Book of Hexes
“The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors and Myths Explained,” by Shelby El Otmani, published in 2023, is a 192-page hardcover volume published by Harper Collins Focus, which explores the cultural histories behind various global superstitions, including Friday the 13th, rabbit feet, knocking on wood, walking under a ladder, and the evil eye. It traced their origins across African, European, Greek, and British folklore traditions. The book is organized by region to illustrate how cultural identity has shaped these beliefs, and includes beautiful illustrations and an analysis of how superstitions vary internationally.
Thought-provoking for the reader, is the implicit common sense of superstitions such as not walking under a ladder. It is not simply “bad luck.” It is said for safety reasons. What makes “The Book of Superstitions” thought-provoking is the common sense behind many seemingly irrational beliefs. For instance, walking under a ladder isn’t just bad luck; it has practical origins in job site safety, a frequent injury environment. If a workman is upon the ladder, passing under poses a danger to both the workman, as well as the person passing under the ladder. A careless bump can cause the workman on the ladder to fall, or the workman on the ladder might accidentally drop an object on the person beneath. The superstition makes safety automatic, not reliant on individual attention, or its distraction.
The book highlights how many superstitions, while now seen as mere folklore, often originated as practical advice or social guidelines passed down through generations. Over time, the original rationale faded, leaving behind rituals and warnings that seem mysterious today. By unpacking these layers—historical, cultural, and psychological—readers perceive superstitions not as irrational quirks, but as reflections of human ingenuity, caution, and the universal desire to make sense of uncertainty. So, while the intelligent reader doesn’t "believe" in luck, it can comprehend the wisdom embedded in routine care and foresight, a comprehension not possessed by everyone. It is a small act of responsibility that embodies larger values: mindfulness, respect for shared spaces, and prevention of harm.
This disconnect isn't necessarily due to a lack of intelligence, but rather a combination of factors: inattention, habit, social conditioning, or simply mental overload. People may walk past a misplaced tool, ignore a warning sign, or fail to connect a rash with poison ivy nearby—not because they can’t understand the link, but because automatic behaviors and assumptions override deliberate thinking. Humans possess intuition, empathy, and creative thinking. The challenge lies in cultivating mindfulness, the ability to pause, observe, and apply common sense in real time. Pattern recognition is acquired (not innate), and practical reasoning—semantic competence—leads to the deep, instinctive understanding of meaning that constitutes culture.
Humor is a powerful benchmark of advanced cognition. Understanding a joke isn't just about language; it requires the ability to grasp ambiguity and double meaning, recognize incongruity between expectation and punchline, infer intentions and mental states (theory of mind, knowing someone is being playful or ironic); access cultural or situational context (e.g., knowing office dynamics to get a workplace joke), and often, to suspend literal correctness in favor of shared social meaning.
For example, the joke "I told my dog all my problems and he fell asleep halfway through," relies on understanding anthropomorphism, emotional projection, and the common human experience of feeling unheard—even by a loyal pet. To "get" it, one must navigate layers of literal meaning, emotional subtext, and cultural norms around companionship and listening. By tact, the listener intuits that the speaker is hinting at the need for more time, to make a decision. “I understand,” the listener might reply, “You need to 'sleep on it' before making a decision." The idiom “sleep on it” is itself a semantic response to the speaker's hint, within context, of the need to think it over.
Much has been said about personal authenticity by Existential philosophers, seekers of the truth in human being. The fact is that to keep up with the robotic pace of life human beings frequently function like, well, robots. When a person is seen to make a mistake, consider how anomalous the incident, as the person has probably gone through the same motions hundreds—or thousands—of times in the past. It is the human-all-too-human resistance to repetitive routine. The same automaton-like repetition of communication provokes the same instinctive defense against mindless programming. This deep aversion must be factored into any plan of action for the plan to be implemented as intended.
The well-known wish to “break a leg” -as a hedge against bad stage performance, is the classic instance of (what we might call) positive superstition. Rationally, it is analogous to gambling on the competition. If the “home team” loses, the bet pays -as compensation. The hope is, however, that by the small sacrifice of a superstitions wish, losing may be averted. Clearly, communicating on two levels can cause misunderstanding, when Rule 1 is to say the opposite of what is intended -to produce the desired outcome. “Bless your heart” can, thus, be said as a curse, under the guise of semantic correctness. Likewise, “bless you,” is said to one who sneezes because, perhaps, someone might die. These, and countless others, function as defense against the unintended consequences of bad luck.
A few notable examples from, “The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors and Myths Explained,” by Shelby El Otmani:
Red and white bouquets are not appropriate for the sick and hospitalized.
Yellow flowers, likewise are ambiguous. Yellow is associated with sickness.
Never write a person's name in red.
Red is a good diaper color.
Don't give a gift of a knife -or set of knives.
If given a doubtful gift, return a coin to symbolize plain dealing -not vicious intent.
The crossed index and middle finger dates from early Christianity -a sign of the Cross.
If wine is not served, toast with an empty glass -but never with water.
Don't sweep at night.
Never serve a loaf of bread up-side down.
My favorite: Eating bananas on a boat is unlucky.