The Truth About Friday the 13th: Witchcraft, Superstition, and Reclamation
Written by Bri Luna
There are certain dates that arrive on the calendar already cloaked in mystery and meaning.
Friday the 13th is one of them.
Depending on who you ask, it’s a day of superstition, of bad omens! Black cats and broken mirrors, or, if you’ve done your research, a quietly radical moment in the Gregorian calendar that holds far more significance than fear.
For centuries, this date has been used as shorthand for “something to be avoided.” Plans are canceled. Flights are skipped. The number 13 itself is often erased from elevators and hotel rooms altogether. But this deliberate exclusion tells you everything you need to know about the deeper story: Friday the 13th is not a cursed day, it’s a powerful one.
The Myth of Misfortune
The fear surrounding Friday the 13th is a cultural construction honestly, it’s a patchwork of Christian superstition, post-medieval paranoia, and patriarchal suspicion of anything associated with feminine power.
Here are the facts:
The number 13 was once considered sacred, deeply tied to lunar timekeeping and fertility cycles. There are 13 moon phases per year, and ancient goddess traditions recognized this number as symbolic of transformation and renewal.
Friday was named after Frigg (or Freya), the Norse goddess of love, sex, and sorcery. It was a day to honor beauty, intuition, and feminine wisdom.
Christian tradition repurposed both: Friday became the day of crucifixion; the number 13 became infamous after Judas, considered the 13th guest at the Last Supper—betrayed Christ.
1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest and execution of the Knights Templar on a Friday the 13th adding political bloodshed to the folklore.
What do all these threads share? A sense of power being challenged. Authority being questioned. Order being disrupted.
Black Cats and the Feminine Familiar
It’s no coincidence that black cats were pulled into this mythos of fear. In various pre-Christian cultures from Egypt to Rome; black cats were seen as divine companions, often associated with goddesses and protection.
In the early modern period, as the persecution of “witches” intensified, these animals became targets of symbolic erasure, accused of being demonic or cursed. The underlying logic: anything aligned with feminine mystery, independence, or spiritual knowledge must be feared.
To this day, black cats are rarely adopted from shelters and they sadly have become victims of cruelty and even death based on people’s superstitious stupidity. They remain misunderstood. But for those of us who know better, they’re more than pets. They are symbols of elegance, magic, and resistance.
Friday the 13th, when reframed, becomes an invitation. Not a warning.
It’s a day to acknowledge the parts of ourselves that have been maligned, hidden, or distorted. The parts labeled too weird, too sexual, too intuitive. It is a day for women, femmes, and witches of all identities to reclaim the archetype of the “unlucky” and wear it as armor.
Not to scare, but to remind.
We’ve always been here.
We’ve always known.
13 Ways to Work with the Energy
1.Dress in all black, not for mourning, but for sovereignty.
2. Light a black or red candle. Let it burn as you speak your truth aloud.
3. Build a minimalist altar: a mirror, a rose, a drop of oil. Beauty as offering.
4. Get tattoo
5. Write down 13 fears or beliefs you’ve outgrown. Burn them or bury them.
6. Revisit old journal entries. Track your transformation.
7. Take a ritual bath. Infuse the water with sexy herbs, oils, intention.
8. Pull a tarot or oracle card: What am I reclaiming today?
9. wear obsidian or black tourmaline
10. Create a new password or mantra that reflects your power.
11. Practice mirror work. Say what you need to hear.
12. Call in a boundary. Hold it.
13. Light incense and sit in stillness. Presence is power.
For Subscribers Only : A Friday the 13th Ritual
On Patreon.com/TheHoodwitch, I’ve shared a private ritual for this day a mirror spell designed for reclamation, energetic protection, and power retrieval.
It’s subtle. Elegant. Deeply intentional.
Like all the best magic is.
