BEADMAIL NO. 18 Bewitching Puss

In Japan, a black cat crossing your path is GOOD luck! In Germany, it depends upon which direction the cat is walking: right-to-left is bad luck but left-to-right means good fortune is on the way!

Pirates and sailors believed that a black cat on board ship would protect them at sea. Welsh and Scottish lore declared that a black cat’s arrival at a new home brought good health and prosperity, and a lady who owned a black cat would have many suitors. Tell THAT to the cat lady!

But the witch hysteria of Medieval Europe changed the black cat’s image.

Cats, like the women accused of witchcraft, tend to exhibit a healthy disrespect of authority (unlike dogs who fawn on anybody). Cats are stealthy. Black cats, in particular, with their glowing orange eyes, seemed mysterious, scary, and up to no good. They were suspected of being the familiars -- or supernatural servants -- of witches. In fact, a woman owning one or more cats became one of the surest signs of witchcraft.

The Inquisition declared black cats the incarnation of the devil and cats were blamed for bringing the Black Plague to Europe. Ironically, reducing the number of cats only made the plague worse because the rodent population spread rapidly. The Puritans brought this superstition of black cats to the New World. Some stories told of the witch turning herself INTO a black cat, which she could only do nine times.

Today, the black cat is beloved as one of the fun emblems of Halloween.

70% of young adults are avid Halloween revelers and spend more money on costumes, parties, decorations, candy and libations than any other holiday except Christmas. A black cat named India “Willie” Bush even lived in the White House with the First Family until her passing at age 18 in 2009.

OHM celebrates the bewitching charms of the black feline familiar with this adorable pussycat bead. She smiles slyly from beneath the wide brim of her classically conical witch hat and her collar is adorned with a silver crescent moon. She adds a touch of spellbinding magic to your bracelet and proclaims you an enchanted cat lover!

You can almost hear her purring or see her tail twitch. That means good fortune is on its way!