PREVENTING GHOSTS
* Closing the eyes of the dead before burial keeps their sprits from
wandering.
* In Greece, dancing around the burial site of an enemy was a way to
keep that person's spirit from returning for revenge.
* Wash the threshold of your house immediately after a dead boy is
removed. This keeps the spirit of that person from returning.
* Within the burial site, always place a cross of iron. This will keep the spirit of that person in the grave.
* Egyptians wrapped their mummies in sweet spices so the soul smelled pleasant to the guardians of the next world, who would then allow the soul to enter the next existence.
* Provide the body with things that it loved in life - a few coins, some good wine, and so on. This brings contentment to the spirit.
* In Spain, to guarantee that the soul rests peacefully, people at the wake danced seven times around the body. Prayers were recited for the same purpose.
* In India, placing a sprig of basil in the coffin provided the spirit with a peaceful journey.
* If the clothing of the dead contains any knots this will keep the spirit from moving on. Untie these before burial.
* Open all the doors and windows in the area where the person died so the spirit can have quick passage.
* When someone is deathly ill keep all the animals out of the house so the person's spirit will not possess him.
* Before burial, place pennies on the eyes of the dead, tie their toes together so they cannot walk, and put open scissors - forming a cross -on their chest.
* Never cry at funerals. Tears falling on the dead make it more difficult for the spirit to disengage and leave this world.
* Bury the body at a border or near a crossroad. These places are considered a type of limbo that no spirit can leave.
* After burial, plant thorn bushes around both the grave and your home. The spirit will get tangled in them, and be unable to pass back into the house.
* If a person did not receive a proper burial or cremation, give him or her one. This will stop a haunting.
PROTECTION FROM THE DEAD
* Lodestone is a protective talisman against spirits. This may be due to its association with iron.
* Cover all your mirrors immediately after a death. This keeps a spirit
from using them as a portal.
* Jump into running water, or cross it. A spirit cannot follow you
there; moving water represents life.
* Bonfires and other light sources drive away malevolent spirits, like those
that walk the earth more freely on Midsummer, Hallows, and Lammas, so it was
traditional to build fires then. In the Middle Ages, people left candles near
their beds to drive away spirits. On Hallows specifically, people carried
turnips with candles inside - the original of the jack-o'-lantern - for
protection.
* Place a sprig of rosemary inside a seashell. Bind it within, using a red
thread. Carry this with you as an amulet against ghosts.
* Hang rowan and St. John's Wort over the doorway of your home, and no
malicious spirits can enter therein.
* Write the letters AGLA in the center of a hexagram and carry this token
with you. The hexagram repels evil spirits and misfortune. Cabalists used
this formula to banish spirits.
* Lodestone is a protective talisman against spirits. This may be due to its
association with iron.
* Plant houseleeks on your roof. The Latin name for this plant, sempervivium,
means "ever living", and the dead cannot bear its presence.
* Cover all your mirrors immediately after a death. This keeps a spirit from
using them as a portal.
* Jump into running water, or cross it. A spirit cannot follow you there;
moving water represents life.
* The Aztecs considered jimson weed a sacred plant that would protect from ghosts any area in which it grew.
* Angelica and nettle worn or carried as an amulet will protect the bearer
from evil spirits.
* Sleeping on the skin of an ass and drinking boneset tea keep away devilish
ghosts.
* Bathing in fennel water, or drinking it, protects one against the spirit of
disease.
* In Greece, growing violets in or around a home was considered an effective
ward against wandering spirits.
* If you are being chased by a ghost, pass through the cleft of a tree. This
confuses the spirit, and you will be safe.
SEEING AND ATTRACTING GHOSTS
*A child born at midnight, known as a chime child, has the gift of sight, as
does the seventh soon of the seventh son.
* Mayas of the Yucatan draw a chalk line from the grave to the hearth of the
deceased's home. The spirit can then find its way back to visit, whenever it
wishes.
* If you know a spirits true name, you can evoke it.
* Ghost are more readily seen and contacted at midnight (the time in between
day and night), and on the anniversary of their death.
* The veil between worlds grows thin, and ghostly activity increases, during
New Year's celebrations, and on festivals for the dead - Halloween is both.
* Mayas of the Yucatan drew a chalk line from the grave to the hearth of the deceased's home. The spirit can then find its way back to visit, whenever it wishes.
* If you know a spirit's true name, you can evoke it.
* Medieval spell books say that burning a mixture of aloe, musk, saffron, vervain, and pepper in a cemetery will allow you to see the spirits that reside there.
*AMBER
Golden Amber has the folk name of mothers tears, or the goddesses tears in this country. Sometimes even Gaia's sweat. (Gaia is the mythological spirit of Mother Earth). The beautiful golden resin from trees often has insects, leaves, seeds or scales trapped in it. It contains part of the earth. It is best known for protecting children, mothers, and those who wish to be mothers. Amber can be melted and used in perfume or incense or oils. Its smell is supposed to ease the pain of labour. An amber stone found on the seashore will bring the comfort of the mother or goddess to whoever finds it.
*CENTRE PLACE
A new home would be built around the hearthstone which in those days was in the centre of the room, with just a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. The hearthstone was crafted by hand by a stonemason who would endow the stone with the power of protection. The stone would be the families centre place, where all was safe. Ghouls, ghosts, and other evil creatures could not go near it, and the stone gathered power with each new generation, making the family strong, powerful, and protected.
*CHANGELINGS
Changeling babies were thought to be the children of the fairy folk. A human child left unprotected in its cot or cradle could be stolen by an elven fairy mother, leaving her own changeling child in the crib. Changeling babies were ugly, and often weak and sick. Fairy mothers thought that they had a better chance being brought up and suckled by the human mother. The human child would be brought up by the fairy folk, and often became a servant in the fairy household. To protect the crib and the baby from the fairy folk, Rowan and mistletoe was tied to the crib or cradle. And iron in the form of a knife was placed under the mattress of the crib. Silver or horn baby rattles with tiny bells were also supposed to protect the child. Once the mother had stopped bleeding, six to 8 weeks after the birth, the danger was over. But a mother with a changeling child, was left to bring up a baby that was ugly and sick. They would gradually become more human, and they would strengthen. But the changeling child would always be fey, and often had the second sight, passing it down to their own children, and their children's children. According to folk tale, that is how 'second sight' became a part of humanity, by the interbreeding between human and changeling. How many of us, I wonder, have been touched by the fairy folk.
*HOUSE LEEKS
A turf roof would be planted with house leek to keep evil spirits away, these days a house leek is often planted near the front and back door of a craft home to do the same job. It was also said you would never lose your home if house leek guarded it, and house leek is almost impossible to transplant, once settled.
*LEY LINES
Ley lines were once called the old paths, and were never interfered with in any way. They became safe roads for travelers in ancient times when the old peoples could use their energy to travel like a bird along them. Merlin Ambrosius in legend used the ley lines to float the great stones from Wales to make Stonehenge. A crystal set into a ley line would reflect the line back on itself and eventually destroy it. Ley lines will go under or around any blockage in time. It might take centuries, but the energy will always find a way. Ley pools were a great source of energy, and often formed where major ley lines meet. Stonehenge is on one of those pools, as is the valley of Glastonbury (once thought to be the site of Avalon before the valley was drained).
*MAY FLOWERS
May flowers were never brought indoors. These flowers were thought to be a source of the old wild magic, and therefore not suitable for a home. Though they were used to decorate the top of a maypole to draw the wild magic into the maidens dancing below.
*MAYPOLE
The Maypole was a pagan phallic symbol of fertility. It was often dedicated to the horned god. The strings or ribbons of many colours were plaited by young maids in the first bloom of their womanhood, This was the rites of spring to ensure the fertility of the land and it's people. The virgin chosen to be May Queen would at one time have been sacrificed to the god, so loosing your virginity was of importance. It might be a great honour to be chosen to be the Queen of the May, but many girls found getting pregnant a lot less life threatening. The strings or ribbons were plaited round the maypole in different patterns depending on the town or village. Each would have their own very individual pattern. Originally the strings would have been vines or springy twigs knotted together to form a long leafy ribbon. Later they would have been made of string with leaves attached. Eventually they were replaced with pretty silk ribbons in soft colours swirling round the maypole with the girls dancing in and out of the ribbons in an orchestrated pattern. Sometimes there were several rings of girls, with the older girls on the outside, and the younger on the inside ring. For the younger girls the plaiting was simple, but the older girls would be coached for weeks to weave a pattern that was beautiful. If the pole was plaited well and without breaking any of the ribbons, it would bring great good luck to the village. May blossom was placed on top of the pole, and worn as wreaths and garlands by those girls taking part in the maypole dance. May flowers were thought to contain the old wild magic, and the flowers would flutter down on the girls below and sometimes onto the audience, bringing a touch of wild magic into their lives. There was no evading the old wild magic, it could not be tamed or diverted, which is why May flowers were never brought into the home. After the celebration, many of the older maids would be virgins no more. It was quite a party and went on well into the night with blazing bonfires lighting the village, and dark shadows to welcome the lovers. Captured girls were often used as May Queens to save using the communities own women. War prize, slaves, or girls bought in the market places, were destined to die for the god, to bring the village good luck, prosperity, and to please their deity and beg his fertility for the coming year. How pleased he was with the sudden arrival of hundreds of crying, frightened young girls is anyone's guess. The modern May Day festival is a very flaccid affair compared to the original, or even to those fifty years ago. It has become a school project to keep old customs alive. A place for morris dancers and fair grounds, proud mums and dads, and tourists. The white clad girls often look as if they were going to a ballet class. They still use May flowers in some communities, but mostly these days the wreaths and garlands are plastic or silk and colour is creeping into the May day dresses and garlands. The ribbons are often fluorescent (and cheap and nasty), unlike the pastel or white silk ribbons of half a century ago. But there are some revivalists who stick to the original Maypole crowned with May flowers, the vines and twigs to make ribbons, and the girls in white dresses and garlands of May, the bonfires and party atmosphere. The girls are older, and unlikely to be virgins. 18 to 20 years is the usual age of the dancers. And the wild sex romps quite often still go on in the shadows of the bonfires, though the girls these days will say no and mean it if they don't want a romp in the hay with the first man who catches them. It's usually well set up with the boyfriend in the audience. But even seeing it recreated, it is a wild and beautiful festival and some of the original magic comes through. Though if you are older, it's time to retire to a comfortable log, upturn a glass, and chatter about old memories and the delights of other May days. To watch white clad young girls dancing round a maypole at a local village green where the old traditions linger is a delight. The fluttering May flowers, the whole village gathered for the rites of spring, it's beautiful. But it lacks the wildness of the original, quite properly in this day and age when tiny girls are attached happily to the ribbons. The wild and very natural festival is not for the children who now play at May day, and enjoy it very much. They need to be protected. For those who recreate the original festival (without the sacrifice), its wild and deep, and the magic is still there. It touches you more than you would imagine.
*MIRROR MAGIC
A Mirror of any size placed opposite your front door will reflect back and out of the door any evil that comes in.
*PEACOCK FEATHERS
Peacock Feathers either worn or as Decoration in your home are thought to be very unlucky. The eye shape on the Feathers was a representation of the evil eye, in other words sympathetic magic.
MISC.
*Bad luck may be expected, if Christmas greens are left up after New Year's Day.
*Breaking anything on New Year's Day means bad luck for you all year.
*Counting the cars of a freight train as they pass will bring you good luck.
*During the Civil War children watched the sky for bands of color which indicated that blood was going to be shed.
*Each time a star shoots, either there has been a death or a birth.
*Each time the end of a divining rod bends down, it indicates a foot to be dug before reaching water.
*Gazing through a glass at a new moon will cause you bad luck.
*Go to church on New Year's Eve and you will be good all year.
*Hanging up a new calendar before the New Year begins, will make you unfortunate.
*If a girl has a doll and changes its name, the doll will break.
*If a star shoots to the right, a soul is entering heaven.
*If a woman should take a pebble from the spring she visits for the first time and sews it in the hem of her dress, she will have good luck when the pebble is lost.
*It will bring you good luck, if you look over your right shoulder at the new moon.
*If you do one person a good deed and refuse to do another person a good deed, you will have bad luck.
*If you don't have your house in apple pie order (good order) on New Year's Day, the fairies will bring you bad luck.
*If you gaze into deep water and you can see to the bottom of it, you will have good luck.
*If you have the Seventh Book of Moses, you cannot give it away as it will always come back to you.
*If you have an elephant ornament in your house, always place it so that the
tail will be toward the north and you will have good luck.
*If you have something in each hand when you first see a new moon, you will never want.
*If you mock a preacher you will be cut down like a tree.
*If you see something shining in the dark, do not touch it or you will have bad luck.
*If your child is taking music lessons, make him practice in the morning before nine o'clock and he will learn twice as quickly.
*It is a bad omen, if you upset a bottle of ink.
*It is bad luck to try to count the stars in the heavens.
*If you talk about the police all the time, you will be in jail before the end of the year.
*Licorice is made from old rubber boots.
*Smoking a cigarette with a gold band will bring you good luck.
*On election day if it rains/They say it is the Democrat's gain.
*Stick a pitchfork into a whirlwind that is coming down the road an the devil will jump out of it.
*The four best days for shaving is Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
*A man who places his calendar on his workbench will lose his position before the year is gone.
*A feather flying by you indicates that someone will steal your money.
MOON SUPERSTITIONS
*If you see a new moon for the first time on Monday, you will have good luck.
*If you see a new moon over your right shoulder for the first time, you had better fun.
*If you have something in each hand when you first see a new moon, you will never want.
*If you take a magnifying glass at night and hold it up to the moon, you will see a woman and a dog burning brush.
*Look for war, if you see a red moon.
*Look hard and you can see a boy and his dog burning brush on the full moon.
HALLOWEEN SUPERSTITIONS
* All Souls in Purgatory are released for forty-eight hours for All Hallows Eve. On this night they are free (Gaelic).
* On Halloween, the wind blowing over the feet of the deceased bears sighs to the houses of those about to die within the year (Wales).
* If you go to the crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.
* If you take a three-legged footstool and sit at a crossroads while the church clock is striking twelve on Halloween, you will hear proclaimed aloud the names of the church parishioners doomed to die within the next twelve months. If you throw an article of clothing belonging to any one of those doomed people into the air and call out their name, you can keep death from stalking at their door (Highlands of Scotland).
* To ensure fertility of crops during the coming year, make a circuit of the fields with a lighted torch on Halloween (England).
* On Halloween, force all the sheep and lambs to pass through a hoop of rowan wood to ward off Witches and faeries (Strathspey, England).
* A gambler who hides under the tendrils of the blackberry bush and invokes the aid of the ancients will always have good luck with the cards (Ireland).
* If you hear footsteps following you on Halloween, you should not look around, for it is the dead who are following, and if you inset their gaze, you will die (Ireland).
* On Halloween Eve, do not look at your shadow in the moonlight, or you
shall be next to haunt the graveyard (England).
* Do no go hunting on Halloween Eve as you may wound a wandering spirit (England).
* Children born on Halloween will enjoy lifelong protection against evil spirits and will be endowed with the gift of second sight (rural America).
*If you go to a dance with a girl and a fellow comes and brushes against you before you get into the dance hall, there will be a bloody fight before the dance is over about the girl with you.
WATER DIVINATION
* If a young girl washes her undergarments on Halloween Eve and, without saying anything, hangs them over a chair to dry, she will (if she is awake long enough to see) watch the form of her future husband enter the room and turn the undergarments. One tale hold that a young girl in Scotland did this and instead of seeing her lover, saw a coffin. The next day she discovered that her lover had died.
* If a young woman goes to a lake at midnight on Halloween, and gazes at her
imagine in the water, she shall see her lover's face reflected before her.
* A young girl should take three pails of water and place them in her bedroom on Halloween Eve, then pin her nightdress opposite her heart with three leaves of green holly. If she is roused from a deep sleep by the call of three bears, the sounds will die away, followed by a hoarse laugh. After the laugh ceases, the form of her future husband will appear. If he is deeply attached to her, he will change the position of the pails. If not, he will pass from the room without touching them.
* A young girl on Halloween Eve, should dribble hot wax (or hot lead) into a cauldron filled with water to find the circumstances of her intended. If the shape resembles a ship, he will be a sailor, while a coffin means widowhood, and so on. "In the unique and feisty Massachusetts community of Marblehead, unmarried women customarily hung a pot of tallow over the fire, then dropped iron hobnails into the fat, believing their husbands to be would appear."
* A surviving party game entails the use of three bowls and a blindfold. The first bowl is filled with clear water. The second bowl is filled with dirty water. The third bowl remains empty. The blindfolded person dips their hands into one of the bowls. If the bowl with the clear water is chose, the blindfolded person will marry a virgin. If the bowl with dirty water is selected, then he or she will be widowed (or, depending on the game, will not marry a virgin). If the empty bowl is chosen, then the blindfolded person will not marry.
*If a Jack O'Lantern is following you, just take and turn your pockets inside out in your coat or dress and it will turn around and go back.
*It is sure unlucky to follow a Jack O'Lantern because they will always lead you to a brush pile full of thorns and let you stay.
APPLE DIVINATION'S
* If a girl stands before a mirror while eating an apple and combing her hair at midnight on Halloween, her future husband's image will be reflected in the glass over her left shoulder.
* If a girl cuts an apple into nine pieces at midnight on Halloween in front of a mirror, then sticks each piece with the knife and holds each piece (one at a time) over her left shoulder, as the ninth piece hits the reflection in the mirror, she will see her future husband.
* If a girls peels an apple in one long piece at midnight on Halloween, and then tosses the peel over her left shoulder or into a bowl of water, she will be able to read the first initial of her future partner's name in the shape assumed by the discarded peel.
* If a girl peels an apple at midnight on Halloween and hangs the peel on a nail by the front door, the initials of the first man to enter will be the same as those of her unknown lover.
* If a group of unmarried boys and girls each attach an apple to a string and twirl the apple over a fire, the order in which the apples fall off the string indicates the order in which they will all be married. The owner of the last apple to drop will remain unmarried.
* In a group of unmarried boys and girls, each person marks an apple and places it in a large bucket of water, along with unmarked apples. Without using their hands, the teens attempt to take bites out of the apples floating in the water. The teen is fated to marry the person whose apple they bite. Another variation of this custom consists of hanging the apples from strings tied to a tree.
* The American custom of apple bobbing does not mark the apples. Whoever
snags an apple first will be wed first, and if a boy or girl puts the apple
they caught during the bobbing game under their pillow on Halloween Eve,
they will dream of their intended lover.
* For the girl who has many suitors, the apple seed divination is a must. The young woman peels an apple and places a wet seed named for each boyfriend on her cheeks. The seed to fall off last will be her next lover. Variations include sticking the seeds on the eyelids or forehead. The girl can also put the seeds in a heavy pan on the stove. The first seed to pop declares who will be (or is) unfaithful.
* For a suitor to declare his bravery for his lady love at a party, the
young woman's apple is hung from a string on one side of a pole and a
lit candle hung on a string on the other side of the pole. As the pole
is spun amid cheers and laughter, the suitor must brave the flame to
catch the apple in his teeth, if he fails to do so, the couple will not
be a couple much longer.
NUT DIVINATION
* A maiden gathers two nuts, one for herself and one for her suitor. On
Halloween Eve she places them on a grate over the fire. If the nuts burn
well together, then a long marriage and happiness is foretold. If,
however, the nut darts sideways, the person the nut represents will stray and
the other person is advised to seek a different mate.
* A maiden gathers a handful of nuts and names each one for her
potential suitor. On Halloween Eve she places all the nuts on a grate
over the fire. If the nut burns true and does not move, the suitor will
be faithful. If the nut moves or pops, the prospective lover will be
unfaithful.
MONEY SUPERSTITIONS
*Always burn your onion peelings and you will never be empty-handed.
*Always pick up the burnt matches that you see and you will find money.
*As soon as you see a shooting star, say, "Money, money, money" and you will get money.
*At midnight on New Years Eve, hold a piece of money in your hand, get down on your knees and pray so you will have money all year.
*Bubbles in falling rain mean you will get a lot of money.
*By burning your onion peelings you will be able to save money.
*Carry a penny wrapped in paper in your pocketbook so you can say you can never go broke.
*Do not spend a coin that someone gives you on New Years day and you will have money all year.
*Good fortune in money matters will come to you, if you accidentally step on dung from any animal.
*If you hang up a man's socks by the toes, money will slip through your fingers.
*If you can keep money you make on Monday, it will increase during the week.
*If you receive a pierced coin from someone, keep it for luck.
*If you shake an empty pocketbook at the new moon you will be without money until the moon is new again.
*You will never be without money, if you wear a little bag containing red pepper.
SUDDEN SILENCE
Have you ever wondered about a "sudden silence?" You will be having a conversation with someone and that awkward moment will happen......or even in a crowd of people talking and the same thing.......what causes a "sudden silence?" well here are a few beliefs.........
Some believe that an angel is passing through.......hence there is a respectful pause..
Others believe it is a bad omen as far as predicting that one in the conversation will meet ill fate during the year. Allot of people will cross themselves or cross their finger to counter......
Now here is something I found very interesting and this is definitely a American superstition.......
There is a popular superstition that if there is a sudden silence in conversation, then it must be twenty minutes after the hour. This goes back to the legend that has grown around Abraham Lincoln's death. It was believed that the great man died at 8:20, a sudden silence is supposed to occur automatically ever since the first night.......In some societies this superstition has become a national tradition. According to another story a man who painted wooden clocks for store fronts had just heard of Lincoln's death, so he painted the hands to perpetuate the fatal hour. According to one version of the story, the hands commemorate the exact time of his death, and according to another, the exact time of his assassination.
(The truth of the matter though is Lincoln was shot at 10:10 in the evening and died about 7:30 the next evening)
Now here's an interesting tidbit.....apparently painting the hands at this time was very pleasing to the eye and modern day watches use the following as their stationery time.....Elgin (8:18) Hamilton (10:12) Waltham (10:21)........etc. etc.
But the oddest part of this superstition is that when a sudden silence occurs, it is generally twenty minutes to or twenty minutes after the hour.......ooooooooohhhhhh.......makes you want to check the time now huh?
Thank's to Ophelia for this fascinating information!
(posted at Ghostlygraves)
DEATH SUPERSTITIONS
*It is bad luck to whistle or hum in the same air as a funeral band has played.
*If a funeral procession should stop in front of your home, it means the dead wants company.
*Never count the number of cars in a funeral procession as it goes by your home as you can expect to die in that number of weeks.
*If there is a delay at the graveyard in burying the dead, it is a sign that the dead does not want to leave alone and it is selecting a companion to travel with it.....one of the mourners will soon die.
*Never place your bed where the foot of it is pointing toward the street door, for corpses leave the house feet first.
*Never cut a banana, simply break it with your fingers because if you cut it you cut the cross. (origin of this one is felt to be Italian)
*In Ireland, it is an old funeral custom to light 12 candles around a corpse to protect the soul of the deceased from evil forces, for it is believed that ghosts and demons cannot cross into a circle of lighted candles.
SUPERSTITIONS NUMBERS
*A fire on the block means two more fires in that block during the month.
*Giving away the last cigarette in your package will cause you bad luck.
* If three persons use the same match in lighting their cigarettes or cigars, the last person using the match will soon encounter some danger.
*Railroad men believe, that if three men light their pipes on the same match, that one of them will have an accident that day.
*The one who holds the match by which three persons light cigarettes will go to hell when he or she dies.
*When you break something, you will not stop until you have broken three things.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ OPERATIONS AND AMPUTATIONS
*Always burn an amputated limb because if it is buried in the ground the would will hurt until the limb rots.
*An amputated finger must always be buried in the ground, or the would will never heal.
*Eating your fingernails, will cause an operation.
*If you have any toes or fingers removed, the others will hurt until the surgeon buries the amputated ones.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ PLANTS AND PLANTING
*A frost after March 15th will not cause any damage to the plants.
*A frost, when blackberries are first in full bloom, rarely kills plants.
*A frost, when the wind is from the south, will destroy plants.
*An unfavorable time to plant anything is on the 31st of the month.
*Do not plant seeds in the sign of the Waterman, for they will decay.
*Early thunderstorms indicate wonderful crops for the year.
*Everything planted by a pregnant woman will grow well.
*Everything planted in the sign of Leo will become rotten.
*Fertilizer placed on the ground in the light of the moon is valueless, because it will not decompose.
*For crops that ripen underground, plant the seeds in the afternoon.
*If a turtledove coos on New Year's Day, the crops will be good that year.
*If seeds are planted at noon, they will grow.
*If the giver of seeds is thanked, they will not grow.
*If there is a frost between the new moon and full moon, it will not nip plants.
*If there is a killing frost in September, there will not be any until after the 15th of October.
*If you wet a handkerchief with rain on Easter, you may expect to have a fine crop year.
*If you stretch a yarn string over rows of plants in the early spring, the frost will collect on the string and not damage the plants.
*No matter how heavy the frost is, if the winds blow from the North, the plants will not be killed.
*Rusty nails or old irons placed around plants will make them grow better.
*Scatter manure on a field during the dark of the moon and it will sink down into the ground.
*Seeds planted in the sign of the "knee" will rot.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ HUSBANDS AND LOVERS
*A girl may learn what her future husband is doing, if she looks down
into a well at sunrise on the first day of May.
*About dusk walk backwards to a well while looking over your right shoulder into a mirror, and you will see your future husband.
*After counting 100 white horses, the first man seen riding a white horse will be your prospective mate.
*After counting thirteen stars on thirteen consecutive nights, on the thirteenth night you will dream of the one you will marry.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ MARRIAGE, DISPOSITIONS, OCCUPATIONS, PHYSICAL QUALITIES
*A dog following a girl home is bringing her a handsome husband.
*A girl who always had dirty elbows will marry a poor man.
*A girl with hairy legs will marry a rich man.
*A person with a fiery disposition should marry someone who is mild, and they will always get along together.
*Anyone fond of dogs will make a good marriage partner.
*Anyone who can make the index finger and little finger meet will rule the household when married.
*Break a coconut on the floor and if the pieces are large, your marriage will be all right. If small pieces fall apart, it will not be good.
*A man and woman having the same complexion will be unlucky in marriage.
*Changing the name and not the letter / Is changing for worse and not for better.
*Drop a biscuit and you will have a husband who is poor.
*Examine the first snail you see on the 1st of May, and if it has a shell, you will marry a man with a house, if there is no shell, your husband will be a poor man.
*Go into a vegetable garden blindfolded and pull up a cabbage: If the roots are straight, your husband will be handsome, if crooked, he will be ugly; and if a considerable amount of dirt clings to the roots, you will marry a wealthy man.
*Hold a mirror over a spring on the 1st day of May and you will see reflected in the mirror a picture of your future husband at his occupation.
*If a girl burns her bread while baking, she will have a shiftless husband.
*If a girl in love finds a strange cat in her bedroom at night, she
will be lucky in her love.
*If a girl is unable to make a bed well, she will surely get only a
worthless man for her husband.
*If a girl splashes dishwater (or the water with which she is washing
clothes) over her apron or dress, she will have a drunkard for a husband.
*If a man and woman with different complexions marry, they will be
lucky.
*If a woman's first toe is shorter than her second toe, she will be the
ruler in her future household.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ BROOMS
*A broom dropping in front of the door means company before the day is
over.
*Always pick up, for luck, a broom that is lying on the floor or ground.
*Always sweep dirt out the back door or you will sweep away your best
friend.
*Bad luck will befall you all year if you sweep on New Year's Day.
*Burn up the rubbish when you sweep on New Year's Day and you will have
money throughout the new year.
*Carry a broom under your arm for luck.
*Carrying a broom over your shoulder will give you bad luck.
*Hitting someone with a broom means that he will go to jail before the
week has passed.
*Do not sweep immediately after the departure of a guest or you will
sweep him bad luck.
*If a broom falls as you are passing it, you will have bad luck.
*If dirt is swept out a door before sunrise, you may expect bad luck.
*If a broom falls in front of you and you stop over it before picking
it up, you will have a "bed of sickness"
*If someone comes in to see you and you pick up a broom and go to
sweeping in front of them, that is the sign they are not wanted and you
want them to go home.
*If you go to someone's house and have to step over a broom, it shows
that the mistress of that household is an untidy housekeeper.
*If you hand a broom through a window to somebody, you can expect bad
luck.
*If you hit a person with a broom just before he starts "uptown" he
will have trouble before returning.
SUPERSTITIONS ~ FORTUNES
In telling fortunes the cards mean as follows:
HEARTS
-------
Ace: The card of love and marriage.
King: A man of fair complexion.
Queen: A woman of very fair complexion.
Knave: You are trusting a man, sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe,
avoid him.
Ten: Shows good nature and many children.
Nine: Promises wealth and is the wish card.
Eight: The jealousy card.
Seven: Shows the person to be of a fickle and unfaithful disposition.
Six: Shows a person of generous, open and credulous disposition.
Five: Shows a wavering, unsteady disposition.
Four: Good news from an absent friend.
Three: A pleasing surprise.
Deuce: Your love affair will terminate happily.
DIAMONDS
------
Ace: A letter with money.
King: You are ignoring good counsel.
Queen: That she will be fond of company, and not a good housekeeper.
Knave: You have a false friend.
Ten: Promises great wealth.
Nine: Any transactions you make within nine days should be profitable.
Eight: Moderate success in store for you.
Seven: The best card in the pack.
Six: You will never want.
Five: A large sum of money will come, use it carefully.
Four: An unexpected loss will come.
Three: Shows that you are engaged in quarrels and law suits.
Two: Something that you desire very much, you will shortly receive.
CLUBS
------
Ace: Promises great wealth.
King: A man very happy and faithful.
Queen: Consult her, she will give wonderful advice.
Knave: A generous, sincere and zealous friend.
Ten: Great riches to come speedily.
Nine: Don't make any changes.
Eight: Be more independent with your business associates.
Seven: Promises a brilliant future.
Six: Plenty of chances in your present business, do not change.
Five: Declares that you will shortly marry.
Four: A misunderstanding with a dear friend.
Three: Shows that you will be three times married.
Deuce: Be ready to grasp a splendid opportunity.
SPADES
------
Ace: You will shortly attend a funeral.
King: Beware of a dark man.
Queen: A dark woman is working against you.
Knave: Do not flirt with a dark person.
Ten: A card of danger and unhappiness, look out for accidents.
Nine: Is the worst card in the whole pack.
Eight: A card if doubt and warning.
Seven: Be contented and strive for success.
Six: Death card.
Five: Shows speedy sickness.
12/31/03 - Tyler
East Texans Have Near Year's Superstitions
Some East Texans are hoping luck comes their way this next year and they are following some bizarre superstitions to get it. Local Tylerites practice numerous superstitions to ensure good luck for the coming year.
One superstition states that a man on horseback bearing gifts is good luck, unless he's cross-eyed or has one continuous eyebrow. Others say never wash anything on New years day , or you'll wash away luck.
"Never let a blonde or redheaded woman in your house before a man," says one Tyler resident. Others say never let a man with one continuous eyebrow in your home, or never let a cross eyed man in your home on New Year's day.
Many don't see the point of luck-based superstitions. "I don't have any superstitions," says Tyler resident Jerry Truell.
Some sleep with a horseshoe under their pillow. And others say never use a knife or scissors because you'll cut your luck short for the new year. And wind is also a new years superstition.
Wind blowing from the north on New Year's day means a year of bad weather. Wind blowing from the south means fine weather for the year ahead. If it blows from the east, it means famine and calamities. Wind from the west means plentiful supplies of milk and fish. No wind at all means a prosperous year for all, if you believe in that sort of thing.
Bob Hallmark, reporting.
CHRISTMAS SUPERSTITIONS
*Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.
*A blowing wind on Christmas Day brings good luck.
*Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day will bring bad luck.
*The child born on Christmas Day will have a special fortune.
*Place shoes by side on Christmas Eve to prevent a quarreling family.
*To have good health throughout the next year, eat an apple on Christmas Eve.
*A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve will bring good crops in the summer.
*Eat plum pudding on Christmas and avoid losing a friend before next Christmas.
*On Christmas Eve all animals can speak. However, it is bad luck to test this superstition.
*If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner, you will have bad luck for the coming day.
*Good luck will come to the home where a fire is kept burning throughout the Christmas season.
*In Greece, some people burn their old shoes during the Christmas season to prevent misfortunes in the coming year.
*In Devonshire, England, a girl raps at the henhouse door on Christmas Eve. If a rooster crows, she will marry within the year.
******************
Princess Diana Dolls of Death
Superstition
Stories are circulating that people who have bought Princess Diana
dolls from Franklin Mint since they sued the Princess Diana Fund
charity have met with horrible deaths. Most interesting is one
claim that this is as a result of a coven, or group of covens, in
the UK cursing them. Another great element is that many or
sometimes all of these deaths take place in underpasses, like the
one that Diana and Dodi died in!
Another variant states that ALL Franklin Mint product is cursed,
but only the Diana Dolls are supposed to be deadly!
Steve.Wilson
London, England
******************
Extract from A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles by Steve Roud (Penguin). Copyright Steve Roud, 2004.
Very superstitious
Are black cats lucky? What should you do if you spill salt? And why is touching wood a good idea? In his new book, A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles, Steve Roud answers these questions and many more - just in time for Halloween.
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Superstition is a pretty slippery concept, and we need to examine what we mean by it. The simple statement that a superstition is an irrational belief is quite adequate for most purposes, as long as we don't enquire too closely into the meaning of the word 'irrational'. But not every irrational belief gets labeled as superstition, so we need to look a bit closer. One of the key characteristics of superstition is a belief in the existence of luck, as a real force in life, and that luck can be predicted by signs, and can be controlled or influenced by particular actions or words. Other key elements include a belief in fate, which again can be predicted and manipulated, and a belief in fate, which again can only be described as magic - the idea that people can be harmed or protected by spells, charms, amulets, curses, witchcraft, and so on.
Superstitions are also unofficial knowledge, in that they run counter to the official teachings of religion, school, science, and government, and this is precisely why - even in the 21st century - many of us like to hold onto a few, to show that we are not totally ruled by science and hard fact.
The Pocket Guide To Superstitions is a book of historical research, the result of years of searching for examples of superstitions in every source we can think of - novels, plays, poetry, children's books, newspapers, magazines, diaries - going back as far as we can. We also listened to people on buses, on the radio, in the playground, in the supermarket, and so on, to learn what is being said and done now.
We examined statements, and asked questions. It is frequently said, for example, that the fear of spilling salt goes back to the Last Supper and, to prove it, that Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of the event shows Judas spilling salt. But it doesn't. One piece of 'evidence' put forward to support the completely groundless idea that 'Ring a ring a roses' goes back to the plague is that sneezing was a main symptom of that disease. It wasn't. It turns out that Friday 13th is a Victorian invention. 'Touch wood', it is claimed, is based on a belief in tree spirits, but is there evidence we ever believed in tree spirits?
What we ended up with was a mass of material on the subject, which was organized and analysed to provide data for informed judgements instead of guesses. The first principle of the historical approach is that if a superstition cannot be found before, say, 1850, the idea that it has survived from an ancient fertility ritual or pre-Christian sacrifice 1,200 years before seems a bit far-fetched. If it existed in that time, how come nobody noticed it? And if there is no evidence for its existence, how can we base our theory of origin on it? If it had existed underground for all that time it would probably have changed beyond all recognition anyway (imagine a game of Chinese whispers lasting for 1,200 years), so an examination of the modern version is unlikely to tell us anything about the original. Our historical approach enabled us to make estimates of the age, development, and relative popularity of particular beliefs, and start to make general statements about how superstitions function. Occasionally, our research also threw light on the question of how superstitions arose in the first place.
One thing which became obvious when we compared a whole mass of reported superstitions was that most are based on a small number of principles which are repeated time and time again in different guises, and the formulae can tell us a great deal. The two most widespread, for example, are that you must not tempt fate (don't count your chickens before they're hatched) and that beginnings dictate the future course of events. The concern for good beginnings is reflected in the first-footing customs at New Year, giving a baby a coin to ensure future good fortune, getting out of bed on the correct side to start the day well, and so on. On the negative side, don't stumble as you leave the house, don't see an unlucky person on the way to your fishing boat, and so on. A third principle, far more complex if fully analyzed, is that the natural world 'knows' what is going to happen in human life - a robin tapping at the window means a death in the house very soon; a dog howling at your door means the same.
The world of superstition is essentially a symbolic one, although in most cases only on a very simple level. Money in the pocket at a key moment (for example, when hearing the first cuckoo in spring) stands for prosperity in the coming year, whereas an empty purse symbolizes want. A piece of coal carried by a first footer represents warmth and comfort; an upturned bowl in a seafaring family stands for an upturned ship. This feeling for the symbolic is often little more than a weak pun - washing on certain days 'washes one of the family away', for example, or 'turn your chair to turn your luck'.
Another conclusion that is clearly supported by a historical review is that we, as a society, are much less superstitious than we were 100, or even 50, years ago. Although few people (myself included) can claim to be completely free of superstition, many of us only play at it nowadays. This claim can be demonstrated in several different ways, most notably by asking someone to name 10 superstitions; most people will not be able to get beyond five without really thinking hard about it, whereas a century ago, the average person would have known dozens.
Even those we still know are relatively colourless, being nearly always simply a matter of 'bad luck', whereas in the past they would have had more individual meanings - a death, you won't get married, a stranger is coming, and so on. Regional differences have been largely ironed out, and the same beliefs are found all over the country. But the real acid test is that however superstitious a person may think they are, few act on their superstitions in the way previous generations did. Who would accept being turned down for a job because they had red hair or the wrong sun sign? Who would phone work and say, "I can't be in today because I saw a magpie as I left home"? We might try a traditional cure like a key down the back for a nosebleed, but who would accept a verbal charm rather than hospital treatment to stop real bleeding? Who would tell a young mother that her baby will die if she weighs it, or lets it see its reflection in a mirror? And so on, through hundreds of different superstitions which were believed and acted upon only a century ago.
But why were people so superstitious? It is usually assumed that superstition is the result of fear and uncertainty - an attempt to control the parts of life that are in fact beyond our understanding or control. This is largely true, and there is some evidence that superstition is more prevalent in people involved in dangerous occupations, and increases in times of particular uncertainty, such as during a war. But there are other forces involved. Superstitions are passed on from person to person, often within a family, and take on the authority of tradition. It must be said that, in the past, various people made a living out of their neighbour's willingness to believe in magical cures, love potions, and the need for protection against ill-wishing.
The main reason for the decline of superstition in modern times is that many of these uncertainties have declined - whole areas of life, from the trivial to the life-threatening, have had the mystery and danger removed from them to a large extent. Childhood diseases still exist, and parents still have worries, but nothing compared with a century ago. Changes in everyday technology have brought almost instant death to many beliefs. The light-bulb and the radiator provide little scope for superstition, or romance, whereas the candle and the open fire had plenty. Baking bread, turning the bed, churning butter, washing by hand, sweeping the house, laying out a corpse in the front room, killing a pig - all these activities were highly charged with beliefs, but have changed beyond recognition, or disappeared from our lives completely. How many of us know the phases of the moon?
It could be argued that superstitious impulses in society are not dead, but are simply resurfacing in the guise of alternative medicines, unofficial pick-and-mix religions, astrology, conspiracy theories, and new-age cults and gurus of various kinds. But one major area where most of us can claim to be less prone to irrational thinking is in the matter of witchcraft. However badly things are going, however ill we may feel, few would think that the cause was our neighbour's spite or the spells of a witch. In this area at least, people nowadays have more sense.
· This is an edited extract from A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles, by Steve Roud, published by Penguin.
Superstition
9/11/06
Never throw a ghost story on the floor a sadness will come into your
life, don't give money to a man with a gray goatee or you'll lose money.
Submitted by: Anonymous
*Food Superstitions:
*Ask a Banana a question:
Need an answer fast? Pick up a banana and ask it a yes or no question. Make one slice near the end of the banana. If the lines in the center form a "Y," the answer is yes. If not, the answer is no.
*Wish upon a slice of cheese:
Find out when your dreams will become reality. Make a wish. Then slice off a block of Swiss cheese. Count the holes in your slice to find out how many week's may pass before your wish comes true.
*Twist of Fate:
Want to know who your next friend will be? Twist an apple stem, reciting one letter of the alphabet with each turn. The letter you say when the stem breaks off could be the first initial of your new friends name.
*Tell your fortune with tea leaves:
Fortune-tellers have read tea leaves for hundreds of years. They believe that patterns you see in your tea leaves are symbols of what may happen in your future. Now discover what your tea could be telling you.
Brew a pot of hot tea using loose tea leaves or leaves emptied from tea bags. Pour yourself a cup, then drink the tea or slowly pour out the liquid, keeping the leaves inside the cup.
What pattern do you see in your tea leaves? Use the chart below to find out what some common symbols mean. If yours it's listed here, go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids for a list of symbols and their meanings.
Tea Leaf Symbols:
- Crescent Moon: Good Luck
- Dog: good friend
- Cat: dishonesty
- House: security
- Heart: love
- Kite: A wish that may come true
Source: National Geographic Kids Magazine - October 2006
ADORNMENT
If you have ever wondered why we wear jewelry in the exact places we do, stop thinking that it is because the places chose are the most accessible or make the most sense. In the past, it was common belief that evil spirits and demons could only enter the body through the main orifices. It would then make sense to place jewels or metals near those areas to prevent demonic possession.
Therefore, earrings dangling near two opening in the body protected the ears from allowing a devil passage into the body. In India, nose rings were used for the same reason, as were tattoos and designs around the mouth and eyes.
The tradition of fingernail and toenail painting originated because of a need to protect oneself from demonic entrance. Nails of the toes and fingers were painted so that the demons could not penetrate the skin in these vulnerable areas and gain access to the body.
The most protective article of jewelry by far was the ring. Since it is in the form of a continuous circle, it symbolized eternity and unity. It was also believed that certain stones and metals gain power over time and that they are affected by the good or bad luck of their wearers.
From (The Good Luck Book) by Bill Harris
ACORN
Long before they began exploring the world in their long boats, the Vikings associated oak trees with Thor, the god who created thunder and lightning with his great anvil and hammer. Because the tree attracted lightning, they believed it was sacred to Thor. But they also believed that the acorn, the fruit of the tree, was always spared the god’s wrath, and so they began putting acorns on window sills to protect their houses.
When the Vikings began roaming, on of their first stops was the British Isles, and they may have been quite surprised to discover that the mysterious Druids there also put great store in the luck of the acorn. But their was a different kind of luck. The Druids worshipped the oak as a symbol of strength and long life and worn acorns around their necks as amulets to bring that strength to themselves.
In modern times, acorns, either real or wood imitations, are often place near windows or hung from window shade pulls to bring luck to the house.
Taken from “The Good Luck Book” (An A-to Z to Charms and Symbols) by Bill Harris
