Superstition

Superstition describes the power we give to certain beliefs. In giving power to a belief, you agree that it has control over your thinking and behavior. In giving power to a belief, you naturally surrender your own. And yes, fear and ignorance are at the heart of it.

Perhaps you feel you’ve made peace with childhood superstitions. You no longer watch for cracks in the sidewalk or the darting black cat in the road. Nevertheless, you probably avoid strolling under construction ladders and spilling salt without a casual counter spell. It’s also probable that you laugh nervously if the thirteenth day of the month lands on a Friday and you listen intently to conversations about Mercury in retrograde. Childhood is over, but there are so many, many other games of fear to play.

If we hadn’t preserved the superstitions of our ancestors, there would still be thirteenth floors in sky scrapers and dogma wouldn’t have taken the place of personal integrity. We would eat intelligently and live voluptuously. Vanity, vengeance and shame would never have become the defenders of love.

Fear wants to have a say in all our decisions and all our private thoughts, and it appears that most people want to accommodate it. They think first of the consequences, of public opinion, of retribution and regret. They think of possible losses, not the least of which are the loss of pride and reputation. It’s a wonder that anything is accomplished or any decision made. With a mind that is awake and aware, we can make clear choices and ignore all the many messengers of terror. With a mind that is awake and aware, we can respond to the invitations of life rather than to the voices of fear.

The truth is that life never abandons or disappoints. People do, because people habitually run on the fuel of their own fears. It is quite possible that you still fear your own betrayals and disappointments. The easy solution is not to betray yourself or to disappoint yourself. The solution is not to judge, or to leave yourself feeling powerless in the wake of a misplaced belief. Life is there, always, giving you another chance and the generous gift of opportunity. It is hard to summon the power to receive life’s gifts, however, when we have given it all away to a notion.

If you knew your power, you would stand and face every moment with delight. You would spring to action with trust, rather than deliberate and doubt. You would need no assurances or consultations in order to navigate through your day. You would be free of the authority of words and concepts and the little icons that once made you feel safe.

And you would be free of the greatest of all superstitions – the idea of you.