Friday April 13, 2007

Friday the 13Th is upon us here today and as it conjures up the thought of dread for some I thought I would find some back grounds for this auspisious date.
I am not superstitious as such, however I do undestand that in many cultures superstition is part of their belief system.
I went to find information on one event I had knowledge of in regard this day and that was about the Knights of Templar. You may have read about them in The Da Vinci Code.
My source here was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), popularly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple, were among the most famous of the Christian military orders.^[2] The organisation, which existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages, was created in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096 to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims who flowed toward Jerusalem after its conquest.
Officially endorsed by the church in 1128, the Order became a favoured charity across Europe, and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, easily recognisable in their white mantle with a distinct red cross, made some of the best equipped, trained, and disciplined fighting units of the Crusades.^[3] Non-warrior members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating many financial techniques that were an early form of banking,^[4] and building numerous fortifications throughout Europe and the Holy Land.
The success of the Templars was tied closely to the success of the Crusades. When the Holy Land was lost and the Templars suffered crushing defeats, support for the Order's existence faltered. Rumours about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony caused mistrust, and King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Order, began pressuring Pope Clement V to take action. Things came to a head on Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip caused many of the Order's members in France to be arrested, tortured into "confessions", and burned at the stake.^[5] A few years later, Pope Clement, under further pressure from King Philip, forcibly disbanded the entire Order. The sudden disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the name "Templar" alive in modern fiction.

Friday, October 13, 1307, "Templar" still alive in modern fiction and this was a link to friday 13th events.

"Paraskevidekatriaphobia"), is the name given to those individuals who have a morbid fear or phobia of friday the 13th and it is estimated that 21 million people in the USA alone are affected by this fear.

As a number on it's own 13 is considered lucky by the Chinese. Life was a quest for spiritual ascension for the Anciet Egyptians which unfolded in stages — 12 in this life and a 13th beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death — not in terms of dust and decay, but as a glorious and desirable transformation. So it was a good number for the Ancient Egyptians.

My friend Numbers Lady no doubt can tell us more about the number 13 and I will try to coax her further to do a post about it soon.

One more little story this time from the Vikings about the number 13:

Loki, the Evil One
Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, the Evil One, god of mischief, had been left off the guest list but crashed the party, bringing the total number of attendees to 13. True to character, Loki raised hell by inciting Hod, the blind god of winter, to attack Balder the Good, who was a favorite of the gods. Hod took a spear of mistletoe offered by Loki and obediently hurled it at Balder, killing him instantly. All Valhalla grieved. And although one might take the moral of this story to be "Beware of uninvited guests bearing mistletoe," the Norse themselves apparently concluded that 13 people at a dinner party is just plain bad luck.
As if to prove the point, the Bible tells us there were exactly 13 present at the Last Supper. One of the dinner guests — er, disciples — betrayed Jesus Christ, setting the stage for the Crucifixion.
Did I mention the Crucifixion took place on a Friday?
Have a Good Friday the 13th and a wonderful weekend ahead and do let me know any of your own superstitions or customs for this day and number.
Cheers Milli.