Lucky charms and amulets

 A lucky charm is an object which, as its name suggests, brings good luck by itself, without the use of religious or magic practices. In some cultures, lucky charms are known as fetishes or grigris. The role of the person wearing or carrying the charm is entirely passive since merely having it about your person is enough to ward off misfortune. The object regarded as lucky represents or symbolises a protective and primarily psychic power. For example, the photograph of someone you love is a kind of lucky charm because, by carrying it with you, you have the feeling that you are “appropriating” the person in the photograph, either by protecting them (photo of a child) or being protected by them (photo of someone who has died or of a lover, husband or wife).
The list of lucky charms is endless. Some are fashionable, while others belong to a specific culture or people. They can be vegetable (plants), animal or mineral (stones and metals). Some are closely associated with urban traditions and others are essentially rural. They can be used as they are or, if they are too rare or too large and cumbersome, a substitute is used, often a replica of the lucky charm (precious stone, animal, etc.) Thus, in the absence of a living elephant, we make do with a more or less precious piece of jewellery in the form of an elephant.
An amulet (also known as a grigri in Africa) is more elaborate than a lucky charm. It is made by craftsmen initiated into the art according to very precise rituals and in the greatest secrecy. Amulets can be made from several types of materials – usually vegetable, animal or mineral – that are regarded as lucky. Often, objects belonging (directly or indirectly) to the person involved in the wish to be granted are also used to make the amulet. Thus, feathers, teeth, saliva, roots, flowers, hairs, locks of hair, blood, sweat and soil can be used in accordance with formulae, handed down from generation to generation by American Indians, African and Haitian witch doctors, or the rural inhabitants of Europe, to name but a few! Long-distance travel, favoured by the development of easily accessible communication networks, has encouraged the exchange of lucky charms between East and West, North and South. The popularisation of the knowledge of other civilisations and cultures (for example, classical antiquity, primitive Africa) has also contributed to the use of amulets that were previously unknown.


Below is a brief summary of the best-known and most widely used lucky charms and amulets:


Lucky charms from the plant kingdom
This is the most ancient form of lucky charm. Plants have been used since prehistoric times for their food value and their medicinal and magic qualities.


The four-leaf clover is undoubtedly one of the oldest and best-known lucky charms. Eve is supposed to have taken one with her when she was driven out of Paradise! Carrying a four-leaf clover is a guarantee of financial prosperity and good fortune, hence the expression “to be in clover”!


Mistletoe was the sacred plant of the druids of pre-Christian Gaul and Britain. Together with the oak, its preferred host, this parasitic plant still has a certain symbolism today. Kissing under the mistletoe at New Year is a guarantee of financial prosperity and good health.


The oak was for a long time regarded as a sacred tree and symbolises longevity, physical strength and moral authority.


Lily of the valley, associated with May and spring festivals, attracts love and promises a good harvest.


The olive tree is a popular lucky charm due to its longevity and resistance, especially to fire. It was the symbol of victory and peace in Japan, India and ancient Greece. Its therapeutic properties, used since the earliest times, have merely reinforced the belief in its powers.


Like the olive, the fig is also invested with a powerful symbolism (especially in Mediterranean countries) that makes it a natural choice for a lucky charm. Like the olive and the vine, it symbolises abundance. It is also a symbol of fertility.


The mandrake is also one of oldest and most widely used lucky charms. It is a Mediterranean plant whose flowers vary from whitish to purple and whose strangely twisted roots resemble the shape of a human body. It is the root, in particular, that is regarded as an extremely powerful lucky charm. The plant’s hallucinogenic properties were discovered early in history (for example, the reference to the magic potion of Circe in Homer’s Odyssey). In the Middle Ages, it was often the attribute of witches and wizards who used it to make love potions. Later, a mandrake (or mandragora) root was believed to double a person’s fortune in a year. Carrying or wearing a mandrake root was also supposed to develop the wearer’s predictive powers and enable them to see into the future and read other people’s minds. It was also believed to bring luck in love and, in some rural regions of Europe (for instance, Poitou and Charente in France), is still regarded as a cure for all ills.


Lucky charms from the animal kingdom
A great many animals are believed to bring good luck. Sometimes it is the whole animal, or its image, that is regarded as the lucky charm. Often, it is a specific part of an animal that brings luck and protection.


The ladybird has been regarded as a very special insect since prehistoric times. If a ladybird lands on you, it is a considered a sign of good luck and you will have as many months of happiness as there are black spots on its wings.


The beetle (or scarab), like the ladybird, is a symbol of happiness. It is also a symbol of honour and success and is often used in talismans.


The cat is an enigmatic creature regarded as a good or bad omen depending on its colour. A black cat in your house or on board your ship will protect you against the evil eye.


The owl was often the attribute of soothsayers in ancient Greece (the little owl, Athene noctua, was sacred to the goddess Athena). While regarded by some as a bird of good omen, in some rural areas it is still believed to have evil powers.


Fish were also considered to be lucky well before Christianity made the fish the symbol of resurrection and life (the archetype of WATER). The star fish and sea horse are regarded as lucky charms because of their unusual shapes.


The snake and spider are linked to a symbolism that is part of our “collective subconscious”. Spiders are the agents of a great many predictions, depending on when you see them (morning or evening) and their colour (black or grey). The fear inspired by the snake and the mystery associated with the shedding of its skin, make it a very special animal invested with many (good and evil) powers. It is an important symbol in many civilisations, especially in the form of the ouroboros, the emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece. Represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring and being reborn from itself, the ouroboros was the symbol of constant renewal, the triumph of life over death. By extension, the lizard is also highly prized as a lucky charm.


Amphibians (frogs and toads), although not regarded as lucky charms, are used in certain talismans in the form of powder, dried skin and saliva. The salamander is a newt-like amphibian that symbolises the power of fire.


The tortoise is also invested with an age-old symbolism associated with longevity and power.


The pig, or at least its image or the image of its tail, is always regarded as a lucky charm that guarantees prosperity (which is why money boxes are often in the form of a pig).


While the rabbit is the symbol of fertility, a rabbit’s foot is a lucky charm that brings success in any form of undertaking.


The image of an elephant, preferably white, is considered to be a lucky charm or, failing that, an elephant’s tusk or a piece of ivory carved in the shape of a lucky animal (scarab, ladybird, owl).


Teeth (wolves, wild boars, bears) are believed to invest the wearer with the strength of the animal to which they belonged.


A separate category includes:


• Anything associated with a hanged man, for example, rope, clothing.
• A chimney sweep or a hunchback are both regarded as lucky charms, although it is not really known why!
• Religious objects: the hand of Fatima (daughter of the prophet Mohammed), an image of Saint Christopher, pieces from the cross of Christ or the relics of a saint also come under the heading of lucky charms insofar as they are invested with protective powers.


Charms from the mineral world: stones and metals


a) Stones
In ancient times stones were not regarded as inert matter. Minerals were thought to have fallen from the sky and, as such, to act as intermediaries between heaven and earth. It was believed that, placed in particular arrangements (cairns, megaliths), they sent messages to the gods.
Volcanic stones and – preferably black – meteorites were very early in history regarded as “speaking” stones (for example, the black stone set in the south-east corner of the Kaaba in Mecca, or the black stone of the Phrygian goddess Cybele). When our ancestors realised that certain stones were more beautiful and rarer than others, they used them to decorate cult objects. In this way, crystals became widely used and were considered to have certain powers, depending on their colour. Given that crystals are formed over millions of years, it is easy to understand why they are regarded as a “memory of the Universe” and consequently invested with immeasurable powers.


Semi-precious stones include:


Rock crystal, admired for its clearness, is undoubtedly one of the best known. Today it is used to improve intuition and, more so, for its curative properties.


Pink quartz offers protection against lies and deceit.


Lodestone or magnetite (ferrous and ferric oxides in cubic crystalline form) has the power to attract or hold on to a loved one. It also bestows the power to recover lost dynamism.


Agate, a form of quartz consisting of variegated (usually banded) chalcedony, was widely used by the Ancient Egyptians. It is known as chrysoprase when the chalcedony is apple-green, carnelian when it is red or reddish yellow, sapphirine when it is blue or bluish-green, sard (or sardius) when it red, orange or brown, and chalcedony when it is a greyish colour. 

Thus, agate is used to make lucky charms for a specific purpose, depending on its colour.


Aventurin protects travellers and garnet gives them courage.


Tourmaline makes merchants shrewd.


Amethyst is the stone of temperance. It offers protection against the evils of drunkenness and cures gout.


Beryl promotes the power of memory and protects intellectuals.


Chrysolite (or olivine) brings honour and fame.


Jade ensures good health and favours premonitory dreams.


Lapis lazuli restores lost hope and courage.


Turquoise brings luck and happiness to the wearer.


Opal brings happiness (white opal) and wealth (black opal).


Precious stones include:


Diamond, the most sought after, is the symbol of purity and fidelity, and guarantees happy marriages. It is regarded as a talisman that protects against all evils, vices and dangers.

Ruby, like all red stones (sard, carnelian), brings courage, health and happiness.


Emerald, more popular in the East than the West, is the stone of universal knowledge. It is also believed to bestow fertility and immortality.


Sapphire, like all blue stones, brings intuition.


Correspondence between stones, months of the year and astrological signs
Each month of the year and each astrological sign has its own particular stone. The correspondence between the stones, months and signs should be taken in to account if you want to take full advantage of the powers attributed to the stones when making a talisman.


January ........... garnet Capricorn.......... onyx
February ......... amethyst Aquarius ........... amethyst
March ............. carnelian Pisces................ aquamarine
April ............... diamond Aries ................. ruby
May ................ emerald Taurus ............... emerald
June ................ pearl Gemini.............. opal
July................. ruby Cancer .............. moonstone
August............ onyx Leo ................... diamond
September ...... sapphire Virgo................. agate
October .......... opal Libra ................. coral
November ...... topaz Scorpio ............. hematite
December ....... turquoise Sagittarius ........ sapphire


b) Metals
To use the power of metals, regarded as solidified cosmic energy, you must know their properties and correspondences. The correspondences between metals and the astrological signs are:


Iron is associated with Aries
Copper with Taurus
Mercury with Gemini
Silver with Cancer
Gold with Leo
Nickel silver with Virgo
Copper with Libra
Bronze with Scorpio
Pewter with Sagittarius
Lead with Capricorn
Uranium or bronze with Aquarius
Zinc with Pisces