"If I can lift you up when you're down, I would have done a very good job! Thank you for dropping by."



Friday, February 25, 2011

Good luck, anyone?


Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of bird droppings falling on your head?  If you felt totally disgusted, you might be glad to know that such messy inconvenience actually brings good luck.  Believed to be a major sign of wealth coming from heaven, those unpleasant droppings are auspicious indications that good fortune is just around the bend! 

When you see birds flocking to your house and building nests, feel blessed.  Birds are believed to bring good fortune.  Birds not only bring good news and opportunities, those feathered creatures are powerful protectors and guardians. 

The Irish swear by the four-leaf clover as an omen of good luck.  Finding a four-leaf clover is propitious because it represents God’s grace.

Carrying a rabbit’s foot on a chain around your neck or in your left back pocket is a favorable practice.  This lucky charm is believed to not only bring good luck, but ward off misfortune.  It is also believed that the older a rabbit’s foot gets, the more auspicious luck it brings.

A horseshoe symbolizes good luck, good fortune and fertility.  Hanging it over the door with the open end up will protect the home and attract good fortune.  Some legends say that a horseshoe with the open end pointing down will shower luck; pointing up will gather luck.

Regarded by the Chinese as symbols of abundant wealth, red bats that nest in your home are a powerful indication that you’ll become incredibly rich.  In the absence of living bats, feng shui recommends that you hang symbols or pictures of this creature in your home to attract serious money.

It is believed that elephant figurines placed by doorways and on shelves will attract luck and longevity.  Elephants are a symbol of power, strength, loyalty and wisdom.  Elephants with their trunk raised upwards represent good luck, prosperity, and victory.  Elephants with their trunk downward symbolize conception and longevity.

Another sign of good fortune is meeting up with a snake, be it inside the home, in the garden or on the trail as you’re walking along.  It is believed that the more poisonous the snake, the better the good fortune coming your way.  The king cobra is believed to bring extreme good fortune.  Snakes are associated with spiritual presence and it is not recommended to harm or kill a snake.  Snakes, when they sense human presence, usually slither away.

Also considered good luck is a cricket in the home.  In some Asian countries like China, the cricket is regarded as a watchdog because at any sign of danger, the chirping stops.  It is considered a bearer of good luck in many North American tribes and imitating a cricket's chirping is considered irreverent. 

A cow is highly revered in India where this animal is allowed to roam on roads and highways.  It is the symbol of fertility and prosperity.  If you happen to be driving in the countryside and meet up with one, feel blessed because good fortune is smiling at you!

If you’re gifted with a puppy or a stray dog comes knocking on your door, welcome it with loving arms.  A dog entering your home means that sincere and faithful friends are in your life, supporting you in your time of need and helping you survive obstacles of any kind.  White dogs symbolize love and romance.  Black dogs represent wealth and protection.  Golden dogs bring happiness and prosperity.

Creatures in your garden that bring good luck are insects and frogs.  Ladybugs represent good luck and prosperity.  It is believed that if a ladybug lands on you during an illness, you'll soon become well.  Dragonflies are also lucky insects as they symbolize strength, prosperity, peace, courage, purity and harmony.  Frogs jumping into your home means money is coming to you.  In many cultures the frog is the symbol of wealth, prosperity, friends and abundance, and in others, it represents fertility. 

In some cultures, the dolphin is a sacred animal and its image brings good luck.

Pigs symbolize wealth and riches.  Charms in the shape of pigs have the power to bring good luck among the Chinese and the Europeans.  In Chinese mythology, this animal represents honesty, initiative, diligence and tolerance.

Turtles symbolize longevity and the hope and wish for a long life.  In feng shui, tortoise decorating brings good luck.  The tortoise is among the four sacred animals which include the dragon, phoenix and unicorn.

Inadvertently wearing clothes the wrong way round is a sign of extreme good fortune.  Some favorable news or windfall will be received.  If you’ve been suffering from a streak of bad luck, this is a good indication that your luck is about to turn for the better. 

A new moon or full moon day is considered a lucky day.  Money you receive on such a day is “good luck money” and must be kept. This practice will allow you to enjoy a significant increase in money luck.

If you find your initials on a spider web, you’ll enjoy everlasting good luck.  Just like the spider, food and money will be a magnet in your life.

If two people pull apart a dried turkey or chicken breastbone after making a wish, the one who ends up with the longer end will have their wish come true.

When your left palm itches, a windfall is on its way. Your left hand tingling means serious money is approaching.  The right hand tingling means money is leaving you.

If you see the simultaneous appearance of the bright sun and a shower of rain, the rainbows are not far away.  As we all know, if we find the end of the rainbow, there will be a pot of gold.  Catching this auspicious omen means that any project you have will be met with success.  The birth of a child on such an auspicious occasion is an omen of a great life.  Getting married on such a day promises a very fortunate and financially blessed partnership.

There’s a saying, “Find a penny, pick it up.  All day long, you’ll have good luck.  Give it to a faithful friend, then your luck will never end!”  This is based on an ancient belief that metal was the gods’ gift to man for protection against evil.  Therefore, the belief that any form of metal brings good luck stuck throughout the ages.  Another belief is that if you chance upon a penny lying face up, and the date marked on it matches the year of your birth, you can expect an amazing year ahead.  Don’t pick it up if it’s lying face down.  The luckiest coins are bent or have holes in them, more so if the coins were received as change after paying for a purchase.  The luck is enhanced if the coin is worn around the neck or carried in the left-hand back pocket.  If you chance upon a penny with the face up, pick it up and keep it as it is a sign of good luck.  Better yet, put the penny in a metal box and bury it in your garden so that your luck will multiply.