What are you superstitious about?

[tracilicious]

The new years thread and the tech support thread brought this thought to my mind: New Years day is one of the only things I'm superstitious about. The year we got married I had a terrible New Years day. I lost a few long time friends and betrayal and stress abounded. If it weren't for getting married, I'd call it my worst year ever.

Last New Years day we woke up to find the heater broken. We had horrible landlords and went the rest of winter using space heaters. A nice word for this year is eventful. A better word is harrowing. Baby Jade was born though, making it a good year.

I find myself nervous about this coming New Years day. I'm fearful that if something bad happens then I will have another bad year. Logically I know that isn't true, but the superstition remains.

Am I alone in my irrational superstitions?

[€uroMeinke]

I'm more skeptical the superstitious about things, but I find that this time of year - or rather that space around New Years and my birthday which happens later in January are times I like to reflect about where I am and where I'm headed in the future. This sometimes involves breaking out the Tarot cards and doing a reading for myself.

But I usually don't see this as a "fortune telling" exercise, but rather a tool to get at what might be happening in my subconscious mind, as the symbols and archetypes of the cards tend to be universals, so for me it's a sort of a spiritual rorschach test.

[tracilicious]

I don't really get Tarot. Can you explain the premise if it isn't fortune telling?

[Gemini Cricket]

I do the knock on wood thing, the salt over shoulder thing and when my ears ring I always say 'someone's talking about me'.
But I don't know if I really believe it. It's more like a game to me.

My mom and grandparents were/are very superstitious.
Here are some they believe/d:

1. If you drop a fork, someone's going to visit you at your door later.
2. When you're not using a broom, never store it bristles down. Bad luck.
3. A mirror on a bed is bad luck.
4. If your left palm itches, you're going to get money soon. If the right itches, you're going to lose money.
5. If you're talking to someone and you call them by someone else's name accidentally, it means that the person you mentioned is thinking about you.
6. Cats are bad luck.
7. You should never whistle at night. Bad luck.
8. Under a ladder... bad luck.
9. They always do the sign of the cross when an ambulance passes by with it's siren on.
10. Never step on someone's grave... bad luck.
11. If you raise your hand to someone older like you're going to strike them, your hand will stick out of your own grave when they bury you after you die.

That's just a few...

[€uroMeinke]

I don't really get Tarot. Can you explain the premise if it isn't fortune telling?

Each card has symbology associated with it corresponding to numerology, astrology, and other iconographies, so when laying out the cards - you interpret those symbols, their position on the reading, and their relationship with each other (I compare this with what one does to analyze a work of art or piece of literature). When I do this for myself (or a firend) I'll start free interpreting and seeing what resonates, if I find something I'll explore it further. It's that act of interpretation that I find most revaltory in the way I read.

Of course I suspect a fortune teller does the same thing, using different terms ;)

[Not Afraid]

I occasionally knock on wood.

I'm too much of a rule breaker to have too many superstitions. Plus, I have cats (including a black one) and I lose money all the time and my right palm never itches. ;)

[wendybeth]

I never place a bed with the foot end toward a door. I also do the salt thing- I've no idea why, but there you have it.

[Betty]

I do the salt thing... knock on wood and I don't walk under ladders. Although for most ladders I come in contact with, it would require going out of my way to walk under one. I don't open umbrella's in the house either.

None of these things I really "believe" in - that is - that something bad will happen if I dont (or do) do them - but I do them anyway.

[tracilicious]

I do the knock on wood thing, the salt over shoulder thing and when my ears ring I always say 'someone's talking about me'.
But I don't know if I really believe it. It's more like a game to me.



I'm the same way with a few things. I always hold my breath and make a wish in a tunnel. Growing up, such superstitions were a "sin," so some of it I do just to rebel against my strict upbringing.

When I sold cars, the other sales people were very superstitious. I caught hell for opening an umbrella in the building. Then I went to the parking lot and my car was the only one in a huge puddle of water, so maybe they were right. :p

[Capt Jack]

I never place a bed with the foot end toward a door.


hmm...dont know that one. nearly every bed I can think of Ive had did that moreso because of the layout of the room more than anything else.

whats supposed to fall off if I sleep this way? :eek:

[tracilicious]

Feng shui says that the only time you should lay down with your feet facing the door is when you are dead.

[AllyOops!]

5. If you're talking to someone and you call them by someone else's name accidentally, it means that the person you mentioned is thinking about you.

10. Never step on someone's grave... bad luck.


Whew! Now I can leave with a warm feeling that I'm thought of everytime I do this in bed with some guy! :snap: How can I be faulted, really, when I just met him and the only time I uttered his name was twice when I went to thank him for my 15 Alabama Slammers & 2 Sloe screws against the wall and then I when asked him home with me? (Although I think I referred to him as "hey dude wanna get some" at that point). :(

I am so TOTALLY KIDDING!! Good golly. I kid like a pig.

I didn't realize how superstitious I was until I read GC's post! :) In regards to the graveyard superstion, I wrestle with this one quite a bit. When I go to the cemetery, try as I may, it is impossible not to step on graves. The plots are packed pretty tightly together and unless you can fly, it's one of those things you kinda can't avoid. But I DO feel bad doing it, so I try to step lightly.

*I have to tap my dashboard twice everytime I run a yellow light. However, this only applies to when you're moving straight ahead. Not on right or left turns.

*Everytime I pass my Church or a Catholic church, I make the Sign Of The Cross. I notice that now I include Churches of all Religions. I felt guilty only including my own denomination.

*I knock on wood.

*Everytime I say something awful, in regards to an awful event bestowing myself or anybody I love, it must be followed with "God forbid". Example? "You just know I'm going to end up sick with the flu all season, God forbid"

*I prefer not to walk under ladders, but I think black cats are pretty wonderful and I love them.

*I don't know if there is actually a name for this, but I fear the month of May. For four years in a row now, every month of May, I have lost a loved one tragically. I remind myself that lots of wonderful birthdays are in May, too, but I still..I panic when May nears. I just focus on the birthdays!

To be honest, this is kinda mild. if I posted my obsessive compulsive attributes, I would freak everybody out. :(

[katiesue]

Count me in with the salt thing.

[Capt Jack]

I am so TOTALLY KIDDING!! Good golly. I kid like a pig.

aww bummer. the story was just gettin good :p

my stupid-stitions...

eh, I knock wood. no clue why really.
I dont walk under ladders but thats totally a safety thing. I try not to walk under scaffolding either.
I dont like breaking mirrors. That for whatever reason always bothered me.
I pick up pennies for good luck, but thats probably alot closer to greed than superstition. :)

and yes, I wish upon stars.

oh yeah, and I had a black cat for like 15 years. (the lil (w)itch)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I am surprised at all the salt throwers. I've never seen anyone do that and I thought it was basically dead.

The only one I do of these is say "God forbid" like Ally does. And that stems from an actual belief of mine that God is always ready to smack you upside the head. ;)

[alphabassettgrrl]

Tarot (to me) is basically illuminating the patterns around me. It's easier to get to the other side of the stream, so to speak, if you know which way the current is running. If I choose a direction at random, I might get lucky. Or I might fight my way and gain two inches.

I find my cards are really bad at showing "the future". At best, they predict a possible outcome of something, much like throwing a ball- you can project where it will land, knowing its velocity, wind speed and direction, friction, etc.

That said, I think I'm up to 19 decks now. :)

Superstitions? I collect them, but I don't follow hardly any. I do some things in jest. I don't walk under ladders or scaffolding, but that's because I tend to be a target for falling or thrown objects. I certainly hope black cats are not bad luck- the universe sent me a beautiful one for a companion. I find the beliefs about "13" to be amusing. Most superstitions I find entertaining, actually. I sometimes like to find out the history of why it's bad.

[Fab]

I do Tarot, the salt thing, and when walking with someone I love and there's a pole or something that comes between us, I say "bread and butter". I also never wear matching socks, and strongly believe my birthday is cursed.

[jdramj]

Why on earth is your birthday cursed?

LOL!

I do the knock on wood, sort of, I just knock on my own forehead (which most days is just as good as something made of wood.)

I have a strange one, at work. If I work a closing shift and a manager walks up and quotes a time they wish to get out for the night, you can add an hour to the time, as I am cursed by their wish. I have properly warned all of the managers not to do this, and 1 stupid manager forgets and we always end up being an hour late. Which pisses me off cause than I am at work an hour more than I want to be there. (This is not of my own doing, it just happens. Maybe a customer won't finish up deciding what they want and we have to stay late, or maybe money is missing from a drawer, or maybe the sales people don't have their area cleaned....etc.)

[Fab]

It just *is*. Honest!

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I have no real superstitions. I do use expressions like "knock on wood" or "bless you" (after someone sneezes), but these are done out of humor or just societal conventions (respectively). I also have some OCDs that somewhat mimic "stupidstitions", but in no way do I believe in any supernatural force(s).