I love Friday the 13th.
(Knock wood, no hubris, much gratitude.)
I am happy when that day comes up. I mark it as a special occasion. If I had my way, it would be a floating national holiday, everyone gets the day off or it is totally fine to call in sick.
It’s always been a lucky day for me (again, knock wood).
I have a long history of loving the number 13 in general. I was born at 3:13pm, which always made me feel special and connected to the number. My Dad always told me it was a lucky number, too.
My romance with my future husband started at a Friday the 13th party I threw in honour of the day. We got married on Friday the 13th (this date was chosen on purpose, of course).
My friends make a point of wishing me “Happy Friday the 13th” because they know the significance it has for me.
So, whenever this holy day rolls around, I love to watch people’s reactions. Apprehension, excitement, fear, complete indifference…all across the spectrum.
When I say that this is a lucky day for me, I don’t mean to domesticate the energy. There is still a feeling of wildness and unknown in that luck.
I believe that we should be respectful of this day.
Don’t mock it. Don’t approach it with bravado.
But, let it thrill you rather than scare you.
I love Friday the 13th because it is a day we notice. It is not just a regular day. It calls attention to itself whether or not you believe in the superstitions. I love this day because it is seeped in mystery and half-whispered stories, there is the feeling of the unknown and that anything could happen. This is one of those days when it feels like the veil is a little bit thinner than others.
If you ask people why Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, you’ll usually get a vague historical explanation, or an “I don’t know” or “It just is!” kind of sentiment. There are many stories around it, but it is difficult to lock down the true origin of this superstition.
The number 13, however, does have a negative connection with two stories that share a similar theme.
There were thirteen people at the Last Supper, Jesus and his 12 disciples. The 13th guest was Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus.
Norse mythology also tells the tale of a dinner gathering, this one at Valhalla, with 13 guests. The trickster, Loki,was the 13th guest, and his trickery resulted in the death of the beloved and benevolent god, Baldur.
And, even though there is a general feeling that Friday the 13th is steeped in history and folklore, it seems that (according to Wikipedia), “there is no written evidence for a “Friday the 13th” superstition before the 19th century, and the superstition only gained widespread distribution in the 20th century.”.
So, this lack of concrete information and mystery and mystique, plus my own affection for this day, made me think about superstitions, traditions, long-held beliefs about ourselves, things that we just accept in our lives without examination.
Are you superstitious? Do you ever stop to ask yourself why you believe some of the things you believe?
If you are afraid when a Friday the 13th rolls around, ask yourself where this fear is coming from. Do you have any evidence? Did you have a bad experience on a Friday the 13th?
As I mentioned, I advocate a healthy respect of this day. Consider the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
And remember, 13 is a sacred divine feminine number. There are 13 moon phases in a year, and 13 is the traditional number of witches in a coven.
It may be better to lay low on Friday the 13th if you’ve worked yourself up and are truly anxious and frightened, you just may invite misfortune upon yourself. Or, you could make it your intention to have a lucky day, and invite in divine protection or carry your most trusted lucky charm with you.
I am quite superstitious, and a fan of ritual, and I celebrate every holiday or tradition I can fit in, but sometimes its refreshing to challenge our assumptions, especially about ourselves, to try things on from a different perspective, and question why we celebrate or fear the things we do.
On that note, I created this Tarot spread that you can read on Friday the 13th to explore your own perspectives and assumptions.
Do you celebrate Friday the 13th? Does it slip by without you noticing? What do you consider lucky or unlucky? Put some time aside on Friday to think about what you believe and why. It doesn’t have to be scary, have fun with it. Good luck!