Friday, February 13, 2009


Happy Friday the 13th! Woohoo! I love Friday the 13th. Possibly because I don’t embrace the superstitions associated with it. And I’m usually the odd ball out. If those around me dislike something, then I’m going to embrace it. Maybe that’s my way of spitting in the face of society. Either way, I like Friday the 13th and abhor April Fool’s Day. :-/

Before I forget, we are having a contest today and tomorrow in honor of Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day, so be sure to leave comments today and tomorrow for your chance to win! The books being given away are listed at the end of this blog!

Anyway, I thought I’d give you some interesting facts about Friday the 13th and just the number 13 in general.

On Friday, October 13, 1307, the Knights Templar’s were arrested and damned in the predawn hours. The presumption is that the Templar’s followed the guideline that the number 13 played a prominent role in sacred traditions. Additionally, Friday was considered a holy day by many traditions. Therefore, it is significant that the Church had the Templar’s arrested and condemned on a not just a holy day, but also on what would have been considered sacred date—the 13th. In essence, the Church’s final way of saying, “screw you, hurrah” to a group that it both feared and envied. I found this terribly interesting and it was something I had never heard before.

Architects omit the 13th floor from hotels and other high-rise structures. I find this comical, seriously, I do. What makes the floor that was skipped not number 13 just because it is labeled 14 instead of 13? It’s still the 13th floor unless a 13th floor is built and bypassed altogether.

The number 13 was vital to certain customs of sacred geometry, simply because it represented a blueprint which could be present in nature, humanity, and the heavens. For example, the body has 13 major joints. In a solar year, there are 13 lunar cycles. Each day the moon traverses across the sky 13 degrees. Christ and his 12 disciples equaled 13. Likewise, King Arthur and his 12 knights equaled 13. Furthermore, there are 12 major constellations in correlation to our sun.

The Aztec calendar is known as the “13 Cane” and it represents both the start and end of a cycle, symbolizing the death of one cycle and the rebirth of another. This is similar to what the Northern European mythos called the 13th rune, which represented the equilibrium linking the heavens and the Underworld. But at the same time it is also Alpha and Omega, signifying death and eternal life.

In the tarot deck, Death is the 13th card, but it doesn’t represent just death, but also rebirth and renewal.

The first culture to create a superstition for the number 13 was the Egyptians, but to them it was a number that brought good luck. The Egyptians believed there were 12 steps to eternal life and when they took the 13th step, they would then be going all the way through death and into eternal life. The number 13 represented immortality to the Egyptians.

The Romans associated the number 13 with ill omens, in particular those that brought death and destruction.

For the Christians, the number brought bad luck because Judas Iscariot was the 13th diner at the Last Supper and he later betrayed Jesus, culminating in his crucifixion. It is still considered bad luck for 13 people to dine together because it is believed that it will result in the death of one dinner guest within the year. Norse mythology has a similar bad luck superstition regarding 13 dining together.

How unlucky do you think Friday the 13th is? Do you think the number 13 is a magical number or one that should be associated with the occult? Or is it just another day in the year? How do YOU feel about Friday the 13th or the number in general?

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FRIDAY THE 13TH CONTEST!!!!!

In honor of Friday 13th, we will be giving away a copy of three e-books, so make sure you leave a comment today to be entered for your chance to win! I will announce the winners sometime later this evening. The books up for grabs today, Friday 13th, are the following:

LEARNING CHARITY by Summer Devon
http://katerothwell.blogspot.com

DRAGON'S MATE by Beth Caudill
INFORMALLY YOURS by Beth Caudill
http://www.bethcaudill.net/


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Don’t miss the VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!!!!!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we will be giving away a copy of two e-books and one paperback book, so be sure to check back tomorrow. The books up for grabs tomorrow are the following:



PORTRAIT OF A KISS by T.D. McKinney (e-book)
www.tdmckinney.com

THE CHOSEN by C.A. Milson (e-book)
http://authorcamilson.wordpress.com/

PAINTED SOUL by Mary Quast (paperback book)
http://www.maryquast.com


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PLEASE NOTE: By entering this contest you are in agreement that you will not permit the e-book you win to be copied, sold or transmitted from your computer to another computer through any means, which include, but are not limited to, upload, file sharing, peer-to-peer, bloggers, reader or any other computer or device. Furthermore, you agree that you will not offer this e-book as a prize in any contest without the express consent of the author. Such acts are illegal and violate the U.S. Copyright Laws. When you finish reading the e-book, it must be deleted from your computer.


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Good luck to all the participants!!!

I hope everyone has a safe Friday the 13th and a very romantic and naughty Valentine's Day.


All images were copied from Photobucket and are not the property of The Deadly Vixens or its members.

43 deadly screams:

Unknown said...

I've always liked Friday the 13th. I've often had good luck on those days. It's often easier to go places like store and shows because so many people just don't want to risk it.

I agree on the 13th floor thing. It's still the 13th regardless of the name on the elevator.

You for go this:
Triskaidekaphobia (from Greek tris=three, kai=and, deka=ten) is fear of the number 13

Go 13!

Julie Robinson said...

What fascinating tidbits. I did not know that about the Knights Templar. It makes sense now!!

Your comment about the 14th floor still being the 13th floor is hilarious because it's so true.

I would have thought the Romans considered the 15th as bad luck!

if someone considers numbers to have meanings (numberology), then 13 could be considered occult, or hidden/unknown, but so could any other number. In an effort to rebel against superstition, I have always looked at Friday the 13th as a lucky day. So I like your honoring this day (and Valentine's Day) with your contests. So if there is any bad vibes associated with it, then what better way to combat that force than with contests which promote generosity and feelings of happiness.

Now when Friday, the 13th, falls in the month of February, it's even better because that puts Valentine's Day on a Saturday, which is ideal whether you're single and able to go out that night, or if you've been married quite a while and one or both plod to work every weekday, looking forward to having Saturday to spend together or with family.

Julie

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

I'm not sure how close you've ever pain attention to hotel rooms and such, but as far as I know, you will never find a room with the number 13 attached to it in anyway. In fact, that's why the better ones adopted the convention of labeling rooms in the 100s on the first floor, 200's on the second floor and so on. I'm not

However, in hotels that haven't adopted that convention, you won't find a room numbered 13, at least not that I know of, except for places that want to capitalize on the eeriness of staying in a room with that number.

As for the 13th day of the month, I never noticed them as much different than any other day. The only one that I like to truly celebrate are the rare ones that occur during the month of October....

One of my all time classic favorite movies has to be Saturday the 14th!

Superstitions only have power if you give it to them.

Reading the black background of your site creates some creepy effects that work well for the day, especially when transitioning from a black background to a white one. (As neat as the effect is, anyway you could set the background color to gray, to ease the transition? Just curious.)

Know of any eBook library services or printed anthologies containing eBook publications? I like to borrow books from the library for the feel and the larger print copies, but I find I am losing out with the eBook authors because many of them do not necessarily make it into print and I would like to be able to expand my horizons.

Any suggestions?

As always, loved the blog topic!

Carrie

Unknown said...

It's about someone did a Friday the 13th contest. I am not superstitious about it either, in FACT, my husband and I remarried on Friday the 13th, 2006! lol Thanks for the blog and contest today!

macbeaner said...

I'm not big on friday the 13th at all. But every now and then I have a good day!

Great idea for a contest too!

Daun Ann said...

I never was superstitious about Friday the 13th, but now I can't be. Two of my three girls were born on the 13th (not a Friday), the third one should have been born on my first one's birthday, but she had to be different.

Anonymous said...

Love this site!!

Can't wait to read The Devil's Den Gracen!! Sounds like a book right up my alley!

To me Friday the 13th is just another day. I get a kick out of people who tell me that they can't go some place or have to do special things just to feel safe...lol.

If I had to think of the number 13 in anyway it would be a lucky number to me because it is my husbands favorite number.

Thanks for the invite, I never new all the tales surrounding the 13th. Quite interesting!

Thanks again!!

Molly Daniels said...

You'll enjoy Devil's Den, Carrie:)

Gracen, Happy Friday the 13th and have a great Valentine's Day!

Molly Daniels said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Molly Daniels said...

Sorry; for whatever reason, my comment posted twice!

Mia Watts said...

With older brother named Jason, you might imagine the insanity that was my youth on Friday 13ths.

Am in to win.

Gracen Miller said...

Connie, thank you for my word of the day--triskaidekaphobia. I love it! LOL I have got to find somewhere to put that in one of my stories.

I had a boss about 10 years ago and anytime Friday the 13th rolled around, he would come into the office doom and glooming it telling us we would have to be careful. It didn't matter how much you argued with him, it was still an unlucky day. Ha! And he would always leave work early that day, so lucky for me. I found it strange that he even ventured out of the house on the 13th.

Gracen Miller said...

Julie, thanks for your comments. I'm glad someone agrees with me about the 13th floor. *rolls eyes* I find it terribly ridiculous, BUT I am aware that it does bother some folks and I do respect someone's fear. And like you, I'm a rebel against superstitions. I did a piece about superstitions a while back and I was surprised at home many I broke, but also by how many I actually followed. Yikes!

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Carrie (from Wisconsin)! I hadn't realized that hotels have done away with the number 13 completely. I'll have to pay closer attention. It's so obvious in the elevator, but I'm usually too busy searching for my own room number to pay attention to the other numbers. Now that I have the 4-1-1, I will. ;-)

We've actually been dabbling with the thought of changing up the blog some, so who knows what we'll come up with. I'll keep your suggestions in mind though. And HUGE thanks for the suggestion. Without feedback from our readers we have no idea what you're thinking.

With e-books, you can enlarge the print to make it easier for you to read. As for an e-book library, I don't know. I'll have to check into that. It's a fabulous idea if there's not one out there. It might be easier to go to a review sight that reviews books to your taste and pick from the ones they've reviewed. Like Bitten By Books (shameless plug for Rachel) is a paranormal review site.

You've got me curious now, so I'll look into this and let you know what I find out. Anyone else know or have any suggestions?

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Lastnerve! Thanks for your comments. I love that you got remarried on Friday the 13th. Ha! *spit in the face of superstition*

My mother married her second husband on Friday the 13th. While, her husband ended up dying from cancer a couple of years later, I don't believe the 13th had anything to do with his death. Just mere coincidence.

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Macbeaner! Thanks for your comments. My wish is that today is an AWESOME Friday the 13th for you and that it is the start of a new 13 tradition! You deserve more than an occasional good one.

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Daun Ann! Wow, that's fascinating that two of your daughters were born on the 13th. And, of course, one of them would have to be different. She'll probably always rebel against tradition the rest of her life. That's a child after my heart. ;-)

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Carrie Santos and thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoy The Devil's Den and when you read it, if you'll forward me a review, I'll post it on my website, crediting you with the comments.

I agree with you on the number 13. It's more lucky to me and one of my favorite numbers. And it is fun watching the way folks react to it.

If it makes you feel better, I didn't know all these facts about the number 13 either until I started researching them. I found many of them quite interesting myself.

Gracen Miller said...

Molly, what is it with blogger double posting? I posted the other day and it submitted it twice. I was like, WHAT?!?!

Thanks, btw, I hope you have a naughty Valentine's Day and a great Friday the 13th too!

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Mia! I can imagine the insanity of your youth with Jason as your brother. LOL ;-)

Thanks for posting.

Becky said...

I never was superstitious about Friday the 13th, to me it is just another day. I do enjoy listening to what other people think of it and what happens when it is also a full moon that night. Happy Friday the 13th and have a happy Valentine Day.

JeanMP said...

Great info on Friday the 13th.

To me it is just another day, though do know a few people who are quite superstitous about the date

I agree with all the previous posters about the 13th floor in hotels

Cathy M said...

Great fun facts today. For me Friday the 13th is magical.

Sarah Mäkelä said...

Great blog today, Gracen! I loved it. For me, I've never really had bad things happen to me on the 13th. If anything, good stuff usually happens, so I'm excited to see how this day progresses. On top of that, I had a fortune cookie today that said I'd be getting good news in the mail... email maybe? Could it be a response on a submission? :D I hope so!

Anonymous said...

Happy Friday 13th to you Gracen. Interesting facts as always, my dear!

To me Friday 13th is an extremely lucky day because I WAS born on it but sadly my identical twin was not. (does that sound selfish? not meant to).

I've always quipped that Friday 13th is lucky for me but unlucky for my family / friends because I was born (I tend to have a temper and am not the easiest person to live with - a true Scorpio) :)

And we all have 2 more F13th to enjoy this year - March and November.

BTW - Love the 'Upcoming Guests' section - not sure how recent an addition this is to the site but it's a good one.

Enjoy the day, Gracen and Valentine's tomorrow. (loved the wording on the 'devil heart' image - priceless :D

Judy said...

I knew most of the trivia about the 13th. My mother was a very supersitious lady. I did not get that from her, thank goodness. I am a cautious person though. I believe if something isn't broke don't fix it. Same rule as don't push your luck. I like to think of the 13th as just a number, but sometimes when someone shows you certain scenarios about any subject, it makes me think, like the one of 13 people sitting down to eat!!! You wait, I am going to be watching that closely. We have 12 people in our immediate family right now. Oh!! That is close to 13:)

Sarah Mäkelä said...

Alessandra, I'm glad you like the upcoming guests. I got to thinking that just because we know who is going to be blogging with us that it doesn't mean you guys know, too. (Duh, right?) So! We put that up toward the beginning of this week. =)

E. Jamie said...

I consider myself a superstitious person though not overly so and not anymore so on Friday the 13th.

But I do get that first intial eek when I notice it's Friday the 13th. Not logical really but it's just ingrained at this point! (laughs)

I cross the street if a black cat passes me and won't walk under a ladder. Little things like that.

Debby said...

I have a neice who beleives in Friday the 13th. She got married on that day and it was a disaster.

Gracen Miller said...

Becky, thanks for your comments. I have never thought about what happens if Friday the 13th falls on a full moon. Hmm...I just might have to research that! Thanks for the thought!

Gracen Miller said...

Thanks JeanP and Cathy for your comments and good luck in the contest!

Gracen Miller said...

Alessandra, thanks for your comments. Us in the Brigade think the 13th is lucky too since it brought you along. Nah, you didn't sound selfish either, btw. I keep telling you I'm your long lost twin. ;-)

Ciao

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Judy! I had never heard the superstition about 13 dining together so found this one interesting. I'll be sure to count the diners in the future just in case. ;-)

Gracen Miller said...

NancyD, I don't consider myself superstitious, but my husband sure is. Like you, he won't walk under a ladder, believes black cats are bad luck, when you spill salt you have to toss it over your shoulder, he knocks on wood (I've been guilty of this one), and we eat greens and black eyed peas on New Year's Day. Oh, we also do NOT wash clothes on New Year's Day for fear of washing someone out of our lives. While I'm not superstitious, the two times I have washed clothes on New Year's Day, someone did die both of those years. Yikes!

Gracen Miller said...

Debby, thanks for your comments. I might believe Friday the 13th is bad luck too if my marriage ended disasterously after marrying on the 13th.

Gracen Miller said...

I plugged everyone's names into random.org and allowed it to create the winners.

Drum roll please.....

Learning Charity by Summer Devon -- DEBBY

Dragon's Mate by Beth Caudill - CARRIE FROM WISCONSIN

Informally Yours by Beth Caudilly - CONNIE NORTHROP

Gracen Miller said...

Grr...my bad.

I meant to hit "preview" instead of publish.

ALL WINNERS please contact me at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your e-book!

PLEASE NOTE: If the winner has not claimed their winning e-book within one week from today, a new winner will be drawn.

Congratulations to all the winners!!!!

E. Jamie said...

Oh that's interesting about the clothes! I hadn't heard that one. But I do the salt thing, not just when it spills but when I'm cooking I throw the left over salt in my hand over my shoulder. Don't want to leave anything to chance, ya know? (smiles)

Gracen Miller said...

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THREE MORE BOOKS!!!

Please post in the "VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST BLOG" ONLY for your chance to win!!!!

E. Jamie said...

Muchly congrats to the winners!

Julie Robinson said...

Congrats to the winners.
Just getting back from a long day and then seeing my son in a 2-hour play tonight!

Gracen, I'd be interested in reading your article. Can you provide a link to it?

Thanks,
Julie

Gracen Miller said...

Hi, Julie! It's exciting to get to see our children doing something special. There's nothing like it, the pride, the love, the joy!

Okay, I'll shut up before I start rambling too much. ;-)

Here's the link http://www.thedeadlyvixens.com/2008/10/superstitions.html to my superstition blog. You'll need to scroll down halfway through it because I was busy catching folks up on various info before I got to the superstition part. I tend to be too long winded at times. *shakes head* Such a bad habit. I've given up trying to break it.

Thanks again for your comments and don't forget to check back tomorrow for your chance to win one of three different books.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the contest!

I just sent you an email, so watch your box. I hope it doesn't get spammed out....

Carrie