Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Superstition



(Play video for ambiance)

Conversation at my book club last night veered into other-worldly matters. Specifically, ghosts in our midst, karma, superstitions. I’ve always found it very strange that so many superstitions are accepted even in our advanced society. You’d be hard-pressed to find a thirteenth floor in many buildings (heck, they even make scary movies about it), and most people will go out of their way to avoid walking under a ladder. We all know the main superstitions, things like the good luck that accompanies a rabbit’s foot or a four-leaf clover, or the bad luck you’ll tempt if you break your mirror or share the road with a black cat. But have you heard of these?

-          You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle (would come in handy after encounter with said cat)
-          Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck (who knew my 9-year-old was so superstitious?!?)
-          It is bad luck to sing at the table
-          It is bad luck to sleep on a table (?)
-          After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty.
-          An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house
-          It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom (scratch that parenting technique off the list)
-          A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown (he’s WAY too popular in the barracks—ha)
-          To drop a fork means a woman will visit
-          To drop a knife means a man will visit (or you'll need a bandaid)
-          To drop a spoon means a child will visit
-          Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle
-          It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair (and sort of creepy)
-          Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck

Oh, I could go on and on. These all made me think of a simpler time, mundane existences livened up a bit with these tales and beliefs. They didn’t have the internet then to read about all the really freaky stuff that actually does happen. Within certain families, superstitions are passed down. What beliefs do you hold true; what superstitions do you respect, just in case?

1 comment:

  1. They are suggestions that can work like spells. Awareness of wording is increasing slowly. In the UK the residues of negative SPELLS were/are mind-boggling ... There are the powerful negative suggestions to children (traditional mothering) like, 'don't run into the road or will be run over' or, 'don't climb that tree or you'll fall.'

    Along motorways you would find huge signs saying 'Tiredness kills' and on tobacco products it would say 'Smoking kills.' As if undertakers had found a trick to increase their income :)

    ReplyDelete

"As soon as we express something, we devalue it strangely. We believe ourselves to have dived down into the depths of the abyss, and when we once again reach the surface, the drops of water on our pale fingertips no longer resemble the ocean from which they came...Nevertheless, the treasure shimmers in the darkness unchanged." ---Franz Kafka