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Astrology and superstition collide: What this Friday the 13th means for you

Astrology and superstition collide: What this Friday the 13th means for you

IOL Newsa day ago

For centuries, Friday the 13th has been shrouded in mystery, fear, and superstition, but maybe it is time to ditch it all.
On Friday, June 13, 2025, astrology and superstition collide in a cosmic cocktail that promises not just misfortune but also transformation, opportunity, and even a touch of luck for some.
For centuries, Friday the 13th has been shrouded in mystery, fear, and superstition. It's the day that sends shivers down the spines of the superstitious, a date so infamous that many hotels skip the 13th floor, airlines avoid a 13th row, and some refuse to leave their homes altogether. But this year, the narrative takes a surprising turn.
Alignment
With the Sun in Gemini squaring the fated North and South Nodes in Pisces and Virgo, we are invited into an emotional tug-of-war between logic and longing that calls for change.
Could this be the year we reclaim Friday the 13th and turn dread into possibility?
South Africans, like much of the world, have inherited the cultural baggage of Friday the 13th. From Bible stories to Norse myths, the number 13 has long been a symbol of unease.
At Jesus' last supper, Judas Iscariot, the 13th guest, betrayed him. In Norse mythology, Loki, the god of mischief, crashed a banquet of 12 gods, triggering chaos and death.
Even historical disasters seem to echo the superstition. On Friday the 13th in 1307, King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of Knights Templar, resulting in torture, false confessions, and executions.
Fast forward to 1972, when a plane carrying the Uruguayan rugby team crashed into the Andes on Friday the 13th. The survivors' harrowing tale of cannibalism and perseverance inspired the film Alive.
Closer to home, whether we admit it or not, many of us still glance warily at calendars marked Friday the 13th, avoiding major decisions, travel, or even stepping out the door.
But is it really unlucky?
Across cultures, superstition surrounding the number 13 varies. In Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky. Italians fear Friday the 17th instead.
In contrast, some numerologists argue that 13 is misunderstood, as a number of rebirth, transformation, and divine timing.

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