Superstitions

My sister in law is the most down to earth person you could meet, but she’s has several strange experiences, including having a nice chat to someone she later learned was dead.

Many years ago, I was awakened in the night by someone gripping my ankle, assuming it was my youngest child, turned the light on, but there was no sign of her, checked her room and she was sound asleep.

Very early the next morning the phone rang, it was my dear friend to say her husband, who had been very ill had died in the night, we had all been very close friends, I think he popped in to say goodbye.

The only odd thing about that, is that knowing R- - - - I’m surprised it was my ankle he chose to squeeze!

My son has always been able to see 'spirit people' and I was told by a Roma lady that I had second sight. I have but don't use it.

Despite that and being surrounded by Maori who live by signs and portents, I am a very down-to-earth woman who does not fear black cats or walking under ladders or the many birds who hop or fly into my house each summer without all my neighbours and kin dropping like flies.

However....you knew there had to be a 'however', eh?

When I wrote a chapter about visualisation and suggested the reader choose an Ideal Being (pets, late grandparents, Jesus, whatever fits the person's psyche), in whom to confide all their fears without judgement, I found, when I did the exercise myself that walking towards me (in my imagination) was my husband, at that time, awasy in England.

Lovely though he was, he was not the 'being' I'd choose to confine my innermost fears and doubts without judgement.

When some time later, I received a call from his sister, who often rang me, I knew even before she spoke, there was something wrong.
He had died on the very day and possibly the time, I was doing the visualisation. I know they exact times because the UK police were involved and it was documented.

I do believe in coincidence, very much so, I see it so often I've even started to mark them in my diary!

So what was it? Coincidence, an omen, my husband coming to say a last goodbye?

I'll never know. It is what it is.

I could go on and on about things ive seen but for those who believe , its preaching to the converted and those who dont wouldnt be interested.
I think some people are more sensitive to these things than others and maybe the ones who arent are just not meant to be.
I wouldnt push my views on to any one else. My ex husband didnt believe that I saw things in the old house , until I moved out and he saw them for himself . !

A few years ago I attended a wedding, whilst photos of the bride and groom were being taken a chimney sweep stepped forward to wish them luck in their new life. Everyone said how lucky they were. Six months later bride and groom parted company, now divorced, so much for that.

CaroDane thank you, i miss her so much,

Frankly I think all superstitions are b*ll*cks. the law of co-incidence is far stronger than all this tosh about omens and the like. That or someone is doing something deliberately to frighten you.

Set up a couple of trail cameras or CCTV that will soon solve the problem.

I always thought a black cat crossing your path was supposed to be lucky, not unlucky. Then our vet persuaded us to take in a jet black kitten that needed homing, because apparently they aren't very popular. He was the best pet we ever had.

My mother was very superstitious. I was unwell with tonsillitis. On the way to the hairdressers a black cat crossed my mother’s path. Meanwhile I asked my dad to buy me some magazines. When my mum saw my dad coming towards her she got into a total panic and practically collapsed in the street. So easy to put 2 + 2 together and come up with 5.

blondenana so sorry about your little dog ? it's heartbreaking losing a much loved pet.

Diane227 yes it's really scarey when you hear something like that.
As a family we all have a real harbinger of doom as we ALL see the same person/apparition whatever you choose to call it, just before a death.
The first time I saw it I nearly died of fright. I hadn't been asleep and turned over to see this thing standing at the side of the bed. I got a terrible shock. I thought someone had broken in and was burgling us. Then it faded out, just like a photograph negative. My nerves were shot.
The next day my next door neighbour died suddenly.

Since then I've seen him loads of times as have other members of my family. Always the same man.
The last time I saw him my son who was staying with us, woke up after hearing me scream. But in the next few days, no news of a death. I'd written the date it happened in my diary.
THREE weeks later a funeral notice of an old friend appeared in the paper. There'd been a backlog of burials, it was winter, so there'd been a delay. When I got out my diary and checked the date of death it was the day after I'd seen this spirit.
People can laugh and say its all a load of tripe. My own husband used to, until he heard and saw with his own eyes stuff happening.

Pinkprincess
When I was married to 1st DH, we lived for a time in an old house in its own grounds.
So many things happened there which couldnt be explained. Eg one night I was dreaming that I walked down the staircase to the front door. Just as I got there I heard a tremendous knocking on the door knocker and in terror fled back upstairs to bed. I woke up shaking and my husband said theres someone knocking at the door but just leave it. He was scared too.
Next morning I realised that we had NO door knocker but there was a huge round iron handle INSIDE the big door to help pull it open. This could only have been the thing used to knock with.
I definitely wasnt out of bed.so who was it.
That day I couldnt find our elderly cat and searched the garden which was large, eventually finding her under a bush. It seemed she had gone there to die.
It just seemed too strange for words.
There were many other things too.
Later I discovered that two tradgedies had happened in the property.
Theres nodoubt in my mind that things happen which we dont understand that are more than co incidence.
I think something was telling me about the cat. Maybe if I had opened the door I would have found her there and been able to help her. I will never know.

Thankyou CaroDane.

On the day my mother died, my brother, who claims not to believe in superstition, looked up to the night sky and said
''Mother, where are you now?'' .
He says that at that very moment he was aware of a very bright star twinkling right above him.He says he felt comforted then.

My sister has a real fear of birds coming into the house, and when she visited me a few years ago, a bird flew in, se said oh no there is going to be a death, i am afraid i said i didn't take much notice of her "superstition" but only a few hours later ,her husband rang to say the dog had died suddenly, so i will listen in future
On a lighter note, i have always believed a robin was an omen or sign that a loved one no longer here is around you
Last week my darling little dog died ,of dementia, she suddenly went blind ,and was in a dreadful panic during the night,so i couldn't let her go on,
She ha been going downhill slowly but then went down all of a sudden
A few days later a little robin sat on a rosebush outside my window, and i would like to believe it was a sign from her that she is in a happier place
Also a butterfly kept trying to come in the window
Maybe it is just superstition, but i would like to think it has some truth in it

pinkprincess if it's in your DNA which it is in your case, you can't avoid it!
Better to learn to work with it
I'm laughing reading this because the algorithms on this site are showing me an advert for Angel Card Readings!
I think I'll pass on that offer!

We were brought up to believe that these sort of things are warnings just to give you time to prepare yourself. So they don't come with a negative message (for the majority) but with a positive purpose.
As for what happened with your grandma, God rest her soul in peace, there's no doubt at all in my mind the dead hare was an omen.

If people think it's all faery stories and superstition then good luck to them, everyone is entitled to their own viewpoint, and I respect those of other people.

CaroDane That is interesting about your family heritage.
My DH has gypsy blood on his mother's side and is not at all superstitious. Both of my mother's grandmothers were spirit mediums and my mother used to get what she called ''feelings'' which were always true. I sometimes get them but they scare me stiff.
'

Thankyou Mapleleaf and Grannyknot. I will try not to dwell on it, but I do believe Caro, it might bring news of a death.
We will just have to wait and see.
I hope I never hear a Banshee though
Now that would really be past my limit.

It doesn't mean bad luck or trouble coming to your house, it just means news of a death. In that respect it is an omen, but not necessarily bad news for you personally.
If people think it's a load of cobblers, that's OK.
I'm afraid with our family heritage of a gypsy grandmother we believe in such things. Including banshees. I've heard one myself.

Hi Diane the definition of a superstition is an irrational belief. Don't let the Bird incident scare you. I have had birds fly into my house on a number of occasions over the years, and bad luck did not follow.

Erase it from your mind.

No, I don’t think it means bad luck will befall you. I’m glad, as you must be, that the bird found it’s way out unharmed. With respect to the hare, distressing though it must have been for your Mum to find a dead hare on the driveway and later get the phone call from the hospital, I think it was coincidence.
Try not to let the bird incident worry you.