It’s estimated that even today, in the twenty-first century, more than 8% of Americans believe in bad luck. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute tells us that every time a Friday falls on the 13th of the month, businesses lose as much as $900 million because some people will neither travel nor go to work on that day.

Conventional wisdom has it that bad luck, bad karma, ill-wishing spells, and all manner of bad juju are effective in direct proportion to their intended victim’s belief in their efficacy. In that spirit, here is a list of charms, legends and old wives’ tales (I beg your pardon! Who are you calling old?) to help you make it through the day!

Eat fish from the tail-end towards the head

Tie a knot in your handkerchief to ward off evil

Carry an acorn to bring luck and ensure long life

Wear amber beads to cure colds, blue beads to ward off witches

Get out of bed on the same side you got in

Plant rosemary by your doorstep

Counteract bad luck by turning in a counterclockwise circle seven times

Carry a rabbit’s foot in your left back pocket (though it wasn’t very lucky for the rabbit, now was it?)

Sleep facing south

Pick up a penny, a pencil, a pin or a piece of coal from the street

Play golf in the rain

Sneeze three times before breakfast

Knock on wood

If all else fails, just go back to bed until the all-clear signal sounds. Tomorrow is another day!