Mumbo Jumbo

Two people in the past two days have asked me questions about their choices. It’s not strange to me. I’ve been a spiritual therapist in private practice for more than half my life.

What surprised me was that both people, in very different places in their spiritual journeys, had fallen into the realm of superstition. I mean childish superstition like, step on a crack, you break your mother’s back!

Bless them. My two friends are not alone, not by a long shot. On special days—every day! ­I still like to add the digits of the time together until they equal eight before I get up. I did it as a kid. Who knows where it came from?

So I decided to visit the OED about superstition. It means standing over something in awe. It could be expressed as over-awed, and here’s the rub.

Only one thing merits awe. God. Face to face. Of course, we all see facets of the Divine all the time, but none of it is the Divine in its entirety.

So now, can I get out of bed when the clock time doesn’t add up to eight? Of course. Does it ruin my day? No. So I’m not locked into the superstition. If I set it up to have a bad day because it didn’t add up to eight, that would be a superstition.

Here’s a test you might consider. You’re caught in superstition if you’re afraid to do something or not do something. Often it means we’ve put something before God in our own minds. If you don’t know, get still and ask to see the biggest perspective available to you. Usually superstition just melts away with a larger picture.