Happy Friday the 13th

(I was inspired to do a blurb on Friday the 13th after the woman crossing the street behind me, tripped, fell, and almost got run over by a bus this morning.)

Friday the 13th has long been known as a superstitious unlucky day. On Friday, October 13, 1307 , King Philip IV ordered the secret arrest of all Knights of the Templar in France (they were later tortured and executed). The Knights of the Templar protected Christian pilgrims during the Crusades and grew powerful in wealth and politics.

There are countless other origins on Fridays and the number 13. Many negative Biblical events occurred on a Friday (Adam biting into the apple, the Great Flood, Crucifixion, etc), the stock market crashed on a Friday (Black Friday), and it was known as Execution Day in Pagan Rome and Britain (Hangman's Day) In numerology, twelve is considered the number of completeness: 12 months, 12 zodiac signs, 12 hours on a clock, 12 Apostles, etc. A Norse myth, thought to derive from the Last Supper, believes that thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. If you have thirteen letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck: Jack The Ripper, Charles Manson, Theodore Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Albert Desalvo (the funny thing is that I have 13 letters in my name - great!). Many buildings do not have a 13th floor and many cities do not have a 13th Street or Avenue. There are 13 menstrual cycles in a year (13 X 28 days = 364 days) which would add validity to the theory. =)

What does this all mean? Nothing is real unless you believe it to be. Clutch your rabbit's feet, throw salt over your shoulder, and make sure those horseshoes are facing down.