Feeling lucky?

The purpose of this thread is to explore the concept of luck. Is it real or imagined? Is it merely superstition or is there any factual basis? Is luck a perception or a definable phenomenon?

We all seem to know certain people who everything seems to go right for. You know the ones who get the right job, marry the right spouse and always seem to achieve success with little to no effort. They appear to trip over money bushes. (I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit that I often resent those types of people and sometimes jealous since I’m one of “those types” who feel they have to work harder for things. If it wasn’t for the fact that I like to dunk their toothbrushes in their toilets when I visit I could hardly stand to be around people like that. I‘m kidding, of course.)

The only way I can cope is to believe that luck is infinite. It is not a zero sum game. If someone else is lucky it doesn’t diminish my chances of having luck also. Luck might even be related to gratitude since lately I find myself more appreciative of even the little breaks I get.

Here are some seeds for discussion:

Is luck akin to karma?
Is it true you make your own luck?
Does luck run out?
Why do all the lottery winners seem to “deserve” to win? (Probably just savvy marketing by Lottery board officials. If Warren Buffett or Donald Trump won, I doubt it would inspire ticket sales)
Do trinkets bring good luck? (rabbits feet etc.)
Do events bring bad luck? (breaking mirrors, black cats)
Is religion (praying for things) related to luck?

Funny, even Google offers the “I’m feeling lucky” search option which was basis for thread title. So there ya go.
What are your thoughts?

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The following is optional reading for context on inspiration for this thread.

In 2007 I suffered a near death stroke which left me with permanent side effects. (Balance issues and partial left side paralysis) I walk with a cane and can only type with one hand. (Caps Lock is my new friend.) Everyone (Doctors, family, friends) all tell me how “lucky” I am to have survived. Funny, I don’t feel so “lucky.”

More recently, a routine inspection of our house found evidence of termites. Naturally we feared the worst and initially thought our house might require tenting which is quite costly. (I live in Florida and termites are a major threat. The joke is there are only two kinds of houses that have termites. Those that have them and those that will.) “Luckily” the infestation was localized and the treatment was less costly.

Perhaps these are both “glass half empty/full” scenarios based on perception but inspiration nonetheless.

I believe we create our own luck.I'm more closer to the idea of luck connected with Karma.If you do good things then good stuff will return to you and same with the bad.

One of the laws of wiccan magic,if i remember correct is the rule of three.
It states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times.

Why do all the lottery winners seem to “deserve” to win?

As far as i know there is no luck in lottery games.Usually they fix the numbers.

Do trinkets bring good luck?

I believe in the power of the human mind.If someone strongly believes that a certain item will bring him good luck then it charges it somehow with positive energy.If an item is charged with positive energy then it can definetely bring "good luck" to the owner.

Do events bring bad luck? (breaking mirrors, black cats)

I think that most of that are superstitions that have been explained.
Black cats for example are considered bad luck because in Medieval they were believed to be the devil and usually witches owned them.So seeing a black cat actually meant to them seeing the Devil himself.
Breaking a mirror has 2 possible explanations:1)in the ancient time.. mirror used to be an expensive item... only the royals owns it, so if any maids drop the mirror he or she will have penalty of death.
2)your reflection in the mirror was thought to be your soul and breaking it would result in loosing the soul.

reply to post by kinda kurious


There certainly is such a thing as "luck", and it's intriguing. In fact, I might study up on this later. Nobody knows why some appear to have it, while others don't. Or, you can go for months and have it, then it packs up and leaves. "Fickle", I believe it has been called, and it seems to come in waves. Ride it while you have it.

I was talking to a university student last week who commented that she has the "worst luck", as some people like to attribute their problems -- to the lack of it. She noticed that everytime she and her sorority sisters leave the house after drinking, she is always the one who gets in trouble for public intoxication. haha.

If you have bad luck, then don't rely on it. We must take matters into our own hands, and even then we must continually contend with random events. The present predicts the future.