Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories

A Sleepy Weekend of Superstitions: Part 1

Mar 16, 2026
A stay in a haunted-feeling Irish castle unfolds with cozy mornings by the fire and a mysterious black cat. Old beliefs about cats, horseshoes and wishbones are traced back to ancient rituals and medieval tales. Tales of umbrellas, iron, St. Dunstan and family superstitions weave folklore, travel, food and rain-soaked evenings into a comforting, curious narrative.
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ANECDOTE

Waking Up With Felix The Castle Cat

  • You wake up in an Irish castle hotel that specializes in superstitions and find a black cat named Felix curled on your bed.
  • Celia brings a traditional Irish breakfast, explains Felix slips into every room, and suggests the cat brings good luck, sparking your curiosity about superstitions.
INSIGHT

How Black Cats Went From Sacred To Sinister

  • Black cats' status shifted from revered in ancient Egypt to feared in Medieval Europe due to associations with goddesses then witches.
  • Celia traces sacred Egyptian cat reverence and nine-lives mythology to later European witchcraft fears that turned black cats into bad omens.
ANECDOTE

Lincolnshire Tale That Linked Cats To Witches

  • Liam recounts a Lincolnshire tale where villagers mistook an injured black cat for a witch's familiar, cementing local suspicion.
  • The father and son threw stones at a creature, then saw a limping black cat enter a suspected witch's home, linking cats to witchcraft.
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