What do you consider lucky or good-luck charms?
By Betty34
@Betty34 (267)
United States
February 16, 2008 11:01am CST
Good morning everyone.
I wanted to share something I found last night in Real Simple magazine.
This is some folklore behind some of the most well-known symbols of luck.
rabbit's foot: several versions of the legend. African-American folklore says that the hind foot of a rabbit captured in a cemetary is believed to conifer luck when carried.
rainbow: In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the symbol of Iris, the messenger of the gods. In Native American culture the rainbow is seen as a gift from the sun god.
pot of gold: Irish legend says if you catch a leprechaun, he must take you to his treasure at the end of the rainbow.
horseshoe: Catholic figure Saint Dunstan of Canterbury, known for his skill in horse-shoeing, held the devil captive til he agreed never to enter a place where a horseshoe was displayed.
four-leaf-clover: Celtic druids consider this rare type of clover lucky for its finder. The 4 leaflets have different meanings: hope, faith, love, and luck.
shooting star: (someone posted something about these yesterday I believe) An old New Orleans Creole superstition says that they are sould escaping purgatory, and if you see one and make a wish 3 times before it disappears, the wish will come true.
So now you know where some of our beliefs come from. I thought this was interesting and wanted to share it with all of you.
And now to my question... What are your good luck charms? Are they items like this or things that YOU consider lucky?
I consider the 4-leaf-clover lucky because it is rare.
And don't really have any good luck charms. I consider myself lucky in life, but not because of a charm I carry around in my pocket. :)
B
2 responses
@spleendingo (53)
• United States
16 Feb 08
Hello Betty! As a poker player, I've seen some CRAZY things other players consider lucky! If they're winning, some of them will not change clothes or even underwear lol! It's sad, but true! Some people will play certain hands just because they won a huge pot once....even though they rarely win again. I've always considered myself rational and above this. Recently however, I became distressed when I couldn't find my favorite "lucky" hat to wear to a tournament! It had never occurred to me before that I was actually using this as a "good luck" charm! :)
@Betty34 (267)
• United States
17 Feb 08
My hubby also plays poker, I leave all that up to him, and fortunately, he is very lucky even without a "charm." Maybe he thinks of me... hehe Actually I wish him luck before he heads out, that's probably what it is. That, and the others are drinking. lol
Thank you for your reply--it gave me a laugh.
B
@lisaviews (184)
• United States
16 Feb 08
I don't know if I'm "lucky" or not, but I carry a stress stone in my pocket. It is also called a "worry stone". It says "HOPE". Whenever I get stressed, I work the stone, and all potential bad things seem to go away. I don't actually consider this "luck," though. I consider this the diversion and concentration I put into it to help me think of a solution or potential alternative to get me out of the bad things in life.
By the way... if the rabbit has to be caught in the cemetary... how "unlucky" are all those people who got their rabbit's foot elsewhere? lol! It makes me realize even more that it isn't actually the charm, as the faith that gets put into it that makes people "lucky."
