Black Cat Superstitions

Luck Superstitions

Returning Home - To return to your home after closing the door and departing (eg. if you have forgotten something) is a bad luck omen. If you must return to pick up something important (like your passport!) you must look in a mirror before you depart the second time. By doing so, your luck will not leave you during your trip.

Broken Mirrors - To look into a broken mirror, or to keep broken mirrors or plates, will bring bad luck. The superstition says that if you look into a broken mirror, you break your inner world, and your soul becomes defenseless against the dark forces.

Black Cats - A black cat signifies evil, and the Russian superstition says it will bring you failure in business. If you see a black cat, you have a couple of options - roll your left shoulder over 3 times; bless yourself with sign of the cross; or wait for somebody else to pass the black cat before you, and take the bad luck with them.

Looking Back - If you are going on a long or dangerous trip, you should not look behind yourself, as it will break your luck and bring bad fortune to your journey.

Money Superstitions

Scattering Coins - "Money goes to money" according to this superstition, so you will attract lots of fortune if you leave coins scattered throughout your bags, cupboards, and drawers.
Whistling - According to this Russian superstition, if you whistle indoors, you will frighten the guardian angels who protect your home, and as a result you will have money problems.
Singing - Another superstition on the same lines as whistling, this superstition says you must not sing on an empty stomach. It's ok after breakfast for some reason, but before then, avoid singing or you will chase your money away (and maybe your wife too if your singing is really that bad!)
The Flow of Wealth - This Russian superstition says you should always take/receive money with your left hand, but give it with your right hand.
Money in the Evening - Do not count money after dark, and never lend it in the evening time, as it is a sign that you will lose your wealth. The same goes for taking out the rubbish after sunset!

Relationship Superstitions

Feet - If you accidentally stand on your lover's foot, he/she must "return the favour", and stand on yours. If not, you will soon have a quarrel.
Towels - A husband and wife should not dry their hands in the same towel at the same time. The superstition says that this will attract a quarrel.

Marriage Superstitions

On the way to the Church - When a bride and groom are on their way to the church, they mustn’t look behind themselves. According to this superstition, it means that they are looking back to their previous home and they will not be able to have a happy new life and marriage.
Holding Hands - At the wedding ceremony, a bride should hold her groom by the hand. It signifies that she is forming a closed space between them which no-one will be able to break.
Wedding Rings - Do not take your wedding ring off to show it to someone else, or worse still to let them try it on. The wedding ring is worn on your fourth finger, which is the one under the influence of the sun, and is a sign of our heart's true love. If you take it off to show to another, it means you are giving away your love and happiness to a stranger.

Flower Superstitions

Odd or Even Number - Even numbers of flowers are only given at funerals. Never give an even number of flowers to your wife or girlfriend! Remember "odd is good!".
Yellow Flowers - Never give yellow flowers to your lover, as it implies that an argument will happen and your relationship will end.

Miscellaneous Superstitions

Table Corners - A girl must never sit facing the corner of a table. It signifies that she will not be married for seven years.
Doorways - Never greet, or say good-bye to someone in a doorway. That includes hugs, kisses, shaking hands, or passing/accepting gifts through the doorway. The threshold devides people, and in traditional Russian folklore, the house spirit resides here, so this superstition says that your greetings and gifts will not bring fortune or good luck.
Sneezing - According to this Russian superstition, your sneeze is a sign from your guardian angel. At the moment when you sneeze, you must pay attention to your last thought, as the sign will indicate that this is the truth.
The Christmas Carp - At Christmas time, Russians often cook carp. A common good luck charm for wealth, is to take some scales from the carp, and keep them in your wallet/purse to attract luck and money.
New Purchases - when you buy something you, you must "wash it off". This doesn't mean clean it, rather, you must drink to your new purchase to prevent it from being stolen or damaged, and in order to bring you good service from whatever it is that you bought.

How are superstitions created?

1. A synchronous event (or a coincidence). For example, in the chapter regarding synchronicity, there is a story in which one of Carl Jung's patients was describing a dream regarding a scarab; suddenly a scarab-like beetle flew into the room. The synchronicity was so startling that the patient experienced a breakthrough in her therapy. However, there was nothing special about the beetle itself; it was merely a trigger for a realization at that particular moment. If the patient had been "superstitious," she might then have believed that scarabs (as a species) are messengers from spirit, and that every appearance of a scarab is important.
2. A fetish. We tend to create religious fetishes and superstitions on the basis of a spiritual teacher's attire, mannerisms, hometown, diet, possessions, and other aspects of his or her personal lifestyle, as though we can acquire the teacher's wisdom by copying the outer characteristics, although those characteristics are generally only coincidental.

Black Cat Superstitions

Most of us have heard the old superstition of how unlucky it is to have a black cat cross your path, but not all superstitions regarding cats are bad ones, and anyone who has ever owned a black cat will likely tell you that they are no more unlucky than any other. Black cats are thought of as objects of terror perhaps because of the unlucky and evil associations with the color black itself, perhaps aided by the difficulty of seeing a black cat in the darkness and the fear that arises when one pops up unexpectedly.
Halloween time is a particularly popular time for black cats to make an appearance, both in real life and in the stores and shops that we frequent. We might find decorations featuring black cats on lawns, in windows, and on everything from paper plates to posters and stickers for the holiday. Black cats might not appreciate all of this attention if they only knew what it signified!
In most of these decorations, the black cat is found in an aggressive stance, back arched, fangs bared, eyes, if they are visible, often narrowed to slits or glowing terrifyingly. These images are meant to conjure a sense of fear from those who see them, or at least a bit of spine tingling nervousness in the name of Hallowe’en fun. Additionally, the black cat is often seen accompanying the gap-toothed hag on this scary holiday.
The association of black cats with witches and hags is one that stretches back through the years to the dark ages and perhaps beyond, with these animals being held in fearful contempt and known to cause bad luck. Black cats, depending on the region, were thought to bring illness and misfortune upon a home, or to be witches in disguise.

Some people still treat the black cat with such fear and contempt that it is not good to be a black cat wandering the streets in October. People have been known to brutalize and kill these animals in the most gruesome ways, and the activities are often blamed on witches, cults, or Satanists, though it is equally if not more likely that the crimes are perpetrated by particularly cruel teens.
The truth is that black cats have no more power than any other feline, and while they might be particularly dangerous if they like to sleep on the stairs at night, they are no more deadly than any other cat, either. In Britain and Japan it is even considered fortunate to have a black cat cross your path, and in Scotland it is lucky if you find a strange black cat on your porch.
There are superstitions world wide about everything from black cats to umbrellas, and it would be dizzying to try to track them all. Instead, it seems like a much better option to take a black cat (or any cat) into your home and into your heart. A black cat is certainly no quick ticket to a lifelong curse!

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29