Superstitions Part 2

I thought it would be fun to touch on some of the things in my current book. If you would like to see a lot, more superstitions get this book. *‘The Encyclopedia of Superstitions’ by: E. and M.A. Radford.

Ravens

In Norse mythology, the raven was sacred to Odin, who had two attendants’ birds, Hugin and Munin. Growing up birds was a symbol of bad luck. If a bird tries to go into you house or succeeds in getting in there will be a death in the house. If it croaks near a house where a sick person lies, that person will die. One last is a sparrow, which is said to carry souls from the Hall of Guff.

Numbers

When you think of numbers, several better-known ones come screaming to the front of my brain.

Seven

Astrologers taught that seven planets governed the universe and the life of men. We’ve all heard the gambler’s ‘lucky seven’. The seventh child is said to have special gifts.

Three

Of course the ‘Holy Trinity’. Three is a sacred number to the Pagans.

666

This is the tale-tale sign of the Beast.

Thirteen

There are many superstitions around this number. One of the better-known beliefs is that there were thirteen disciples at the ‘Last Supper’. But, there are thirteen witches to a coven. Another big one is Friday the 13th.

Sneezing

It is very customary to this day to say ‘God bless you’. Many say that the saying originated from the Greeks, who also wished the sneezer good fortune. In Scotland, a newborn’s first sneeze was awaited with anxiety. It was thought that the child was under the power of fairies until then.

A Month of Superstitions

I don’t think there is anywhere in the world one could go and not find superstitions. All this month I’m going to share some common superstitions right down to the strange. If you have a favorite or weird, superstitions please feel free to share.

* Special Note- I will be giving mostly American versions and maybe the British as well. But, there are too many takes of superstitions that it would be too time consuming to cover them all.

Mirrors

A baby could not see its reflection or it would die. Now in my family it was bad luck. Another is to cover all mirrors after the death of a family member. It was so their spirit could not come back and haunt you. And of course the favorite: breaking a mirror is said to cause seven years bad luck.

Salt

Salt has many meanings. It brings prosperity. In witchcraft, its use is for protection and cleansing of magical items. To spill salt is a very ill omen. You must throw salt over the left shoulder to avert misfortune. If salt is scattered in the direction of another bad luck will come to that person. In ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’; Mary gives The Martinis salt as a house-warming gift. So their life would always have flavor.

Black cats

It’s bad luck to have a black cat cross your path. In Britain it is lucky to own a black cat and unlucky to own a white cat. A dying cat was often thrown outside for feat that Death, when it came for the cat it would stay for a member of the family.

Knock on Wood

To touch wood or knock on wood is a superstition action to ward off any evil consequences or bad luck, perhaps because of some recent action you’ve taken or untimely boasting about your good fortune (“I’ve never been in danger of drowning, touch wood”); it can also be a charm to bring good luck. The origin is unknown, though some writers have pointed to pre-Christian rituals involving the spirits of sacred trees such as the oak, ash, holly or hawthorn. There is, I’m told, an old Irish belief that you should knock on wood to let the little people know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck. There’s also a belief that the knocking sound prevents the Devil from hearing your unwise comments. Others have sought a meaning in which the wood symbolizes the timber of the cross, but this may be a Christianisation of an older ritual. It wasn’t always wood that was lucky: in older days, iron was also thought to have magical properties, and to touch iron was an equivalent preventative against ill fortune.

I find it fascinating to see some of these superstitions. But what is more remarkable is that we still believe in them. Myself included. Most of these I’ve covered are the superstitions I grew up with and to this day still practice. Better safe then sorry.

Carnage, the New Year and Me!

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and is ready to get back to work on there projects. Over the holiday, I saw the remake of Halloween by Rob Zombie. Okay, first I’m all for remake and usually enjoy them as much as the original. But, the entire movie is nothing but carnage. Way over the top.

Next thing I want to cover is career. If my books don’t sell this, I will have to step back and rethink many things. I intend to cover more writing and publishing issues on my blog and maybe a few surprises as well. I also want to make more friends and connections. I made a list of several that I would like to know.

As for resolutions, and myself which will be rampant over many blogs over the next few weeks. If you read my blog, you know that I don’t make resolutions. But I do intend to make myself my main project this year. 01/22/08 I will be smoke free for one year. Now that my 40th birthday is around the corner I have decide to make health my goal over the next year and beyond. I mean the whole thing: exercise, weight loss, healthy eating and spirituality.

So sit back and join in the discussions. Again, Happy New Year. What do you have planned for yourself in the coming year?