Days of the Week
Seven Days, Seven Characters
Every day of our week still carries the name of the body the old sky-watchers gave it — the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Each one has been associated for centuries with a particular cast of character.
The Sun
Sunday
You were born on the day the old astronomers gave to the Sun, and you carry something of its habit of being noticed. Sunday people tend to arrive at the centre of things without asking to be put there. You have a natural warmth that draws others in, a strong sense of your own shape, and a dislike of pretending to be smaller than you are. When you are well, a room is warmer for your being in it.
The Moon
Monday
You were born on the Moon’s own day, and you have inherited its habit of reflecting whatever is placed in front of it. Monday people feel the room before they read it. You take in mood the way other people take in weather, without deciding to, and you have known since childhood that most of what passes between people is unspoken. You are gentler than you let on, and far more perceptive than you are usually given credit for.
Mars
Tuesday
You arrived on the day the old sky-watchers gave to Mars, and something of that forward motion lives in you. Tuesday people tend to move first and explain later. You are direct where others hedge, decisive where others circle, and you carry a low steady heat that people feel in a room before you have said a word. You are not restless for its own sake. You are simply built to close the distance between an idea and its arrival.
Mercury
Wednesday
You were born on the day given to Mercury and, before him, to Woden — both of them travellers, both of them known for cleverness rather than force. Wednesday people think in connections. You are quick, curious, and slightly allergic to being bored, and you have probably been told at some point that you have too many interests. You do not. You have one interest, which is how things fit together.
Jupiter
Thursday
You were born on Thor’s day, which the Romans gave to Jupiter — the largest planet, and the one associated with abundance rather than restraint. Thursday people think in wide horizons. You are drawn to the bigger version of any question, you have an appetite for meaning, and you tend to believe things will work out, which is often the reason they do. There is an openness to you that other people find unusually easy to be around.
Venus
Friday
You were born on the day of Frigg and of Venus — both of them associated with love, beauty and the making of bonds. Friday people are relational to the core. You understand yourself partly through who you are close to, you notice beauty involuntarily, and you have a low tolerance for ugliness, cruelty and rooms that have not been cared for. You are more sensitive to atmosphere than you usually admit.
Saturn
Saturday
You were born on Saturn’s day, the only day of our week that still carries a Roman god’s name in English — and Saturn is the planet of boundaries, time and consequence. Saturday people are built for the long haul. You are more serious than you let on, more self-reliant than is good for you, and you have known since you were young that most things worth having take longer than anyone admits.