Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

I'm a writer and I keep coming across this.
We've all heard it and I'm sorry if I'm repeating a previous thread here. But I was wondering, are you superstitious?
We're all supposed to be apparently, and I have my own idiosyncrasies, but couldn't most of the population be accused of that?
Anyhow, would you describe yourself as superstitious?
Can you only write while sitting under a ladder with a black cat walking back and forth across your path, at the same time as breaking mirrors and opening umbrellas...? Maybe I have that backwards :p

I'm very superstitious. I walk around ladders. If broom falls, company coming over. Ears ringing or burning, someone's talking about you. 7 years bad luck if you break a mirror. Spill salt, pick up and throw over your shoulder. The list goes on and on. Just things I've picked up over my 50 years of living. I'm not ashamed of it either. Cheers!!!

Hello Scarlett!

I too am a superstitious one.

I do not feel that everyone is given to the superstitions of folklore per se (i.e., not picking up a penny if it is tail-side up, a black cat crossing in your path bringing upon one ill-luck, etc.) but I think we all have quirks in the way of superstitions to match our individual belief systems...Even the most orthodox and straight-laced people I know, have these!

Whenever I cook (which I love to do) and if I am working with salt, I still throw that pinch of it over my left shoulder for luck--just in case I have spilled a bit, or even if I know I have not!

I once broke a mirror...This was several years ago (nearly 8 in fact!). I was so upset...I actually did a spell (am Pagan) to reverse the bad luck (though I do not believe it worked, regrettably).

In contrast, whenever something blessed or lucky happens to me, I knock on wood thrice with my right hand and say under my breath, "Praise be to the Good Fates!"

Well, gosh, was that not candid? Perhaps one day, I shall be that odd old lady who lives down the lane in the creepy Victorian house with the high wrought-iron gates beset by gargoyles and dragons...

But in all honesty, what we believe in has power...If we choose to believe in superstitions then our mind will work with the details of them to bring forth either what we fear or what we desire. It is all in the power, in the intent, of the mind fuelled by emotion. As far as emotions go, fear comes more easily to us than conviction and therefore what we fear more easily comes to pass. I am speaking from years of experience and painful lessons regarding this. I truly mean it when I say this is NOT superstition but FACT.

One of my favorite quotes here at, "Goodreads" is by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung (one of my heroes):

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

;)

Superstitious? Me? Not really. Well... maybe a tiny teeny bit.

My best childhood friend died exactly 7 years after breaking a mirror. (He broke the mirror at 7, died killed by a drunk driver at 14). I'm not too scared of breaking mirrors, yet I wouldn't do it on purpose. ;)

One thing I am very superstitious about (because it happened every single time I've seen it) is a bird entering a house. For those who don't know about that one it's simple. A bird that enters a house mean someone near you will die soon. The last time I've seen it was when my hubby and I had our house built. (Darn bird cheated! The stupid house didn't have a garage door yet.) Anyway, it entered the house and a week or so later, my mother died.
So may I say that when I see a bird near my house I don't open any door!

My best childhood friend died exactly 7 years after breaking a mirror. (He broke the mirror at 7, died killed by a drunk driver at 14). I'm not too scared of breaking mirrors, yet I wouldn't do it on purpose. ;)

I'm so sorry : ( It's so sad when a child loses a friend through death.

I think personal experiences would influence our superstitions.

As for me...my most common superstition is knocking on wood. I do that a lot. Or really I just knock on anything nearby.

I wouldn't say I am although I am with more of a touch of OCD. If I don't do something a certain way I'll go back and do it again in case something happens for not doing it right the first time..yeah pretty weird right?

I am sorry to hear about your friend, G.G. I too lost my best friend when we were both aged 19. In her case, it was a long-standing illness which ended her life.

I was always taught that a bird flying into your home is a sign of good luck. I had that happen to me on the day I moved into an apartment some years ago (incidentally, it was in that same place and in that same year in which I broke the mirror).

Justin, I am OCD-ish too...In fact, between the ages of 22 and 27, I was severely ill with obsessive-compulsive disorder so no, it is not weird but is 'ritualistic behaviour' (is what 'they' call it). I have that sort of mind even now though my OCD has basically been reduced to 'quirks' (*knock on wood* ;) ).