What Kind Of Good Luck Charm Should You Carry?

Traditionally, this good luck charm consisted of an actual dried and preserved rabbit's foot. Strict rules have applied to the rabbit's foot since its first use as far back as 600 BC, such as only the left foot was lucky and the rabbit should be killed in a specific way.

The horseshoe hangs over the entryway to a home or a room to catch good luck or keep evil from entering the home by pouring good luck over the front door. This lucky charm can be any new or gently used horseshoe. However, the original horseshoes from the myth were authentic and consisted of iron rather than steel.

The lucky cat, Maneki Neko, is a well-known character that you sometimes see near registers in Asian restaurants and businesses. These small porcelain figures feature a sitting cat with one paw raised as if to beckon good luck and fortune. Maneki Neko has been around since the seventeenth century, and there are many theories about where the cat originated and why--none of which can be proven as the truth.

Another Asian luck item is the Laughing Buddha statue, which is believed to benefit the home in a variety of ways. In use since the tenth century in China, the Laughing Buddha can bring luck, abundance, happiness, health, and success.

According to Celtic tradition, if you happen to find a four-leaf clover growing in a clover patch, you have protection from bad luck and evil as long as you carry it with you. This Celtic charm has been around since the days of the Druids. The contemporary lucky clover is usually carved on small pendants and charms.

Lucky coins are small and convenient charms to carry in your pocket. Just about any coin can be kept as a good luck charm, but most people do prefer a coin that has a certain significance. Lucky coins can be from your birth year, have some special emblem or inscription, or come from a country with special significance.