Everyone knows the one about Friday the thirteen being very dodgy and people worry that something nasty will happen to them.

It is commonly thought that it originates from the fact that Judas Iscariot was the 13th guest at the last supper. Also that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. However there are other believes from where this superstition came from.

Breaking a mirror was thought to bring bad luck for 7 years apparently because it takes seven years to replace the cells in the body.

Some thought that your soul was reflected in a mirror and to break the mirror meant then that your soul was harmed.

Opening an umbrella was considered bad luck apart from the obvious fact that you could knock something over; it was thought to offend the Sun God by blocking the suns rays by opening the umbrella inside.

Some also thought that umbrellas were magical as they blocked the sun.

Others even thought that opening an umbrella inside would bring death and misfortune to the people who lived there.

Knocking on wood for good fortune derived from when they thought that Gods actually lived in trees.

A person would knock lightly on the wood for a favour then knock lightly again to thank them when the favour was granted, but on the same tree.

This superstition might also be derived from the fact that Jesus died on a cross made from wood.

It does seem strange that an innocent pack of playing cards can be traced back hundreds of years.

It does need considerable skill to use the cards to do a reading and it does require that the person having a reading chooses a variety of the cards in order to get a good all round reading too.

There is a ritual that needs to be done before the reading commences.

 Does the client want a general reading or to go into a particular aspect of their life?

If for instance the client wanted a reading on love and romance then a particular spread of the cards would be used.

They can ask several questions from the same spread.

It is important that the client handles the spread and puts their vibrations on them and to also shuffle and cut them thoroughly.

It is also important to have a relaxed atmosphere whilst doing the reading.

You need a warm room rather than a cold room and sometimes burning candles, or a burning joss stick can achieve a lovely atmosphere.

After the reading is completed it is important to thoroughly shuffle the cards and return them to a secluded place of safety, ready for the next reading.

A learner of Cartomancy must first use the literal meaning of the cards to do a reading.

It is an advantage to have a sensitive nature and empathy for people, but not absolutely necessary to be a good reader, however this can develop over time with working with the cards.

However it may take longer to grasp the psychic side, which will kick in and override of the cards eventually.

Nostradamus or Michel de Nostredame as probably the most well-known prophet of ancient times.

He was born on 21 December in 1503 in Salon-de-Provence, in France. He died 2 July 1566 aged 62.

He was an author, translator, astrologer, and a consultant. He was known for making many prophecies and for treating the plague. His book ‘Les Propheties’ was a collection of 942 poems predicting future events and was published in 1555.

His family was originally Jewish but had converted to Catholics before he was born. He attended the University of Avignon however he had to leave after a year due to an outbreak of the plague. He worked as an apothecary or as it is known today, like a pharmacy. He then went back to university at the University of Montpellier but was unfortunately expelled when they found out that he worked as an apothecary as this was against the rules.

He married in 1531 but his two children and his wife died in 1534 during a plague outbreak. He married again and had six more children. He also worked as an astrologer for wealthy people. He unfortunately suffered with severe gout towards the end of his life. Some believe that Nostradamus predicted the great fire of London in 1666. Another belief is that he predicted the rise of Adolph Hitler. It is also thought that he predicted the atomic bombs between Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were bombed at the end of World War two. The assassination of John F Kennedy is also one of his predictions.