Friday the Thirteenth— the Divine Feminine, Death, and the Power We Were Taught to Fear
For many, Friday the 13th conjures images of black cats, broken mirrors, and hockey-masked villains. It’s a day wrapped in superstition, often branded as “unlucky” or ominous. But as with many things in our patriarchal, death-avoidant culture, the roots of this fear are tangled in a deep, sacred history—one filled with feminine power, ancient rites, and misunderstood symbols.
The Number 13: Number of the Goddess
Thirteen has long been associated with the divine feminine. Why? Because there are thirteen lunar cycles in a calendar year, and the moon—ever waxing and waning—is traditionally linked with feminine energy, intuition, fertility, and magic. Many ancient cultures used lunar calendars to track time, aligning festivals, agriculture, and rituals with the rhythms of the moon and menstruation.
In fact, the average menstrual cycle is 28–29 days, mirroring the lunar month. Ancient goddess-worshiping societies saw this connection as sacred. Thirteen wasn’t unlucky—it was divine.
Friday: Freya’s Day
Friday is named after the Norse goddess Freya (also spelled Freyja), a powerful deity associated with love, sex, fertility, beauty, war, and death. Yes, death.
Freya was a complex and sovereign goddess. She rode a chariot pulled by cats, practiced seiðr (a form of Norse magic), and received half of the souls who died in battle—while Odin got the other half. Her realm, Fólkvangr, was a kind of divine afterlife. Freya wasn’t just a goddess of love; she was a psychopomp, a guide of souls, an embodiment of life and death entwined.
To our ancient ancestors, Friday was Freya’s day—a day of love, magic, ritual, and feminine power. Pair that with the number 13, and you get a potent celebration of life, death, and rebirth.
The Death Card: Transformation, Not Doom
In tarot, the number 13 is linked to the Death card, another misunderstood symbol. In our culture, death is feared, ignored, or sterilized—but in tarot, the Death card doesn’t usually represent literal death. Instead, it speaks of transformation, cycles ending and beginning, shedding what no longer serves.
It is the ultimate card of rebirth.
In this context, Friday the 13th becomes a perfect time to honor the death of old patterns, relationships, identities, and beliefs. A time to step into transformation. A time to honor the sacred cycles we so often resist.
Why Is It Considered “Unlucky”?
Like many things connected to feminine power, death, and magic, Friday the 13th was demonized by patriarchal systems—especially through Christianity and colonialism. Goddess worship, lunar calendars, and women’s bodies were branded as “evil” or “chaotic.” Midwives, witches, and priestesses became heretics. The sacred number 13 was transformed into something to fear.
One popular (though debated) theory suggests that the fear of Friday the 13th gained momentum in the 14th century, when the Knights Templar were arrested en masse on Friday, October 13, 1307. They were accused of heresy by the Catholic Church, tortured, and executed. While not directly tied to goddess worship, the event helped reinforce the association of Friday the 13th with secrecy, betrayal, and misfortune.
But let’s not forget: history is often written by those in power. And power has always feared the wild, liberated feminine.
Reclaiming the Magic
Friday the 13th isn’t cursed—it’s consecrated.
It is a sacred reminder of the rhythms our ancestors once lived by, of the power that pulses in all beings connected to cycles of life, death, and rebirth. It’s a day to honor the goddess in her many forms: Freya, Kali, Persephone, Hekate, the Crone, the Moon.
It’s a day to release fear and reclaim truth.
So today, light a candle. Dance under the moon. Draw a Death card and welcome what’s ready to be released. Call in the parts of yourself you’ve been told are too much, too emotional, too strange, too powerful.
You are not unlucky. You are sacred.
Blessed Friday the 13th, beloveds. May you walk boldly through the veil and into your becoming.
