Of red threads, fate and Russian wisdom
How superstitious are you? Would you fear the black cat crossing your street? I used to be one of you, thinking that black cats were just black cats. Then a Russian entered my life and she brought with her all the unspoken charm of superstition, fortune telling and signs. As I have been told, there is a small Russian in me somewhere.
I knew that K. was my Russian soulmate since the moment I met her, that’s one of the reasons I have never questioned her judgement even when it comes to superstitions. It was the beginning of March, when everything is so still that it looks like things will never move on, whether it is a grey and wet weather too, classes that seem to be never-ending or the future which is still terribly blurred. That is when K. started looking for this famous “red thread” to play some kind of witchcraft with it.
“It has to be red and woollen” she kept telling me. The red yarn I had at home was obviously not the right one, it was not the right red and there was something wrong with the thread and the quality of the wool.
The quest for the “red thread” lasted for several days. Then one day it was finally in her hands, a bright red fluffy ball of yarn. “It’s pure wool” she assured me with a wide smile of satisfaction.
Then the day came when we were supposed to study but she took it out of her bag.
Before I go on, let me lay a premise of deep scepticism that came with the “red thread” tradition.
First, it turns out that the instructions came from a friend who had read them in a Russian magazine and they were supposed to follow a specific Buddhist tradition. A lot of information was lost in the way, between the Buddhist and the Russians, between the magazine and the friend and between the friend and K.
Second, let me doubt at least for a second, the power that a red woollen yarn can have on your life.
(end of the premise)
As my mind was trying to drown the scepticism in the excitement of doing some kind of children enchantment, I lent my wrist to the purpose.
Because, of course, I haven’t explained the core of this tradition yet. So if you want second-hand instructions for it (maybe fourth rather than second), here it goes.
First, find someone that in his or her heart cares deeply and sincerely for you.
Second, have this someone cut a piece of red thread and tie it to your wrist. On the first knot, you are supposed to make a second knot and then a third one and then you keep going on, I cannot tell you for sure if it was 7 or 9, you will have to do with what I am giving you I am afraid.
Oh and very important, while this person is tying it (and while tying it thinking how much he or she loves you) you have to make a wish, a clear wish.
Third, now that you have this bright thing on your wrist, which will get more and more disgusting from the 10th shower on, you have to wait for it to get torn and then your wish will come true. And if you lose it? Well K. was not sure, probably it works too, or maybe your wish is lost forever. Does it really matter?
So, as I was saying, I lent my wrist to this weird purpose and watched K. doing it with immense seriousness and focus. I could almost feel in the air how much she cared. In the midst of these improbable events, I started crafting my wish.
Life had not been good, March had made things stable but they were far from good. There had been someone that had left a huge black hole somewhere, there had been such an unbalance in giving and taking, it had been such a scary free fall.
So I dared, the scepticism pushed me to dare. I didn’t just want to repair my life. I wanted to be really happy and I wanted someone to be really happy with me, I wanted balance, I wanted someone who meant home. It was just a thread anyway.
And there it was, shining on my wrist.
As the weeks went by it stopped shining, it got tangled with my watch, showers made it disgusting. But it became a part of me, it was ugly but it was there everyday and a tiny part of me was hoping this whole enchantment meant something.
It was the middle of June when it went missing. One day it was just gone and my wrist felt so empty. I called K. and listened as you would listen to an Oracle. She said, “it will either come true very soon or in a long time”.
Something happened right after and for a couple of days I actually thought it had worked, but it didn’t.
How terrible would it be if I told you that it has not worked at all, right?
I cannot say it worked but I can say that at some point at the end of August Karma decided to forgive me for whatever bad decision I had taken earlier in life. Suddenly life had become easier; there was someone that made me happy, at least for the time.
Now it’s the middle of October and dark memories come to my mind, but life is still easy and there is still someone making me happy. Whether it was the red thread that gave Karma a push or not I am grateful.
I guess, much to K.’s pleasure, I have finally learnt not to question Russian wisdom but just to listen and act according to it.
