Superstition

Superstition is most likely the main theme of the Renaissance Era and its stories and folklore. With witches, devils, familiars, angels, demons, werewolves, and additional varieties of fictional beings, it cannot be denied that the era was at least responsible for weaving the tales which became the foundation of modern horror stories.

Today, we commonly see those creatures related to the supernatural as fictional or as a part of our spiritual practice. However, it is no longer as common that people live their lives by the omens and ideas produced by superstition. Most likely due to the highly publicized nature of modern "scary stories" and "spiritual happenings", few people feel personally touched by them, but rather, see them as a form of entertainment. It is only in some remote areas in the "civilized" world that we see a reaction to superstitions which may affect a culture as a whole.

Modernly, if we continued to believe in superstition, the abundance of black stray cats would be seen as witches' familiars, comets and meteor showers would predict the coming of something colossal, and the "visions" of drug addicts and mental patients would be taken seriously as predictions for the future of the world. Obviously, this would be a chaotic and uncomfortable time for our culture. I believe that as people became more educated in science, and less led by the generalities of religion, it became more clear that superstition was in fact fiction and was therefore not to be taken seriously... always.

But what is there to say, then, of spiritual practices today, in which so-called prophets make predictions, prayers are answered, and repentance takes place daily? I find that there must be something to say about the purpose of superstition, the supernatural, and the spiritual in the lives of humans.

Each culture embodies something different about the realm of the unknown, in regards to the questions that have consistently remained unanswered. The Whys, Hows, Whats, Whens, Wheres and the like. Who or What created the universe? How was the universe created? Why do certain comets only visit us at certain times of the year, and furthermore, certain times in a decade, a century? Why did Faustus choose to conjure the devil? How was it that Red Crosse was healed by the fountain? What caused people to fear the presence of witches in their communities? When did Ferdinand begin to embody the characteristics of a wolf, for which he then believed he was actually a wolf? And to what extent can science explain all of these questions?

We, as humans, will always have suspicions, and therefore, superstitions. This is probably due to the idea that we will never be capable enough to answer all of the complex questions which the universe and our minds, together, create for us. I believe that the tales of the Renaissance teach their audiences about the dangers of superstitions, though. From Faustus, The Duchess of Malfi, Faerie Queene and the many stories of the witch trials, we come to know that superstitions and overactive imaginations lead to death and loss, and therefore mourning and decline in one's well-being.