Q.
For we the excitable klutz kin, tripping is a weekly (daily?) occurrence. Left foot, right foot, a labradoodle puppy!.. splat. What kind of global lore swirls around the act of tripping?

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A.

We’ll get the bad vibes out of the way…

i. If, when exiting the house, you trip over your left foot, stop immediately. Return inside and look at yourself in the mirror. If you don’t, according to historic lore, the day will not go well.

ii. What if you trip over your right foot as you leave home? Pay attention to unusual things that might transpire in the following hours; these offer important glimpses into your future. Either that, or you’ve strayed off the ‘right path’ for your life.

👉🏼 Lest we get too cocky with our stumble savvy: this is just right foot-left foot 101. Some layer additional meaning into their tumble analysis: month, year, day, time, date of birth …

iii. If you trip walking down a set of stairs, you’re playing with danger. Best invoke some good luck rituals soon.

iv. Across so many cultures, superstitions centre on beginnings – be it the beginning of the day, the beginning of a vacation, or the ‘first step’ into a new house, or the New Year. Best not trip.

v. Bridesmaids can’t catch a break. One superstition says that the bridesmaid who trips while walking the aisle will never marry. Oh, and you owe me £300 and 17 shillings for the dress.

vi. Old superstitions from the UK also suggest that the luck in your house will be in jeopardy if a first-time visitor trips on their way in. Who invited him over?

🙃 What to do if you’ve had a ‘bad luck’ trip? Superstition guides say you – or your clumsy visitors – can reverse ill fortune by retracing your path and walking trip-free over the original hazard.

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Pablo Picasso. Girl Before A Mirror. 1932

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Now for the good news …

i. If you suddenly trip whilst walking, stop – if you aren’t already on the ground – and mark the exact spot where you bumbled. There is buried treasure afoot!

ii. If you trip whilst walking up the stairs, your romantic life will soon flourish. Could there be wedding bells?

iii. A trip onstage is said to be auspicious – though perhaps not for the thespian crashing into their castmates. Brush it off: onstage stumbles are said to predict that the show will have a long run.

www.justcurious.ca

Header Art: Pablo Picasso. Woman On The Beach. 1932