Theresa Byrne is tired of the superstitious bad rap the number 13 gets and wants to add a little luck to your day.
—
Triskaidekaphobia.
This is something I’ve known about my entire life. Why? Because I was born on a 13th and it’s one of the few days to have an actual phobia attached to it. I’m here to dispel any of the crazy rumours you may have heard and give you a few good solid reasons to love the 13th just like I do. It’s my lucky number.
It’s nutty to me that there are hotels that skip an entire floor. The wedding and travel industry is rumored to lose money each year because people won’t travel on the 13th or get married on my lucky day. Your lucky number doesn’t have a phobia attached to it, so please read on.
I am not a biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but if my number has been maligned for so many years I will use whatever facts I have at my disposal.
-
There were 13 apostles. Those were some pretty great guys, spreading goodness and love and the word of God. Yes, Judas was one of those apostles. And while I have my own theories about Jesus knowing the importance of Judas in the scenario, need I remind you that Judas was valuable in the process of what had to happen. Resurrection.
-
There are 13 attributes of God called The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free -
Colgate University was started by 13 men with $13 and thirteen prayers.
-
There are 13 lunar cycles each year. Moons are lovely; bright and shiny. It seems pretty magical that there would be of them and that wouldn’t mean something auspicious.
-
A 13-year-old is no longer a child, but a teenager in American society, which comes with a new set of rules and responsibilities. That same age marks a person as a man or a woman in the Jewish traditions with a bar or bat mitzvah.
-
In ancient civilizations the number 13 was considered lucky, it represented a number that coincided with the divinely feminine part of each of us. The moon cycles were considered feminine and the sun was considered masculine.
-
“The association has also been linked to that fact that lunisolar calendars (such as the Hebrew and Chinese calendars) must have 13 months in some years in order to synchronize the solar and lunar cycles, while the solar Gregorian calendar in universal current usage always has 12 months in a year (source).”
For this and many other reasons, I ask that you please give 13 a chance.
And don’t even get me started on paraskevidekatriaphobia: fear of Friday the 13th. Who doesn’t love Fridays? And this one is my birthday. I feel lucky to be on the planet this year.
My birthday wish is to spread blessings and goodwill across the world, with the hope that everyone may one day enjoy freedom. Please check out organizations like Durga Tree International and Made By Survivors who are working together on trafficking to eradicate through collaboration.
—
Photo courtesy of Patrik Nygren