How to Journal with the Planetary Days
You feel the pull to write. It’s dark and everyone is asleep. It’s that magical time when you can hear your inner wisdom loud and clear. You grab a cup of something steamy, sit down and open a fresh page in your journal. But what to write?
Enter the planetary days. In this ancient model, each day of the week is “ruled” by a planet.
Monday is ruled by the Moon.
Tuesday is ruled by Mars.
Wednesday is ruled by Mercury.
Thursday is ruled by Jupiter.
Friday is ruled by Venus.
Saturday is ruled by Saturn.
Sunday is ruled by the Sun.
When a planet “rules” the day, its energy and “personality” is infused into everything. The planetary days are a simple but potent organizational structure for anything. It’s a fun way to incorporate astrology into your daily life. You can even plan your whole week with them.
When I don’t know what to write and need a little help getting started, I turn to the planet of the day. For more on why you’d want to connect with a planet and detailed instructions on how, see this post. But in essence, you can view the planets as guides who love to help you and/or as different facets of your highest self.
Start by writing an invocation followed by some planetary gratitude. This will warm up your hand and also set the tone. You can make up your own, but I might write something like this:
I call [planet] to the page.
Thank you, [planet], for being with me today.
Thank you, [planet], for always having my highest good in mind.
Thank you, [planet], for your guidance.
Thank you, [planet], for writing through me.
Now, it’s time to receive. Below are three questions to ask the planet of the day. I find specific questions to be helpful in this practice because it keeps the blank page from being overwhelming. I also find that when I ask specific questions, I get specific answers. Start with these, but feel free to make up your own. You can’t do this wrong.
Begin by writing the question out, and then let it flow. Write whatever comes up. Try not to overthink it, or think at all if possible. If you get stuck, you can rewrite the question until something comes through, or even write, “I don’t know what to write.”
It’s normal for the answers to come out in fragments or even single words at first. Just keep showing up, and I promise any awkwardness will melt away soon. Try writing for five minutes on each question, but if you get in the zone, no need to stop.
Monday—Moon
Moon, how can I take better care of myself today?
Moon, how can I be in my flow today?
Moon, what feelings need my attention, and how can I attend to them?
Tuesday—Mars
Mars, how can I respect and protect my energy today?
Mars, where am I resisting taking action, and what does this resistance have to teach me?
Mars, what’s my most important focus for today?
Wednesday—Mercury
Mercury, what thoughts or beliefs are creating the most difficulty for me right now?
Mercury, how can I coax these thoughts into something more constructive and supportive?
Mercury, what’s my guiding word for the day? And why?
Thursday—Jupiter
Jupiter, where would I benefit from a perspective shift? If I “zoom out” and take a 10,000 foot view, what do I see?
Jupiter, what words of wisdom can I keep in mind today?
Jupiter, how can I stay connected to my dreams and aspirations today?
Friday—Venus
Venus, how can I be kinder to myself today?
Venus, how can I add pleasure and delight to my day?
Venus, how can I deepen and enrich the connections in my life?
Saturday—Saturn
Saturn, what limiting beliefs am I operating from, and how can I begin to reframe them?
Saturn, where am I being lenient with my boundaries, and how can I strengthen them?
Saturn, where do I need to get real with myself? What tough love message(s) do you have for me today?
Sunday—Sun
Sun, who am I?
Sun, where do I shine?
Sun, how can I be more authentic and true to myself today?