The Book of Luck: A Guide to Success, Fortune, Palmistry and Astrology

Astrology

THINGS THAT BRING YOU GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK

ASK A dozen people whether they have any superstitions, and the majority will tell you, without hesitation, that they have not the slightest belief in such things. If the truth is told there are very few of us who do not cherish some little weaknesses in this direction. One person may believe in a number of superstitions; another has, perhaps, only a few that are observed; but he or she that has none at all is a remarkably rare individual.

As a matter of fact, most superstitions are based on reason and sound common sense, and the man or woman who pays heed to them is acting intelligently, whether he or she knows it or not. Take, for instance, the belief that it is unlucky to walk under a ladder. True, the old assertion is that it is unlucky to do so because Jesus Christ was taken down from the Cross by means of a ladder. But the more practical reason is that painters and other men on ladders are very likely to drop things and, if you happen to be passing at the time, the paintpot or the tools will fall on you.

Of course, the reasons for all superstitions are not so evident as this one about walking under a ladder: nevertheless, there is a germ of reason in them all, whether or not we know the reason. Thus, the man or woman who observes the common superstitions of everyday life is acting wisely. Not only will he or she avoid a good deal of trouble, but his actions will provide him with a sense of well-being, and the effect it will have on his mind, the psychological effect as it is called, is all to the good.

It is not proposed to explain why this or that superstition is worthy of being observed; in many cases, the reason is obscure; but here we will give some of the beliefs which are current at the present time.

First of all, you should never pass anybody on the stairs of a private house, and, while talking of stairs, it may be said that many people believe that, for someone to fall up a step, is a sign of an approaching wedding.

Never light three cigarettes with the same match unless you are prepared for a spell of ill-fortune. This superstition gained currency during the War, probably because a match held long enough to light three cigarettes would give the enemy a clue to your position, especially at night-time.

If the cord of a picture frame snaps and the picture falls to the ground, it is an omen that somebody is going to die. If the picture is a portrait of a living person, then that person’s life is the one likely to be terminated. This omen may be considered a remarkably silly one, with not a shred of sense to recommend it. Yet how many people can point to instances when the prophecy has come true!

Of salt, there are several omens. The chief one tells you not to help anybody to salt; in other words, it is unwise to put some on a person’s plate. Helping them to salt is helping them to sorrow. Another superstition says that if you spill salt you will be unlucky unless you throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder.

To break a mirror is known by all as a serious matter. The reason why it is unlucky, we are told, doubtless finds its origin in a mere association of ideas. The mirror being broken, the image of the person looking into it is destroyed: therefore, bad luck in some form must be the fate of the careless one. What exactly is the penalty one must pay for breaking a mirror is not definite. Some people speak of seven years of misfortune, while others claim that it means seven years of celibacy.

To take certain things into the house is the height of folly, if you believe in superstitions. May or hawthorn blossom is one, though the berries of this flower seem to have no ill-potency. Peacock’s feathers are another. Somewhat similar is the contention that it is very unlucky to open an umbrella indoors.

While sitting at the meal-table, there are several things that must not be done. Helping a friend to salt has been already mentioned, but you must not allow the knives or forks to become crossed. Quarrels with your friends will result if you do. Of course, you must not sit down, thirteen of you, around the table. As is well known, this belief has its origin in the Last Supper, when our Lord sat at meat with his twelve apostles. On the other hand, should you taste a fruit for the first time in that season, you have only to frame a wish and it will be granted. Much the same applies to mince-pies. You will be awarded with a whole happy month for each pie that you eat at Christmas-time which is made in a different house. Of course, it is highly unwise for two people to pour tea out of the same pot at the same meal.

To give a friend an edged tool is sure to cut the friendship, whether it be a knife, a pair of scissors, a razor or a chisel. When such a gift is to be made, the usual plan is to sell it to your friend for a penny.

You should never put a shoe on a table, and, to see a pin lying on the floor and leave it there, is an omen that you will want before you die. As the jingle runs:

See a pin and let it lie, you’re sure to want before you die.

See a pin and pick it up, then you’re sure to have good luck.

Elsewhere, a good deal is said about dreams. Here it will be sufficient to mention one or two items of interest. It is decidedly unlucky to dream of a baby, yet to dream of a funeral is lucky. The following is worth bearing in mind:

Friday dream and Saturday told;

Sure to come true, if ever so old.

And here it will be appropriate to recall the fact that it is an unwise thing to get out of bed on the wrong side. The devil will be with you all the day, if you do.

You should avoid looking at the new moon through glass; but if you have a wish that you want fulfilled, you have only to count seven stars on seven nights in succession. Let it be said, however, that to count seven stars for this space of time is not as simple as it appears.

It is unlucky to treasure locks of people’s hair, and, should you drop a glove, it is to your advantage if someone else picks it up for you. If the fire refuses to light properly in the morning, anticipate a whole day with the devil.

Everybody knows that one of the luckiest things that can be done is to pick up a horse-shoe. But it is not generally known that the more nails left in it, the better. Nor is it sufficiently well recognized that a shoe, hung up, should have the tips pointing upwards. If they are turned down, the luck will run put of them.

Naturally, you will never start anything fresh on a Friday, and you will not cut your fingernails on a Sunday. Regarding fingernails, a poet, of sorts, has said:

Cut them on Monday, you cut them for news.

Cut them on Tuesday, a new pair of shoes.

Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for health.

Cut them on Thursday, you cut them for wealth.

Cut them on Friday, a sweetheart you’ll know.

Cut them on Saturday, a journey you’ll go.

Cut them on Sunday, you cut them for evil:

For all the next week, you’ll be ruled by the devil.

Of course, bad luck has not a monopoly on your superstitions, for good luck has something to say also. To, see a piebald horse is fortunate; to find white heather, four-leaved clover or four-leaved shamrock is even more fortunate. To open a pea-pod and find ten peas in it is particularly lucky. For a black cat to come into your house is worth much. To come across a nickel with a hole in it is not without its merits, but the best thing of all is to put on some article of clothing inside out, and to wear it all day long, without being aware of it until bed-time.

HAVE YOU A TALISMAN?

A person who finds a four-leaved clover, and believes it is a harbinger of something good, has adopted the right attitude, for he keeps a keen look-out for that particular good and holds out both hands for it. Seldom is he disappointed, for he has unconsciously set going the mental machinery which brings his wishes within reach. Had he not found the clover and had gone along life’s highway unexpectant of anything good, he would never have discovered this pleasant happening. And therein lies the true psychology of luck, which seems too simple to be true, but then its simplicity is really the sign-manual of its verity.

This quotation from the writings of a well-known author goes direct to the point about talismans. If you adopt a talisman and put your faith in it, you immediately prepare your mind for receiving an abundance of good fortune. Reject all talismans and argue that there is no such thing as luck, and you straightway set going the mental machinery which looks on the dark side of things and which misses every slice of luck that comes along. Therefore, we say, with emphasis, take to yourself a talisman, a mascot, a charm—call it what you will—and you will never regret it.

Of talismans, there are countless varieties; some are known the world over, others are the particular choice of individuals. They range from the amulets and scarabs of the ancients to the golliwogs and crudities of the ultra-moderns. Your choice may roam between these two extremes, but whatever your choice, it must be set with the seal of your faith.

In order to assist you in picking out a talisman for yourself, we append the following accounts of those examples which are favored most:—

THE HORSE-SHOE.—No symbol is a greater favorite than the horseshoe. There are many legends regarding its origin, but the most commonly accepted concerns the well-known visit of his Satanic Majesty to the shoe-smith. As a consequence, the Devil evinced a wholesome dread of horseshoes, and would not go near a house or person possessing one. It is more likely, however, that the horse-shoe was accepted as a symbol of luck because it was a commonplace object very nearly the same shape as the metal crescents worn by the Romans when they wanted to be fortunate. These crescents were always carried with the horns turned up, and, if a horse-shoe is to bring good luck, it, too, must be placed with the prongs uppermost. The reason for the prongs being so turned depends on a belief that misfortune always travels in circles, but when it reaches the tips of a horse-shoe, it is baffled, unless all the luck has already run out of the tips through them being turned downwards.

Of course, an old, worn shoe is more lucky than a new one, and it is a recognized fact that the more nails found in it the luckier will be the finder.

THE SCARAB.—This device is accounted very lucky or very unlucky, according to the disposition of the wearer. The symbol represents the scarab beetle with its wings outspread or with them closed. Such charms are made to-day in large numbers for sale in Egypt, but those who trade in them usually claim that each particular specimen has been in the family since Biblical times. As a rule, the device is made in a rough kind of bluish porcelain and is carved, in intaglio, with divine figures. The Egyptians used to make up the scarab as a neck pendant or as a little ornament for placing in the coffins of the dead. Its mission was to scare away the evil one.

No. 2.—An Egyptian Scarab, such as were used as talismen. Two forms are shown, one with the pectoral wings outspread; the other, with wings closed.

THE TET.—This symbol was shaped somewhat like a mallet, and was always worn with the head uppermost and the handle hanging down. It was made in porcelain or stone, and was often colored gaudily. The Egyptians were the first to find efficacy in this charm, and they wore it suspended around the neck to ward off attacks from visible and invisible enemies. Thus, it was a protection against evil in any form; it was also supposed to provide the wearer with strength and endurance. The tet has been much forgotten of late years, but there are adherents who value it above the horseshoe and almost any other charm.

No. 3.—The Talisman on the left is the Tet: on the right, the Arrow Head.

THE ARROW-HEAD.—The early Britons spent a great deal of their time in taking suitable flints and shaping them into the form of triangles. These were called arrow-heads, and when the two side edges had been sharpened they were fixed into sticks and used as weapons or tools. Out of this use grew the idea that arrow-heads were potent charms in providing bodily protection against enemy force or the usual illnesses. Accordingly, people began to wear them as neck ornaments and, for this purpose, decorative arrow-heads were made. Ever since then, they have been cherished for their powers in warding off attacks, and a superstition still exists which claims that if one of these arrow-heads is dipped in water, the water will be more potent than any doctor’s medicine.

THE CADUCEUS.—This device, which figures as part of the design of some postage stamps, has been considered a bringer of good fortune ever since the time of the ancient Greeks. It consists of two snakes entwining a rod, surmounted by a pine cone. By the side of the cone is a pair of wings. It was the symbol of Mercury. The rod had the supernatural powers of quelling disputes and letting people dwell in harmony. The snakes possessed the property of healing; the pine cone preserved good health; and the wings stood for speed and progress. Thus people wear the caduceus today in order to ensure a life free from quarrels and illness, and to enable them to be healthy and go ahead.

No. 4.—The Caduceus or Staff of Mercury.

THE EYE AGATE.—As is generally appreciated, the evil eye is the source of all trouble and misfortunes, and the early Eastern races thought that, if the evil eye could be avoided or frightened away, all would be well. Searching for a charm to effect their purpose, they alighted upon the eye agate, and this they believed would give no quarter to the evil eye. Accordingly, agates were cut to resemble an eye which would be powerful enough to neutralize the effects of the evil one, and these were worn as brooches, rings and necklaces. The agate chosen for the purpose consisted of thin layers of stone of various colors. Thus, by cutting the stones oval and removing parts of the top layers, it was possible to produce a charm closely resembling a human eye, both in shape and color.

Such eyes are still sold today, and many people treasure them in the hope that they will ward off evil in any form.

THE JADE AXE-HEAD.—Many jewelers still sell little axe-heads carved out of jade, for wearing around the neck. The axe-head has been considered a symbol of strength and vigor ever since primitive times, and jade has a world-wide reputation as a charm against disease and accidents.

THE SEAL OF SOLOMON.—This device is now regarded as a symbol of the Jewish religion, but it can be traced to several other religions, and, no doubt, it dates even farther back than the commencement of the Jewish era. The triangle with the upward point stood for goodness; the triangle with the downward point for wickedness; while the two intertwined symbolized the triumph of good over bad. Those who wear the device contend that it preserves them from all that is ill, and, at the same time, it gives them a share of the world’s blessings.

No. 5.—The Seal of Solomon, one of the oldest lucky charms in existence.

THE ABRACADABRA.—This charm dates from the second century, and was a symbol of the Gnostic worship. It often took the form of a little piece of parchment, folded into the shape of a cross, but it can, also, be seen as a tablet, made of stone or metal, shaped like an inverted triangle. On the charm, of whatever shape, was inscribed the following:

It will be seen that the word Abracadabra can be read along the upper line and also down and up the two sides. This word is said to conceal the name of God and the charm has the powers of warding off dangers and sickness.

THE FOUR-LEAF CLOVER OR SHAMROCK.—Everyone knows that a four-leaf clover or shamrock is supposed to be a bringer of luck and good fortune. As these are not readily found and, moreover, they soon perish, the opportunity has been seized by jewelers to produce artificial ones in various precious and semi-precious metals. To wear either is supposed to avoid misfortune. It may be mentioned that the four-leaf Shamrock as a charm has proved immensely popular by those who are interested in the Irish sweepstakes.