Symbols of Luck

I'm not superstitious, but when my husband and I get ready for our monthly poker game, I drop my luck penny in my pocket and pin a four-leaf clover to my lapel. I wish upon falling stars and always make sure my husband sets the wishbone aside when carving a turkey. I'm not Catholic but I have medallion of Saint Christopher (the patron saint of travelers) attached to my key ring.

Some charms or symbols of luck are universal while others are personal. There are seven (and seven is a lucky number so that comes in handy) that I feel are universally accepted.

Four-leaf Clover
Horseshoe
Rabbit's Foot
A Falling Star
Lady Bugs
Rainbows
The Number Seven

The four-leaf clover is a familiar symbol of good luck and fortune. Clover is a three-leaved plant with a four-leaf variation surfacing once out of every 10,000 leaves. The odds of finding one are slim, but not impossible. Added to that is the "accidental factor." For a four-leaf clover to bring good fortune, it should be found accidentally. Finding one when you're not looking shoots the odds off the chart.

The horseshoe is another familiar lucky charm. The worn horseshoe has magical powers. Placed over or near the door it offers protection for all that enter. The tradition originated in Europe. The crescent shape of the horseshoe is symbolic of the pagan Moon goddesses of ancient Europe. The shoe is hung facing downward as a symbol of the sacred doorway or the goddess herself.

The people of Ireland and Britain hang the horseshoe with the legs facing upward. There are two purposes for that. One, the luck would run out if it was turned the other way. Second, facing upward there's a better chance of catching a bit of extra luck.

Here in the United States I've seen horseshoes facing up and I've seen horseshoes facing downward. My grandfather was a cautious soul. He had two horseshoes nailed into the wall of the barn, one facing up and another facing down.

In some cultures a rabbit's foot is carried for luck. The actual origin of the belief is not real clear but is believed to go back as far as 600 B.C. One thing is clear. Not any rabbit's foot will do. It has to be the left hind foot. How and when the rabbit should be killed varies from culture to culture. As long as you shoot the rabbit with a silver bullet either on the full moon or the new moon, at night in a cemetery, on Friday the thirteenth, you should be all right.

A falling star or Shooting Star is actually a meteor that has entered the Earth's atmosphere. It's blazing trail is caused by the heat and friction generated as it falls to Earth. As a child I believed that a wish made as the "star" fell from the sky would be granted. Today I know better, but I still make a wish every time I see one.

Lucky Bugs are actually Ladybugs and there are several myths circling around them. My personal favorite is the granting of a wish. If you capture a ladybug, make a wish and them set it free your wish will come true. As a gardener, I consider spotting a ladybug a stroke of good luck. Ladybugs are a gardener's best friend. A symbol of luck? You betcha!

According to legend all you have to do if find the end of the rainbow, you are free to dig up the pot of gold. But you would have to be incredibly lucky to find it as a rainbow is an optical illusion based on where the observer stands. Move and the rainbow moves with you.

Rainbows are bright and cheerful, and I feel blessed when I see one. The storm has passed. The sun will shine again.

There's something about the number seven. It surfaces over and over again in nature and science, mythology, history, and religion. Sometimes is good and other times bad (a lot like luck.) When asked to pick a number between one and ten, seven is the most likely choice.

The list below is not complete, but it makes a point.

Man has 7 cervical vertebrae
There are 7 planets visible to the naked eye.
Atlas had 7 daughters.
There are 7 deadly sins and 7 virtues.
There are 7 Archangels.
There are 7 terraces in Purgatory.
The big dipper contains 7 stars.
The constellation Orion contains 7 stars.
The rainbow is comprised of 7 colors.
There are 7 wonders of the Ancent World.
There are 7 days in the week.
There are 7 hills of Rome
God rested on the 7th day.
The Menorah holds 7 candles.
There are 7 distinct types of viruses.

Is 7 a lucky number? You decide.

Luck is another word for chance. It's arbitrary. It's not based on reason or knowledge, and it can't be controlled. The name drawn from a hat or the Lotto number called boils down to luck. In games of chance I'll step back and let luck rule the day.

Luck does play a roll in our lives, but I'm not willing to stake my life on it. A hurricane taking down one house and leaving another standing can be attributed to luck, but was one house fortified and the other not? Most of what we call luck is controlled by the actions we take. Can I blame Lady Luck when a co-worker's presentation is selected over mine? Can I ignore the fact that I barely met the deadline and left several key facts out?

We make our own luck, our own fortune, the good as well as the bad. When bad luck rains down on us, we can usually trace the cause back to our own actions or inactions.

So, am I a lucky person? Yes. They symbols of luck are simply reminders. It's time to stop daydreaming and get to work.