Say it with me: “I am not afraid of Friday the 13th.”
Did you say it? If you did, you get a gold star. Well done!
If you were able to say that out loud and actually believed the words you said, you have conquered Friggatriskaidekaphobia, or the fear of Friday the 13th.
Seventeen to 20 million people in the United States are afflicted by this fear, according to a study that was conducted by the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina.
The number 13 has been thought to be an eerie number for centuries: as a numeral, the number 12 has been typically thought as a number of completeness. There weren’t 13 apostles, there were 12; there are not 13 hours on the clock, there are 12; and there were not 13 gods of Olympus, but 12.
Additionally, bad things have happened on Fridays such as Black Friday and the crucifixion of Jesus which occurred on a Friday. Additionally, in a work of fiction entitled The Da Vinci Code (brilliant), Friday the 13th was associated with the Knights Templar and its superstition.
In fact, people are so superstitious, they will not fly on Friday the 13th and it costs the airline industry millions of dollars.
Friggatriskaidekaphobia can alter people’s lives. I have many fears, but not this one. Do you believe that a number can bring bad luck? And if so, do you believe in other crazy superstitions? Are you of the mindset that if you break a mirror you will have seven years of bad luck; that if you walk under a ladder or open an umbrella in your house you will encounter bad luck; or that if you kiss or touch a toad you will get warts?
The other night a black cat ran in front of my car. It actually brought good luck for the cat; I slammed on my breaks to avoid hitting and killing it and it lived. Perhaps it was living its 13th life.
Happy Friday the 13th everyone. If you feel yourself battling Friggatriskaidekaphobia, you may want to hunt down a rabbit’s foot or a four-leaf clover or turn your clothes inside out to bring yourself some good vibes today.
(source for this piece: Wikipedia)
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