Macbeth: Superstitions & the Supernatural

The superstitions that I believe in are mostly those that mainly the older women in my family warned me about growing up. If we were driving and a black cat ran across the road in front of us, we would turn around and take a new route even if that meant we would be late. In ancient Egypt, cats were always respected no matter what their fur colour was. However, during the Middle Ages, cats were seen as a symbol of the devil and were considered companions of witches.

The number 13 being unlucky wasn't really considered bad with my family but I was exposed to it with the media.  Many of the  TV shows or movies I would watch would have an opinion saying that the number was unlucky. A lot of these programs were played during the Halloween season. I used to think that the number 13 was unlucky, but now I'm more hesitant in believing that a this one double-digit number has the potential of ruining something good. The origin of number 13 as a superstition started biblically. 

A superstition that my family still believes is that it's considered unlucky to sneeze before going outside. Growing up, my mom would make me wait inside for at least 5-10 minutes so the sneeze wears off. The origin of sneezing is considered a superstition comes from people believing that sneezing releases a part of one's soul.

 Another superstition that has been passed down throughout my family is that it is considered to be unlucky if one step overs someone else. For example, I used to get yelled at for jokingly stepping over my little cousin's legs. The adults in my family would scold us for doing so by saying that it can make the victim shorter and they won't grow much anymore. The only "antidote" to this would be to go back over them. By doing so, it undoes the unlucky action. This started as a Russian Superstition:

 Even though some may think that superstitions aren't necessarily true, many continue to follow the "anti-dote"of the superstition. I think that superstitions started off as a way for humans to find an explanation for mishaps that may occur. In human nature, we're always looking for excuses as to why things are happening the way they are. For some instances, science is a great way for people to express their reasoning and give evidence. Many "mysteries" have been solved because along the way with human intelligence because humans have developed theories as to why something may happen.  In a way, superstitions can be used as an excuse when science doesn't back an occurrence up if it happens more than once.