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Superstitions Introduction The occult and mystic arts are flourishing again. However, it is difficult to differentiate between the superstition, the irrational misbelief, the supernatural phenomena or the occult doctrines. One that is superstition for a person, it can be religion or science according to others. In many countries of Europe people still believe in witchcraft and magic. According to statistics, one out of six English people believes in ghosts, one out of 14 has already seen a ghost. Still in England every tenth people believe in the lucky days, in Germany this ratio is even higher. Two third of the Germans read their horoscope every day, one out of three admittedly believes in it. Nowadays, astrology is a well-tried service and because of this, different magazines and newspapers have horoscope-columns. Researchers show that the social background is not a decisive factor of being superstitious, since we can find many students and intellectuals who believe in astrology or

palmistry. The horrible 13 In the 3rd book of Erzsébet Rosta she wrote about the mysterious numbers which influence our lives. This literary work titled: Mystical numbers – Numerology. In the 21st century, many people keep out the number 13. For example, in the USA buildings do not have 13th floor, in many hospitals there are not 13th wards. No one was surprised when the launch of the Apollo 13 at 13:13 CST from the 39th (three times 13) launch had failed. Of course, Europe is not an exception either: in 1965 when the Queen of the United Kingdom visited West-Germany, the number of platform from where the Queen’s train would have started was changed from 13 to 12. It seems that superstitions not only affect individual lives but the economy as well. In 1978 a survey was made in the USA that had an interesting result. According to this survey, the 13th days can cause a one billion deficit, because - on this day - a lot of people simply do not work, do not book a seat and

reluctantly buy anything. A number of people still fear of sitting at a table where the total number is 13 (for example Napoleon or F. D Roosevelt) In Paris the institution of the so called quatroziéme was established by the help of who could have ordered a 14th guest. 1 The fear of the number 13, which is called triskaidekaphobia in Greek, is an antique superstition. We inherited the way of thinking, which attributes special importance, positive or negative properties to the numbers from the Pythagoreans (students of Pythagoras) and the Kabbalists. The Kabbalists thought that the number is the essence of everything and numbers can be attributed to the virtues, geometrical configurations and to the elements of nature as well. Numbers 3, 7 and 12 were of great importance for them Number 12, for example, means perfection, number 13 is beyond this, so it carries an evil thing. One is added to the perfect 12, which breaks up unity and harmony that is why it brings death. Many

elements of the numerology have an effect on our everyday life. It is not accidental that the things and the numbers that bring luck are referred to as mascot. In folk-tales and idioms again the number 3 and 7 are emphasized, for example seven-headed dragon, seven dwarfs, Seven Wonders of the World etc. The Catholic Church increased the mystery of 7, since there are seven sacraments. According to contemporary superstitions, the critical year of marriages is the seventh; those who do not divorce during this critical year will get old together. However, statistics do not prove this supposition. The main witch-holidays We should turn back to religion again. In the ancient times people dealt with the cultivation of plants during the summer and with hunting during the winter to procure the goods needed for living. By so doing, the year was divided for two important parts, the beginnings of which were assigned to particular days. These were the winter and summer equinox occurring during the

night of November 1st and May 1st. These were also referred to as the periods of darkness and lightness. Later the year was divided into four parts, which were the origins of today’s seasons. On these special days people celebrated feasts, which were also known as the nights of the witches. Besides these four special days there are another four dates, the halving periods of the seasons: 21st December, 21st March, 21st June and 21st September. Of course, people assigned special significance to these days as well, since these were the days when the main witch-meetings were held. The most important Hungarian witch-holidays 24th April: St. George’s Day (witch-meeting of Gellért-hegy) 2 13th December: Luca’s Day (the feast of darkness) George’s Day (24th April) This holiday was an important one in Hungary, its role in the Hungarian popular belief was similar to that of May 1 for our western neighbors. This was the day of the spring evil-going, when the witches could go on the

rampage freely. At such times people decorated their fences and doors with thorny twigs to avoid the evil. According to the ancient belief, the power of the witches was the greatest on St. George’s Day People doing the Stations of the Cross on this day could have seen the witches, who stole the dew from the field or the wheat-crop. There are many popular stories which I could read in the book of Sándor Weöres: Octopus or else St. George and a Dragon history In this formation mentions the power of the witches connected to St. George’s Day For the Hungarians George’s Day had other significant meanings too, since earlier it was the important date when people drove out the cattles first in the year. They thought that this was dangerous, so special magical tricks were used to protect the animals. Luca Day (13th December) In December we are usually excited because of Christmas. However this excitement is not a bad one, rather it has a stimulating effect. Approaching Christmas we

must mention the different folk customs, so let’s see one of these: the Luca Day. During the Advent (the period just before Christmas) there are many holidays that we have to mention because of the folk customs attributed to them. Luca Day is such, it is celebrated on 13th December Luca was a Catholic saint, the patron saint of the blinds, the prostitutes and the brides. The name of Luca can be associated with the word lux meaning light. In some places she was known as the person who brings light. There are many beliefs and folk-customs linked to Luca Day From Luca Day on there are 12 days till Christmas, as the number of months in a year. That is why this period is the time when people make the Luca calendar. They check the weather every day, then they write down these data. People believed in this tradition and they thought 3 that the weather of a month will be the same as the weather observed on the corresponding day (between Luca Day and Christmas). Luca Day has another

special significance: on 13th December working was prohibited for women and girls. There are many national stories that tell how Luca punished those who worked on her day. The girls of Ardo, for example, made love predictions by visiting pigsties in groups. The grunting of pigs predicted the coming of the wedding During the evening of Luca Day stealing different things was allowed too. A lot of people stole water from the wells or the houses’ gate, which was found later in a cellar, for example. Undoubtedly, the most important folk custom is the process of making the Luca chair. The form of the traditional chair was a regular pentagon. Starting from the 13th December only a bit of work could have been done to it until Christmas. A famous saying is originated from this slow process “It is getting done slowly as Luca’s chair. According to the tradition the chair had to be made of nine different kinds of wood. With the help of this chair, its owner could recognize the witches of the

village. By standing on the Luca chair during the Midnight Mass one could easily see the witch since it wore horns for this special occasion. However, the witches could see the owner of the chair as well, so he had to run home by scattering poppy-seeds. The witches had to collect these seeds, so they could not catch up with the escapee. After arriving home luckily the chair had to be thrown into the fire. We have to mention the custom of “lucázás” too, since our fathers wanted to know and influence the future and the fertility as well. Girls dressed in white veils went to houses where they want to influence the progeny of hens with different felicitations. Young men visited the marriageable girls’ house where they said short speeches for which they got eggs as a present. In many places “lucázás” was popular among children: they walked around the houses saying short speeches as a way of magic in order that the hens lay eggs well throughout the whole year. They also

expressed their best wishes for the family of the house In return for the magic children got small gifts, if no, they cursed the house. Instead of the Luca chair 4 On the special day of 13th December every witch was revealed and because of it, they were able to take revenge on people. Doing this Luca Day was the perfect for them since it was the best time for practicing magic. People protected themselves from the witches and curses, by closing every door and window on the eve of Luca Day. It was believed that the garlic in the keyhole or the crossed broom frightened away the witches. In some regions people drew a cross with garlic onto the doors by saying “Luca, Luca stay away.” People had to look after their brooms as well, they hid them in order to avoid that witches fly with these brooms to their meeting in Gellért-hegy. On the 13th December it was forbidden to lend or borrow brooms. Besides hunting for the witches, women, girls and young men also used the tricks of magic

for weather or wedding predictions. Let’s see some of these popular beliefs Luca whip The process of making the Luca whip is not a well-known one among the many folk customs and beliefs associated with Luca Day. The making of this whip is difficult but those who were successful in doing this could have seen the witches of the village. The process is a little bit similar to that of making the Luca chair, since the work done to the whip started on 13th December, on Luca Day. A string was fastened to a forked stick and every day until Christmas one twist was made to the string. During Christmas night the witches gathered around the owner of the Luca whip. The witches wanted to push him into the well, but the lash of whip disturbed them. The people rushed out from the house, grabbed the whip and then burnt it, so the witches left the place. Luca wheat From the Luca Day on, women sprouted wheat in a plate placed in a warm place. It also happened that a candle or a night-light was put

into the center of the wheat. It was a good sign if the wheat sprouted by Christmas. It was a way of predicting next year’s crop Luca onion According to another folk tradition, people halved an onion on Luca Day. They took out the center and scattered salt into it. Depending on the quantity of the fluid the onion gave off, they predicted the precipitation of next year’s months. Luca scone 5 Feathers were put onto the scone, the one whose feather became singed could expect near death. The name of the would-be was also revealed by the names in the scones Luca slips had similar functions. Girls wrote names on 12 slips and from the Luca Day again right up to Christmas they threw one slip into the fire every day. The remaining slip showed the name of the future partner. Another way of wedding prediction was popular in ancient times. During the evening of Luca Day girls wrote 13 names on little pieces of paper. These were putted into the 13 dumplings made from the dough. During the

cooking the first dumpling that rose to the surface contained the name of the girl’s future husband. Magical tools Hand-bell The vibration caused by its tinkling is effective as compared to its tone, volume and material. The hand-bell is a really ancient magical tool. It is the symbol of femininity, so during the rituals it is often used for addressing the Goddess. Moreover, it is also useful for removing the evil, injurious magic and ghost, not to mention the dying down of storms or the calling of the positive energies. Hiding into the wardrobe or hanging to the door-post it protects the home Besides these, the hand-bell can join the ritual since it can indicate the beginning and the ending of the different phases. The Book of Shadows It is an important book of the wiccans, in which we can find the rituals’ detailed description, the prayer, the addressing, the rules of the magic etc. Sometimes it happened that a wiccan left this book to another wiccan generally through

initiation, although nowadays wiccans edit their own book. The process of making their individual book is not difficult The first step is to get an empty book, in which they should write all the rituals, magic and data connected to the magic that they once found out or met. They can decide whether it is worth recording for the future. Any version of this magical book contains the suggestions relevant to the ritual but do not take it for gospel. It is advised not to stick to the recorded patterns The witches often leave out certain pages or add new information, in this way their own book is created. It is a good 6 idea to write down the different magic and the data relevant to the rituals by hand. The handwritten text is more individual, it is easier to read in candlelight However, it is more fortunate to memorize all the rituals, so that we do not have to waste time by turning and reading the pages during the rituals. Another obvious solution is the improvisation If we still want

to read the Book of Shadows during the rituals, the hand-writing has to be easily readable. Pentacle Generally it is engraved with certain signs to a plane surface made of gold, silver, copper or wax. Pentagram, in other words the five-pointed star, is the most general and essential one among the symbols of the wiccans. The pentacle is an important tool of the rituals, in which it is used for protection or for the calling of the ghosts. For the wiccans pentacle is the symbol of the element of the earth that is suitable as a pattern for the amulets, talismans or the similar ceremoniously consecrated objects. Sometimes we use it for calling the God and the Goddess The pentacle hanged over the door or the window protects the home from the undesirable forces. Because of its connection with the element of the earth it is an effective aid in getting money. Crystal ball It is also an ancient magical tool. Nowadays the quartz crystal is extremely popular, mainly the one with sphere form. The

crystals are used for contemplative prediction The prophet stares at the crystal ball until his talent gets working. He sees images in the ball that are interpreted as meaningful information. This process is called scrying During the Wiccan rituals the crystal ball - representing the Goddess – is placed on the altar. Its form symbolizes the Goddess such as every circle or oval. Its ice-cold touch symbolizes the deep seawater, namely one part of the Goddess’ empire. Besides prediction, the crystal can be used for accepting the messages of the divinities or for exhausting the power-reserve. Some wiccan get her knowledge relevant to the Goddess or the passed life from the crystal ball. The real crystal ball is a magical object permeated by the divinity. Sometimes the crystal ball has to be bathed in moonlight and rub with black wormwood, so to strengthen its power. It can be a central magical tool of the rituals held at full moon. Boline 7 The boline is a white-handled knife that

can be used for simple, physical cutting in contrast with the ritual knife. However, it is a working tool we use it for cutting the twigs and the holy plants suitable for a magic wand. Moreover, we use the boline for engraving symbols into candles, wood surfaces or wax and also we cut the cords and strings to the appropriate size. Generally its handle is white, which differentiates it from the ritual knife. According to certain Wiccan traditions the white-handled knife has to be exclusively used within the magical circle. Of course, this rule set the limits to its sphere of applicability If we use it only for ritual purpose it strengthens the sacrament, so that it makes possible its usage beyond consecrated places. Athame The athame is a magical knife or dagger that has a long history. According to the Wiccan traditions we never used it for physical cutting rather for directing energies to maintain them during the rituals. We do not take it when calling the divinities or praying,

since we use it mainly to influence and direct the balance of forces. It is rarely used during the calling of God or Goddess. The athame is a blunt, double-edged knife with a black or dark handle The black color absorbs the forces. When we use it to direct energies during the rituals, a part of the called forces is absorbed by the handle that we can save for later times. Wiccans engrave different symbols onto the knife’s blade, symbols that are taken from the Key of Solomon, a popular book of magic. However, these engravings are not necessary The magical tools – such as the athame – are filled with power by us, so it becomes effective through or touch or usage. Despite all these, it is allowed to engrave different words and symbols onto the blade of the magical athame. Wiccans rarely use swords, mainly because the knives have the same virtues, moreover the sword is more complicated to use because of its size. The knife symbolizes the creation of changes that is why we associate

it with the element of fire. Because of its phallic nature it is under God’s patronage Cauldron In ideal case it is made of iron, has 3 legs and has a large mouth. We cannot imagine a witch without a cauldron since it is always associated with the concept of magic and mysteriousness. The cauldron is the pot in which the magical transformation takes place; it is the Holy Grail, the source of the sacrament, the sea of the ancient creation. According to the 8 Wiccan religion the cauldron symbolizes the Goddess, the fertility, the element of water, the rebirth, the immortality and the inspiration. It has a central role during the rituals: in the spring rituals it is filled with water and flowers while in the winter rituals fire is placed separately in the cauldron that symbolizes the returning heat and light (the God) originating from the cauldron (the Goddess). The magical pot is available in different sizes Sometimes it is compared to the crystal ball: we fill it with water and we

look at it to see images in it. Of course, it can be also used for cooking for boiling the notorious potion. Nowadays, wiccans use a cooker and a pot instead of the cauldron. Incense-holder We burn the fragrant incense in the incense-holder that can be a metal object or simply a scallop. During the rituals the incense is glowing continuously in the holder We can make incense-holder individually as well: every little pot or cup filled with sand or salt is suitable because these materials absorb the heat of the glowing embers so the pot will not crack. The incense has different forms: stick, cone or the cube form is the most general. We use the incense for the success of the ritual but it is also useful for the increasing of the artistic effect. It is not always defined which kind of incense should be used during a ritual or magic but it is not a real problem since we can make the right decision. The Wiccan rituals use the rough and crumby incense. The burning of incense is important

during the rituals since the ghosts are ordered to appear in the smoke. A Wiccan ritual is not complete without the incense that is usually associated with the element of the air. It is often placed in front of the divinities’ picture onto the altar. Magic wand It is one of the most important magical tools; it has been used during the different magic and religious rituals for a very long time. The magic wand is the tool of calling the God and the Goddess but it can be also used to direct the energies, for example when drawing a magic circle or symbol onto the ground. It has other uses as well, we can point to the danger or we can stir the potions with this magic wand. For some wiccans it symbolizes the element of the air, and a tool that is devoted to the God. Based on our traditions a good magic wand can be made of certain types of wood, for example: willow, elder, oak, apple etc. The size of the wand is advised to be similar to the distance between the elbow and the tip of the

forefinger. 9 Do not worry about the ideal magic wand, since it will show itself: every wand is permeated by the individual energy and strength. Broom The broom is a well-known magical tool that witches use in their magic and rituals. It is consecrated for the Goddess and for the God. The broom has a dominant role in averting the curses and the evils. Putting onto the doorstep or under the pillow it served the function of protection. The European witches were symbolized by the broom, since they have been long connected with this magic tool. They were accused of flying on the brooms which was an obvious sign of supporting the evil. People thought that it was not a supernatural act but one that originated from the evil. Of course, these were the thoughts of the witch-hunters “One aspect related to the magical powers of witches [], has to do with bodily symbolism. [] Naturally, witches too are born with extra body parts such as a small tail, huge breasts, long hair, ugly nose or

rows of teeth. [] That hands, fingers, eyes and other ‘extra’ body parts, are also endowed with special meanings is easily verified from cross-cultural examples.” (László Kürti: The Way of the Táltos: A Critical Reassessment of a ReligiousMagical Specialist) Wiccans still use the broom as a purification tool since they clean the place of the ritual with it, which is the first step of starting a ritual. However, the actual sweeping is more than a physical cleaning. The broom does not have to touch the ground The witch simply imagines that she will purify the place that is why it is associated with the element of water. Because of it, it can be used in every magic connected with this basic element. Of course, we can make a broom individually following the ancient description: the handle of the best broom is of ash tree, the head is birch tree, connected with willow twigs. The ash tree protects, the birch tree purifies while the willow twig is under the patronage of the Goddess.

Rituals usually need the broom because of its purifying and protecting function. The usage of the magical tools Similar to other religious traditions, certain tools are used by the wiccans for a ritual intention. By the help of these we can call our divinities, avert the negative effects and direct the 10 energies. Many people do not know what kind of hidden powers can be found in these magical tools, not to mention the importance of these powers. A real wiccan cannot leave without certain tools that are not necessarily parts of practicing the Wiccan religion. Rather the tools enrich the rituals and symbolize the completeness of the energies. However, we have to mention the fact that the magical power of a tool depends on its user. Certain opinions state that these magical tools should be used only until we reach the level where the are not needed anymore. Reference László Kürti: The Way of the Táltos: A Critical Reassessment of a Religious-Magical Specialist 11