Beliefs-The truth

I'm curious "how" and "why" we believe in the superstitions that we do.Just trying to explore the unknown and trust me its fun.Everything has a scientific explanation but until we find it out lets believe in the superstitions have we got to lose anything??

Why do we consider black cats bad luck? Why do we throw salt over our shoulder? Why is opening an umbrella in the house bad luck? These are fascinating questions to which I wanted to know the answers. I suspect you do too. I intend to explore some of our most popular beliefs, where they came from, and what they mean.

The word abracadabra when a magician is doing one of his disappearing tricks. I wonder, where that word, along with hocus pocus, and presto, came from. The story is actually quite interesting.

Abracadabra is the oldest of the three words, but that is where agreement about its origin ends. Some believe that is was once used as a protective word on amulets and charms. Early Christians believed that it had the power to ward off evil spirits.

Others believe that it came from a combination of Hebrew words including ab, which means father; ben, which means son; and rauch acadosch, which means holy spirit. Still more think is the derivative of the name of the Gnostic leader, Abraxas, which means God.

What is known, however, is that during the Middle Ages, people often wore the word on parchment around their neck to assure they that didn't contract illnesses and were not attacked by evil spirits. The word was written in its entirety on the first line and then with each subsequent line, the last letter of the word was dropped until nothing remained but the "A" at the beginning; forming an upside down pyramid.

It was believed that this "charm" could cure the plague, fever, toothache, and a variety of other ailments. The word abracadabra itself was believed to have magical power. Over time, magicians picked it up and used it primarily because of that belief.

People fear what they don't understand and from that fear certain rituals, or superstitions, have been practiced throughout time as a form of protection from these unknown fears. Although most of the superstitions from the past have since been proven by science as unnecessary,
ineffective, or simply ridiculous, many are still religiously practiced today by very intelligent and sane people. Following is a list of some of those superstitions and why they were originally started in the first place.

Breaking a Mirror - Even today, when someone breaks a mirror their first thought is that they have just brought upon themselves some unwanted bad luck. It was once believed that one's reflection in a mirror represented their soul. If you were to break that reflection, it would then be harmful to your soul.

Walking Under a Ladder - Most people believe this to be just common sense, in case the ladder falls while you are passing under it. But that is not how it got its start. A very long time ago, the triangle was considered a symbol of life. Walking through any triangular shape, ladder leaning against a wall or otherwise, was considered to be tempting one's fate.

Knock on Wood - Few people know why they do it, but still today when we mention something good that is supposed to happen in the future, many of us "knock on wood" twice to keep from jinxing the expected good fortune. Once upon a time, it was thought that trees were the homes of the gods. When in need of a favor or some good luck, one politely mentioned this wish to a tree and then touched the bark, representing the first "knock." The second "knock" was to say "thank you."

Friday the 13th - This superstition comes directly from Christianity although many unreligious people are still very careful about making decisions or taking any action whenever this day and date coincide, usually two or three times each year. There were thirteen people at The Last
Supper. Judas, the betrayer of Christ, was the 13th guest. Christians also claimed that at satanic ceremonies, there were always twelve witches and one devil present. Then it was on a Friday when Christ died. But even before that, it was a Friday when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and it was also on Friday when Noah's great flood began. So the combination of the two, Friday and the 13th, was deemed as the unluckiest day on the calendar.

Black Cats - In the Middle Ages, black cats were believed to be the companions of witches. After seven years, these cats were believed to then turn into witches, devils or demons themselves. No one wanted to cross paths with a witch or a demon, hence, when a black cat crosses your path, it might be safest to just turn around and find a different route to where ever it was you were headed.

God Bless You - Did you ever wonder why people say "God Bless You" whenever someone sneezes? During the sixth century, it was believed that a sneeze expelled evil spirits from the body. Later, when a great plague took hold of Europe, and people began sneezing violently, the Pope passed a new law pertaining to sneezes. At that time, since sneezing meant that the person was going to die of the plague, people were required to bless the sneezer. It was then later believed that your soul could escape your body though a sneeze and that by saying "God Bless You," you could immediately stuff it back inside where it belonged.Another explanation could be the fact that many cells in the brain collapses when you sneeze hence the blessing was essential so that the evil passes off without claiming on the life of the sneezer.

Spilling Salt - Although some people believe that Judas spilt salt during the last supper, this claim can't be proven. Salt was a very precious, expensive commodity in the middle ages and was widely used for medicinal purposes. If you were to spill any salt, you were then to immediately throw it over your left shoulder to strike the nasty spirits in the eye, thus preventing sickness.

Lucky Rabbit's Foot - This is one of man's oldest superstitions, some say dating back as early as 600 BC. Because rabbits and hares are such prolific breeders, they became a symbol of fertility. Carrying a rabbit's foot with you and rubbing it often was said to provide good luck, good crops, many children, and prosperity.

Opening an Umbrella Inside - This superstition comes from the idea that an umbrella is a protector against the storms of life. If you were to open one in your home, the household guardian spirits might think you felt their protection was insufficient, and then they'd leave in a huff. Everyone in the house would then be cursed without the spirit protection.

According to superstition, the color of a person's hair can influence their temperament. Redheads have long been accused of fiery tempers because the color red was associated with fire. It was also the color of sin, which is why so many redheads were once believed to be witches.
People with blond hair were considered to be airheads, less intelligent, or simple-minded because the lack of pigment color in the hair supposedly indicated that certain types of nutrients and vitamins were missing from the brain. People with brown hair, on
the other hand, had an abundance of that pigment and were considered smarter, more reliable, and for some reason braver.

Like many girls before me, when I was little, I pulled the petals off of flowers using an alternate saying of "he loves me" and "he loves me not" with each petal I pulled. I managed, of course, to somehow get the response I wanted each time by some mechanism; particularly when I grew older, until recently before i got married, had my boyfriend in mind while playing the game.

Many believe that the game originated specifically with daisies, which were believed to have grown where the Virgin Mary's tears fell after the death of her son, Jesus. The original game of "he loves me" or "he loves me not," therefore, was meant to determine if the woman in question had found favor with Christ.

The idea that carrots can improve eyesight originated from tests conducted in Great Britain during World War II. The government was hoping that the vegetable, which are heavy in vitamin A, might help pilots see better at nighttime to give them an edge over the Germans. While their tests proved to be totally inconclusive, it didn't stop rumors from circulating that the British were better flyers because they ate massive quantities of carrots.
People with blond hair were considered to be airheads, less intelligent, or simple-minded because the lack of pigment color in the hair supposedly indicated that certain types of nutrients and vitamins were missing from the brain. People with brown hair, on
the other hand, had an abundance of that pigment and were considered smarter, more reliable, and for some reason braver.

Owls are considered wise because of the position, placement, and size of their eyes. Basically, they look intelligent and that, alone, caused the superstition to be cultivated. However, not all cultures liked owls. While the Greeks held them in high esteem, the Romans felt that they were suspicious animals. They, in fact, linked them with demons and even the devil himself.

Some Celtic groups believed that witches had the power to change themselves into owls, further mudding the poor bird's already questionable reputation. A Welsh saying said the hooting of an owl symbolized the loss of the virginity of a village maiden. On the flip side, however, many Native American tribes considered owls to be symbols of good luck, prosperity, and long life.

While it may seem funny that some of these ancient beliefs continue today, the fact is that they often do, albeit in a smaller, less stringent way. We continue to pass along the stories, beliefs, and feelings from generation to generation.
These are just a few of the more common superstitions and rituals that many people still practice today. Although I believe in none of them myself, I'd still probably not be able to help but feel a little bit insecure if I sneezed when a black cat crossed my path as I walked under a ladder on Friday the 13th. How about you?