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Superstitions
Beliefs and practices resulting from the human need to find causation in the everyday happenings of life. This is where we will try to unravel some of the unusual and esoteric things people ask us about.
1,659 Questions
What do the three leaves on the shamrock signify?
The three leaves on a shamrock are said to symbolize faith, hope, and love. In Christianity, the shamrock is also associated with the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The bird often associated with death is the vulture, which is known for its scavenging behavior and presence near areas of death and decay. In some cultures, the raven is also seen as a bird of death due to its dark color and association with omens and the afterlife.
Why do you cross your fingers?
The gesture of crossing one's fingers for good luck is older than one might think: in some pre-Christian European cultures, two people would cross their fingers together as a show of support, teamwork, or mutual well-wishing: very much like the modern handshake.
The medieval Christians adapted it as a variation on the sign of the cross, to ward off witches and evil spirits (in the same way that today's crosses can supposedly keep vampires at bay).
Over the centuries, 'keeping away the bad' evolved into 'inviting forth the good', and thus was the modern meaning of the superstition born.
Does color affct memory If so how?
Yes, color can affect memory by influencing mood and attention. For example, warm colors like red and yellow are often associated with increased arousal and can help stimulate memory retrieval, while cool colors like blue and green may promote relaxation and focus. Additionally, using colors to highlight important information or categorize concepts can aid in memory retention.
How did people come up with the consequences and rewards for the superstitions?
Superstitions are the result of observance of cause and effect. People sometimes ascribe more importance to events than they should, but once an idea is implanted the human mind often then looks for "proof".
For example:
- Ill luck to walk under a ladder - if someone is working above something could fall on you.
- a baseball player who won't play without his "lucky" shirt. He remembers the wins he experienced while wearing it, and attributes a loss to not having it. Hence he believes he can't win without it and his mind makes that a fact.
Looking into the origin of a specific superstition will often point out the original cause and the effect it had.
This superstition likely originated from a belief in magical thinking and the concept of inanimate objects developing memory. The idea suggests that the pencil somehow retains information from the studying process, even though pencils do not have the capacity for memory or intelligence. It's a fun superstition that serves as a light-hearted way to create a connection between studying and test-taking.
I am doing a report on superstitions and I need yes or no questions?
Are superstitions based on cultural beliefs? Do superstitions vary from country to country? Can superstitions influence people's behavior?
What did Aristotle do and believe?
Aristotle did a lot of philosophizing. His main beliefs were that :
1. That an idea has no power to produce the corresponding concrete object.
2. That the form, rather than the idea, held in the mind has a tendency to produce a concrete reality like itself. eg. the form of a building in the architect's mind is in some sense the cause of the building.
3. That metaphysical power and action achieve an outcome of complete development governed by four kinds of causes:
- the Formal - planning aspects:in mind, eg. design of building.
- the Material - physical aspects:in reality, eg. building made of.
- the Final - purpose aspects:in function, eg. end use of building.
- the Efficient - personnel aspects:in creators, eg.designers, builders, users of building.
4. That a spiritual explanation of the universe can be best attained by careful investigation and comparison of actual phenomena. His experimental and inductive methods were in harmony with modern science, of which he laid the foundation, along with that of the deductive science of logic. Aristotle was the one great authority, throughout the Middle Ages, on science and philosophy, in both theological and secular worlds.
5. That all knowledge is developed from sense impressions, and embraced in the categories of substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, posture, action and passion.
6. That syllogism (reasoning by means of a major and a minor premise followed by a conclusive statement), and deductive method are supreme in logic.
7. That ethically, the supreme good consists in contemplation and action combined, and virtue is the golden mean between two vices.
8 He was born on 384 bc.
More input
The above answer is logically TRUE, within the totally dominant 'rational' surroundings. These views have been taught in Western and Mohammedan culture as 'history' for ages. Philosophers are part of 'rational culture and subset of 'rational' scientists, so this is no surprise. It is a per definition correct 'rational' answer. TRUE science
The 'rational' 'natural laws' were in fact invented in ancient times by the hellenist greek wizard Aristotle. The view of the wealthy greek freemen in that time made into Nicomachean Ethics. Most destructive component: seeing the intuition of poor people, women and slaves (local common sense) as animal-like and inferior
Aristotle believed in a logical reality (logic = aristotle's god, logic is in reality, but logic did not make reality. So far so good, but Aristotle saw logic as existing independent of reality. In Aristotle's view some humans had a lot of logic in themselves and were superior, others had little logic and were barbarians.
This almost fascist view in many ages faded away. But unluckily Aristotle's views were in the 12th age AC translated in Latin (using Roman prejudices) and afterwards revived in Catholicism by the aristocrat priest Thomas Aquinas.
They were recognized in being very useful for things like: defending rich-poor duality, defending slavery and the dominant position of males.
Until Enlightenment these views were sold as God's natural laws.
In Enlightenment Immanuel Kant made God into 'metaphysics' with logic 'ratio'
99.999% of western people in 2010 still in essence let themselves be steered by 'ratio' (with ratio priests 'politicians' and 'scientists')
Neglecting much more sophisticated intuition, that was tested and improved in billions of years
But the 'ratio' paradigm is in recession
Time for a 'paradigm shift', a leap to the next paradigm
To get a feeling (just that) think of 'nerds' versus 'hiphoppers'.
Shy (thus intravert and stubborn) and very 'rational versus self-confident (extravert, just surrendering to emotion)
How do you eradicate superstitions through education?
If children are taught discipline,devotion,dedication and hard work, the belief in superstitions will get erased. People who always expects over night wonders in their favor strongly believe superstitions.
How might the principles of operant conditioning help keep superstitions alive?
Operant conditioning is defined as when organisms associate their actions with consequences (good or bad). So, when somebody is rewarded/punished for a random set of actions, superstition is born. Perhaps the best way to combat superstitious behavior is to extinguish it. In other words, you must have the superstitious behavior occur without the positive/negative results over and over until the association is gone.
1.Never sweep the floor at night or you'll sweep sorrow into your life.
2. Chase away any owls outside your window; they are a harbinger of death.
3. It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the wedding day before the ceremony.
4. If a picture of three people is taken, the person in the middle will be the first to die.
5. Never start or buy anything on a Friday.
6. Cut your hair on a full moon and it will grow back faster.
7. Which ever partner falls asleep first on their wedding night will be the first to die.
8. If you sneeze, you invite the devil into your soul; being told God bless you frightens him away.
9. Crickets in your home are good luck (not in my home and definitly not for the nasty crickets!)
10. Killing a spider is bad luck
11. Ivy growing on a house protects the inhabitants from witchcraft and evil.
12. Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.
13. If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to sit in the rocking chair.
Has anyone ever explained the origin of the unlucky 13 superstition?
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 twelve. If there were thirteen, the 13th was believed to be the devil.
"Night Bathing"
-Bathing at night is equal to a cup of blood loss. "Black Cats" -Get ready for bad luck if you see one. "Umbrellas inside the house" -Opening an umbrella inside the house = drowning the next time you'll swim. "No Reds Allowed" -Don't wear red when there's lighting! It (the lightning) might hit you! "Broken Reflection" -Seven years of bad luck if you broke a mirror.
Which animals are likely to be considered evil?
Humans.
Humans are the only animals that can even be considered evil despite the fact that humans already are evil. Our intentions is what makes us evil. We are emotionally complicated and, therefore, easily corrupted emotionally.
Unlike humans, other animals' survival depends on their instinct. Our survival is unfortunately based on emotions which causes us to be evil.
What does it mean when a fantail flies inside your house?
It means that someone you know it going to die; according to the Maori tribal beliefs.
Is crossing on the stairs bad luck?
In some cultures, it is believed that crossing on the stairs brings bad luck. This superstition likely originated from safety concerns and the belief that stairs are a dangerous area that should be navigated with care and focus. However, whether crossing on the stairs actually brings bad luck is subjective and not universally accepted.
When people say there is another you in the world is that true?
The German word Doppelgänger (literally "double-goer") is used for the "double" of each person that is said to exist, kind of like your "evil twin." There is a superstition that it is a sign of bad luck if you should catch sight of your double. There is no truth to this bit of folklore, but it has a certain weird ring of truth to it, so I wouldn't want to say that absolutely, because I like weird phenomena. I think that genetically there are just so many physical types in the world, and often one does run into or hear of someone who looks very much like oneself. I always get a kind of shiver if someone tells me they know someone who looks just like me, and this has happened several times. I tell them, "Don't tell me about it, I don't want to know my Doppelgänger!" I don't really believe in it, but I like the idea because it's weird, like the idea of parallel worlds (which actually I think is true).
Is it true that you can get bad luck?
You can have bad luck in the sense that bad things may sometimes happen to you, but there is no reason to assume that bad things happen as a result of doing certain things such as breaking mirrors. Often, you may feel that bad luck comes from doing certain things but it's likely that people have just become more aware of bad things happening and have linked it to unrelated events.
The number 13 is often considered unlucky in Western cultures, stemming from various historical and cultural superstitions. However, beliefs about luck are subjective and vary across different societies and individuals.
Does breaking a mirror brings bad luck for seven years?
The belief that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck likely originated from ancient superstitions linking mirrors to the soul. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. It is just a superstition.
Give 3 superstition beliefs that you know?
1. Walking under a ladder?
2. Touch Wood.
3. Seven years bad luck when a mirror cracks.
What are five superstitious beliefs?
1. "Step on a crack, break your mother's back.
2. A black cat crossing your bath will bring bad luck.
3. Breaking a mirror will bring 7 years bad luck,
4. Never kill a spider in the house the bring good luck.
5. Always leave a saucer of milk and a plate of biscuits or Cookie's at your front door to keep the fairies happy.
(ANY black cat doing ANYthing will bring bad luck.)
What type of creatures are gods and jinns?
Gods are typically considered to be divine or supernatural beings with power and authority over aspects of the world. Jinns are supernatural creatures in Islamic belief, often depicted as beings made of smokeless fire capable of shape-shifting and possessing free will. Both are commonly associated with spiritual or religious contexts.
What is the origin of salt over shoulder superstition?
It is believed the "devil" stands over the left shoulder of a person. As salt was once considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity, spilling it is thought of as wasteful and a means to tempt the "devil" into taking it from you. Throwing salt over your left shoulder is supposed to "blind the devil" into not seeing the opportunity to reduce your material wealth.
How many years of a bad luck go with a breaking mirror?
The belief that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck dates back to Roman times. This superstition likely originated because mirrors were considered to hold a person's soul, so breaking one was thought to cause harm to the soul for a prolonged period.
What are some chilling things people have done in History involving superstitions?
Burning women at the stake, for instance, as instruments of the Devil and witchcraft.
Someone has changed my answer by replacing "black cats" with "women". They did that, too, but black cats were burnt simply because of the superstition related to the colour of their fur!
