BUENOS AIRES - As the ghost of the Mayan apocalypse
fades into the past, the spectre of a number famous for bad luck has
arrived on our calendars. But some traditions actually consider 13 a
lucky number.
As 2013 begins, precautions against the feared bad luck have already started. Where does this bad reputation come from? Did we survive the end of the world only to enter a year fit only for the brave?
The campaign against the number 13 has a long history. Neither Hamurabbi’s Code nor the Babylonia Civilization’s set of laws had a number 13. In Nordic mythology, the evil god Loki who betrays his father Odin, is the god number 13.
Thirteen is also related to the months of the year. The Romano-Christian Gregorian calendar has twelve months, while the lunar calendars present in many other cultures, such as the Chinese, Mayan and Celtic traditions, had 13 months with 28 days each. In the early days of the Christianity, it was common to demonize everything that was not Christian by saying that it was bad luck as a way to lure people away from paganism.
“The number 13 has a bad reputation because there were 13 apostles at the Last Supper, and one of the 13 was killed,” explains Victoria Arderius, a tarot instructor. “But if we look at it from a spiritual perspective, 13 is the number of Jesus, the brightest of men, the son of God.”
Vital Energy
To further expand on that idea, Victoria said that people who are born on the 13th day of the month are not plagued by bad luck any more than everyone else. Instead, they are “cosmic radiators,” whose emotions are contagious and can make those around them feel sad or happy. She says that this vital energy can make them beacons of hope and light for those around them.
From this esoteric perspective, people born on the 13th of the month are old souls who have had many important experiences and have developed many skills, and are able to transform the present moment. That’s what Tarot says about the number 13: the death of the old and transformation.
Victoria explained that in Tarot, the famous Nameless Arcana, which represents death, is the great equalizer, because he can come to the prince and the beggar.
"It’s a card that indicates major changes, with tears. But at the base of the card we can see that once you have crossed through pain and loss, there will be a new sunrise. It’s like we see in nature: nothing is lost, everything is transformed,” she said. “It’s likely that a year that ends with the number 13 will bring major changes that will have consequences for years to come.”
Deep meaning
At the same time, Javier Wolcoff, the president of Applied Kabbalah, goes even further from human perspectives and into the mystic. Kabbalah is the mystical tradition of Judaism that studies metaphysical causes and their consequences on the physical world.
“The first thing we have to examine is the idea of good or bad luck,” says Wolcoff. “According to Kabbalah, there is no such thing as luck. But there is an ability of humans to create his or her own reality through thoughts, and that is the danger of thinking something is bad luck. People who are saying that 2013 will be a hard year because of the number are decreeing the year to be bad, and it surely will be for them.”
In Kabbalah, the number 13 actually has many positive connotations. First of all, it is considered the number of spiritual people, because there are only 12 Zodiac signs and spiritual people are above astral influence, thus they have the 13th sign. In addition, the number 13 symbolizes creation itself, and the restoration of unity between man and God.
In short, 2013 could be a fantastic year, where we resolve old conflicts and transform for the better, as long as we are conscientious of the power our thoughts have, and don’t get too hung up on ancient ideas of bad luck.
As 2013 begins, precautions against the feared bad luck have already started. Where does this bad reputation come from? Did we survive the end of the world only to enter a year fit only for the brave?
The campaign against the number 13 has a long history. Neither Hamurabbi’s Code nor the Babylonia Civilization’s set of laws had a number 13. In Nordic mythology, the evil god Loki who betrays his father Odin, is the god number 13.
Thirteen is also related to the months of the year. The Romano-Christian Gregorian calendar has twelve months, while the lunar calendars present in many other cultures, such as the Chinese, Mayan and Celtic traditions, had 13 months with 28 days each. In the early days of the Christianity, it was common to demonize everything that was not Christian by saying that it was bad luck as a way to lure people away from paganism.
“The number 13 has a bad reputation because there were 13 apostles at the Last Supper, and one of the 13 was killed,” explains Victoria Arderius, a tarot instructor. “But if we look at it from a spiritual perspective, 13 is the number of Jesus, the brightest of men, the son of God.”
Vital Energy
To further expand on that idea, Victoria said that people who are born on the 13th day of the month are not plagued by bad luck any more than everyone else. Instead, they are “cosmic radiators,” whose emotions are contagious and can make those around them feel sad or happy. She says that this vital energy can make them beacons of hope and light for those around them.
From this esoteric perspective, people born on the 13th of the month are old souls who have had many important experiences and have developed many skills, and are able to transform the present moment. That’s what Tarot says about the number 13: the death of the old and transformation.
Victoria explained that in Tarot, the famous Nameless Arcana, which represents death, is the great equalizer, because he can come to the prince and the beggar.
"It’s a card that indicates major changes, with tears. But at the base of the card we can see that once you have crossed through pain and loss, there will be a new sunrise. It’s like we see in nature: nothing is lost, everything is transformed,” she said. “It’s likely that a year that ends with the number 13 will bring major changes that will have consequences for years to come.”
Deep meaning
At the same time, Javier Wolcoff, the president of Applied Kabbalah, goes even further from human perspectives and into the mystic. Kabbalah is the mystical tradition of Judaism that studies metaphysical causes and their consequences on the physical world.
“The first thing we have to examine is the idea of good or bad luck,” says Wolcoff. “According to Kabbalah, there is no such thing as luck. But there is an ability of humans to create his or her own reality through thoughts, and that is the danger of thinking something is bad luck. People who are saying that 2013 will be a hard year because of the number are decreeing the year to be bad, and it surely will be for them.”
In Kabbalah, the number 13 actually has many positive connotations. First of all, it is considered the number of spiritual people, because there are only 12 Zodiac signs and spiritual people are above astral influence, thus they have the 13th sign. In addition, the number 13 symbolizes creation itself, and the restoration of unity between man and God.
In short, 2013 could be a fantastic year, where we resolve old conflicts and transform for the better, as long as we are conscientious of the power our thoughts have, and don’t get too hung up on ancient ideas of bad luck.
Photo by - Jcdubya
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