Lucky Charms

Good Morning,

Lucky Charms…where do they come from?  If your first thought was General Mills or your local grocery store, then you probably have had kids around the house at some time.  While I think every adult should eat a bowl of this concoction at least once a year as sort of a “booster shot” against Adultitis, it isn’t really what this letter is about although that could be one for another time.

 I was thinking more about items that we consider being lucky, bringing luck or just wishing luck to happen.  Of course this kind of thing, mostly based in superstitions, has been going on since the first humans could imagine “what could be” as an escape from “what is”.  Not a bad thing really, as when we wish for something that is yet to be, I believe that in some small way, we set ourselves up to create the circumstances to make it happen.  Diligence in this case is the key to success.  That is pretty much the basis for “The Secret” if you are into that kind of thing.  Looking into this subject a bit more, I found that some charms seem to come and go with changes in societies, religions and our understanding of the world around us. 

Swastika

 A good example and one of the most powerful changes caused by society is the use of the Swastika.  For millennium before Adolph and his band of “Nazi” followers came into power, the Swastika was used all over the world by different cultures as a symbol of good luck.  Now anyone, at least of my generation and our parents, look upon the symbol and are reminded of the atrocities imposed on many.   It is kind of a pity really, because the symbol itself has a certain symmetry that lends itself well to beading and weaving.  Which could have been one of the reasons it was popular with ancient cultures all over the world.  I guess its luck ran out when it was miss-used by such a few.

 Like a lot of people in the “50s” when it was popular and many years before, actually traced back to about 600 BC in now Great Brittan, I had a Rabbit’s Foot on my keychain for “Good Luck”.  Unlucky for the rabbit…lucky for me…not sure how that was suppose to work.  Actually, when I think about it over the years I probably had enough of these amulets in different colors of course, but mostly blue, to re-tread a whole rabbit.  Come to think of it that would make quite a picture, a rabbit with two blue feet a pink one and maybe a red one to complete the ensemble.  Why would I keep an animal body part as good luck?  Well it must have been because I believed it would do just that, but I cannot to this day understand why I believed that.  Maybe it was cultural influence of the times.  It certainly wasn’t because I was a member of PETA, since it wasn’t formed until 1980.  I suppose that is when people started frowning at you when you would pull out your keychain with that chunk of Leporidae dangling from it.  Maybe I stopped carrying it when the chain broke.  I don’t think it was because I was afraid of being doused with a can of red paint.

 Well at least there is one tradition that still is in effect today, that with the right belief system will bring good luck and may even make wishes come true.  Besides “wishing on a star” of course, it is the ol’ dependable “Wish Bone”.  Even as a young child I always looked forward to the pulling of the wishbone with my sister.  Another amulet of “Good Luck”, which has managed to survived the changes of society.  I can only hope it will last as long as I do.  I hope so, because even at this age I still enjoy a “Good Break” now and then.  BTW, the left side was mine in the photo, now if only my wish will come true.

 Whatever you choose your “Lucky Charm” to be, it is a good thing to keep a bit of whimsy alive in your life.  It can’t hurt and remember, there is much more out there than we will ever know.

 Love, Dad