Luck and prosperity: magic for this purpose

Luck magic aims at fortune, success, wealth and a safe passage. People keep lucky charms, perform money rites, pour offerings to a god of wealth, and avoid unlucky days. Examples include the Chinese lucky cat and the red packet, the Japanese daruma doll, the Indian worship of Lakshmi at Diwali, the European four-leaf clover and horseshoe, and the Hoodoo mojo bag. This page looks at what luck means and who profits from it.

Ideas of luck

Cultures differ on what luck is. In China, fortune is tied to fate, timing and the placement of objects, giving rise to feng shui and the choice of lucky numbers. In West Africa, success is linked to a person's destiny and the help of the orisha or ancestors. In Europe, luck came to be seen as chance, with charms to tilt it. Many societies see wealth as shared and fear that good fortune attracts envy. Merchants, farmers, gamblers and students are the usual customers, and the amounts asked of them range from a coin to a lifetime of savings.

Customs

Customs are domestic and mostly small. Merchants in Taiwan and China burn paper offerings and put out fruit at the start of the month. Fishers and sailors keep charms and avoid certain words. Gamblers, students and athletes have habits they will not break. Many rites involve giving something away, since reciprocity is thought to keep fortune moving. Lucky days are often chosen by calendar or astrologer, so that a shop opens, a wedding is held or a journey begins on a favourable date.

Schemes and scams

Luck is easy to sell. Lottery charms, gemstone bracelets and sellers who promise riches for a fee make money from hope. Fraud involving fake spiritualists who say a client's money is cursed and must be handed over is documented in many countries. Playing games of chance with charms may feel harmless, but anyone struggling with gambling should seek real help. Some wealth rites are public and religious, as with Diwali lamps for Lakshmi and the Lunar New Year offerings to the god of wealth, and some are private and quiet.

Scholars and sceptics

Psychologists have found that carrying a lucky charm can raise confidence and performance in some tasks, without changing the odds of chance. Economists study the role of luck in success. Religious authorities differ: some see lucky objects as idolatry, others as harmless custom, and prosperity churches around the world teach a faith-based version of the same hope. Those who struggle with debt or gambling harm should look for practical advice, since a charm does not change the odds or pay the bills.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Huldra: Bernard Evans Ward, Public domain, source

Curse of Scotland: James Gillray (died 1815), Public domain, source

Chain letter: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Zwarte Piet: The illustrator is Daan Hoeksma, who died in 1935. The author is liste, Public domain, source

Marmot Day: Colin Canterbury/USFWS, Public domain, source

Caloian: Costică Acsinte Archive, No restrictions, source

Sailors' superstitions: Siren Painter (eponymous vase), Public domain, source

Okiagari-koboshi: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Cash: User 冷玉 on zh.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Money tree: Pratyeka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Egyptian days: Unknown Unknown (Paris scriptorium), Public domain, source

Lock of hair: Unknown author, CC0, source

Lucky Jew: Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Bà Chúa Xứ: Phương Huy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Luck and prosperity