GOOD AND BACK LUCK OMENS

Do You Know Why You Aren't Supposed To Open An Umbrella Inside?

Image: Sinitta Leunen

We can agree that logic and science are universally praised, without them, the modern world wouldn’t be as it is, right? Yet, superstitions can easily get into our minds and make us believe that doing certain things can instantly turn the tables and curse us forever.

Who hasn’t felt the eerie energy of a Friday 13th or changed paths to avoid walking under a ladder?

In this article, we’ll go through ten of the most common superstitions and where they come from, are you brave enough to test your luck?

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This superstition is so common around the world, that there is even a word to describe the phobia to it: friggatriskaidekaphobics. However common it may be, the superstition itself is rather new, dating back to the 19th century. Fridays have long been considered unlucky by the Christian tradition since Jesus died on a Friday. The number 13 isn’t always a favorite either so, the two of them combined raise all kinds of suspicions. Are you afraid of them?

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Umbrellas can be a useful tool to protect oneself from the rain a other events, but they should always be closed once you step inside your home. If you do otherwise, you may be stuck with bad luck. Why? Well, there are many legends surrounding this superstition. For example, one British tale says that a prince welcomed a visiting king who stepped inside under an umbrella and died a few months later.

This sounds a bit far-fetched and we might as well believe that the superstition was only a means to prevent people from opening an umbrella inside and poking someone in the eye!

Image: Dayne Topkin

Superstitions are not always around bad omens, some superstitions are meant to bring good luck. Crossing your fingers as you hope for something to happen is the most classic example.

And, if you pay close attention to your fingers, you might guess where it comes from. That’s right, Christians! The crossed fingers resemble a cross and that is how this good luck omen began in the first place! The gesture is not exclusively linked to Christianity today, but it’s rather interesting, isn’t it?

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This one is not meant to attract good luck but to protect your luck from going South. It is so popular and so fixated in some communities that only saying it is enough to make it work.

Where does it come from? Well, there is no certainty about its origins. Although, many seem to believe it is connected to the belief that spirits reside in trees. So, rather than providing anything for you, the action’s purpose is to avoid annoying any spirits that can turn against you!

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Again, only the word "wishbone" is proof enough that some superstitions are almost inherent in our culture. After all, haven’t we all made a wish on a wishbone during Thanksgiving?

That's the tradition, and it dates back a long way! The legend says that Romans, who used to fight over wishbones and often broke them, considered it good luck when they got the larger part, as it was believed to make a wish come true.

Image: Михаил Секацкий

The origins behind this superstition might make you think differently of mirrors. Legend has it that mirrors hold the souls of every person who has ever been reflected in them. This belief led people to think that, if a mirror breaks, all those souls contained would break free and wander around, hence anyone responsible for breaking a mirror would be cursed with seven years of bad luck!

Why seven? There is no definitive reason for that, but seven, much like number thirteen, has always been considered eerie and a bad luck omen.

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When it comes to unlucky numbers, we should also mention number three. This number is so unlucky that most people believe that if two things go wrong, there is a third one coming their way.

This is a superstition, but there is some science behind it. When we know bad things are happening to us, our brains tend to seek out evidence that reinforces this belief. So, part superstition, part neuroscience, this is one to look out for!

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Good luck omens take all kinds of forms, after all, we need all the protection we can get, even if it makes no sense: Like keeping a rabbit’s foot in your pocket.

Now, amulets like this one are as old as time, and this one in particular is believed to come from African American folk magic, although it was a very common talisman during the early twentieth century. We don’t know if it works, maybe it’s worth the try, isn’t it?

Image: Nathan Riley

If these poor animals hadn’t had enough, Poe wrote a short story that didn’t help their case! For the most part, cats are some of the most beloved pets, they keep you company and warm. We’ve got Egypt to thank for our obsession with cats.

But black cats are a bit different. Why is that? They are closely associated with witches; it was believed they were not so much animals as people who transformed into them. Poor witches, maybe they just wanted some company too!

Image: Adam Nir

To finish our article on superstitions, we’ll mention one that is believed to bring good luck: If you find a penny on the floor, pick it up and keep it! Dirty as a penny can be, especially if you find it in the street, they are considered to be a good luck omen. More specifically, finding a penny is believed to attract more money.

There is even a rhyme that goes: "See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all the day." So if you see a penny… It can’t harm, can’t it?

WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG LINE?

A word is worth a thousand notes: 10 beautiful lyrics revealed

Image: Aaron Burden

A song can be great because of its music, its lyrics, or both. Maybe we heard a tune and a certain line spoke to us because it resonated with a particular situation, or because we found it to be funny or insightful. Some lyrics are celebrated since their birth, and some are discovered ages after the artist who penned them is long gone. The following 10 examples fit into the different categories listed above. Which one is which? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

As with many artists on this list, it is virtually impossible to choose just one lyric. The legendary Australian singer-songwriter simply has too many great lines spread all over his long career as a member of The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, Grinderman, and The Bad Seeds.

Aside from the title lyric, taken from "Brother, My Cup is Empty", we could also mention "I look at you, you look at me and deep in our hearts babe we know it; you weren't much of muse but then I wasn't much of a poet", taken from "There She Goes My Beautiful World", as two examples of Cave’s penchant for self-contempt and masochistic nature.

Image: Nahir Giorgio

Another singer-songwriter with too many amazing lyrics to choose just one is Tom Waits. His stories about life on the streets, fringe characters, and relationships are filled with wisdom and humor.

Aside from the title lyric, taken from "Heartattack & Vine", another great line that comes to mind is "She’s a diamond who wants to stay coal", taken from "Black Market Baby", and "Come down from the cross, we can use the wood", from "Come up to the house". Waits’ poetry is filled with wit, insightful remarks, sorrow, and love in equal measure.

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As we can see so far, self-deprecation is a theme among singer-songwriters, and Tom Petty was no exception to this rule. This brilliant songwriter started his career in the band Mudcrutch. One of this band’s hits, "Scare Easy", features the title lyrics.

Petty penned many classics during his career, both with the Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilburies, and his solo albums. Out of the last group, we have selected these lines, taken from his song "Wildflowers": "You belong among the wildflowers. You belong in a boat out at sea. Sail away, kill off the hours. You belong somewhere you feel free".

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As the main lyricist in the legendary prog-rock juggernaut Pink Floyd, Roger Waters created some iconic lines along the way. The 1975 album Wish You Were Here featured long, mainly instrumental songs and shorter, more standard tunes.

The lyric from the title is taken from the song "Wish You Were Here", which is supposed to be about Syd Barret, the original frontman and chief songwriter of Pink Floyd.

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This line is taken from "Nature Boy", a song written by Eden Azbez and popularized by Nat King Cole. It first appeared in 1948 and has since become a jazz standard.

The song references a Los Angeles sub-culture called the "Nature Boys", but the famous line showcased here transcends that moment and expresses a universal truth.

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Billy Joel has written many hits over the years, but "Piano Man" remains a favorite, and for good reason. This song features strong melodies and great lyrics delivered by a young Joel full of wit and insightful stories about all the classic characters in a bar.

The song narrates the piano man’s experiences and observations at the bar where he works and its usual clients. And, as the line goes, "They’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone".

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Kris Kristofferson wrote the song "Me and Bobby McGee", and Janis Joplin popularized it.

This inspiring tune, dealing with themes of love and loss, not only features the title line but also has the lyrics, "I'd trade all of my tomorrows, for one single yesterday".

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The Smashing Pumpkins are an alternative rock band from Chicago fronted by the brooding Billy Corgan. Many of their songs delve into themes of sadness, angst, and despair.

Their 1995 record, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was a massive success and featured the song "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" as its first single. In it, Corgan wrote the iconic line, "Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage".

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Robyn Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter who mixes psychedelic and folk rock with a high dose of absurd and ironic humor in his music. He’s been around since the early 1970s and released a string of albums that influenced a great deal of artists, from R.E.M. to Gillian Welch and more.

His lyrics often showcase insightful observations, absurd stories, and playful metaphors, like in the one we chose, "There’s a justice in this world. And I know just what she’s called. She’s called Elaine".

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David Bowie was a chameleon with many faces that changed as he grew tired of the last one. In the mid-70s, he had grown tired of his Thin White Duke phase and decided to go to Berlin, where he created the so-called Berlin Trilogy, composed of Low, "Heroes", and Lodger.

The second of these albums, "Heroes", featured the hit song by the same name, which contained the highly inspirational lyric that we chose to finish this list, "We can be heroes, just for one day".