Happy Friday the 13th! (The Myth, Legend and Folklore)

Don't be fooled, the number 13 has always been a luck number for Witches and those with metaphysical inclinations. I myself was born on a Friday the 13th and have always considered it very lucky indeed!

Did you know that in Spanish speaking cultures and in Greece it is Tuesday the 13th that is unlucky instead of Friday? Also, in Italian pop-culture, it is Friday the 17th that is traditionally considered bad luck, although many young Italians have now been influenced by American culture and believe that Friday the 13th is also unlucky.

In the United States, it is estimated that $800 - $900 million in business is lost on Friday the 13th due to fear. Many refuse to do business, travel or even get out of bed.

There is a historical myth that if 13 people dine together, one will die within a year. The myth comes from the Last Supper, which took place on Maundy Thursday: when Jesus dined with the 12 Apostles prior to his death on Good Friday. There is also the popular Norse myth, in which 11 close friends of the god Odin dine together only to have the 12-person party crashed by a 13th person, Loki, the god of evil and turmoil.

The number 13 has been considered cursed across the world for thousands of years. The number 12 is historically considered the number of completeness, while its older cousin, 13, has been seen as an outlier. There are 12 months of the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus and 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams.

However, many believe that the myth of unlucky 13 comes from a perversion of the Roman Numeral 17: XVII. By shuffling the digits of the number one can easily get the word VIXI: "I have lived", which implies death in the present and is an omen of bad luck.

Friday is named for Frigga, the Goddess of love and fertility. Legend has it that when Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. Each Friday afterward the Goddess held a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil (a gathering of thirteen). Together they plotted ill fate for the coming week.

In Scandinavia for many centuries, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath", with Friday the 13th having an even deeper and more sinister significance.

Friday is also associated with Venus, the Roman Goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and Friday is viewed by many pagans as the best day to perform any magick relating to Venus' areas of expertise.

The number 13 has been a magical number since the Ancient Egyptians first depicted the Ladder to Eternal Life. They believed that there were twelve steps on the ladder to eternal life and knowledge. To take the thirteenth step meant going through death into everlasting life. Thus thirteen, for the Egyptians, was associated with immortality, esoteric knowledge, and Spiritual awakening.

The 13th card in Tarot is the Death Card. Those of us practiced in magickal traditions understand that this is not an unlucky omen, but a signal for transformation and new beginnings, just as death itself is a new beginning. Viewing transformation in a negative light will lead to stagnation. When stagnation occurs change must be forced upon us from without, rather than embraced from within. Instead, the Death card signals us to end one phase of life in order to gain new knowledge and self-awareness.

The number 13 in the Coperos religion of Brazil is associated with God. Here this number can save humankind. In Sikhism, the number 13 is also considered a special number. The word for 13 is "tera" in Punjabi, which also means "yours" (as in, "I am yours, O Lord").

There are thirteen Moon cycles in a year, the ancient Lunar calendar had 13 months, a traditional coven has 13 members, Romans require 13 guests be present at weddings, in the Hebrew faith age 13 is considered to be an adult, and there are 13 cards of each suit in a deck of cards.

I don't know about you folks, but I have always celebrated Friday the 13th and it has always been an exceptionally lucky day for me!

Have a wonderful Friday the 13th and be Blessed!