FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK?

Subject: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:26 pm

Superstitious About Friday the 13?

Do you run for cover on Friday the 13th? Or do you celebrate and look for some good fortune?

Why Are We Afraid of
Friday the 13th?
RIDAY THE 13TH - how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day?
fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day.
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.

In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.

Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
FRIDAY THE 13TH - how is fear of the number thirteen demonstarted?
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.
Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:26 pm

Friday 13th - unlucky for some
Research suggests one in four believe Friday the 13th is unlucky
People who see themselves as unlucky should stay indoors on Friday the 13th, according to new research.

A study suggests those who consider themselves unlucky are more likely to believe in superstitions associated with bad luck, such as the number 13.

What is more, the researchers say, this belief alone can actually lead to "bad luck".

Psychologist Dr Richard Wiseman, who carried out the research, said: "Unlucky people tend to buy into negative superstitions, like having seven years bad luck after smashing a mirror.

"If you're one of these people, the fact that it's Friday the 13th could make you anxious and that will make you more likely to have accidents, drive less well, and perhaps find it harder to relate to other people.

"So your bad luck could be your own doing."

'Copping out'

More controversially, Dr Wiseman believes some people actually want to be unlucky because it helps them to avoid taking responsibility for their own failings.

"It's a way of copping out," he said.

Dr Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, said a quarter of those surveyed thought the number 13 was unlucky.

A total of 4,000 people were asked if they considered themselves lucky or unlucky, and whether they engaged in any superstitious behaviour.

The survey found that "lucky" people tended to believe in superstitions designed to bring good luck, such as touching wood, crossing fingers and carrying a lucky charm.

Black cat
A black cat crossing your path is said to bring bad luck

"Unlucky" people were drawn to bad luck superstitions, such as breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, or having anything to do with the number 13.

The results showed that 49% of lucky people regularly crossed their fingers compared with 30% of unlucky people.

In contrast, just 18% of lucky people became anxious if they broke a mirror, compared with 40% of unlucky people.

But the number 13 brought out the biggest difference between the lucky and unlucky, with more than half of people who considered themselves unlucky dreading the number, as opposed to just 22% of lucky people.

Crossing fingers

The most widely held superstitious belief was touching wood, which 86% said they did.

That was followed by crossing fingers (64%), not walking under ladders (49%), fear of breaking a mirror (34%), being worried about the number 13 (25%), and carrying a lucky charm (24%).

Dr Wiseman said: "These are surprisingly high figures, and indicate that superstition is alive and well in modern Britain.

"Indeed, amazingly, 86% of Brits said that they carried out at least one of these superstitious behaviours.

"Even scientists are not immune from superstition. For example, 15% of people with a background in science said that they feared the number 13."

Dr Wiseman has set up a website to continue his Luck Project, where anyone can contribute to the research.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:30 pm

Do you believe Friday The 13th to be unlucky ? If so, then keep yourself out of catastrophe by not walking under open ladders, keep black cats from crossing your path or don't break a mirror. And don't forget to send these fun good luck wishes to your pals as well.

In the Bible the numbers 7, 12 and 40 have symbolic meaning and appear throughout the Old and New Testaments. The number 12 is considered a lucky number. Consequently, the number, which follows 12, was thought to be evil. The number 13, in the Christian faith, is the number of parties at the Last Supper, with the 13th guest at the table being the traitor, Judas. When Christians combine this day and number, the combination can only hold special significance.

Known scientifically as "Tridecaphobia," fear of the number 13 is probably the most common of all superstitions. Buildings avoid numbering the 13th floor. Airplanes avoid the 13th aisle. And almost every North American knows that Friday the 13th is considered a bad luck day.

As we have stated in other parts of this site... if you believe it, it will be... so if you believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky, it will be... on the other hand, for me, Friday the 13th has always brought good luck!

For most folks, Friday the thirteenth is considered the unluckiest of days, unless you were born on Friday the 13. If you were born on this day then Friday the 13 is your lucky day.

The origins of Friday superstitions are many. One of the best known is that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.

The modern basis for the Friday the 13th superstition stems from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in Conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant against "the Knights Templar". The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified. A Black Friday indeed!

Long before the Bible was written, Friday was considered an important day. Primitive people set aside Fridays as a special time to worship their deities and ask them for good crops, health and happiness. Those who worked on this day were told not to expect "good luck" from the gods. (See our superstitions on the Days of the Week)

The day Friday was named after Frigg (or Frigga), the Norse goddess of marriage. Later she was confused with the goddess of love, Freya, who in turn became identified with Friday. When the Norsemen and Germanic tribes became Christians, Freya was supposed to have been banished to the mountains as a witch.

Friday came to be called "witches' Sabbath." For it was believed that on this day, each week, twelve witches and the Devil met - thirteen evil spirits up to no good! This is one of the reasons for today's superstition about Friday the 13th.

The Scandinavian belief that the number 13 signified bad luck sprang from their mythological 12 demigods, who were joined by a 13th demigod, Loki, an evil cruel one, who brought upon humans great misfortune.

A call to those who fear the number 13...

We're from Denmark , Scandinavia , and we're doing research for a documentary about the unlucky number 13 and how it has become a part of contemporary America. We look for people, or whole families, who believe that the number 13 means bad luck and who dread Friday the 13th. People who don't leave their house on that date or performs certain rituals to avoid bad things happening in relation to Friday the 13th or the number 13 in general. We would like to know if you by any chance are able to help us in our search for these people.

Best regards,
Jan Dirchsen and Karen Therkelsen
Documentary Department
Easy Film
Denmark

Our Team Responds:

I have no fear of the 13th in fact believe it to be lucky. I met my husband when he lived in a place with the number 13 as the address. Good luck with your research. I have never known anyone with a phobia that strong.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:32 pm

Friday the 13th, 2029

Asteroid 2004 MN4 will come scarily close to Earth on April 13, 2029, but it will not hit.

NASA

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May 13, 2005: Friday the 13th is supposed to be an unlucky day, the sort of day you trip on your shoe laces or lose your wallet or get bad news.

But maybe it's not so bad. Consider this: On April 13th--Friday the 13th--2029, millions of people are going to go outside, look up and marvel at their good luck. A point of light will be gliding across the sky, faster than many satellites, brighter than most stars.

What's so lucky about that? It's asteroid 2004 MN4 ... not hitting Earth.

see captionFor a while astronomers thought it might. On Christmas Eve 2004, Paul Chodas, Steve Chesley and Don Yeomans at NASA's Near Earth Object Program office calculated a 1-in-60 chance that 2004 MN4 would collide with Earth. Impact date: April 13, 2029.

Right: The orbits of Earth and asteroid 2004 MN4. [More]

The asteroid is about 320 meters wide. "That's big enough to punch through Earth's atmosphere," devastating a region the size of, say, Texas, if it hit land, or causing widespread tsunamis if it hit ocean, says Chodas. So much for holiday cheer.

Asteroid 2004 MN4 had been discovered in June 2004, lost, then discovered again six months later. With such sparse tracking data it was difficult to say, precisely, where the asteroid would go. A collision with Earth was theoretically possible. "We weren't too worried," Chodas says, "but the odds were disturbing."

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This is typical, by the way, of newly-discovered asteroids. Step 1: An asteroid is discovered. Step 2: Uncertain orbits are calculated from spotty tracking data. Step 3: Possible Earth impacts are noted. Step 4: Astronomers watch the asteroid for a while, then realize that it's going to miss our planet.

Killer Asteroid! headlines generally appear between steps 3 and 4, but that's another story.

Astronomers knew 2004 MN4 would miss Earth when they found pictures of the asteroid taken, unwittingly, in March 2004, three months before its official discovery. The extra data ruled out a collision in 2029.

Instead, what we're going to have is an eye-popping close encounter:

On April 13, 2029, asteroid 2004 MN4 will fly past Earth only 18,600 miles (30,000 km) above the ground. For comparison, geosynchronous satellites orbit at 22,300 miles (36,000 km). "At closest approach, the asteroid will shine like a 3rd magnitude star, visible to the unaided eye from Africa, Europe and Asia--even through city lights," says Jon Giorgini of JPL. This is rare. "Close approaches by objects as large as 2004 MN4 are currently thought to occur at 1000-year intervals, on average."

see caption

Above: The trajectory (blue) of asteroid 2004 MN4 past Earth on April 13, 2029. Uncertainty in the asteroid's close-approach distance is represented by the short white bar. [More]

The asteroid's trajectory will bend approximately 28 degrees during the encounter, "a result of Earth's gravitational pull," explains Giorgini. What happens next is uncertain. Some newspapers have stated that the asteroid might swing around and hit Earth after all in 2035 or so, but Giorgini discounts that: "Our ability to 'see' where 2004 MN4 will go (by extrapolating its orbit) is so blurred out by the 2029 Earth encounter, it can't even be said for certain what side of the sun 2004 MN4 will be on in 2035. Talk of Earth encounters in 2035 is premature."

In January 2004, a team of astronomers led by Lance Benner of JPL pinged 2004 MN4 using the giant Arecibo radar in Puerto Rico. (Coincidentally, the Arecibo dish is about the same size as the asteroid.) Echoes revealed the asteroid's precise distance and velocity, "allowing us to calculate the details of the 2029 flyby," says Giorgini, who was a member of the team along with Benner, Mike Nolan (NAIC) and Steve Ostro (JPL).

More data are needed to forecast 2004 MN4's motion beyond 2029. "The next good opportunities are in 2013 and 2021," Giorgini says. The asteroid will be about 9 million miles (14 million km) from Earth, invisible to the naked eye, but close enough for radar studies. "If we get radar ranging in 2013, we should be able to predict the location of 2004 MN4 out to at least 2070."

see captionRight: The Arecibo radar in Puerto Rico is coincidentally about the size of asteroid 2004 MN4. [More]

The closest encounter of all, Friday the 13th, 2029, will be a spectacular opportunity to explore this asteroid via radar. During this encounter, says Giorgini, "radar could detect the distortion of 2004 MN4's shape and spin as it passes through Earth's gravity field. How the asteroid changes (or not) would provide information about its internal structure and material composition." Beautifully-detailed surface maps are possible, too.

The view through an optical telescope won't be so impressive. The asteroid's maximum angular diameter is only 2 to 4 arcseconds, which means it will be a starlike point of light in all but the very largest telescopes.

But to the naked eye--wow! No one in recorded history has ever seen an asteroid in space so bright.

Friday the 13th might not be so bad after all.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:27 pm

There is no such thing as luck. Your world is all yours and you make of it what you can. Actually, the number 13 denotes change in numerology. In Tarot the Death card also denotes change so 13 can be considered the death card in numerology.

As Cindy will surely tell you the Death card is not always a bad card. It just says there will be change coming. It my be negative or it may be positive. You will be the judge of that.

Most people have a social symptom called "resistance to change." I have gone to classes and many a seminar just on ways to combat resistance to change in the work force. So Friday the 13th can cause problems for people just because they expect something bad to happen to them on that day. They expect a bad change.

The number 13 really has nothing to do with good or bad luck really. It all just depends on an individuals frame of mind. If you don't even realize it is Friday the 13th, like I usually do, then it is just another day although good for me because it is Friday. And that makes no sense either because I work on Saturdays but that is my frame of mind. I just like Friday's

So, if you have a lot of bad luck on this particular day, don't blame anybody but yourself.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:49 am

You are exactly right Raymond. You know I always have a good day on Friday 13th and there is no such thing as good luck and bad luck, really. Its what you make of life. Its up to you to try and change your life. Death card is for change and change in your life. I have had that frequently for myself and I know why, lol. So folks I just put this on to see what reaction I would get? Interesting, lol.

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:40 pm

I had a good day on friday 13th as I played rugby and did well. I use to be scared of the ball but I am not now, which is a good thing for me.

Admin Age : 20 Joined : 18 Mar 2008 Posts : 60

my day was bad im not going to go into details but it was just bad
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Subject: the 13th Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:18 am

i always have a good friday the 13th i basically dont even think about it as being a bad luck day either period just another day Very Happy

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:21 pm

Well that has concluded this topic and I am pleased that there was a lot of response to this. Thank you everyone for sharing your views.

Love Cindy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:20 am

Subject: Re: FRIDAY THE 13TH GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK? Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:34 pm

That you Cody for your kind words and bless you too.
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A medium with 3 growing children and married to a wonderful Husband. I have been doing readings since I was a child.