really, bad juju? i dont know about that, the seed was fine just uncovered it then covered it back up, should be be fine.
if u dug them , u can accidently hit them and might shock them . meaning they will either stop growing (if its sever enough) or later on might turn into a hermi .
at the germination phase the seeds are EXTREMELY sensitive , u need to handle them with extra care.
as for the lights - its totaly a personal decision as there are no evidance for seeds needing light at germination .
turning the lights on during germination does has its adventage
a) keeping warm
b) when they sprout they will have light.
c) lazyness - if u put the light on timer during germination , u dont need to check every couple of hours to see if they have sprouted.
theres no problem on keeping the lights off during germination , just remember to check after a day or two , every couple of hours to see if u got a sprout.