Superstition Present

Superstition in the modern day time still exist as my own mother is always pulling me out of the way of a black cat or if i break a glass she shouts at me and say’s quickly throw some salt over your left shoulder three times.

At times it’s amusing but sometimes I do wonder, why people still believe in these superstitions in a modern day time when science has advanced to a stage where superstition and folklores are being analysed and proven to be false most of the time.

I mean programmes like “Myth busters” on the discovery channel are challenging different myths around the world and trying to show what is myths and what has truths to it.

Here is a small summary on what the show is about:

“Hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage -- and co-hosted by Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara -- the MYTHBUSTERS mix scientific method with gleeful curiosity and plain old-fashioned ingenuity to create their own signature style of explosive experimentation.”

(Mythbusters. 2011)      

                                                      

Here is a picture of the crew of myth busters:

(http://www.computersphonesaccessories.co.uk. 28 September 2010)

Phobias can act in forms of superstitions, in several cases people will have different types of phobias from numbers to certain foods that they will not go near or try and I think that this can be called modern day superstitions.

(meye1536. 2011).

Instead of trying to explain what these phobias mean by using methods of writing, I wanted to try and use a mix of pictures and simple definitions to bring my point across. 

 “Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.

(RGS. 2007).

(wordotheday10.. 2010). 

 

( maldita speaks.  2011). 

Logo phobia- Fear of words

(RGS. 2007).

(MochaBear20. 2010).

Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.

(RGS. 2007).

(Quiet Lunch.2011).

Geliophobia- Fear of laughter.

(RGS. 2007). 

(weirdphobia.com. 2011)  

     

 ( Factfanatic. 2011).

Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge

(RGS. 2007).

(weirdphobia.com. 2011).   

         

 (Meghan Casserly. 2011)

Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything”

(RGS. 2007).

(unknown. 2008). 

 

(weirdphobia.com. 2011).

Some people might think that some of these are made up but as unusual as it sounds they are serious phobias that people deal with every day.

There are videos on the internet that try and help people with these phobias, like giving helpful advice to people. So once again we can say that these are like modern day superstitions, and knowledge and most of all understanding can be a very useful tool in trying to educate and help people with these beliefs. 

The video that is shown below talks about the top ten common phobias and gives advice on how to tackle these phobias for people who would like to try and eliminate this belief that they have.

It is demonstrated by a “DR. Larina Kase, President, Performance and success coaching” 

Because these phobias are common they share a cultural relevance in today’s society as anyone can be affected by these phobias, and due to them being common, and people sharing the same beliefs, it does not matter what religion or region you are from, it could affect you no matter what. 

(Dr. Larina Kase. 2008).

(http://www.videojug.com/interview/top-10-phobias-2)

After reading this it makes you wonder if superstition beliefs still occur in the world today, as in actual superstition not forms of superstitions.

Well an incident in America certainly revived this for some people; it involves witchcraft and has been taken as far as to become an actual lawsuit according to the site I read this from. 

(halloweenweb.co.uk. 2010 ).

The story goes as follows.

 “TULSA, OK--In a case reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma today filed a federal lawsuit charging that school officials violated 15-year-old Brandi Blackbear's rights when they accused her of casting a hex that resulted in a teacher's illness.” 

(jones cynique. 2009)

This right here is to me a sign of illiteracy as how could it even cross somebody’s mind that a girl could cast a spell to make someone sick. That thought to me is just complete nonsense and for a school to go ahead with such accusations is quite disturbing if I am completely honest.

“In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.”

(Unknown. 2000). 

(WiccanO . unknown).

Suspension for such an accusation, and then on top of that not being to express your religious side in the fear that she might be doing something that they think could be witchcraft is simply silly.

“Before these incidents, the ACLU complaint said, Brandi Blackbear had no discipline problems and had a perfect attendance record. Since being accused, she has "suffered continuous ridicule and humiliation," and "become an outcast among her fellow students," according to the complaint. She has also fallen behind in her school work because of the suspensions.”

(Unknown. 2000).

This for a young girl or even a young boy to go through at this age could possibly change their perception of people and could lead to other social problems, some may argue that its over exaggerating but you would be surprised how little it takes for people to change their opinions and ways of socialising due to something minimal in somebody else’s eyes.

“Although today's case may well be the first in which a student has been accused of actually using witchcraft against a teacher, the ACLU has defended other students who have professed interest in Wicca. In March 1999, a Michigan school settled a lawsuit brought by the state ACLU on behalf of a Wiccan student who was not allowed to wear a pentacle, a symbol of the Wicca religion.

The Wicca religion has been recognized in United States courts and by the United States Army Chaplain's Handbook. It stresses individual enlightenment and celebrates the seasons and the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Proselytizing is forbidden.”

(Unknown. 2000).

(Lady Raven Moon.  2011).

Even though this might just be one case you have to wonder how many other cases like this has happened all over the world but just not made into the media, whether that be a simple school article or an actual news report by a broadcasting channel.

Now to hop into something that is not so serious, I do apologise if you are in a serious mood after reading all of that, it is only because to be able to understand something you need to consider all of the angles. 

There are games all over the internet that have superstition as their main theme.

One of them include hangman the word game, which incorporate themes to do with superstition, anything from days of the week to the actual word superstition. Here is the link to the game why not have a go and see how good you are with superstitions.

http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0311182/games.htm

Not only are there internet games but also board games when it comes to superstitions. 

This one is ironically called superstition, here are the instructions on how to play the game.

Moving on from board games, apparently food also have a high value when it comes to superstition.... see what I did there, high value because food has high value of nutrients in them... you get the point. So anyway, carrying on with the food part when it comes to superstition, there are many things considered lucky to eat during each month. Here are some examples from a website I found:

 

“January - Black Eyed Peas 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(Rosh Hashanah. 2011)

February - Noodles (for the Lunar New Year) 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(unknown. 2011)

 March - Seeds (like Sunflower or Pumpkin) 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(streetendfeeds.2009)

April - Eggs in any form, even raw 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(ashgroveinn. 2011)

May - Yogurt or Cheese 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(wombourneshopping. 2011)

(wethink. 2011)

June - Wedding Cake 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (perfect wedding day. 2010)

July – Watermelon

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (admin. 2011)

 August - Corn on the Cob

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(David Loftus. 2009)

September - Oysters or Fish 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (rasamalaysia. 2009)

(INKANATURA. 2011)

October - Pumpkin Pie

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (Anthony Worrall Thompson.2011)

November - Turkey

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

  (ferrebeekeeper. 2011)

December – Fruit”

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

(fruitsbenefits. 2011) 

All of these types of food are considered to bring luck when you eat them. I guess this is one way of getting your nutrients every month.

(http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111801/inside/Superstitions/Foodsuper.html) 

But there also foods that are meant to tell your future or events that may occur in the nearby future, I am pretty sure we all have heard fortune cookies.

Here are some facts about the fortune cookie taken from the food website:

“Fortune cookies were invented by Americans and they were made by hand until just a few decades ago. Back before the 1960's each cookie's fortune got placed inside it individually, until Edward Louie, who wanted to find an easier way to add the fortunes into thousands and thousands of cookies. For nearly twenty years, they used chopsticks to flip and turn the cookies, until 1967 when Louie invented a machine that automatically inserted the slips of paper into the cookie. Would you believe that fortune cookies come in different flavours like barbecued, nacho-cheese, and chocolate dipped?! An example of a fortune cookie would be "You have a Friendly Heart and are Much Admired". An example of an unfortunate cookie is "You are Well Liked despite Your Table Manners" 

(Lisa Goldey. unknown)

 (clickthecookie. 2010)

Conclusion:

From the research I have found in the present era of superstition, some schools have been very discriminative when it comes to people’s religion or belief, for example the girl who was bullied and accused of witchcraft, just because she belonged to the Wicca religion.

Even though that the Wicca religion forbids the practice of witchcraft from what I read and understood about the religion when I researched about it.

Also I found that even everyday things like food can have some connection with superstition, like for example that you are meant to eat certain foods during certain months.

I conclude that superstition in the present era has a popular interest amongst people even though it might be on the grounds of discriminative behaviour or on the grounds of health when it involves strange phobias, to go as far to believe in manmade and manufactured fortune cookies with the thought that it is some form of Chinese culture and somehow tells you something that might happen to you, when it is in fact an American made culture.

Clown Past

Clown past: I have been researching and I still cannot find exactly where the clowns have originated from or how they came to existence, but nonetheless they have been around for a very long time.

Clowns are meant to be happy entertainers and make the crowd or public laugh, well at least that’s the image people remember them as but there is a more sincere and disturbing side to clowns that I think people and society in general do not tend to talk about, there is phobias caused by clown which makes people scared of clowns or makes people severely dislike them.

(www.allaboutclowns.com. 2009).

I did find some information about one of many possible origins of the word clown but after that I am going to go into some details that people might not have known about clowns.

Apparently the word clown in the English language and its origin is not really traceable. 

“The origin of the English word “clown” is uncertain, but it is thought to have come from a Scandinavian or Teutonic word for “clod,” which means a coarse or boorish fellow, a lout. Clowning goes far back into history. Traces of it appear in Greek burlesque and on the Roman stage.”

(all about clowns. 2009)

So bearing that in mind, maybe there is not a full on history on where clowns originated from but at least there is some kind of background information.

Coming back to the clown part, back in the day they were mostly very acrobatic as well as being talented with instruments.  In plays turned movies involving Shakespeare you see the clowns portrayed in this way, with clever remarks, singing and performing for kings and his guests. 

Even the hat has changed throughout time along with moderations of clowns, or sub genres of clowns, which includes:

·         Jesters

(Rimfrost. 2009) 

·  

            Fools

(PaulArmfield. 2010)

·          Harlequin 

(kangellee (2011)

Mockers 

(George Lange. unknown)

“Although the name Harlequin is French, it is believed that the Arlecchino character originated in Italy with 'Alichino' from Dante's Inferno. Distinguished by his black mask, shaved head, and expert acrobatics, this was a favourite character in the Commedia dell'Arte. As the character evolved through history, Harlequin became a romantic hero, popular in Pantomime.”

(all about clowns. 2009)

(all about clowns. 2009)

I did mention in my introduction, that there is a more sinister and dark past that involves the whole clown business, here is just one of the examples going by name of “John Gacy”

As the source is about twenty pages long, I am going to take a few quotes that I think is relevant and discuss it further.

This section is about the early history of John Gacy:

“Chicago's Irish inhabitants and Mr. and Mrs. John Wayne Gacy marked the day with celebration. It was St. Patrick’s Day and Marion Elaine Robinson Gacy and John Wayne Gacy, Sr. welcomed their first son into the world at Edgewater Hospital in 1942. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was the second of three children. His older sister Joanne was born two years before him and two years later came his youngest sister Karen. All of the Gacy children were raised Catholic and all three attended Catholic schools where they lived on the northern side of Chicago.

(SERIAL KILLERS > MOST NOTORIOUS

JOHN WAYNE GACY, JR.

By Rachael Bell and Marilyn Bardsley)”

(Rachael Bell and Marilyn Bardsley. unknown).

Little did the parents know what they have actually brought into the world, and what lies ahead for their son John Gacy. As you can see he was brought up as a catholic along with his siblings, even with this upbringing he still did deeds that are deemed un-catholic in any way possible.

“While in Springfield, Gacy became involved in several organizations that served the community: the Chi Rho Club where he was membership chairman, the Catholic Inter-Club Council where Gacy was a member of the board, The Federal Civil Defense for Illinois, the Chicago Civil Defense where Gacy was a commanding captain, the Holy Name Society where he was named an officer and the Jaycees where Gacy devoted most of his time to and eventually became first vice-president and "Man of the Year."”

(Rachael Bell and Marilyn Bardsley. unknown).

(unknown. unknown)

This was just a cloak to hide the inner demons brewing within him, that he was to later release upon the same society he was meant to serve and help.

“Michael Bonnin, also seventeen, was not too different from Johnny in that he enjoyed working with his hands. He especially liked doing wood working and carpentry and he was often busy with several projects at a time. In June of 1976, he had almost completed work on restoring an old jukebox, yet he never had a chance to finish the job he had begun. While on route to catch a train to meet his stepfather's brother, he disappeared.”

“Billy Carroll, Jr. was the kind of boy who seemed to be always getting into trouble ever since his parents could remember. At the age of nine he was in a juvenile home for stealing a purse and at age eleven he was caught with a gun. Billy was mischievous and spent most of his time on the streets in Uptown, Chicago. At the age of sixteen, Billy was making money by arranging meetings between teenage homosexual boys and adult clientele for a commission. Although Billy came from a very different background than Michael Bonnin and Johnny Butkovich, they all had one thing in common — John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Just like Johnny and Michael, Billy also disappeared suddenly. On June 13, 1976, Billy left his home and was never seen alive again.”

(Rachael Bell and Marilyn Bardsley. unknown).

Just a few examples of what was to become many more.

“On Friday, December 22, 1978, Gacy finally confessed to police that he killed at least thirty people and buried most of the remains of the victims beneath the crawl space of his house. According to the book Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders by Sullivan and Maiken, Gacy said that, "his first killing took place in January, 1972, and the second in January, 1974, about a year and a half after his marriage." He further confessed that he would lure his victims into being handcuffed and then he would sexually assault them. To muffle the screams of his victims, he would stuff a sock or underwear into their mouths and kill them by pulling a rope or board against their throats, as he raped them. Gacy admitted to sometimes keeping the dead bodies under his bed or in the attic for several hours before eventually burying them in the crawl space.”

(Rachael Bell and Marilyn Bardsley. unknown).

Although that previous quote is quite graphical and disturbing it shows that John Gacy was an extremely disturbed man, using a clown outfit as an escape or even a dual persona from his reality and the victims nightmares.  Who could have thought a business man who dressed up as a clown to entertain children in his neighbourhood and earn the neighbourhoods trust could do something so sickening.  People might say that how does that affect the clowns and their identity, if you think about it, if someone reads about John Gacy’s history and what he used as a cover, I am pretty sure somewhere in the back of their mind they will not look at clowns in the same way they used to. This is my opinion but I definitely will not see clowns in the same way, thinking that another John Gacy could be lurking behind the clown makeup.

(http://www.freeinfosociety.com. unknown)

But still exploring this topic, it does not have to be real for clowns to have a reverse effect, as I am about to show.

Take the movie: “I.T” by Stephen King

(Green/Epstein Productions, Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company, Lorimar Television. 1990)

This movie for me didn’t help my fondness for clowns on any scale.

Here is a small section about what the film is about,

“In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Loser Club" fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. 30 years later, they are called back to fight the same clown again.”

(Green/Epstein Productions, Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company, Lorimar Television. 1990)

There is also another horror movie that is based around a clown, its funny how something likable as a clown can be so easily be turned into things of nightmares.

(Designworks. 2009).

The movie is called “Drive thru” and is about a clown called horny the clown yes, I know what you thinking..... And you are right, his character is, well let’s just say a bad character and leave it at that. 

Here is a quick summary of what the movie is about:

“Mackenzie Carpenter, a gorgeous 17-year-old girl who would kick your ass for saying so, thinks her biggest problem is dying of boredom in the bucolic wasteland of Orange County...that is until her classmates start dying of massive blood loss and Horny The Clown begins madly stalking her with cryptic messages hidden in 70's kitsch toys. It isn't until Mac discovers her unbelievable connection to Horny and his victims that she realizes, if she's gonna live to see 18, she must come face to face with the killer clown in the bloodiest week Blanca Carne, California has ever known.”

(Armada Pictures, Lions Gate Films, Prospect Pictures. 2007).

Well that’s enough of the past let’s move forward to the present and see how things are today for clowns if they are still popular and interesting have they become even more disturbing... stay tuned....

Conclusion:

I have found that the research I have done for the clown past has a lot of different but similar points, especially the links between the serial killer John Gacy and the movie drive thru and the movie IT as they all have a disturbing view when it comes to clowns. 

The points I made about John Gacy posing as a clown at kids parties, then turning out he is the exact opposite of what a clown is meant to represent. Even though I do not want to admit it, sadly this has a cultural relevance and was popular at that time as it was a big thing to happen in America, and the people were shocked by this horrible act which made it popular as people were talking about it peeking people interest in this specific case.

So I conclude that in the past of clowns had a popular and cultural relevance, even if that cultural and relevance was not glorious in a good way it was still relevant.

Superstitious Past

Superstition Past:  This is going to be the first part out of three where I dive into the realm which is superstition  and in this section I am going to explore the past history of superstition and see if it had a cultural relevance.

First of all let us see what superstition actually means:

“    An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.

        A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance.

        A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality.

        Idolatry.”

(Oxford English Dictionary. 1989). 

(http://www.answers.com/topic/superstition)

According to the website the origin of superstitions came around the 13^th century,

“Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English supersticious < Latin superstitiōsus, equivalent to superstiti(ō) superstition + -ōsus –ous”

(Random house dictionary. 2010)

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/superstitious) 

So now that we have a small understanding off it we can move on.

Superstition has been around for hundreds of years, whether we choose to embrace it or ignore it, it still affects us in a way or another. People have been using superstition to try and explain things that they do not fully understand, for example ghosts, demonical beings, evil spirits that does not necessarily have to be human.

It does have a strong link with the supernatural but does not just delve into the supernatural world, but hangs on to that as a possible reason or answer for what question that may have been asked to explain something that does not have a scientific answer. The supernatural answers would have been very common in the past when science was not as advanced as it is today. 

People would have believed in this very easily as they did not have the knowledge we have today and they would have believed in superstition quite heavily.

Here are some old sayings that people might have believed in, watch out though as you might recognise some of these and you actually thought they were right, you might be in for a shock.

“If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.”

(corsinet.  2009)

“If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby.”

(corsinet.  2009)

(www.awesomemyspacecomments.com. unknown).

(badluckbunny . March 06, 2009)

 “If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.”

(corsinet.  2009)

(Lani K . (unknown)

 “Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.”

(corsinet.  2009)

(Twin Palms. (2009)

“A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.”

(corsinet.  2009)

 

(Worth1000 . 22nd september 2011)

 “Its good luck to find a four-leaf clover.”

(corsinet.  2009)

I am sure you must have at least heard some of those that were listed, if not then don’t worry there are plenty more superstitions left to explore yet.

Then moving on to health, as there are superstitions on how to cure diseases as well or illnesses here are just a few:

“To cure a cough: take a hair from the coughing person's head, put it between two slices of buttered bread, feed it to a dog, and say, "Eat well you hound, may you be sick and I be sound."”

“The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck averts epilepsy and other fits.”

“If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.”

(corsinet.  2009)

(Beau. october 2009)

“Lettuce is believed to have magical and healing properties, including the power to arouse love and counteract the effects of wine.”

(corsinet.  2009)

(image.spreadshirt.com. unknown)

One saying really caught my attention as I do think this does have a cultural relevance, not with just English culture but with most cultures around the world.

“Cross my heart and hope to die, 

Cut my throat if I tell a lie.”

(corsinet.  2009)

Lying is a big issue when we are all kids, our parents tell us not to lie and tell the truth and obviously that saying above is a bit extreme, but holds value if you understand what it is meant to do.

(unknown. unknown)

Lying is something we all do, in any culture we get told not to lie and always speak the truth, nowadays telling a lie does not really count as a big deal especially in today’s society. Although, when in a court of law obviously not telling the truth will be taken extremely serious as it is a felony to lie or withhold information which could decide the fate of a fellow man. 

The word for lying in court is called “Perjury” and there was an incident where a man was accused of this in court.

Here is a small section of that article:

“Millionaire novelist Lord Archer has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

Co-defendant Ted Francis was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice by a jury at the Old Bailey on Thursday.”

(BBC News. Thursday, 19 July, 2001)

(BBC News. Thursday, 19 July, 2001)

Even though the quote was extreme were it said “cut my throat if I lie” it does have some good intentions behind it.

Here are some interesting superstitions from the book

“Encyclopedia of superstitions by E. and M.A. Radford”

E. and M.A. Radford and Christina Hole (1949. ). Encyclopedia of superstitions . New York: Philosophical Library

Magpies 

“One sorrow, two mirth,

Three a wedding, four a birth

Five heaven, six hell

Seven the De’ils ain sell.”

(E. and M.A. Radford and Christina Hole (1949. ). Encyclopedia of superstitions . New York: Philosophical Library. 225-37-59.)

This one is referring to the bird which is magpies, apparently depending on how many you see it means different things.

Blood

Olden day saying to stop bleeding:

 “In the blood of Adam death was taken,

In the blood of Christ it was all to-shaken,

And by the same blood I do thee charge,

That thou do run no longer at large,”

(E. and M.A. Radford and Christina Hole (1949. ). Encyclopedia of superstitions . New York: Philosophical Library. 225-37-59.)

This is apparently what people used to chant to stop bleeding.

Beds 

“If one day you would be wed,

 

Turn your bed from foot to head.”

(E. and M.A. Radford and Christina Hole (1949. ). Encyclopedia of superstitions . New York: Philosophical Library. 225-37-59.)

This quote suggests that this needs to be done if you want to get married someday.

Moving onto the more supernatural side of superstition, I am now going to talk about sixth sense and the nature of it when it comes to animals. First let’s try and understand what sixth sense means.

Well the proper term for sixth sense is:

“Extrasensory perception

Meaning: (Psychology) the supposed ability of certain individuals to obtain information about the environment without the use of normal sensory channels also called crypt aesthesia

Noun 1. Extrasensory perception - apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses”

(Collins English Dictionary 1991).

Basically as the word is long and a bit of a mouthful to say, people have shortened it to sixth sense which is much easier to say in my opinion. 

Now that we have a understanding of what (extrasensory perception) sixth sense is, we can now move on and see how that fits into the supernatural side of superstition.

There is an article of a suggested sixth sense involving a dog.

Here is a small section of the daily mail article:

“Animal instinct, pet owners swear by it. From cats sensing impending health problems like seizures, to dogs barking madly when unfamiliar footsteps appear on the garden path.

Even as far back as 373BC, it is recorded that animals, including rats, snakes and weasels, deserted the Greek city of Helice in droves just days before a quake devastated the place.  

(Daily Mail Reporter. 14th January 2010)

CCTV footage has emerged of a news station office in North Carolina seconds before an earthquake struck on January 9.

It shows a dog idly passing the time on the floor before, apparently without any duress, springing up and making a swift exit.

(Daily Mail Reporter. 14th January 2010)

Second’s later seats swing out of position, draws slip open and fixtures and fittings begin to wobble. Then, the shuddering really starts. 

While our K9 friend has escaped prior to the quake, people dash for the exits when the room begins to shake forcibly.”

(Daily Mail Reporter. 14th January 2010) 

After reading this article it somehow does show that dogs might have senses that we do not have, but there could be a million reasons why this occurred.

Maybe the dog sensed the early tremors that were too low for us to respond to before the earthquake struck and decided to trust his instincts and run for cover or safety.

Or maybe the dog heard something and decided to investigate what it was, people may argue saying it was only a few seconds before the earthquake so is that really a sixth sense thing.

Well no one has defined a minimum or maximum time length that needs to go by for it to be counted as a sixth sense or even a premonition. So the mystery continues whether this was just a coincidence or an actual sixth sense event, this is up to the individual to decide on.

 (Coren, S. 2009)

There is also a website that tells of a personal story about a sixth sense incident involving a dog, as it is just website whether this is fact or fiction we do not know we just have to take the authors word for it.

Here is a small section of the story:

“For the last few years of his life, Grandpa Bill languished from a terminal illness. When he wasn’t in the hospital, he stayed with us. It was during those stays that Bill became very close to an Irish setter adopted by my mother. 

During the final days of his life, Bill was back in the hospital. It was during that time that Rusty started acting strangely. She would pace back and forth in front of the bed in a spare room where Bill slept when he stayed at our home.  

A nurse checked on him around three in the morning and found he had passed on. Around the same time and without explanation, Rusty awakened everyone in our household. She began to howl uncontrollably. Less than an hour later, we received the sad news of Bill’s passing by phone.”

(Bill Knell. 2007)

So this story that has been told kind of indicates that maybe dogs have a supernatural sense, which can be connected to superstition as these kinds of things are extremely hard to explain.

 

(Lady Sybilla. 2011)

Once again it is left upon the reader to decide for them whether to accept or ignore this as actual fact. 

I am going to finish my points on the past of superstition on a musical note.

Stevie Wonder made a song that was called “Superstition”.

Here is some information about the title.

“Wonder debuted this hard blast of funk live while opening for the Rolling Stones in the summer of 1972, intent on expanding his audience.”

(Jann S. Wenner. 1972).

In the song he talks about common superstitions that people have. 

Here are some of the lyrics of this song:

“Very superstitious, writing's on the wall 

Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall 

Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass 

Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past

When you believe in things that you don't understand 

Then you suffer 

Superstition ain't the way”

(unknown. unknown)

Conclusion:

From what I have researched I think that superstition in the past seems to be popular with the public in one way or the other, musically Stevie Wonder brought this into the light nicely, talking about superstitions which I am sure the people at that time were intrigued by the idea of superstitions. 

Stories that people have told of their own experience encountering the supernatural like the one about the dog being restless for days before the owner died, this is sure to have caused interest between people about the supernatural and superstitious side of things. Making them question that maybe there could be something there that the dog sensed that his loved ones could not.

All in all I conclude that superstition in the past had some form of popularity and also cultural relevance between the people and those affected.