BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Tuesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1943 “BLACK FRIDAY”

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 21, 13 February 1948, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Tuesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1943 “BLACK FRIDAY”

Today is Friday, the thirteenth, a day considered by the superstitious to be doubly unlucky. Quite a bit of fossicking amongst reference books failed to disclose the origin of the superstition, but it was found' that many countries had their “black days”, usually associated with historic events.

Friday, being the day of the Crucifixion, has been widely regarded as unlucky in Christian communities. The number 13 is generally held to be unfortunate, the belief probably originating from the ancient system of soothe saying by numerology, in which science certain numbers were considered much more propitious than others. For instance, the number 7 is considered the perfect number, and had a prominent place in the ritual of many ancient religions and cults. Superstition of all sorts seems to be a combination of ignorance and fear, but it has held considerable grip over even highly civilised peoples on account of the fact that it can and does work in conjunction with the psychological laws of faith. Fear is faith-in reverse.

It is fairly well established as fact amongst those who-' study psychology that a man tends to attract to himself that which he earnestly expects. The warning of tthe ancient mystics, “that which you fear comes upon you”, is claimed by the modern psychologists to be just as true today. Therefore, on a day like today, which the slave to superstition regards as particularly unlucky, it is reasonably certain that a series of small misfortunes will befall him. It is probably a fact that small misfortunes befall him every day, but today he will notice them more, and 1 his fear-ridden brain will magnify them into something significant.

Should the breakfast toast be burned black, he will mutter darkly, “Friday the thirteenth.” Should the cat steal the steak, the same thought will cross his mind. In a way, superstition can be as comforting as it can be disturbing. It does provide the ignorant with an explanation for the inexplicable. And it is much easier on the self-esteem to ascribe a minor accident to a date on the calendar rather than to one’s own folly, which is often the real cause.

However, despite its dubious comforts, superstition is a heavy burden for the mind to carry. The superstitious person is never free of small fears, and constant cultivation of the fear habit can lead to serious ill-health, even insanity. 1

Nowadays, amongst enlightened peoples, superstition is rarely carried to that extent,' though there are cases of otherwise normal people becoming obsessed with some superstition that ultimately dominates their lives. Often they die victims of their own fears.

Generally speaking, however, the enlightened modern regards the small superstitions that have survived as rather an amusing game. They are more often the subjects of jokes than of real fears. There are even some people who make a hobby of defying superstition. Possibly they are better candidates for its dangerous grip than those who ignore it Altogether. To give a thing sufficient notice to defy it is in itself an acknowledgment of its existence as a power worth defying. To dwell upon possible evils, even in denial, is to implant' destructive thoughts in the mind. , • jFaf the 'Better is to keep the mind tuned to thoughts that are constructive, emphasising the good rather than the' evil that lies along life’s pathway. For it is a fact in the science of thought that like begets like, good attracts' good, and thoughts of evil attract evil.