A collection of
Superstitions and Omens!
Weather Omens
Storms:
Cats sitting with their backs to the hearth.
Clovers contracting their leaves.
Horses standing in a group facing away from a hedge.
Unusually busy ants.
Marigold flowers not opened before 7 AM.
Spiders destroying their webs.
Rain:
Ants hiding themselves,
Cats sneezing.
Bees remaining in their hives.
Smoke refusing to go out the chimney.
Snakes hunting for food.
Good Weather:
Cows lying on high ground.
Bats flying at twilight.
Wind blowing from the west.
Robins singing on a barn.
Spiders creating webs in the morning.
from: The Magical Almanac, 1993, Scott Cunningham
Superstitions
To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread
over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular
motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby
will be a boy.
A bird in the house is a sign of a death.
If you drop a comb while combing your hair it is a sign of a coming disappointment.
Fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned, or buried.
An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.
Light a candle on the night of November 1 for each deceased relative and place in a window.
Windows in a deceased person's home should be opened to allow his soul to leave the body.
Carry a bent nail in your pocket for luck.
Do not lean a broom against a bed. The
evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.
If you sweep trash out the door after dark,
it will bring a stranger to visit.
If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps
over your feet, you'll never get married.
Never take a broom along when you move.
Throw it out and buy a new one.
To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave.
If your cheeks suddenly feel on fire, someone is talking about you.
Scatter Solomon's seal on the floor to
banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.
To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday
and keep them in water.
Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.
Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against witches.
Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.
Never walk under a ladder, which is Satan's territory. If you must do it, cross your fingers or make the sign of the fig (closed fist, with thumb between index and middle fingers).
If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.
Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.
Never pound a nail after sundown, or you will wake the tree gods.
Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornets' nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to any age house.
When you move to a new house, always enter first with a loaf of bread and a new broom. Never bring an old broom into the house.
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