14. SUPERSTITIONS, OMENS, AND LUCKY SIGNS
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Man’s earliest forays into the realm of the psychic probably had to do with portents – good and bad – which seemingly had a bearing on his future. How these arose was often a question; but it seems most likely that the occurrence of some unusual event, followed by another happening, logical or illogical, led to the belief that such a combination would take place again.

If it did, the portent was established, and after a few more repeats it was unlikely to die out. If it failed to deliver, the same type of reasoning caused people to suppose that some antidote had been provided, usually in the case of a counter-spell. This, too, could be the result of chance occurrence. But the practitioners of occult science, as it existed in those early days, were prompt to take credit for it, one way or another.

A vast compendium could be assembled, covering charms, spells, auguries, incantations, amulets, talismans, and the like; but their why and wherefore would be too obscure and obsolete to be of interest to modern readers. Rather, our list has been confined to popular superstitions which have survived to the present day, and in many instances still hold sway over certain persons, whether or not they care to admit it.

Some of these are doubtless of ancient origin; others have a groundwork of common sense. When Julius Caesar was told to “Beware the Ides of March,” the soothsayer who gave the warning may have been hazarding a long guess that Caesar would be in for danger on that date. Today, telling someone not to walk under a ladder has a similar significance; the person may have something coming to him, sooner or later, if he persists in that habit.

Other portents, like those to do with weather, sometimes include factors of true prognostication. Others, particularly in the realm of lucky charms, may have no rhyme nor reason whatever, unless it could be that they give confidence to persons who could gain it in no other way. There are a few, perhaps, that were coined to coax children into better behavior, and even influence adults into improving their manners.