GOOD LUCK

I don't consider myself to be particularly superstitious but am surprised at some of the daft things which some people believe.

Here are a few which, like a black cat, have crossed my path recently.

Breaking a mirror will bring you seven years of bad luck.

It's obviously unlucky, or at the least careless, to have broken a mirror but seven years of doom seems a tough price to pay. Luckily one can apparently take countermeasures. It is thought that either grinding the shards of broken mirror glass into powder, or touching a gravestone with a shard will undo the bad luck. Phew! That's OK then.

Touching wood will ward off bad luck.

Except that knowing my luck I'd get a splinter in my finger.

Opening an umbrella indoors will bring you bad luck.

This is a bit tough if you work as a tester in an umbrella factory. There are various myths surrounding this. One tells the tale of an ancient Roman woman who opened her umbrella indoors just before her house collapsed. I'll save the others for a rainy day.

To wrap this up, I'm grateful to Jamie Frater for this list of even dafter superstitions:

1. A bird in the house is a sign of a death.

2. A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.

3. Never take a broom with you when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

4. If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.

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

6. An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.

7. A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.

8. It’s bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.

9. A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

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

11. If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.

12. Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

13. All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.

14. If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.

15. To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.

16. If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.

17. You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.

18. Dream of running: a sign of a big change in your life.

19. If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

20. It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

Well "fingers crossed" none of these happen to us.

MUMBO-JUMBO?

As luck would have it, I share my home with an elephant. 

Fear not. I am not casting aspersions on my trim-figured wife. I value my life too much. No, I refer to a wood-carved figure of my favourite mammal which is to be found high up on a window sill at the top of my stairs. 

It points towards the front door below and most importantly, its trunk curls upwards at the end. Here's the point.

Elephants are often associated with good or bad luck and are also regarded as a symbol of strength, wisdom and prudence. The elephant is a sacred animal in Buddhism because it was said to have offered flowers to Buddha. According to Buddhist beliefs, elephants should be placed high on a shelf.

People believe that an elephant can bring bad luck if its trunk is pointing downwards towards the ground but if the elephant's trunk is facing down, with a little upturn at the end, as my elephant has, this should bring good luck.

The elephant's luck-bringing properties are now even better known because of the increasing interest in the Oriental practice of Feng Shui. This philosophy attempts to improve balance and harmony in man-made environments, especially with the positioning of furniture or objects in the home. According to Feng Shui beliefs, the trunk of an elephant should point toward the front door or to any door to the outside. It is believed that this can draw in money and prosperity. 

I shall order my Ferrari right away.