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How the Patriarchy Stole Friday the 13th from Women and Made It Evil

“Before patriarchal times, Friday the 13th was considered the day of the Goddess. It was considered a day to worship the Divine Feminine that lives in us all and to honor the cycles of creation and death and rebirth.”
Image via Wikimedia Commons

Before Friday the 13th became associated with bad luck and the horror movie franchise that refuses to die, it used to be considered a powerful day for celebrating feminine energy.

Both Friday and the number 13 have been twisted to carry negative connotations, according to Gina Spriggs, a North Carolina-based futurist and holistic intuitive; she blames patriarchal religions for this. One myth typically associated with the number 13, she explains, "indicates someone dies within a year after eating at a table with 12 other people. This stems from the Last Supper—you know, the painting of Jesus eating with the 12 Apostles. Well, the painting got its name because Jesus Christ died shortly after."

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"Now, regarding Friday," she continues, "that is the day of the week that Eve [allegedly] offered 'forbidden fruit' to Adam. Friday was also the day that Adam was kicked out of Paradise, the day he repented, the day he died, and the day he was cremated. And it was on a Friday—'Good Friday'—that Jesus was killed."

But before Christianity came along, Friday the 13th was "a very powerful day for feminine energy and creativity," writes Tanaaz Chubb, an LA-based intuitive behind the website Forever Conscious. "Before patriarchal times, Friday the 13th was considered the day of the Goddess. It was considered a day to worship the Divine Feminine that lives in us all and to honor the cycles of creation and death and rebirth."

Spriggs agrees, adding, "Thirteen is a female number, represent[ing] the average number of a woman's cycle in a year. It is also the number, too, of annual cycles of the moon—viewed by earth-based religions as 'female.'"

Photo by Mosuno via Stocksy.

A woman was "considered to embody divine and magical powers" when she got her period, Chubb explains. "She was regarded by all for her wisdom and ability to offer intuitive and psychic messages… It was only when society became more patriarchal that women were made to feel shamed when they were having their periods and to ignore their amazing potential to create and hold space for new life. This attitude has helped to contribute to the idea that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day."

Instead of cowering in your closet in fear of what today may bring, Spriggs suggests celebrating Venus, the goddess of love, and all the good energy Friday the 13th can offer: "Wear pink—it could be pink underwear—buy pink flowers, light a pink candle, drink rose petal tea, or carry rose quartz."

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"My mother always told me that something good always happened to her on Friday the 13th," she continues. "On this day with Goddess' energies doubled, consider the lucky blend of just the right conditions, chemistries, elements, and energies, and work your own magic."