Superstitions - Feathers, magpies and other hocus pocus

[birdiefly246]

If I tip salt I have to tip some into my hand and throw it over my shoulder. I know it's something about keeping the devil away I think, my whole family do it so now I do to.


Rainbows are really significant to me. This sounds completely crazy but they always show up when I'm having anxiety about a big life choice.

 

[Wanttoseethescreenshots]

My mum salutes magpies.

I won’t walk over three drains.

also one that has actually become more of an ocd is tapping my head if I think of something bad happening. I remember when I was younger my mum would say ‘touch wood’ to not tempt fate and if there wasn’t wood she would tap her head. It’s now something I do really often and depending on how bad my anxiety is i do it all the bloody time! I wish I didn’t but I genuinely feel whatever thought I’ve had will come true if I dont do it!

 

[DCICassieStuart]

A feather is supposed to be a sign that your guardian angel is looking after you.

I'm not religious, but on the day I did my driving test I found a white feather in my car beforehand. No one else except me was ever in that car. I didn't touch the feather, left it there.
I passed.

 

[Ohflogoff]

I used to be terrible with things like this;
Bad luck: Couldn’t walk over three drains. One magpie. Couldn’t wear red. Number 13. Number 3 was iffy. New shoes on a table. Open umbrella inside. Smashed mirror.
One day I decided to let it all go. Ooooooooooph it felt good!

 

[BR006]

I have OCD, so superstitions are dangerous for me personally. I try not to let my brain engage too much with things like seeing birds.

My mum constantly goes on about them so obviously some of that has sunk into my brain from listening to her (like not putting new shoes on the table?). She told me as well, if you put a top/dress/night dress on backwards, its bad luck to change it. I remember the night before I got my A level results I put my PJ top on backwards and she FORCED me not to correct it. I got 3 As in my A levels, obviously through my own hard work and studies and my mum told multiple people about the PJ top incident as though it was due some credit haha.

I also have OCD and these superstitions rule my life at times. It doesn’t help that I have a family of magpies living in the trees right at my house, if I see one I’m running about like a nutter until I see another then I can settle. My mum also told me about the backwards or clothes on outside in the amount of times I’ve walked around with pants on backwards because I’m terrified of changing them.....luckily my thong wearing days are over

 

[Rocknrolla]

Drains don’t bother me for bad luck but needs shoes on a table is a whole different ball game. I also believe a feather is a sign a loved one is near oh and a Robin x

Edit to add - can bank on itchy palms, right for receiving left for leaving

 

[Pippylong0509]

So I don’t know if I’m superstitious or I just have ocd.
it started when I was on holiday and I had just done my GCSEs. I’d say to myself “if I swim 5 laps without stopping I’ll have passed my gcses”
And I when I see magpies I desperately try and make sure I see two otherwise “something bad will happen”
3 drains I try to avoid. If I can’t avoid I have to cross my fingers.
At the moment I’m saying to myself “if I pour myself a drink before the microwave goes off I’ll get that job”

so yeah only do it when I really want something. Though reading this back I sound crazy

 

[ChloChlo]

Dream meanings/intereptations I'm quite interested in as I find for me, many ring true. I've often had premonition dreams, which I'm frightened of.

Feathers - all of the time. I even got a random tiny red one in my napkin, in a posh restaurant with distinct, all white decor and tableware on my wedding day meal to a man who was very abusive. I laughed it off and put it down to the fact my mother supported Arsenal, but really it was a danger sign or a sign of her distaste in my choice.
I would often walk a church yard when I was down, when I fled to a refuge. I would often go into deep thought, followed by a church ding and an seeing an array of white feather. It happened very often
My beloved dog was mauled to death by another dog on a field near our home. The next day while sat in my garden, the most enemormous white goose feather fell from the sky infront of my feet and fell right where my dog would have sat, it sends my hair on edge thinking back to it. I kept the feather, as I do others. I can't keep them all, but I certainly acknowledge ones I do recieve, I usually say thankyou, acknowledge my passed on loved ones and blow it away.

 

[birdiefly246]

Drains don’t bother me for bad luck but needs shoes on a table is a whole different ball game. I also believe a feather is a sign a loved one is near oh and a Robin x

Edit to add - can bank on itchy palms, right for receiving left for leaving

what does that mean if you don't mind me asking? I've never heard anything about itchy palms

 

[Pippylong0509]

what does that mean if you don't mind me asking? I've never heard anything about itchy palms

I know you weren’t asking me but my mum used to say if your palms were itchy you were going to get money. But probably means something different to others

 

[Rocknrolla]

I know you weren’t asking me but my mum used to say if your palms were itchy you were going to get money. But probably means something different to others

No that’s correct but also if the left is itchy money is leaving you, if the right is itchy you’ll come into some money

 

[Powpow46]

I believe in the itchy palms. Also if your ears burn, left for love...right for spite. So either someone who loves you is thinking of you, or someone's talking badly of you.

 

[daydreamer1994]

I love these kind of threads! Does anyone know on anyone who has gifts e.g the seventh sons of a seventh son has the cure for thrush or something like that!
My friends sister never seen her dad, he died tragically while her mom was still pregnant with her (he was a search and rescue diver and drowned trying to save someone) , she has the cure for whoping cough I think! I know so many people go to her anyway and she really does have the cure!

Also my boyfriend worked in a garage before, his work mate got steel in his eye and a customer at the time said here ring this number. He rang the number and the lady said go get a piece of tissue put it in your pocket I will ring later. She rang back about an hour later and said how’s your eye? He said actually the pain is gone!! She said open the tissue in your pocket. The piece of steel was in the tissue!!! Amazing I love those stories!!

 

[Neonmoon]

ah I love this!
I always salute a lone magpie and ask how his wife is.
once you hear of one death you’ll hear of another 2 making 3.
Never put shoes on a table or you’ll have bad luck.
Spilled salt over left shoulder.
If I see a white butterfly I always thank it for bringing me hope.
If you gift a knife you have to give a penny with it for it to be returned to you.
New Year’s Eve every window and door must be open before midnight to let go of the old and in with the new.

When you meet a new baby always gift it something silver or £1

 

[Pot2PeeIn]

My mother in law bought be a purse once and put a pound in it- some kind of superstition I’d never heard of before.
they’re not hard up for dosh so

 

[Sheeeet]

Not sure of it's an insult to put this here or not, but as a lapsed Catholic, I'm making an executive decision

For urgent needs, a prayer to Saint Expedite can work. The best day is a Wednesday and (depending on your level of need?) he likes offerings of Madeira cake, red candles, coins, water, red wine and red flowers. I think the idea is you offer a token something when you request (only ask once!) and provide the full offering when he comes through. And when he comes through, he likes publicity hence me posting here! You can Google to find examples of what to leave and what to say.

My mum was a big Saint Jude fan - patron saint of lost causes. I'm not really big on superstition but as is usual, I read about St Expedite when I was desperate. I've seen others have more repeated success with this than I have so it might just be one of those things. My biggest one came through the moment I pressed Pay to buy the prayer card.

This is someone else's setup.

 

[Eirawen]

Hello

So I found a feather yesterday. On my kitchen floor, about a half hour after mopping it. No one had been in or out the house.

I wouldn't say I'm going through a tough time, compared to many at the moment I'm very lucky. I do have some things on my mind though, life changing things, decisions to be made that have been stressing me.

I have taken to feather to mean that I am not alone in this and that I'm on the right track and I have to say its brought me some peace.

A friend of mine saw a lone magpie and the next day suffered an awful loss... She truly believes it was a sign.

It got me thinking (in the style of Carrie Bradshaw ). I am fairy superstitious, definitely not to the point that it rules me, but it does bring me comfort (and sometimes worry when I step on 3 drains )

Does anyone else feel like this? Do you have superstitions? Do you have any stories where you've had a sign or a coincidence or something has brought you bad luck / comfort?

I am embarrassed to confess that I salute lone magpies.

 

[JGirl1]

My mother in law bought be a purse once and put a pound in it- some kind of superstition I’d never heard of before.
they’re not hard up for dosh so

Yeah my parents and my nan always did that - you never give an empty purse to someone doesn't have to be a pound though, you just got lucky
My mum always ring my sis in law and I to make sure we don't do any washing on New Year. Apparently you will wash someone out of your life if you do!

 

[Dragon100]

My mum always ring my sis in law and I to make sure we don't do any washing on New Year. Apparently you will wash someone out of your life if you do!

My mum always used to ring several times on days when washing was considered unlucky - because you wash someone in or out of the family - she would ring to see if could hear the machine running in the background. The unlucky days were Christmas day, boxing day, new years eve/day,good Friday,and Easter day. My grandma always used to say you couldn't do washing on these days as you made the sign of the cross when hanging the washing on the line and that would cause the someone to come in or out of the family.

I got accused one Easter day before going on holiday the next day of ironing someone in or out of the family, nobody died or was born that year.

A church friend didn't make Easter breakfast the year after mum died as it was good weather and she was waiting for the wash to finish to get it on the line, her husband was there and made her excuses. She did get to the service and at coffee afterwards i told her my mums beliefe about doing washing on easter sunday and we both laughed! What nobody knew (apart from her husband) she had tried to take her life 4 days earlier! She seemed fine and we laughed as did others on various topics. She jumped under train 20 hours later! She was calm, her husband felt she was over her problems as she was laughing and joking with people. With hindsite she had already worked out her plan to end it all (including puttng sleeping pillls in her husbands bedtime drink so he as not aware of her leaving the house) and that was why she seemed so calm.

I really wish our last conversation had been different.

 

[Blurp]

I know most of those (except for the three drains) as my father was an old fashioned Scottish sailor. No opening of umbrellas or putting new shoes on a table or similar like a worktop, greeting lone magpies (and we have a lot around here), paying all bills and cleaning before the Bells at New Year, coin in a purse when a present, giving a coin in exchange for a blade, salt over the shoulder, Father would panic if any of us had to drive on Friday 13, opening a window when someone dies in the room, death in threes, give a baby a coin, and so on.

I'm not Christian but I still have an image of St Christopher in the car. I've not aware of St Expedite but I know the one about burying a statue of St Joseph upside down in the garden if you want to sell the house.