Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders ’bout to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way.— “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
You said it, Stevland. If you are superstitious, you are definitely weird, because it’s all a bunch of nonsense. Some less enlightened bloggers actually skip their 13th post because they think it will bring them bad luck, but not this blog.
Let’s examine some popular superstitions.
Common Superstitions
Friday the 13th
Many people believe that Friday the 13th is bad luck. Some apartments and hotels omit the 13th floor, and some airlines fly without a 13th row. It’s even rumored that Heidi Montag skipped her 13th plastic surgery.
The generally accepted theory on the origin of this one is that Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper and that Christ was crucified on a Friday. So only Christians need to worry about this one; Jews and Muslims can relax and go about their business on Friday the 13th. And apparently Christians really need to think before the next time they say, “TGIF!”
Walking Under a Ladder
The triangle shape of the ladder against a wall is the issue here. Anyone who has taken high school geometry knows that evil spirits live in triangles, and you awaken evil spirits when you walk through the triangle shape. If you do accidentally walk under a ladder, you can counter the bad luck by crossing your fingers, or by reciting the Pythagorean theorem.
This one would seem to make sense for practical reasons. If you walk under a ladder, the person working on the ladder might drop something. You could get hit in the head with tools, building materials, lunch wrappers, discarded chewing gum, cigarette butts, and even spit.
Breaking a Mirror
Break a mirror and according to legend it’s seven years bad luck. In the past, a mirror was believed to be a reflection of the soul, so breaking a mirror created a broken soul. If you break a mirror, you can avoid the bad luck by taking the pieces outside and burying them under a full moon.
Of course, this would only apply to people who actually have souls, so you don’t have to worry about this one if you’re a Wall Street CEO, an attorney, a politician, or an oil company executive.
Rubbing a Good Luck Charm
There’s the old reliable rabbit’s foot, gemstones, figurines of Buddha and other deities, and various other symbols, amulets, and charms that superstitious people like to rub for good luck. But for some people, the phrase “rubbing the good luck charm” has other connotations. Just saying.
Moving on, here are a few less well known superstitions:
Less Common Superstitions
Monday the 13th
Here you have the bad luck of the number 13 combined with the absolutely worst day of the week. An excellent day to stay in bed.
Breaking a CFL
It’s bad luck to break a Compact Fluorescent Light-bulb because these types of bulbs contain mercury, which is a neurotoxin. In the body, mercury disrupts cellular function at all levels. It is more toxic than lead, cadmium, arsenic, and even Rush Limbaugh.
According to experts who work for CFL manufacturers but are completely impartial, CFLs contain very small amounts of mercury, so it probably won’t kill you right away. You don’t need a Hazmat team to clean up a broken CFL. You just need to follow a simple 16-step cleaning procedure that involves evacuating and ventilating the room, using sticky tape to pick up all fragments and powder, and vacuuming or wiping with wet paper towels or wet wipes. Then you need to put all of your cleaning materials in a sealed bag or jar, and dispose of them in a government-approved disposal facility. I drive by those all the time.
Dropping Stuff from a Ladder
Dropping stuff from a ladder is not only bad luck, it’s also downright dangerous. Unless the object you drop is heavy enough to render someone unconscious, they’re probably going to be very angry. And since they’re right there under the ladder to begin with, they might just decide to push it out from under you. So if you’re going to drop something from a ladder, make sure it’s heavy, and try to aim for the head. Otherwise you could get hurt.
Breaking a Talking Mirror
If you break a talking mirror, not only do you get the seven years bad luck, but you’ve also murdered an imaginary sentient being. Which is bad enough to begin with, but this particular imaginary sentient being is licensed to the hilt by the Walt Disney Corporation, which maintains a worldwide legal team of 350 lawyers. And they want to talk to you.
In conclusion, I guess there’s no real harm done if you perpetuate some of these irrational beliefs. It just means you’re a little superstitious, and also a little WEIRD. All I can say is that I’ve broken mirrors, spilled salt, walked under ladders, and even opened umbrellas indoors, and nothing bad has ever happened to me as a result. I usually have a good day on Friday the 13th. And now I’ve made it all the way through blog post #13, and nothing bad has happened to me. Knock on wood.
1. Friday the 13th
Almost everybody believes this superstition- that Friday the 13th of any month means bad luck. This superstition is so common that a number of hotels are known to have been built without the 13th floor and airlines don’t give tickets for the 13th row. It has been believed that the 13th guest during the Last Supper was Judas and Friday was the day that Christ got crucified. Basically- quite an unlucky day all in all.
2. An Itchy Palm
It is believed that if your left palm itches, it means that you will lose money but if your right one does, you will earn, inherit or receive money. However, you must let it itch because if you go ahead and scratch it, you may end up countering the effect.
3. Walking Under a Ladder
Most rational people don’t walk under ladders lying about because they feel that something may fall on their heads and leave them unconscious. However, those who like to go along with the herd believe that walking under a ladder is equal to bad luck. The “logic” behind this belief is that you will end up awakening evil spirits when you walk through the triangle that the ladder makes with the wall.
4. Breaking a Mirror
This superstition hardly needs an explanation. Basically, if you break a mirror, bad luck will get attached to you for seven years. In the past, it was believed that a mirror reflects the person’s soul and if you smash it, the soul will get hampered as well. In case you break a mirror, you can take the broken mirror outside, dig a hole and throw the pieces inside. Don’t forget to cover it with mud or the bad luck will come after you for sure!
5. Finding a Horseshoe
If you find a horseshoe in an open field- you should consider yourself to be extremely lucky. When you find it, you are required to use your right hand to pick it up, cover one end with your spit, wish for something spectacular and then throw it over your shoulder- make sure it is the left one because otherwise, all that activity will bear no fruit.
6. Opening an Umbrella Indoors
Why should one open an Umbrella indoors? However, in case you are feeling particularly warm inside the house and wish to protect yourself from the sun rays outside, do not open your umbrella as you and your family will be on the receiving end of some bad luck.
7. Knocking on Wood
When you say something that may signify doom or anything that might change somebody else’s lucky- For example- telling somebody how lucky they are or that they will definitely ace their exams- you should immediately knock on wood and say “touch wood”.
8. Tossing Spilled Salt Over Shoulder
If you spill some salt, pick all of it carefully and toss it over the left shoulders as this will bring you good luck and help to get rid of evil spirits that are obviously lurking around.
9. Black Cats
If a black cat crosses your path, try not to follow it as you will then take the same path as the cat. Bad luck will follow immediately.
10. Mongoose
If you see a mongoose, drop everything that you are doing and follow the same path that it is taking as it will bring you good luck.
