bibliotecha-secreta:

Sun

• To move in a circle against the motion of the Sun (counter-clockwise) will invite the powers of darkness into your life.
• If you sweep dust in the direction of the Sun you are destined to never be wed.
• The Greeks regarded the sun as an all-seeing eye, and believed that no deed escaped its detection.
• The appearance of three suns, it is said, denotes war. It is claimed that they are only visible at sunrise, and differ in size.
• The head of the bed must never be placed toward the rising sun, since it will cause the sleeper to rise with a bad headache, and even insanity may result.
• In Germany it is the custom on St. John’s Day for hunters to fire at the sun, believing that they will thereby become flawless hunters.
• For the sun to shine upon a bride is a good omen.
• The Mexicans say when it rains, and the sun is shining, a she-wolf is bringing forth her offspring, or a liar is paying his debts.
• If the sun shines while it rains, the witches are baking cakes.
• When the sun does not shine, all treasures buried in the earth are open.
• To dream you see the sun shine, shows accumulation of riches and enjoying posts of honour in the state, also success to the lover.
• To dream you see the sun rise, promises fidelity in your sweetheart, and good news from friends.
• To dream you see the sun set, shows infidelity in your sweetheart, and disagreeable news. To tradesmen, loss of business.
• When the sun sets on a cloudy day, the following day will be a stormy one.
• In the Scotch Highlands they still “make the deazil” around those whom they wish well of. This superstition consists in walking three times around the person according to the course of the sun. To circle in the opposite direction or “withershins,” is productive of evil, and brings bad luck.

Moon

• The full moon is good to start a new job, and to finish old business.
• Cucumbers, radishes, turnips, leeks, lilies, horseradish, saffron, and other plants, are said to increase during the fullness of the moon; but onions, on the contrary, are much larger and are better nourished during the decline.
• The moon seen over the right shoulder brings good luck, the moon seen over the left shoulder, brings bad luck.
• Being poor when in presence of a new moon was thought to bring bad luck. Having a few silver coins cancelled this out.
• If a girl is curious about whether or not she will wed, she should hold a silk handkerchief up in front of the moon. The number of moons that she sees represents the number of months until her wedding day.
• The full moon gives a very favorable energy for divination. If you keep a moonstone in the mouth during the night of a full moon, you have the power to see what awaits you in the future.
• Children born on a full moon night are said to become very healthy and strong.
• Sick people should not look at the full moon because in this way, they will delay their healing.
• Deaths occur most often when the tide is going out, and births occur when the tide is coming in.
• At first sight of the new moon, flip a silver coin and make a wish.
• In Roman times, to have a healthy baby, women wore silver crescent moons on their shoes.
• Charms and amulets in the shape of a crescent moon, are used to protect you from the evil eye, witchcraft, and bring you wealth. The crescent should always point to the left, representing the moon’s first quarter, when things prosper and grow.
• You will be caught if you try to commit robbery on the third day of a full moon.
• It is said that “When the New Moon holds the Old Moon in its Arms”, meaning that a ring is seen circling the New Moon, ships will be lost at sea.
• Pointing at the moon is unlucky.

upyrica:

Two young people got married. Some time after that, the man met his aunt. 

– You are so skinny, – she told him. – What happened to you? You are young, but you do not look good. 

And he answered:

– My dear aunt, I do not know myself. I grow weaker every day. 

Then, the aunt said:

– If you do not tell anybody I did it, I will tell you.

The young man promised to keep it a secret, and the aunt started her story.

– Listen to me. In few days, there will be a new moon. It will be Wednesday. Tell your wife you have some work to do out in the field, and leave the house for a day, and have a good rest. When you come back home in the evening, do not sleep, but watch your wife closely.  She soon will give you your supper and tell you to go to bed, and you must pretend like you do. She will do the housework, and then, when she is done, she will think you are asleep: that is when she will take a bridle and will want to hit you with it. You will have to get up and take it from her before she does it. Because your wife is a witch, a bosorkanya, and if she does, you will turn into a horse and she will ride you all night, but if you do, she will turn into a mare herself.

The man did as he was told, and then he rode the mare his wife turned into wherever she would go herself. 

They soon arrived at a meadow, and there already were many witches, all riding horses. One of the witches said:

– Our head witch is not here, and we can not continue our gathering. We all have to go home now. 

So they did. As the man was returning home, he went to the house of a relative who was a smith and asked to shoe the horse. The man first suggested they should wait till it is light outside, but the young one insisted that he wanted to ride it to a fair early in the morning. Not wanting to insult a family, the smith agreed. Then the young man returned home and left the mare in the stables.

In the morning, he returned and saw his own wife there, with horseshoes attached to her feet and hands, and covered in blood. He was scared, and went to his aunt again to ask for another advice.

– And why did you do that?, she asked, – Why did you shoe her? Now your wife will die, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Now, go home, take the horseshoes off of her, and tell people it was an accident. When she is buried, come here again, and I will tell you what to do next.

The man did as he was told, and soon returned. That is what his aunt told him:

– Now you have to spend three nights by your wife’s grave, or you will die. Take some chalk, some holy water, and an iron rod. When you arrive at the graveyard, stand by her head, and make a circle around you with chalk and holy water, then turn to the grave, and put the rod in front of you – she will not see you behind it. Stand there until the roosters sing.

So the man did as he was told again. Soon the grave opened, and his wife stormed out of it towards their house. She was there until roosters sang, and returned to her grave. When the man came home, he saw a great disorder, and everythign was in a mess. Same happened on the next night.

Before the third night, the aunt told him to wait until his wife is back to her coffin. And as she will be half under the ground, he will have to say, “I forgive you, and you forgive me”. Then she will have no right to leave her grave any more.

That is what he did. On the third night, as his wife came back to her grave by morning, he said:

– I forgive you, and you forgive me.

– You are tricky! Well, now I forgive you.

And she never appeared again, and the man lived on. And still does, unless he died.