Saturday, June 11, 2011

Luck and talismans, part one...

After realizing I've been living in Austin for a year and a half now and I still have no live plants inside my house (it's good feng shui to have growing plants in your home) because I gave the ones I had away when I moved, I finally broke down and bought lucky bamboo in a red vase. My first live plant purchase, which got me thinking about lucky objects, talismans, feng shui, and superstition.

I could have gone for a spider plant, a philodendron, or some other plant that's nearly impossible to kill. Even a cactus, considering I now live in Texas. But I went for the lucky bamboo. And as I placed it on my fireplace mantel next to my lucky Happy Hoi Toi (symbolizes health and happiness) that I got at LimeBlue in Charleston, a green candle in a Japanese bowl a friend gave me years ago, and close to photos of people I miss very much, I realized just how many lucky objects and talismans I have around my house. And whether they work because they work, or they work because I believe they do, I also realized that I am a lucky girl. I do believe we create our own luck, but that a talisman or two (or five) can't hurt, especially if they remind you of people you love.


Photo: Lucky Bamboo, Happy Hoi Toi, Lucky Candle, and my favorite photo of my BFF Mary Kathryn. A "quadplex" of luck.

I'm working with a theme this month, so this will be the first in a series posts about lucky talismans. Am I the only superstitious one out there? Do you have any objects in your home that could be considered lucky charms?

6 comments:

  1. Okay, my first comment was murdered by Service Error 503.

    I am more of a ritual person than an object person.

    When sending out query letters, I rub the envelop on Loki's belly because he has a big fat Buddha belly.

    I have dried sage hanging on my front door. (I guess that's an object)

    I have to clean the entire house before I leave on vacation.

    At work, I must have a warmer set up and ready to go in case there is a premature or sick baby born.

    I also have to have everything set up for a regular delivery.

    I'm sure there are others, but that's all I can think of for now.

    Miss you!

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  2. I incorporate rituals too - love your query letter ritual, but most of mine go through email and rubbing my laptop on Miss Kitty could be dangerous. :)

    I have burned sage (smudging) in my house to remove negativity, but never thought about hanging it dried. And I love your cleaning the house before going on vacation ritual...how nice to come home to a clean house! I tend to do the opposite - my house usually looks like a bomb went off because of the packing and getting ready for vacation. So I come home to a messy house.

    Miss you too! Was just thinking of you the other day and wondering how the writing was coming along!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The writing is going well. Have two manuscripts in what could be at least a four part series. They've been rewritten and I'm spot editing now before rewriting again. Then, hopefully, all they'll need is a little polishing.

    How about you? What are you working on these days?

    Oh, and in other news, Jason and I are looking to move to Vermont. It will be at least a year or so. He wants to get his daughter out of high school (she'll be a senior this fall!!!!) and settled in college before we take the plunge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad you're keeping the writing going and the offer still stands to read anything...I love your writing and would be happy to read if you're looking for feedback (or just for my own enjoyment!).

    I'm working on a lot of freelance projects while I search for the right day job. Love freelancing, but working from home is starting to get tedious and I miss having coworkers. Lots of jobs in Austin, but I'm taking my time and looking for the right one.

    Vermont! I'm jealous - what an amazing place to live! Very exciting news. What made you decide on Vermont? (other than that it's a liberal state and the closest thing to moving to Canada). :)

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  5. Jason wanted to go back north (he's from MI), Burlington has a huge hospital where I can get work, it's a different environment, with the Green Mountains, the lake, proximity to places like Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I love Bernie Sanders. And if Palin gets elected in 2016, we can zip across the border and declare political asylum.

    I just worry that if I tell people where we've come from, they might not let us live there. Maybe I'll say North Carolina.

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  6. SO exciting - and such a beautiful area. I'm definitely jealous and once you move, I'll expect an invite to visit when it hits 100 degree weather in Austin! And Vermont will welcome you with open arms - they're used to "expats" by now!

    ReplyDelete

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