Superstitions True or False

I do spit and salute when I see a single magpie.
But I did see four magpies waiting in the path of my car when I was just a few days pregnant with my son, and three on the lawn when I was at the same stage with my daughter.
Not seen those numbers together before or since, nor five or six.
So I treat them with respect.

I touch wood, throw spilled salt over my shoulder, say 'white rabbits' first thing in the morning on the first of the month. Always look for a 2nd magpie. I have no problem with cats whatever colour, apart from the fact I am allergic to their fur. As a child we used to hold our collar when we saw an ambulance until we saw a dog, then we could let it go, Also as a child used to say 'pinch punch first of the month', the reply was 'pinch and a kick for being so quick'.
I always put a piece of silver out (on the windowsill) on new years eve, usually a 50p even tho I know they are not silver now, then bring it on on new years day, my Mum always did this and I follow suit. I think all these things are habit rather than being worried about what will happen if I don't do them..
KARMA however is something completely different, I DO believe 'what goes around comes around'.

Not at all superstitious and don’t believe in karma either.
Hard to understand anyone being superstitious in the 21st century.

You only have to salute and say good morning/afternoon to the first magpie you see. When I had my second baby I didn't know the sex but that morning I saw 4 magpies all sitting together and I thought 4 for a boy and that's what I had. Believed in magpies ever since.

I don't get the avoiding black cats reference, we always believed black cats were lucky!

Some things are just ingrained, aren't they? My grandma and mother were very superstitious and more in honour of their memory than anything else I touch wood, don't put new shoes on the table, uncross knives, throw salt over my shoulder, crush eggshells before throwing them in the compost (anyone else do this?) and I'd to take a bit of a detour this week when someone had put a ladder up over a little alleyway I use as a shortcut - ah well, more steps on the Mi Fit! Thank goodness they didn't salute magpies, as we're constantly surrounded by them these days.

And my first foot on New Year's Day still has to be a dark man (step up, DH!) carrying the first-footing bag with the pieces of coal and bread, the salt and the shiny new coin.

When quite young I 'touched wood' in the presence of an elderly uncle - and he got very cross indeed. He told me firmly that superstitions cripple your life and stop you doing what you want. I felt a bit sheepish and haven't knowingly got involved since!

I'm not superstitious, I believe whatever will be will be but I do believe in Karma and what comes around goes around. I've watched it happen over the years. grin

I think it is all a load of rubbish! When I was younger I used to deliberately walk under ladders to make the point! I do say white rabbits but only for fun/tradition and I'm not bothered if I forget!

... and heritage railway enthusiasts must all be Romantics...

Nah! Sorry to disappoint, Rufus but when I was very small, I got mesmerized by the motion of the coupling rods on the little tank engine that passed my grandparents' home and pestered my grandfather to explain how it all worked. Nothing romantic about it but the steam locomotive remains a fascinating, complex and very inefficient piece of technology. Enjoy your DVDs and let's not swerve the superstitions thread any further.

Spaniel, I avoid any drain cover. When son was eight at the height of the Teenage Turtles craze, those dudes that lived underground and emerged from drain covers....... said child was walking over his school field and stepped on a drain cover. It flipped up, he fell in and stopped himself falling approx 17 feet into murky water with his arms. The cover was light weight and fell back over him. Good job I was there as were two teachers. I pulled him out and did not sleep well that night.

Well, I thought it was essential to ask after the Magpies lady wife too?

If I find a coin on the ground, I pick it up, spit on it and put in my right pocket for luck

Poor black cats. People spending their life avoiding them. What did they ever do?

But black cats are supposed to be lucky, aren't they?

Though I suppose ours wasn't when he came upon a fox in the dark that nicked his jugular.

I’m not at all superstitious, and I don’t believe in karma either. To me black cats are just cute.

Oh, I have to believe in karma, and that it’s going to catch up at some stage with a couple of people I’ve had the misfortune to know. It’s what keeps me on the right side of the law.

I’m joking of course. I think.

No, I think it's all rather silly

Same here Bluegal. Superstitions just dont mean a thing to me. White feathers landing at my feet just means
a nearby bird has shed a feather which has blown in on the breeze, nothing more, no messages are brought with it.

My only superstition is "touch wood". I think it stems from a feeling that I should never take it for granted when things are going well. Of course, touching wood is totally irrational but I suppose lots of people have silly little rituals that help them to feel more secure.

My magpie thing is "G'day, your Honour" - unisex

Good Evening All
Whilst doing a bit of searching on Gransnet I discover that "superstitions" have already been given a good work-out in 2017 and 2013.
There's more than you could shake a stick at and many posters ( nicknames) who are not posting nowadays.
I'm a novice; only been a member for just over 3 months and learning as fast as I can, but having to go back 5 years to check whether a proposed thread has predecessors is obviously a lesson to be learned.
Mind you, I now have even more "superstitions" to guard against.
Is this an example of "Karma", of which I know nothing and care even less ?
I've been more than amazed at the enthusiastic response to this thread; all pros. and cons. have been illuminating and sometimes amusing, which is a most important feature to ward off evil spirits.
Thank you all very much.
Btw; I apologise for the badly phrased thread title which I now see led to some confusion, but I'm a non-believer on each count (and also a non-thinker at times), so keep walking under or around ladders and relax.
Now back to my 2 maggies who started all this off.
Ta-Ra

Not superstitious at all. Only believe in the laws of physics!