Do you carry a particular lucky charm around with you? A lucky penny maybe? Wear a certain shirt or pair of underwear? Is there a horseshoe hanging up over a doorway of your home?

Well, there are many different folklore and religious beliefs behind the symbols that are said to bring good luck to us and in this article, I will explain a few of them.

The Horseshoe

This and the four leaf clover are probably two of the most recognizable good luck charms there are. But why is a horseshoe considered a harbinger of good luck?

The horseshoe is said to bring good fortune and provide protection for the family that lives in the home where the horseshoe is hanging. One of the reasons it is supposed to be good luck is because horseshoes were made by blacksmiths and being a blacksmith was supposed to be a trade that brings luck to the smith because he works with the element of fire, the element of water and iron. Iron itself was supposed to be magical so any person working with these as a trade is said to have special powers.
Oh yes, also make sure that if you hang a horseshoe up in your home that it is pointing upwards. If the horseshoe is pointing down, it is believed that the luck will run out of it.

The Four Leaf Clover

As I mentioned, the four leaf clover, is one of the most recognizable good luck charms and everyone searches for them or has searched for them in their lifetime. It is supposed to be good luck because the four petals of the clover are said to represent Faith, Love, Hope and Luck. Now the three leaf clover, the most common of the clover has its own significance as well. In some cultures, including Ireland's shamrock, which is a three leaf clover, is said to represent the Holy Trinity in God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and, shamrocks that have a fourth petal, well that fourth petal is supposed to represent the Grace of God.

Finally, we come to the Lucky Penny.

All I have to say about this are two things. Find a penny and pick it up, for all day long you will have good luck. The other thing is that before you pick the penny up, make sure it is heads up because if it is tails up, it will bring bad luck.

There are so many other symbols and icons that represent good luck like the wishbone and the rabbit's foot. I will explore these and others in future articles.