Superstitous - help!!!

judi

hi
to say the least im quite superstitous!! all that stuff wiv magpies, doors, laders, etc...im always very aware of dem. so my problem is i suposed to be moving house on Friday 13th :eek: and dont think theres any way around changing the date, not to mention it's also bad luck to move on Saturdays so please giv ur views, would help either way to know what to expect ie. good/bad luck or if u just think tis a load of...... might just ease my mind a little, thanx

magpie

it's also bad luck to move on Saturdays

Why's that then?

judi

magpie wrote:

Why's that then?

"Saturday's fliting short sitting" sumting like dat!! neway tis the Friday im more worried about?? Saturday's definitly out:)

magpie

You also have a fear of magpies?

Oryx

It would be all very well for me to say to you theres nothing in these superstitions, but the problem is the fear is deeply ingrained in your mind, and thats what you need to overcome. These things in themselves cannot hurt you anymore than a spider in the bath can (tho I go hysterical when theres a spider in the bath )
Its your belief in them that will make you see a link with the superstition when/if something bad happens. Same as if I get up this morning and tell myself today will be lousy, chances are it will be.

Move on fri the 13th. I guarantee you that date will not cause anything bad to happen. Just bear in mind moving never goes smoothly anyway. Enjoy your new place when you get there!

judi

magpie wrote:

You also have a fear of magpies?

ya!!! 1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, etc. mayb katiek is right tho, i do take it to the extremes everytime i see one magpie i av to salute it and even then the poor magpie gets d blame for everything that goes wrong that day!!!! don't u know nething about superstition "Magpie"??

Goodshape

brn...mlting..frm 2mch ...txt.. spk... mst.. use..ful.. kybrd..

ARARRAgahhh!!11

dahamsta

I reckon you should move on Friday the 13th. If everything goes according to plan you'll be hit by a bus that evening and the world will be better for it. No offense like.

adam

judi

dahamsta wrote:

I reckon you should move on Friday the 13th. If everything goes according to plan you'll be hit by a bus that evening and the world will be better for it. No offense like.

adam

oh boy!!! hasnt anyone told u if u dont have anything good to say then dont say anything at all!! u should of stopped after ur opinion on my moving thats all i asked for! u can say "no offense like" to ur 2nd sentence but still i think ur kinda rude :eek:

solas

did you know that in China friday the 13th is a lucky day?
People try to grab that dte for their wedding. (will try to locate links later)
13 is considered lucky by some because it signifies the start of a new cycle.
If you think of life as a circle that continually repeats itself, 12 - 1 signifies the beginning of the cycle all over again, but if you consider a helix, 13 is the number which changes the tracks and moves you onto the next phase of climbing upwards.
Many covens prefer to operate with 13 members (dunno why)
..and last but not least, my father was born friday the 13th and he was a lucky fella. (very succesful and accomplished)

judi

dahamsta wrote:

Ill stp bing rewd wen u lrn ow 2 us a kebored, u dum fuk.

oohh....chip on the old shoulder!! what is your problem??? so im using txt "Sorry" it's just a habbit not a crime!!! ps. nobody wants to see your rude posts, GO AWAY

solas

pay no attention to the trolls.
Dahamsta, abusive posts will result in a ban, read the charter.

judi

solas wrote:

did you know that in China friday the 13th is a lucky day?

that's quite interesting!!! must look into that
thanx Solas

stevenmu

A lot of our modern superstitions come from attempts by the catholic church to demonise pagan beliefs that would have been popular prior to its arrival. It's kind of funny because they've gone on to become something that goes against the core teachings of the church

ISAW

stevenmu wrote:

A lot of our modern superstitions come from attempts by the catholic church to demonise pagan beliefs that would have been popular prior to its arrival. It's kind of funny because they've gone on to become something that goes against the core teachings of the church

And your evidence for this statement is?

Surely the early celtic christian church in Ireland did more in the way of absorbing customs superstitions and beliefs. Indeed one can argue that the existence of many such reference in the Irish language attests to this.

How for example is salt over your shoulder related to the church? It isnt! or horseshoes? They arent!

Hmmmm"Find a penny pick it up...." how does that end?

Is it "... the church says you are a devil worshipper!"
Nope

When you use the word "demonising" there is no doubt it will sometimes be correct but I suggest not as often as you seem to suggest.

Worshipping demons for example is frowned upon by Jews Christians Muslims and others. If devil worship is "demonising" the worship of demons then you are not really making such a major statement with the word "demonising" are you?

As regards superstitions, one can test how many people moved on a Friday for example and whether that collerates with a subsequent longer stays in hospital, lesser incomes, illness etc. I suggest that there is NO SUCH CORRRELATION. superstitions are mostly harmless but dont let them rule your life. Try studying something that actually DOES work.

stevenmu

ISAW wrote:

Hmmmm"Find a penny pick it up...." how does that end?

Is it "... the church says you are a devil worshipper!"

That's a bit drastic but in a way yes, I'm pretty sure belief in luck is against the churchs teachings, in a way it's seen as a magical force.

ISAW wrote:

And your evidence for this statement is?

I can't remember where I came across the idea first but I've seen it a few times and it makes obvious sense to me anyway, altough it is a bit of a sweeping generalisation and I'm sure there's plenty of exceptions. A quick google turned up this book (pdf, html version here ).

Take the advent of Christianity
with its point of view diametrically opposed to the religions of the period. What was the effect
on paganism? It was seen in the Christianising of many of the old superstitions and customs,
and in the creation of a group of new ones. To the student of origins there is no fact more sig-
nificant than this, and none to which he can look forward more hopefully for intelligent expla-
nations of prevalent beliefs and practices. He is on historic ground, and whereas is most of
those who have endeavoured to account for the various superstitions of savage races have
done so by crediting them with a much more elaborate system of ideas than they in reality
possess,” he can give chapter and verse for the modifications and developments in the first
century of the Christian era. Sir Isaac Newton was not a historian, but he was right when he
said (in his book on Prophesies) that “the Heathens were delighted with the Festivals of their
Gods, and unwilling to part with those ceremonies; therefore Gregory, Bishop of Neo-
Caesarea in Pontus, to facilitate their conversion, instituted annual Festivals to the Saints and
Martyrs; hence the keeping of Christmas with ivy, feasting, plays, and sports, came in the
room of Bacchanalia and Saturnalia; the celebrating May Day with flowers, in the room of the
Floralia; and the Festivals to the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and divers of the Apostles, in
the room of the solemnities at the entrance of the Sun into the Signs of the Zodiac in the old
Julian Calendar.”
But the events of Christianity, the birth, life, and death of Christ, were themselves the basis of
new superstitions. For example, the notion that to sit down at a table of a Christian is unlucky,
can have no other origin than that of the Last Supper, and all Good Friday superstitions are of
course Christian, that is, although discountenanced by the Church they are based upon
Christian history

With the Reformation came a radical force that tended to push all the old superstitions and
customs into oblivion. The analogy between the pagan and Christian forms was detected and
enlarged upon with the utmost severity of condemnation. Randolph’s Poems (1646) tells us
something of the spirit of these Puritan criticisms:—
“These teach that dancing is a Jezabel,
And Barley-Break the ready way to Hell;
The Morice Idols, Whitsun Ales can be
But profane reliques of a Jubilee:
There is a zeal t’expresse how much they do
The Organs hate, have silenc’d Bagpipes too;
And harmless May-Poles all are rail’d upon,
As if they were the Tow’rs of Babylon.”

landser

I don't think your superstitious; i do think you have a psychological problem akin to obesessive compulsive disorder and you need help.

the tooth fairies in here will only encourage your problems, not help. i think you need to see someone

solas

are you a doctor landser?
If not read the charter, and provide us with some fact based links to support your reasoning.
Thanks

landser

solas wrote:

are you a doctor landser?
If not read the charter, and provide us with some fact based links to support your reasoning.
Thanks

I am not a doctor, but I don't believe that one has to be in this instance. i'm not diagnosing cancer here, but i genuinely believe that the OP should seek help, as these beliefs are having an deleterious effect on her. the OP is so superstitious that she believes every bit of mumbo jumbo that is thrown at her. this is clearly effecting her life and her enjoyment of it.

Google superstitions and OCD and you will see the link between the two. superstitious people are not OCD afflicted but some may be, and the OP sounds to me like she may have a problem, due to the adverse effect that these beliefs and the rituals surrounding them are having on her. if she had posted this thread in Personal Issues, where it should be, then my advice would be sound.

judi

landser wrote:

I don't think your superstitious; i do think you have a psychological problem akin to obesessive compulsive disorder and you need help.

the tooth fairies in here will only encourage your problems, not help. i think you need to see someone

& i think that yourself and Dahamsta would make a lovely couple!!!!!

dalk

Ahh, a touch of the old paraskevidekatriaphobia.

My brother was born on Friday the 13th and nothing out of the ordinary has happened to him (yet)...

I always look at it like this: its unlucky for some... (ie not me)

good article here

solas

your not in PI landser, your in paranormal. read the charter.

landser

solas wrote:

your not in PI landser, your in paranormal. read the charter.

i know, read my post

solas

landser wrote:

I don't think your superstitious; i do think you have a psychological problem akin to obesessive compulsive disorder and you need help.

the tooth fairies in here will only encourage your problems, not help. i think you need to see someone

I'll just post the charter here to make it more visible for you.

UpdateWhile we in no way want this forum to become a place for flaming or abuse of those who believe in the paranormal or those who have had paranormal experiences, there is always some good in discerning true paranormal experiences from events which may have other explanations.

This is the modus operandi of many of the most established paranormal institutes. Everything you can discount, strengthens the validity of those we can't'.

To cut to the chase there will be nothing wrong in the forum view with healthy discussion about paranormal events, from any stand point, but ANYONE who flames or abuses this policy will be permanently banned without question or hesitation.[/Update]

Some rules:

* As I have already stated this forum is for those that have an interest in the paranormal as such disparaging statements against posters for voicing their beliefs are not welcome.
* Please be careful with the links you provide, make sure their arent ample pop-ups or that the links dont lead to porn web pages etc.
* the usual rules for boards forums apply here, no flaming, trolling, personal abuse or insults
* There will be zero-tolerance for any poster in violation of the first rule

which "fairies in here" are you referring to?

Oryx

jeez, judi, glad you have a sense of humour. Bet the tooth fairies are hopping mad at being compared to some of us.... Guys, if you dont like what we discuss here, please take your attitude off to the thunderdome or somewhere!!

Thanx 4 The Fish

Dahamsta banned from this forum for abuse. There is no term set on this ban yet, solas and I will review later.

M

nesf

landser wrote:

I am not a doctor, but I don't believe that one has to be in this instance. i'm not diagnosing cancer here, but i genuinely believe that the OP should seek help, as these beliefs are having an deleterious effect on her. the OP is so superstitious that she believes every bit of mumbo jumbo that is thrown at her. this is clearly effecting her life and her enjoyment of it.

Google superstitions and OCD and you will see the link between the two. superstitious people are not OCD afflicted but some may be, and the OP sounds to me like she may have a problem, due to the adverse effect that these beliefs and the rituals surrounding them are having on her. if she had posted this thread in Personal Issues, where it should be, then my advice would be sound.

Landser, diagnosing OCD is no different to diagnosing cancer you (insert multiple expletives here) muppet.

Idiots like you who going around telling people they have mental health problems because of some belief that they hold that does not agree with yours make me ****ing sick. It's like watching someone telling a guy that because he is gay that he obviously has a mental health problem. Google gay and mental health issue and you will find plenty of sites telling you that gayness is a symptom of severe mental illness and is not a natural state for a human.

People like you are worst than scum. You sit behind a keyboard somewhere talking ****, telling preying on people who are insecure or impressionable and tell them they have mental health issues.

Whats worse you think it's ****ing fine because it's obvious to you who has no medical training or who shows absolutely no knowledge of the subject in question. You are throwing around terms like OCD as if you have a perfect understanding of what they mean and know personally what it is like to go through having it.

You are talking ****, and worse than that you are trying to diagnose people with medical conditions without knowing the slightest thing about them. Mental Health problems take months if not years to diagnose and treat. Yes from one post online you can tell if a person has OCD as if you could even begin to understand what that means.

As for people who believe whatever mumbo jumbo is thrown at them...

superstitious people are not OCD afflicted but some may be, and the OP sounds to me like she may have a problem, due to the adverse effect that these beliefs and the rituals surrounding them are having on her. if she had posted this thread in Personal Issues, where it should be, then my advice would be sound.

That strikes me as the delusional belief of a person who believes every website that they read. My God man, have you no idea what you are doing by telling people that they have mental health issues?? IT ISN'T THAT ****ING SIMPLE YOU ****ING GOB****E!

If you posted what you posted here on PI they would delete your posts because you are trying to diagnose somebody with a medical disorder, when it is impossible for you to do so. The fact that you are not in any way familiar with mental illness (judging from your posts) is not important. Anybody who is trained could tell you that you cannot diagnose a mental condition from a single post on a BB, unless that BB included a clear list of symptoms and family history, medical history etc. And even then, without being interviewed by a psychiatrist, no proper diagnosis could be done and no conclusions could be reached with regard to the poster.

People like you who go around telling people that they have mental health problems when you have neither any proof nor any medical training are ****ing scum. Dangerous scum whose actions have resulted in many many problems. Do you realise what the danger of doing what you just did is? IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE POSTER HAS OCD OR NOT! What matters is that your uneducated, unfounded and illogical assumptions on the matter could in the case of a highly impressionable and gulliable person result in serious psychological trauma! There are well documented cases of people causing themselves harm after some idiot online told them they had (insert whatever mental disorder is in the limelight here).

Not only should you be banned from this board, you should be forcefully re-educated on these matters. If you said this in front of me in real life you would be waking up tomorrow in a very battered and bruised condition. I am not a violent person but people who do the **** like you just did deserve to be beat within an inch of their life, and then denied the right to communicate with others for a few years until they learn how to act civily and not endanger others with their inane quasi-scientific psychobabble. You're attitude of "Well I've read some stuff online about OCD so therefore I can make diagnosises online to complete strangers while hiding behind the apparent anonymity of a board avatar" makes me sick.

Go find beat yourself over the head with a brick and do yourself a favour. Major brain trauma may be benificial in your case.


With regards to the OP. Sorry for ranting hun, just re-educating a muppet, I hope you understand.

Superstition can be a very hard thing within your life. Personally I don't believe in any of them but I've seen a lot of people that do. The only power that they have over you is the power you give them by believing in them. If you stop thinking about them and worrying about them, then you will be able to live your life without being a slave to superstition.

If you can't do this, well, I can think of worse ways to live one's life than through believing in superstition. Believing that you have a right or ability to diagnose mental illness on internet bulletin boards would be a far worse alternative, if I had to pick one of the top of my head .

Trojan

Wow.

nesf

Trojan wrote:

Wow.

To be honest, I'd ban myself for the above. It's all true and fact, but I was just a tad abusive in the delivery. Really need to learn to not rant automatically when people do the above.

Last time was in a pub, where some idiot was telling a good friend of mine that she had OCD and depression because he professed that only people who have OCD or depression would be dedicated goths in their mid 20's.

I regret what I did to him. Wasn't barred from the pub suprisingly.

Kernel

Wow II.

solas

To be honest, I'd ban myself for the above

well I'm not going to ban you, I could have banned landser for his outrageous contribution but he got a warning, I know you are already aware of how this works.
Conisder this is my "wagging finger" post, anymore abusive posts in this thread will be deleted and posters banned.

other than that I have the urge to stand up and say objection sustained.

nesf

solas wrote:

well I'm not going to ban you, I could have banned landser for his outrageous contribution but he got a warning, I know you are already aware of how this works.
Conisder this is my "wagging finger" post, anymore abusive posts in this thread will be deleted and posters banned.

other than that I have the urge to stand up and say objection sustained.

I'll play nice

Just his posts were pushing one of the few buttons that I have that cause me to have an uncontrollable need to rant at the poster in an effort to re-educate them. Have this problem in real life too tbh.

And generally I'm such a nice and considerate person

landser

nesf, you're a complete and utter idiot. from your rant, it seems to me that you have some serious anger issues and some form of juvenile/geriatric profanity syndrome. have you considered counselling

i don't believe that being homosexual is a mental health issue, in the same way that i don;t believe in santa claus or sun worship

there is a link between ocd and superstitious rituals, and the latter can often be the manifestation of the former... look it up.

finally, i like your threat against my personal well being, now that's just being silly, isn;t it. it's a pity that your post descended into name calling, threats of violence, and lastly, some pathetic non advice to the OP.

ciao

NewFrockTuesday

but ANYONE who flames or abuses this policy will be permanently banned without question or hesitation

In the interest of fair modding, may I ask if nesf is going to be banned?the worst sort of personal abuse disguised as re-reducation is appalling. This forum is pretty much in open season and things dont look set to get any better with someone like nesf setting the agenda of what is basically a very vicious attack on another members opinion. I realise the charter is one of "pinch of salt consideration" but Landsers post was nothing that deserved this torrent of abuse.

Go find beat yourself over the head with a brick and do yourself a favour. Major brain trauma may be benificial in your case

Thats just plain ol' psyco tbh. You have let Landser turn you into a flurry of rage so he must have hit on a nerve somewhere. I agree Landser is somewhat unsympethitic to the cause but your way out of line and letting the whole forum down with your poison. Sad.


Oh dear....Im probably in for it now :eek: :eek: :eek:

ISAW

solas wrote:

well I'm not going to ban you, I could have banned landser for his outrageous contribution but he got a warning,...

A bit odd isnt it?

considering you actually posted the charter earlier:

ANYONE who flames or abuses this policy will be permanently banned without question or hesitation
Some rules:

* As I have already stated this forum is for those that have an interest in the paranormal as such disparaging statements against posters for voicing their beliefs are not welcome.
* Please be careful with the links you provide, make sure their arent ample pop-ups or that the links dont lead to porn web pages etc.
* the usual rules for boards forums apply here, no flaming, trolling, personal abuse or insults
* There will be zero-tolerance for any poster in violation of the first rule

Now IMHO Landsers post was far less (if any ) of a transgression of the charter.

But you couldent ban him since you would also have to ban nesf for a much worse transgression from a post which was by his own admission a rant so I wouldnt think it is a fair critique of Landser.

I understand the bind you are in. Everyone probably has a bias but you cant show yours and have to be level handed. I respect that. Had you banned either of them you would have to ban both. You chose not to ban either. Fair enough. But it is not along the lines of the charter you posted.

Anyway I am glad that apologies are accepted and people given a fair chance and second chance. Unfortunately you are NOT following your own charter as it stands (see above particularly rule 1 3 and 4) in doing this so I suggest you include an appeals section in the charter.

I state the above as someone who recently arrived and was given the benefit of doubt but was not as exterme as either of the above two potential "banees".

judi

woh guys.... whats all the agro about?? Seriously when i joined this forum i did not expect tension with the other members!! i would of expeced a debate maybe as obviously everyone has different opinions on certain issues, but the extent of the debate here is gone way, way overboard.....chill out please:)
keep the peace among us=>

solas

If you have an issue with my modding take it to feedback.
Here's how it works, if you disobey the charter you recieve a warning, if you decide to ignore to not heed that warning it results in a ban, just so that you can't say you weren't advised.
Dahamsta received a ban yesterday after ignoring a warning against abusive posting.
Landser has been warned and nesf has been warned.
To ISAW with regard to the charter, it was applied by bug who was the orignial moderator of the forum and adpated by syke who no longer mods here either.

ISAW wrote:

Now IMHO Landsers post was far less (if any ) of a transgression of the charter.

They both are guilty of the same transgressions and both recieved fair warning.

any more off topic posts and the thread will be locked.

Oryx

And it isnt even friday 13th

back on topic: Judi, do you think any of the relevant posts may help? Are you any more reassured about your move?

solas

I think Nesf made a very important point here

nesf wrote:

Superstition can be a very hard thing within your life. Personally I don't believe in any of them but I've seen a lot of people that do. The only power that they have over you is the power you give them by believing in them. If you stop thinking about them and worrying about them, then you will be able to live your life without being a slave to superstition.

You can change your attitudes towards how you perceive certain "omens", all you have to do is associate it with somethng good. Most superstitions are derived from pagan beliefs, especially associations with birds, the fact that you believe in them only gives them power over you. Try to find another way of looking at it or focus your attention on something more positive, perhaps you could start drawing up design plans for your new house and thinking positive thoughts about all the good times you will have there.

Kernel

Anyone who says they are not superstitious should think of this:

You're flying out on holidays the next day, you have a dream the plane crashes. You wake up and John Denver (who died in a plane crash) is on the radio singing : "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground". You drop your shaving mirror and smash it. On your way out the garden you see a black cat cross your path and a magpie flies into your face. It's friday the 13th. John Denver is playing on the radio. Your row number is 13.

Would you still get on the plane??

I think you need to be rational about superstition. Many of us have things that we associate with bad luck, omens or such like, for dealing with superstition you just have to break the cycle and go for it, once you break a superstition and (usually) nothing bad happens, then it becomes easier to forget about them and get on with things. I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason, and if you have good luck or bad luck it's meant to happen either way.

Zillah

Would you still get on the plane??

Yes. And as soon as I landed I'd do the lotto, because the laws of probability seem to have gone out the window

Kernel

Zillah wrote:

Yes. And as soon as I landed I'd do the lotto, because the laws of probability seem to have gone out the window

haha. Yeah I suppose that's one way to look at it!

Oryx

Kernel, yeah id get on the plane! Im someone who deliberately walks under ladders. I refuse to be at the mercy of a superstition, the only one I still do is salute magpies but I think thats just being friendly

Kernel

KatieK wrote:

Kernel, yeah id get on the plane! Im someone who deliberately walks under ladders. I refuse to be at the mercy of a superstition, the only one I still do is salute magpies but I think thats just being friendly

haha, well there you go Judi, looks like it's ok to flout the cosmic power of superstition.

PS - I wouldn't get on the plane though!

Chavster

Unless you're a medieval Knight Templar, Friday 13th shouldn't hold much fear for anybody. Friday 13th is considered unlucky (by Christian Cultures anyway) because of the arrest, and mass torture of the Knights Templar in France on Friday 13th October 1307AD. The date has been considered unlucky ever since. Some in info here

Although i don't believe in superstitions myself, i'll walk under ladders do the same things on Fri 13th as every other day etc etc I do believe that they can have power over people that believe in them. Superstition taken to the extreme would be an example of aboriginal Australia. If a medicine man (or their equivalent) curses another aborigine who believes in his power then generally they will be affected by it. The power of the mind is the greatest thing....

ISAW

solas wrote:

You can change your attitudes towards how you perceive certain "omens", all you have to do is associate it with somethng good. Most superstitions are derived from pagan beliefs, especially associations with birds, the fact that you believe in them only gives them power over you.

What if I am superstitious about Arabs and believe they are hiding something like WMD ? If I believe they have the power of WMD I might do something about it (like invading their country) or not do something about it (like allowing their people to starve and die of pestilence) when I could have helped.

Surely the positive thing to do is to find out whether the beliefs you have are true? That can be done by measuring what happens when so called unlucky omens happen. Better still do it blind. Get someone to put you in one of these situations without you knowing it e.g. walk blindfolded in a park where there MIGHT be a black cat or magpies. You are not told. Then you determine whether that day was lucky or not. Finally you compare that with the list of bad omens which has been kept without you knowing on which day they happened. If you have three unlucky days a month and they match with say the only three bad omen days I think you are on to something. I bet you a thousand dollars they wont match though. Well 27000 i think is nearer the chance of it happening by accident.

If that doesnt work judi what evidence would it take to convince you that ANY superstition is not supported by observation?

judi

KatieK wrote:

And it isnt even friday 13th

back on topic: Judi, do you think any of the relevant posts may help? Are you any more reassured about your move?

yeah!!
im just gona move, what the heck, all these threads relating to my post are quite interesing! and some even reasuring!! so Friday the 13th it is somehow im still not cured of my other superstitions tho :eek:

solas

ISAW wrote:

What if I am superstitious about Arabs and believe they are hiding something like WMD ? If I believe they have the power of WMD I might do something about it (like invading their country) or not do something about it (like allowing their people to starve and die of pestilence) when I could have helped.
Surely the positive thing to do is to find out whether the beliefs you have are true?

I agree, although I'm not sure I would class that issue as a superstition.
I'm more familiar with the tterm superstition being applied to "A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance."

solas wrote:

You can change your attitudes towards how you perceive certain "omens", all you have to do is associate it with somethng good.

Perhaps I just didn't put it as eloquently as you.

Talliesin

I think it's worth looking at what superstitions are. For one thing they are not belief in the paranormal, unless you also subscribe to a worldview that has no place for such belief. A materialist who believes in ghosts is superstitious, a Spiritualist who believes in ghosts is not. Indeed a Spiritualist who believes there is no such thing as ghosts is arguably superstitious.

We do things sometimes labeled superstition for various reasons.

Consider the case of someone who gives a libation of whiskey for the fairies on Bealtaine and Samhain.

Someone might do this because they believe in fairies and their behaviour is not superstitious, indeed it's perfectly reasonable.

Someone might do this because their parents did it and their grandparents did it and they don't believe in fairies but it's a nice tradition. Again this is not superstition, and a lot of people do various things on Samhain or Christmas on such grounds. It's tradition.

Someone might do this due to a serious conflict between their views and those they claim to have, this is heresy (hence the Catholic Church condemning the practice of leaving food or drink for the fairies, though these days its probably not high on their list of concerns). Such mild heresies are the sources of many things that later became superstitious (generally not a matter of outright condemnation and distortion from above though, but more the conflict between two opposing views within the minds of several people in a community can lead to strange distortions).

Someone might do this because they believe in fairies, while simultaneously holding to a world view that has no place for fairies (e.g. materialist) This is superstition.

Someone might do this and not even know why they are doing it (i.e. pouring a libation of whisky, not knowing that the whiskey is for the fairies) but feel that good things will happen if they do and/or bad things will happen if they don't. This is also superstition.

Someone who holds to such a superstitious view may get extremely agitated, possibly to the extent of panic if they fail to perform the libation. This is both superstition and a psychological problem.

Indeed such panic is more likely in the case of someone who follows the superstitious practice than someone who follows exactly the same practice due to a more fully-formed belief precisely because the superstitious person has less understanding of what they are doing to reasonably evaluate the risk or benefit. After all you may feel that Friday the 13th is a bad time to do something (or the 8th day of the month, or when the moon is void of course, and so on) but we know that some times are more dangerous to drive during and still do so when we need to. We can evaluate the risk when we can put that risk into a fuller context, but not otherwise.

If such superstitious fear becomes debilitating then it is wise to seek professional help readjusting your views.

Also, use exclamation marks sparingly, not a superstitious thing, just better punctuation.

mime

If you dwel on bad things they tend to seem worse

stevenmu

KatieK wrote:

Kernel, yeah id get on the plane! Im someone who deliberately walks under ladders. I refuse to be at the mercy of a superstition, the only one I still do is salute magpies but I think thats just being friendly

Walking under ladders is probably the only superstition I can think of that has a definite, logical basis. It should be relatively easy to verify too, I'm sure if someone was so inclined they do a statistical analysis of the chances of getting a can of paint over the head when walking under a ladder versus when walking around one