Anonymous

“ Seldom is he disappointed, for he has unconsciously set going the mental machinery which brings his wishes within reach. Had he not found the clover and had gone along life's highway unexpectant of anything good, he would never have discovered this pleasant happening. And therein lies the true psychology of luck, which seems too simple to be true, but then its simplicity is really the sign-manual of its verity. ”

“ Of course, bad luck has not a monopoly on your superstitions, for good luck has something to say also. To see a piebald horse is fortunate; to find white heather, four-leaved clover or four-leaved shamrock is even more fortunate. To open a pea-pod and find ten peas in it is particularly lucky. For a black cat to come into your house is worth much. To come across a nickel with a hole in it is not without its merits, but the best thing of all is to put on some article of clothing inside out, and to wear it all day long, without being aware of it until bed-time. ”

“ On the morning of the day—the happy day—if she should be awakened by the singing or chirping of a bird, even of a sparrow, or by swallows sweeping past her lattice at dawn, she may accept these as signs of great good luck. ”

“ YOUR OWN TALISMAN.—So far, the talismans that have received universal acceptance have alone been mentioned, but the tendency today is for enthusiasts to originate a mascot of their very own. It may take any or every form, according to the whim or fancy of the individual. Maybe you will prefer to find your own mascot or talisman in this direction. If you have no preferences, why not constitute a device which embraces your lucky number, your lucky flower, your lucky color, and so on? ”

“ Here we see the typical Venus type. Gay, light-hearted, with no thought of the morrow, they flit happily through life like a gilded butterfly upon the wing. If they lack taste they over-dress. Their good qualities are their charming personalities, pleasing manners, and a quick command of music and art. They should beware of being only butterflies, and should cultivate strength of character. ”

“ THE LUNARIAN.—Lastly let us take the Mount of the Moon. In excess we again find the neurotic or unduly nervous person. In moderation the Lunarian will be a person of imagination, sympathy, and one who loves to look on all that is most beautiful in life. He should be successful as a musician, playwright, or novelist, and has a ready capacity for learning foreign languages.
Let me give one piece of final advice to those who truly judge character by the mounts, or indeed by any signs on the hand. Never judge by one sign or you will be led into stupid mistakes. ”

“ The tidy house welcomes the new year in a spirit of brightness and gladness.
For a clock to stop just as the new year is coming in, or to be found to have stopped then, is an ill omen. Therefore, householders have long been careful to give an eye to their timepieces some little while before. ”

“ To break a mirror is known by all as a serious matter. The reason why it is unlucky, we are told, doubtless finds its origin in a mere association of ideas. The mirror being broken, the image of the person looking into it is destroyed: therefore, bad luck in some form must be the fate of the careless one. What exactly is the penalty one must pay for breaking a mirror is not definite. Some people speak of seven years of misfortune, while others claim that it means seven years of celibacy.
To take certain things into the house is the height of folly, if you believe in superstitions. ”

“ He or she must be very careful in the choice of a marriage partner; this last is very important indeed.
THE MERCURIAN.—In excess we have craft, guile, and fondness for falsehoods. In moderation we find the good business man, shrewd, cautious, possessor of a capacity for doing the lion's share of the work, and a fine eye for the main chance. Let him cultivate his opposites. Unselfishness, kindness and generosity will make a Mercurian a most charming person. Their lack will leave a clever, scheming scoundrel. ”

“ Most men and women cherish a superstitious fear of it, and this opinion has existed since the first Good Friday. Many will never embark upon any enterprise of importance; there are fewer marriages on this day than any other, and sailors are averse to sailing on Friday. Many are the tales they tell of vessels which put to sea on a Friday, and were never heard of again. If all the bank or financial crashes of the last century were counted up, it would be found that Friday supplied the greatest number. A lengthy list could be added to prove that Friday is a day of bad luck. ”

“ As soon as the moon shows itself, the maiden places the flimsy piece of silk in front of her eyes, and, by holding the mirror half towards the moon and half towards the water, it is possible for her to see more than a pair of reflections. ”

“ OPAL.—A semi-transparent stone, the most usual varieties being whitish in color, but flashing various hues as the angle is changed. The opal has been [71] connected with more legends than, probably, any other stone. To some it is a harbinger of bad luck, but most people agree that it is a stone that brings good fortune to the wearer. It is the month-stone of October. Then it denotes hope, it sharpens the sight and the faith of the possessor. It is supposed to lose its flashing qualities when worn by the unfaithful. ”

“ ARIES BORN (March 21st to April 19th) .—The Aries child is often a problem, for certain of them have a rooted objection to anything in the nature of routine work. They chafe at going and coming at the same hour each day, and of doing the same work year after year. It is not that they are lazy, but that their nature refuses to be driven by set rules. With such children, it is wisest to interest them in whatever they fancy, until the time comes when they launch out on some brilliant scheme of their own. Aries men are the ones that fill unusual, out-of-the-way posts. ”

“ THE VENUSIAN.—When this mount is predominant in excess we find a person of unbalanced mind; he will be careless and will make a dangerous marriage partner. Developed to a moderate degree we find generosity, a power to feel for others, with a pleasing personality. The folk of Venus love beauty, and love their life; they are strongly attracted to those of the opposite sex, and are likely to fall in love without counting the cost. These people should cultivate a habit of thinking before they act, and should not allow generosity to degenerate into extravagance. ”

“ To estimate the amount of luck or good fortune that awaits your future, pick up the last card that was laid down in each row. Naturally, there will now be no card left in the first row, one in the second, two in the third row, and so on until the ninth row will consist of eight cards only. Take the nine cards picked up and sort them into suits. If there are most hearts, you are to be a very lucky person; if there are most clubs, you are to be just lucky; if there are most diamonds you will be passably lucky; but luck will not come your way at all if spades are in the majority. ”

“ When an individual is found with square finger-tips, he should make a good marriage partner; he will be practical—a man of method and reason. He is punctual, but should cultivate imagination.
POINTED FINGER tips will be found on the hand of the musician, the painter, and, in fact, anyone who is of artistic temperament.
Persons with these fingers should curb their imagination with reason, and cultivate the power of doing things, not only dreaming them, though dreaming is well enough in its way. ”

“ Though green dresses are more distressing to the writer than a red rag to a bull, she is quite prepared to admit that many people find it a very lucky color. This brings us to the point. There is no color that is universally unlucky; it is only so in the hands of certain individuals. With others, it may be an absolute harbinger of all that is lucky. ”

“ There are so many things for good or ill which the bride herself must or must not do that she would have a very anxious time keeping them all in mind if she is very superstitious. These customs begin on the eve of her wedding, when, for luck, she steps on a chair, and then mounts the table to ensure good fortune and a rise in the world. ”

“ In a number of cases, the child has a very definite idea of what he or she wants to do. If the work is reasonably suited to the child's temperament, station in life, and so on, it is much the best plan to allow him or her to follow the particular bent. It is just as well to note whether the chosen occupation fits in with the work which we list below for his or her individual birth-date. If it approximates to some occupation which we mention, well and good. Let the child go ahead, there is every chance of success. ”

“ Ever since time began, it has been a common belief that people derived luck and good fortune by wearing precious stones. A stone, however, that brought luck to one person might be ineffective when worn by someone else. Thus everybody is required to find out which stone he or she must wear in order to enjoy the utmost good fortune.
As a rule, the stone which any particular person must choose is decided by the month in which that individual was born. ”

“ A cake will ensure abundance, a red herring stands for luck, and the gift of even the smallest coin is a certain portent that a lucky financial year is opening.
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While anyone is free to pay these visits, it is much the happiest omen if the caller be a man, a dark-haired man, and if he takes with him a lump of coal and a fish. Any fish serves the purpose—even a tin of sardines. Let a man, answering these requisites, be the first to cross the threshold of your door, after the old year has gone, and there is no better way of entering on the new year. ”

“ THINGS THAT BRING YOU GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK
Ask a dozen people whether they have any superstitions, and the majority will tell you, without hesitation, that they have not the slightest belief in such things. If the truth is told there are very few of us who do not cherish some little weaknesses in this direction. One person may believe in a number of superstitions; another has, perhaps, only a few that are observed; but he or she that has none at all is a remarkably rare individual. ”

“ Should the line run from the Bracelets and stop at the Head line, this is a sign that the possessor will have many troubles and obstacles to overcome. Whether he will surmount them depends on the strength of the Head line. In cases where the Fate line continues up one of the fingers, the owner must take care that success does not turn his head and ruin the future. A Fate line that wriggles its way across the palm indicates a life of ups and downs, [21]
[22] and, should the line be broken in places, it is a sign that happiness will vary from time to time. ”

“ The most usual way to decide who is to be the lucky individual is for the players to sit around the table and for each to write down a wish on a slip of paper, and then to initial it. That done, the papers are collected and set aside to await the decision of the cards.
The cards are dealt to the players in turn in the ordinary manner from a full pack. Just how many each person is to receive depends on the number of players, but all must have the same number, and each should be given as many as the pack allows. Thus, there will often be a few cards left over. ”

“ It is lucky to give away food or money, to break a drinking glass accidentally, for a girl to see a man from her window on New Year's morning, and the birth of a child brings good luck to the entire family. ”

“ Whether the science of cartomancy, the name given to telling fortunes by the aid of cards, is taken seriously or not, there is no doubt that it will afford a good deal of merriment when indulged in by a number of pleasure-seeking friends and relations. ”

“ Let it be said quite definitely that faces indicate character more accurately than any other physical property of an individual. A person can change his voice and he can check his actions, but he cannot alter his features for more than a second at a time, and then only superficially.
Thus it comes about that faces are definite indications of character, and these indications are fairly easy to read, once the rules are learned. ”

“ Maidens decorate their pillows with five bay leaves and firmly believe that, if they dream of their lover then, they will be married to him in the course of the year. Another fancy is that the first person of the opposite sex whom one encounters, that morning is destined to be one's husband or wife. ”

“ THE MOON AND THE LUCK IT BRINGS
People of all ages have looked upon the moon as a provider of good and bad luck, and most of us have probably noticed that it has influenced our actions, at times. Here are some of the beliefs that are centuries old. ”

“ But, if someone turns over a jack, the next person must pay that person one card, i.e., the card coming first on his pack. If a queen is turned over, the payment is the next two cards; if it is a king, the next three cards, while an ace requires the payment of the four next cards. The person playing the jack, queen, king or ace takes not only the cards paid but any that may be lying face upwards in front of the person paying. All paid cards are placed at the bottom of the receiver's pack. ”

“ These are the general indications to be found.
THE SATURNIAN.—If the Mount of Saturn be over-developed, you have the cold, sceptical type of man. He lacks the milk of human kindness, and is probably a pessimist. A moderate development, on the other hand, is good; this man should be prudent, not miserly; optimistic yet not fatuously so, a well-balanced man.
We well know that the excess or over-development of one particular quality (however excellent this quality may be) is evil. Thus a super-artistic temperament gives the neurotic; while the over-prudent man becomes the grasping miser. ”

“ Be careful to understand that the cards forming a group need not all occur in the same horizontal line. As long as one card touches another of the same value, whether at the top, bottom, sides or even at the corners, it will count. Note also that the only reading that may be taken from a "lay-out" is the highest reading. Thus, if there are four aces and three queens, you are not permitted to take the reading of the queens, if you prefer it, to that of the aces. The reading of the aces alone counts. ”

“ Following this, you must note that a heart stands for very fortunate things, a club for good things, a diamond for things that are passable, and spades for things that are no good at all.
Thus, should a heart come in the middle of the bottom row it shows that you are to be very fortunate in the future; if a diamond fills the same position in the upper row, it is clear that your past was only passably happy; and if a spade comes immediately on the right of the matching card, it is a clear proof that the particular enemy you have in mind is being harassed by a period of ill-luck. ”

“ Should the Heart line cross the palm entirely, the owner is the exact opposite of the individual just mentioned. This person's heart will rule his head; he is sentimental even to a fault, and should practice business-like qualities, and not dream overmuch. Love in a cottage is all very well—but how when the roof leaks?
A short Heart line is a warning for care in marriage ”

“ Many people believe that a cycle of seven years of misfortune is likely to be succeeded by another of prosperity.
Number Nine is credited with mystic properties, good and bad. A piece of wool with nine knots tied in it is a well-known charm for a sprained ankle. The cat o'nine tails is a form of punishment not to be taken lightly.
Number Thirteen.—Of this number, everybody can supply instances when it has brought bad luck. But it may be cheering to mention that, in certain parts of the world, thirteen is regarded in quite a favorable light. ”