The dreaded "three weeks of horror" begins sunset tonight (Friday night) though this is by no means a "magical boundary" by which bad things suddenly start happening. In reality the curses and chaotic energy start to build up through the month of Tammuz (from the June New Moon) reaching a climax in the first few days of the month of Av to the anniversary of the Temples' destruction on the 9th day of Av known as Tisha B'Av. The curses subsides through the remainder of Av to the August New Moon. Indeed in this past week I had been having problems with my computer and the internet that I don't normally have.

Nevertheless the worst of the times is the 3-week period from just after the July Full Moon to before the August Full Moon. Full Moons falls on the 15th of the lunar months. Tzom Tammuz falls on the 17th of Tammuz as this Hebrew name of the day infers. This marks the start of the three weeks, it is given as the anniversary of the siege of Jerusalem and cessation of Temple rituals which ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple. This day in 2012 falls on this Saturday beginning sundown Friday (July 6). Jews traditionally fasts on Tzom Tammuz, but when it falls on the Jewish Sabbath as it does so this year, the fast is deferred to Sunday. Jews does not fast on the Sabbath except if Yom Kippur happens to fall on a Saturday as it did last year. I personally do not fast on Tzom Tammuz, I just mark the day in other ways!!

Anyway each year I keep records of things that happens during the three weeks, and this time I will use this blog for the records. It is these records that verifies the reality of this three weeks. Every year since I have been keeping records in 2003 there has always been some calamities happening during this time. In some instances it is possible to trace back to past records, such as my 1998 trip to America, and again verify the calamities that occurred during this three weeks period. Indeed it is these past events prior to 2003 that is most valuable as it disproves any theory that the calamities are "self fulfilled prophecies" or that we somehow "create" these calamities because we expect them - I have had no knowledge whatsoever of this three weeks period nor the date of the Temples' destruction prior to 2003. The 1998 event is most compelling. I have kept a daily dairy of my America trip, and so by looking back in the diary and correlating with the Hebrew lunar dates at the time, I can establish that the car rental fiasco which ultimately led to my bankruptcy ALMOST EXACTLY coincided with "the three weeks" of 1998, my car rental being from the day after Tzom Tammuz through to the day before Tisha B'Av - as I say there is no such creature as "coincidence"!!

I record events that doesn't normally happen at any other time of the year, such as, problems with my computer. I normally have no problems with my computer, so any serious problem that crops up during this three weeks can be attributed to such a curse. I learned from a young age that there are no such creature as "coincidence", such a creature does not exist.

Of course it is not every day that something happens during this period. There are often several days when nothing happens. Indeed last year during this three week period nothing much happened except the morning when Sally woke up to discover an oozing sore on her leg. That sore would mark the start of her health problems involving two hospital stays, and what we are still grappling with today almost a year later!! Indeed her sores seems to ebb and flow but at the moment it has been slowly spreading. Anyway depending on how things pans out this time around I may give updates each day, or every few days.

Interestingly the much dreaded "Friday the 13th" occurs during the three weeks, indeed next Friday. However I have no fear of Friday the 13th, I don't consider it as being particularly unlucky. This is referring to the Roman calendar so is not relevant to the Jewish lunar calendar. Friday the 13th being Christian-based superstitions, Friday being the day traditionally believed to be when Jesus died (though in reality according to the Hebrew calendar records it was actually a Wednesday), and the number 13 referring to the Knights Templar but also often attributed to the "Last Supper" with the 12 disciples + Jesus making up 13, Jesus being the 13th hence his death the next day. There are no such superstitions with Jews.

Now a different subject.... the football. This the time to submit my tips for this weekend's round, hopefully not affected by the curse of the three weeks!! I tip both the Magpies and Essendon for their respective wins. Although I usually do well in the tipping, the office competition this year is stiff. Last week I picked 8 winners, but four others in our office competition picked all 9. It looks like for the first time ever I will go through the competition without winning any prizes. Uh well such as life........