Are You Superstitious?

by Maureen Bonatch

Children are often more apt to accept the unbelievable and look for the magic in the world. As they grow older, most become more practical and only believe what can be rationally explained.

Although many adults still hold onto beliefs, or superstitions, to try to gain a little luck, or ward off bad luck. Superstitions are a widely held but unjustified belief that something supernatural is responsible for certain consequences of an action. In other words, if we can’t make sense of it, then we might make up the reason why something occurred.

These beliefs might bring some comfort, such as believing something gives them luck to help increase confidence in a positive outcome or unknown future event. Many of us may even make up our own superstitions such as having a lucky shirt or other item.

A few beliefs of lucky charms that I’m familiar with include:

• Believing a rabbits foot holds luck
• Crossing your fingers
• Find a penny pick it up (all the rest of the day good luck)
• Getting the larger piece of a broken turkey bone to grant luck or a wish

Other actions or beliefs of bad luck might increase your unease for no validated reason and can include:

• Bad luck comes in threes
• A black cat crossing your path
• Breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck
• Knocking on wood to ward off bad luck
• Opening an umbrella inside brings bad luck

I’m currently working on a short story to be released with thirteen other authors on Friday the 13^th. Some people fear Friday the 13^th. They might be referred to as friggatriskaidekaphobics. 

My story,“Till Death”,  will be a little different than my other stories in that it’s a dark suspense, with no paranormal. Not having paranormal elements was really a challenge for me. It seems that I have trouble giving up looking for a little bit of magic in my characters.

My main character in Till Death is very superstitious. In researching the story I’ve come across some other unusual superstitions including:

• Mirrors don’t just reflect image, they hold bits of your soul
• Facing mirrors open a door for the devil
• Don’t go right home after the funeral or the spirit may have tagged along
• Whistling indoors summons demons
• If you see or hear an owl, terrible news is coming
• An owl in your house brings death
• A full moon is associated with chaos
• A person with 13 letters in their name is cursed

Perhaps if you’re just a little superstitious, you might still believe there's still a little magic left in the world.

Are You Feeling Lucky?

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Do You Have Any Superstitions?

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter

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Shamrocks and Clovers - Are you feeling lucky?

When I was a kid, I used to hunt for four-leafed clovers in the belief that they brought good luck. I didn’t know then that one was only considered lucky if you found it by accident – the clover was useless if you looked for it on purpose! No wonder I didn’t get the pony I was hoping for….

The ancient Celts of Wales carried sprigs of clover as a charm against evil spirits, particularly faeries. The clover might be tucked in one’s hat. Or multiple clovers might be sewn into a tiny bag and hung around the neck. This would enable the wearer to see through faery glamor – but it would only work once for each clover that was in the bag.

The faeries couldn't hide from you if you were
carrying a four-leaf clover.Photo licensed from Bigstock.com

Druids esteemed the four-leafed clover as a source of protection, because holding one would allow you to see not just faeries, but many other supernatural creatures. A salve was sometimes made of four-leafed clovers and applied to the “third eye” area of the forehead, to bring out psychic abilities. And in the Middle Ages, a four-leafed clover worn inside your shoe was believed to lead you to either love or treasure! (If you put one in each shoe, did you find both?)

Both shamrocks and four-leafed clovers come from the 
same plant: Common White Clover (Trifolium Repens).
Photo licensed from Bigstock.com

The four-leafed clover is a symbol of good luck in many countries, but is most often associated with Ireland. The Irish claim that they have more of them growing there than anywhere else in the world. Maybe they do, since BOTH traditional Irish shamrocks and four-leafed clovers come from the very same plant:  Common White Clover, also known as Dutch Clover (Trifolium Repens). That’s right, it’s the same stuff that sometimes takes over the lawn on this side of the Atlantic. Irish botanist Caleb Threlkeld verified this when he wrote about Trifolium Repens in his 1727 book about local flora: “This plant is worn by the people in their hats upon the seventeenth day of March yearly.”

True, there are some pretty potted plants sold around March 17^th that claim to be official shamrocks, but they’re usually oxalis or wood sorrel. The leaves occur in a variety of colors, but apparently aren't brimming with good fortune. (I enjoy them anyway.)

The shamrock and the four-leafed clover are both
commonly associated with Ireland.
Photo: Public Domain

The Irish word for shamrock is seamróg, referring to the trefoil leaf of the clover plant. St. Patrick allegedly made it famous by taking an ordinary three-leafed clover and using it as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This is an excellent example of Christianity adopting – and changing – the symbols of ancient pagan faiths. The three leaves had previously been known as the three phases of the Goddess – Maiden, Mother and Crone!

So why are there four-leafed clovers if clover naturally has three leaves? Long thought to be a simple plant mutation, scientists have now found a recessive gene for the anomaly. In fact, there are no known limits as to how many leaves a clover can have. According to Guinness, the world record for the most leaves on a clover stem has been held by Shigeo Obara of Japan since 2002 when he discovered a clover with 18 leaves. He bested his record a few years later with a 21-leafed clover (see photo on this site - http://yeinjee.com/21-leafs-clover/). And in 2009, just before Obara died, he was credited with finding a clover with no less than 56 leaves!!!

Rabbits LOVE clover.
I wonder how many four leaf clovers
this little guy has eaten?
Photo licensed from Bigstock.com

In Ireland and a few other places, a clover bearing more than four leaves is said to bring BAD luck. In other countries, however, there are different meanings according to leaf number:

•      Two-leafed clover = love
•      Four-leafed clover = luck 
•      Five-leafed clover = attracts wealth
•      Six-leafed clover = fame
•      Seven-leafed clover = long life

So just how rare are clovers with more than the standard three leaves? Estimates place them at about one in 10,000 when naturally grown. Because the four-leafed clover is such a well-known symbol of good fortune, an entire industry has sprung up around them. You can buy genuine four-leafed clovers pressed between glass, embedded in resin, made into jewelry etc. But to get enough of them, some horticulturalists have refined the clover plant using the newly-discovered genes. In their specialized plots, four-leafed clovers occur about once in every 41 plants!

However, the luckiest man in the world just might be Edward Martin Sr. of Alaska. Guinness certified Martin's collection of 111,060 four-leaf clovers in 2007, and it's reported he has well over 160,000 now! 

(See how all those clovers were counted in this article in the Peninsula Clarion News - http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/061307/news_0613new003.shtml#.WMcP2zsrI2w )

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I grew up on Celtic faery stories. Not the ones where faeries are tiny beings with delicate wings, and as sweet-natured as they are pretty. Nope, I teethed on the ones where faeries come in every shape and size. Dark or light, terrifying or beautiful, sensual or cold, indifferent or cruel ... all are dangerous!

My Grim Series is based on one of my favorite fae legends (with thanks to my Welsh grandmother). The Grim is also known as the Black Dog, and his role is to act as a herald of death and misfortune. But how did he get a job like that? And what if he doesn't want it?

Check Amazon for STORM WARRIOR, STORM BOUND, and STORM WARNED

Watch for the upcoming release of STORM CROSSED, Book 4 of the Grim Series!