Today is Friday the 13^th, a day that is supposed to be bad luck.

While Superstitions can be fun, we must realize that the scientific reason that some superstitions seem to hold true has to do with our emotional blind spots and our RAScals.

Remember that our conscious mind is only aware of those things that are important to it. It doesn’t notice anything else. We block things that are unimportant to us and notice things that are important to us.

One of the jobs of our creative subconscious is to keep us sane. It obeys us without question; therefore if we say Friday the 13^th is unlucky, our creative subconscious will block our awareness of anything good that happens today. We will notice only the bad things and none of the good, thus restoring our sanity.

In other words, we create our own bad luck by believing that today will be unlucky.

I am really excited today, because I decided that Friday the 13^th will be lucky for me. Great things are going to happen simply because I believe they will.

You can decide to have good luck, today, too.

Now, since it is Friday the 13^th, I decided to research other common superstitions and share their origins with you today.

Bad luck

Friday the 13^th This superstition came because Jesus was crucified on a Friday and there were 13 people present at the Last Supper.

Opening an umbrella indoors Umbrellas were originally designed to protect us from the sun, not the rain. Opening an umbrella indoors offended the sun god and therefore would bring bad luck to the house.

Black cat crossing your path Cats were at one time thought to be connected to evil spirits. If a black cat crossed your path, it was felt that an evil Spirit was haunting you.

Broken mirrors At one time people believed that your soul wasreflected in a mirror. To break a mirror was to separate the soul from the body.

Walking under a ladder Criminals were once hung from the top rung of ladders, therefore walking under a ladder exposed one to the gateway to the underworld. The triangle formed by a ladder leaning against a wall represents life to some and by breaking the triangle of life, you are somehow tempting fate and risking your life.

Spilling salt In the days before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food. It was a an expensive commodity, therefore spilling it was like throwing Money away.

Good luck

Finding a penny and pick it up Of course, finding money will always bring good luck to anyone who picks it up.

Knock on wood This superstition comes from the pagan belief that all living things have a spirit. If you cut down a tree, you would release an evil spirit, but if you knocked on the wood, you would scare the evil spirits away. Other traditions say that if you knock on wood you are actually knocking on the door of the good spirits in order to receive a blessing.

Horseshoes Witches were believed to hate horses (which is why they rode brooms) so if you hang a horseshoe over your doorway, you would ward off witches from entering your home.

Rabbits foot A rabbit’s foot was bad luck for the rabbit, but good luck for the bearer of it since it most likely meant that the rabbit gave his life for a hearty stew. Since rabbits are prolific breeders, having rabbit stew meant that the chances of eating well for a long time were great.

Itchy right palm This was a favorite of my paternal grandmother. She believed that if your right palm itched, you would get money but if your left palm itched, you would have to pay out money. This superstition originated from the days when money was scarce and the sensation of money crossing your palms would be memorable.

Gotta go, my right hand is itching. See, I told you today would be lucky.

Related articles

• “Popular Superstitions” (ueclub.wordpress.com)
• Myths.. Superstitions… and Origins of 2012′s first Friday The 13th (bazaardaily.com)
• Friday the 13th: 13 superstitions explained (mnn.com)
• Superstitions (caitlindurkin.wordpress.com)
• Friday the 13th and Superstitions (catseyesk.wordpress.com)
• Friday the 13th: the superstitions and the skeptics (cbc.ca)