A word that comes from Latin superstitio, which can be etymologically defined as attributing an occult and supernatural force to objects and events that, by their nature, do not possess it. With this definition, the nature of superstitions is sufficiently established, although there is a saying: (I don’t believe they exist, but just in case…). Since mankind existed, there have been countless beliefs and superstitions that, in different cultures, and according to their cultural level, have taken root in one way or another. Let us take as an example the famous treatise on witchcraft “Malleus Maleficarum.” During the darkest era of the Middle Ages, it was used by the Holy Inquisition as a basis to legitimize repression of witches, demons, and all kinds of fiendish bestiary. And it is not well into the 19th century and especially at the beginning of the 20th century that people like Carl G. Jung begin to glimpse the human mind and its relationship with what he called the collective unconscious. The human mind forms its own circumstance, and the object or superstitious belief, whatever it may be, acts as a catalyst, giving shape to the mirage in which the world of superstition people develops, who, when they are a majority, consolidate this collective unconscious to which Jung referred. In this context, the superstitions of broken mirrors or touching wood stand out, a tradition that comes from the Druids and their sacred tree, which was touched once a year so that it would be beneficial to them, and many other superstitions: garlic, the four-leaf clover, spitting, salt. Superstitions would deserve a treatise of their own, but at a much lower level we will unpack them here.
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SUPERSTITIONS (1)