13 September 2013 (Friday)

....or Friday the 13th.

It's a superstition that I've never thought much about. Around 7pm today I realized it was a 'Friday the 13th' and I felt no different about the day than I had at 7am. Lately I've been doing quick research (thanks again and always wikipedia) on the small things that I find myself wondering about. I do this mostly because I want to feel like I'm getting smarter, even though it's a very cheap way of doing it. It's just that ever since I've been out of school, I feel like my learning has slowed down and I'm not okay with that. So ya, today I researched something I presumed would be nothing but trivial to my existence and sorry to disappoint, but that's how I still feel about the 13th falling on a Friday.

The short version:

In numerology 12 is considered the number of divine organizational completeness. DIVINE ORGANIZATIONAL COMPLETENESS. Together those three words cover so much ground. The number twelve is also commonly found in historical events and pretty much runs our lives in the form of a wristwatch. In contrast, thirteen is irregular and is therefore considered an unlucky number in some cultures. The most interesting illustration I found was in a superstition regarding the last supper-- saying that having 13 people seated at a table results in the death of one of the diners. Yuck. That is creepy and unlucky.

The Canterbury Tales popularized the idea of Fridays as being an unlucky day of the week. Wikipedia also mentioned that some professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to start a journey or begin a new project. Sounds about right to me. But really, the superstition was exploited in the 20th century by two separate novels. The first self titled book, Friday the 13th by Thomas W. Lawson, and later Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

Have I ever been affected by this day? No. Did this research change my mind? No. But I'm glad I looked it up.