It’s Friday the 13th!
There are a lot of superstitious people out there. Although I do prescribe to the ‘don’t walk under ladders’ and smash mirrors rule (because that’s just a bad idea on a good day), that’s more out of self preservation than a sense of dreaded superstition.
Most superstitions arose centuries ago, when people lived closer to the land and observed nature’s cycles a little more carefully. Because of this, a lot of them revolve around nature and animals. (Giving some unwilling participants a bad reputation to boot!)
So, in honor of Friday the 13th, I give you the top 5 nature superstitions:
5 – Knock on wood. Even I do this without thinking of it. If you’re worried about something awful happening, you can ‘touch wood’ to ward off bad luck or evil consequences. Although this one’s debated, most scholars belief that ‘touch wood’ arose back when people believed trees contained spirits and magical powers which could help you if asked. For the record, I definitely think trees have magical powers. 
4 – Avoid peacock feathers. I hadn’t heard of this one until recently. The legend says that the eye of the feather was seen as ‘the evil eye’. The evil eye is capable of making people sick and many went to great lengths to avoid it. Some talismans still exist to ward it off, but let’s just say if you go chasing a peacock for its tail feather you just might get more than you bargain for.
3 – Rabbit’s feet. When I was younger, I remember rabbit’s feet being a really big thing. People had them on key chains, dyed in tacky colors. These are said to bring good luck, as long as they came from the left hind foot. Because some cultures believed witches were able to shapeshift into rabbits, the rabbit’s foot idea might have originated as ‘cut from a shapeshifted witch’. Lovely…
2 – Black cats. This one’s a toss up. Some cultures believe if you see a black cat crossing your path, you might as well call it a day, because it’s bound to get a lot worse. Other cultures see black cats as good omens or signs of great things to come. In some areas, we can look again to witches for giving the black cat a bad rap. But in Egypt, these guys were seen as ‘kingly creatures’, who were given their own burial and coffin after they died. I personally think all cats are bad luck, but only for my sinuses.
1 – Eclipses. No, I’m not talking about the latest vamp movie. Eclipses have been known as terrible omens for centuries, associated with the death of kings or problems for the commoners. It’s easy to understand why it was terrifying – watching the sun or moon get engulfed in darkness in a time when we didn’t have the benefit of NASA would be quite an experience Today, with eclipses known ahead of time, we’ve grown a lot less fearful of bad luck. Not that I want to go messing with the Sun Gods or anything…
So, are you superstitious?
Or maybe just, a little stitious? 
Here’s a song that’s guaranteed to give you good luck all day! Keep it wild!
