The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-06-08
Astrological Significance of the Days of
the Week,

There is one feature of hoary astrology
which is probably almost as ancient as any
portion Of the science, yet which remains,
even to the present day, and viii probably
remain for many years to come. 1 refer
to the influence which the planets were
supposed to exert on the successive hours
of every day-a belief from which the d.
vision of time into weeks of seven days
each unquestionably had its origin-though
we may concede that the subdivision of
the lunar month into four equal parts was
also considered in selecting this convenient
measure of time. Every hour had its
planet, and, dividing twenty -four by seven,
we get three and three over, whence, each
day containing twenty-four hours, it fol-
lows that in each day the complete series
of seven planets was run through three
times, and three planets of the next series
were used. Now, the order of the planets
was that Of their distances, as indicated
above. Saturn came first, then Jupiter.
Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and the
Moon. Beginning with Saturn, as ruling
the first hour of Saturn's day Saturday, }
We get through the above series three times,
and have for the last three hours of the
day, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. Thus the
next hour, the first hour Of the next day,
belongs to the sun-Sunday follows Sat
urday. We again run three times through
the series, and the three remaining hours
are governed by the sun, Venus and Mer-
cury-giying the moon as the first planet
for the next day. Monday thus follows
Sunday. The last three hours of Monday
are ruled by the moon, Saturn and Jupiter,
leaving Mars to govern the next day
Martis dies, Mardi, Tuesday, or Tuisco's
day. Proceeding in the same way, we get
Mercury for the next day, Mercurii dies,
Mercredi, Wednesday, or Woden's day;
Jupiter for the next day, Jovia dies, Jeudi,
Thursday, or Thors day; Venus for the
next day, Veneries dies, Vendredi, Friday,
or Freya's day; aud so we come to Satur-
day again. The period Of seven days,
which had its origin in and derived its
nomenclature from astrological ideas, shows
by its wide prevalence how widely astrolog-
ical superstitions were once spread among
the nations. As Whewellremarks Though
for reasons which viii readily be under
stood, he was by no means anxious to dwell
upon the true origin of the Sabbatical
week, "the usage is found all over the
East; it existed among the Arabians, As
syrians, and Egyptians. The same week
is found in India, among the Brahmins; it
has there also its days marked by the names
of the heavenly bodies; and it has been
ascertained that the same day has, in that
country, the name corresponding with its
designation in other nations. The period
has gone on without interruption or irreg-
ularity from the earliest recorded times to
our own days, traversing the extent of ages,
and the revolutions of empires; the names
of ancient deities, which were associated
with the stars, were replaced by those of
the objects of the worship Of our Teutonic
ancestors, according to their views of the
correspondence Of the two mythologies;
and the Quakers, in rejecting these names
of days, have cast aside the most ancient
existing rule of astrological as well as idola-
trous superstition" Net only do the
names remain, but some of the obseryances
connected with the old astrological systems
remain even to this day. As ceremonies
derived from pagan worship are still con-
tinued, though modified in form and with
a different Interpretation, in Christian, and
especially Roman Catholic observanees, so
among the Jews and among Christians the
rites and ceremonies of the old Egyptian
and Chaldean astrology are still continued
though no longer interpreted as of yore
The great Jewish Lawgiver and those who
followed him seem, for example, to have
recognized the value of regular periods of
rest (whether really required BY man, or
become a necessity through long habit
but to have been somewhat in doubt how
best to continue the practice in thus sane
tioning the superstitions with which it had
been connected At any rate, two differ
ent and inconsistent interpretations we're
given in the earlier and later codes of law.
But whether the Jews accepted the Sab
bath because they believed that an all
powerful Being, having created the world
in six days, required aud took rest ("and
was refreshed on the seventh, rs stated
in Exodus, xxi. and XXX, II, or whether
they did so in remembrance of their de-
parture from Egypt, as stated in Deuteron-
omy, V, 10, there can be no question that
among the Egyptians the Sabbath or Sat
urn's day was a day of rest, because of the
malignant nature of the powerful planet
deity who presided over that day. Nor
can it be seriously doubted that the Jews,
descended from the old Chaldeans, among
whom Gas appears from stone inscriptions
recently discOvered) the very word Sab
bath was in use for seventh day of rest
connected with astrological observances,
were familiar with the practice even before
their sojourn in Egypt. They had then
probably regarded it as a superstitious
practice to be eschewed, like those idola-
trous observanees which had caused Terah
to remove with Abraham and Lot from
Ur Of the Chaldees. At any rate, we find
no mention of the seventh day of rest az
religious observance until after the exodus.
1t was not their only religious observance
: having in reality an astrological origin.
Indeed, if we examine the Jewish sacrifi-
cial system, as described in Numbers xviii.
and elsewhere, we shall find throughout
taeit reference to the motions or influences
Of the celestial bodies. There was the
morning and evening sacrifice, guided by
the movements of the sun; the Sabbath
offering, determined by the predominance
Of Saturn; the offering of the new moon,
depending on the motions Of the moon;
and, lastly, the Paschal sacrifice, depend
ing on the combined movements of the
sua and mOon-made, in fact, during the
lunation following the suns passage Of the
equator at the rising sign of Aries
J. Belgravia.