Fear of Friday The 13th
Once again the thirteen day of the month falls on a Friday and people are wary of the events of the day. I’m astounded by the number of emails we have received this week concerning fear and worry about today.
Fear for Friday the 13th it has more to do with the spread of Christian culture and power than anything else. Even today there are people who want to give “credit” to the early church for creating this evil view in society. While that blame maybe warranted, it’s yet another case of how western Christian cultures believe everything is about them. However there is seriously little written about this superstition prior to the 19th Century (the 1800s) when superstition became common place.
According to Wikipedia:
Superstition is a belief in a false conception of supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any physical process linking the two events, such as astrology, omens, witchcraft, etc, that contradicts natural science.
The very nature of superstition vilifies all beliefs that are considered to be non-christian.While astrology was commonly used in western cultures and indo-European kingdoms, it began to fall out of favor during the Inquisitions and increasingly became linked to witchcraft. Omens were seen as messages from nature, such as animal sign, and fortune-telling through the use of bones, tea leaves and a myriad of other tools from nature.
While these things started to be vilified by the Church in its early days, it came full force in the 16th century (1500s) when the Inquisitions were in full swing and the Church was at the height of power. While the power of the courts drove beliefs in these concepts underground and out of the public eye, they still existed behind closed doors and whispered in all levels of society. It took another 100 to 200 years for these practices to finally become denounced in all areas of western culture and dismissed by the average person in public and in private.
Thankfully the Church was not able to eradicate belief in these things, or the practice and knowledge of these things and events from history.
So here’s a different perspective. If you don’t follow the Christian religion, then why would you follow their fears and vilification of what typically for pagans is a great day of celebration and joy? Take some time to read up on the number 13 and Friday prior to the influences of Christianity.
The History of Friday the 13th.
© 2012 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
There are as many methods and approaches to meditation as there are people on the planet. And that’s a good thing. Because what works for me, may not be what works for you. If you don’t know how to meditate and are looking for what’s right for you, don’t be afraid to try different methods until you find the one you like most. If you feel drawn to a specific culture, you might first try methods that incorporate elements from that culture into a meditation practice. For instance, if you’re drawn to Native American spirituality, try drumming. If you feel drawn to Indian/Hindu culture try a mantra. If you feel drawn to Tibetan culture, try a Buddhist meditation. And so on.
Springwolf Reflections 