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 By Judy Ramsook Feb. 21, 2006 From an early age our curiosity is aroused when we learn certain things. For example, when you first heard of say a cat having nine lives, didn’t you ever stop and wonder about that? Then there are some people whose curiosity got the better of them. During a recent conversation I was having with a friend, I learned that when she first heard of a cat having nine lives, she began to wonder if indeed that were true. One day, she, my friend, when she was a little girl, decided to put her curiosity to rest by conducting a little experiment. She got hold of her own cat and threw it to the ground from her porch. Don’t worry, the cat survived, in fact, the said cat landed on its legs and ran off, far away from its owner, something I did not need to wonder about, but what I did ponder was where did the myth with the cat having nine lives begin. To find the answer to satisfy my own curiosity, I had to conduct a little research into the matter. According to http://moggycat13.tripod.com/id60.html the superstition may have started in Egypt. Apparently, the number nine is supposed to possess certain magical characteristics. In addition, in 17th century Egypt, cats were known to be linked to witchcraft and it has been noted that witches could transform themselves into the shape of a cat nine times. Similarly, cats can also be restored nine times, according to the myth, that is. What I find amazing is that this superstition has been handed down from one generation to the next, but also from culture to culture, and no matter which level of society one belongs to, we have all heard of it at one time or another. Although I am not as curious as my friend about certain matters, I, personally have not ventured to conduct any such experiments, but there is one thing I am careful about. If there ever comes a time when I have to tell one of my siblings kids of any such superstition, I would add that a superstition is all it is so that no more attempts at satisfying one’s curiosity about whether a cat has nine lives can be tried. For the sake of the cat, of course. Sometimes, some kids are more curious than we think they are, so just to be on the safe side, the telling of such a superstition should come with a word of caution. For you never know when some one might want to put such a thing to the test, you know, just to see if it’s true. As for my friend today, she now owns a total of four cats to make up for the one she treated so unjustly all in the name of having her curiosity satisfied. I asked her if she did not think she was over compensating; one cat would have sufficed. She said she did not want any bad karma following her into the next life, and who could argue with that Source: http://moggycat13.tripod.com/id60.html ------------ About the author Judy Ramsook: My first book titled: "Karen's Adventure" which is about two young girls who go in search of their missing parents, is now available. I was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago, then in the mid eighties I came to the US where I attended San Antonio College and The University Of Texas At San Antonio. Visit: http://www.authorsden.com/judyramsook www.publishedauthors.net/g2rdy Email: j2rdy@hotmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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