Spell A Day

Ides of May Spell

Color of the day: Blue
Incense of the day: Lavender

In the original Roman lunar calendar, the Ides, which comes from a word meaning “to divide,” marked the center of the month, the time of the Full Moon. When the Romans switched to a solar calendar, the Ides fell out of sync with the Moon. Still, all Ides were still considered sacred to Jupiter, the king of the gods. The Ides of May also marks the Festival of Mercury, who was the son of Jupiter and the nymph Maia. Maia, also spelled Maya, has lent her name in particular to this month. Mercury’s festival is called a Mercuralia—or in Greek, a Hermoea. Mercury, the god of travel, luck, skill, wealth, and magic, was worshiped in every culture by a different name. In Greece he was called Hermes, and in Egypt he was equated with Thoth and Anubis. Although he was not worshiped in Rome from the earliest times, there was a temple to him on Aventine Hill overlooking the Circus Maximus. His temple was dedicated on May 15 in 495 b.c. In Gaul and the other Celtic countries, Mercury was the most popular of all the Roman deities. They equated him with the god Lugh, the “master of all arts,” and they gave him a female consort called Rosmerta. Any practitioner of magic should not ignore this holiday. Take the day off, and do something special. Light candles to Mercury. He likes candles of every color. If you are using eight-inch glass-enclosed votive candles, you can get one with seven consecutive colors, or with images of St. Christopher, St. Michael, or Christ. As a protector of travelers, Mercury’s place in Christianity has been taken by St. Christopher, who in his oldest icons had a dog’s head like the Greek-Egyptian Hermanubis. Hermanubis was also associated with the souls of the dead, whom he weighed on his scale. This aspect of the soul-weigher was assumed by St. Michael. And Hermanubis’ role as “Good Shepherd” was taken by Christ. During the day, you may receive a gift from Mercury in the form of a windfall or a lucky find. A gift from Mercury is a useful magical tool.

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