bringing us closer to the divine plan. However, the road to enlightenment is a long one and we will have far to go before we reach our journey’s end. If we ever do.
Friday
This day is governed by Venus, traditionally the lesser benefic and the goddess of love, beauty and harmony. Venus is all about pleasure, particularly pleasures that are shared. This may give Friday its feel-good factor. It was believed to be a good day for meeting friends and for courting. However, Friday wasn’t all plain sailing, being considered a very unfortunate day. It was a particularly bad day to set sail and it was also traditional to hang criminals on a Friday; and we still talk of the ominous Friday the 13th. Friday, then, had positive and negative associations because it was believed that Eve tempted Adam with an apple on this day. Since Venus rules our flesh and passion nature, it’s an explosive combination and there is risk of being carried away. The rhyme gives indications for moderation. Friday’s child is “loving and giving” rather than being loved and given to. This child could be exploited, easily taken advantage of. It is worth keeping in mind that Venus joys in the 5th house of the Thema Mundi, the house of pleasure.
Saturday
This child will “work hard for a living” and initially seems to have drawn the short straw, getting a raw deal. As Saturn is the greater malefic we wouldn’t expect anything this planet promises to be a breeze. But it is worth bearing in mind that in olden days working hard was seen as a virtue, a positive trait. Hard work requires self-discipline and a realistic outlook. By looking back over a completed job well done, we get a sense of achievement and fulfilment, developing a sense of fortitude and self-confidence. These are highly desirable skills that provide a solid foundation upon which to build a life. Nowadays in our ‘why wait’ culture, avoidance of hard work is encouraged. This is not a realistic way of life, neither is it productive. Our hard-working forebears would tell us if they could that although Saturday’s child works hard for a living, they are richer for it.
Sunday
As the poem suggests this child is born with a sunny disposition. The word bonnie describes someone who is physically attractive and appealing. In bygone days a blithe person was thought of as a light-hearted soul, happy and without a care in the world. But now, blitheness has negative connotations such as with self-centredness, thoughtlessness and even carelessness. The Sun is at the centre of heaven and instils vitality and life with its rays. It rules our inner spiritual being so it was believed that children born under this benefic influence would both enshrine and reflect these same qualities, giving them a positive outlook in life and a generous nature.
Image sources:
Image provided by the author, Public Domain.
Published by: The Astrological Journal, Jul/Aug 2020
Author:
With Mercury in his natal
4th house, Trav Travers has studied astrology
since he was a “wee laddie”, growing up in Scotland after
finding out what the holes in the night sky were. The old lady next door
was his first teacher – he has had a few since then and holds Barbara
Dunn responsible for his interest in both horary and traditional
astrology. He promotes both through his group The Astrological Explorers
which is based in Sussex and all sessions arise from traditional
source texts. He lectures, holds workshops and continues to work
with clients. Website: theastrologicalexplorer.co.uk/.
© Trav Travers, 2020
