How to Get Rid of Bad Luck

Last Updated: August 19, 2022 References

If you're superstitious or you just feel like you’ve been dealt a bad hand lately, you may be wondering how to get luck on your side. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to get rid of your bad luck.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Getting Rid of Bad Luck

1
Use salt. Salt is considered good luck by many cultures in the world. In order to get rid of many forms of bad luck you can take a pinch of salt and throw it over your LEFT shoulder (throwing salt over your right shoulder will bring you more bad luck).^{[1]
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- Alternatively, you can cleanse your body of bad luck by bathing in salt water. Simply add two tablespoons of salt to a bath of hot water.
- Another method is to sprinkle sea salt in the corner of each room and underneath each windowsill. This will protect your home from bad luck.
2
Don't throw away pieces of broken mirror. If you break a mirror you should never just throw the pieces away. This will effectively seal your fate and give you 7 long years of bad luck.^{[2]
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- You can either take all of the pieces of the mirror and grind them down to dust and scatter it in the wind or take a single piece of the mirror (big enough to reflect but not big or sharp enough to be dangerous to yourself or anything else) and wait until the next full moon.
- Depending on how close you are to the full moon you'll still get bad luck for a small while but if you use the mirror to reflect the full moon and gaze into it, it nullifies the bad luck. You can then bury the piece of mirror or keep it.
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3
Burn incense. Burning incense is an effective way to get rid of bad luck and negative energy.
- Choose pungent scents like sandalwood or jasmine, and if you are burning more than one stick, make sure to use an odd number rather than an even number.
- If you are experiencing bad luck in your personal life, burn the incense at home. Carry the incense from one room to the next, letting the scented smoke fill all four corners of your home.
- If you are experiencing bad luck at work, burn the incense in your office.
4
Carry protective charms. Small, protective charms are a great way of warding off bad luck as you go about your daily life.^{[3]
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Research source} They can be worn on a chain or bracelet or carried around in a pocket. Some of the most common ones include.
- Keys: Key charms have been used to bring good luck since ancient times. Wearing three keys together is said to unlock the three doors of wealth, health and love.
- Shamrock and clover: Wearing fresh shamrock or clover, or wearing a charm in the shape of the rare four-leafed clover is a popular method of bringing good luck. Each of the four leaves represent a lucky characteristic; wealth, fame, love and health.^{[4]
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- Horseshoe: Horse shoes are said to be lucky^{[5]
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  Research source}, as they ward off the "evil eye". Hang one in your home for protection or wear a Horseshoe symbol on a chain - just make sure the ends are pointed upwards, otherwise the good luck can "escape".
- Rabbit foot: A rabbit's foot is believed to bring good luck and protection in many cultures. However, not any foot will do - it must be the left hind foot. In addition, the foot must be stroked or rubbed in order to activate the good luck.^{[6]
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5
Burn sage. Sage has been burned by people of various cultures for years as a way of clearing out negative energy. The practice of burning sage is known as smudging.
- Buy a stick of sage or some dried sage and light it up. It should smolder rather than burn. Carry the sage around your home, waving the smoke away from you into every corner of the house.
- Open the doors and windows to let the negative energy exit. If you like, you can burn some sweetgrass afterwards to invite positive energy into your home.^{[7]
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6
Use crystals and stones. Various crystals and stones are believed to have mythical properties, ranging from protection, to warding off negative energy to bringing good luck. Keep these crystals or stones in your home, place of work, or carry them on your person.
- Black tourmaline will protect you from negative energies, such as the ill-wishes of others. Rose quartz will encourage positive energy to replace the negative.
- Labradorite will protect you from psychic vampires or leeches, who will attempt to suck your energy and positive emotions from you.
- Amethyst will protect you from harm while travelling, and protect soldiers from harm.
- Other stones that can be used for protection from negative energies or evil spirits include: ruby, quartz, peridot, obsidian, jasper, moonstone, black onyx, emerald, turquoise, blue topaz, sugilite, citrine, carnelian and bloodstone.
7
Do a good deed. One of the best ways to change your luck is to earn yourself some positive karma by doing good deeds. This is a way of repaying for any bad things you've done in this life or a previous one.
- Improve your karma by making a donation to charity, or by helping people in need, such as the homeless, elderly people or orphaned children.
- It is important that you do these good deeds out of a sincere desire to help others. If you are only performing good deeds to win good karma and make your own life easier, the action is voided.
- Engaging in charity work will also help to put your own situation in perspective - you may think you have suffered from bad luck, but once you see the suffering of others you may realize that your situation is not so bad.
8
Cleanse your chakras with fresh flowers. Fresh flowers can be used to cleanse your seven chakras - getting rid of negative energy and inviting new fortune.
- You will need at least seven different types of flowers, in as many colors as possible (any color but white). Remove any stems and leaves, you just need to flowers themselves.
- Place the flowers in a basin of water and put it outside to soak in the sun for an hour. This allows the water to soak up the positive energy of the flowers.
- Bring the basin to the bathroom and use a washcloth to bathe in the flower-energized water. As you bathe, concentrate on a patch of light emanating from the center of your forehead. Allow this light to spread all over your body.
- When you have finished bathing, carefully collect the flowers, place them in a paper bag and dispose of them. Imagine your bad luck being thrown away with the flowers.
9
Pray. Praying to God, or whatever spiritual being you believe in can help you to regain good luck. Remember to pray regularly, and ask for forgiveness for past wrongdoings and negative thoughts.^{[8]
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- Take some time during your prayer sessions to reflect on who you are as a person and whether you could take any steps to better yourself.
- Thank God for all of the good things in your life - this simple action could change your perspective on your perceived "bad luck" and make you realize that you are, in fact, blessed.
10
Declutter your home. Living in an untidy home can block positive energies from flowing through the house and create negative feelings and bad luck. This simple action can give you renewed energy and empower you to change your luck from bad to good.
- Start by decluttering your home - remove any unwanted or disused items and throw them away. Then give your house a thorough cleaning - clearing cobwebs and removing dust.
- Try rearranging your furniture, to improve the flow of energy and repaint your walls to bring new life to your living space.
- Try listening to music and burning incense while you work and leave all of the doors and windows open to let the sunshine in - this will encourage positive energy to flow into your renewed living space.
11
Use the power of light. Introducing bright light into your home is an effective way of getting rid of bad luck and diffusing negative energies.
- Try turning on all of the lights in your house and lighting candles, so there are no dark spots for bad energies to hide in.
- One practice which uses the power of light to protect you from bad luck and attract good luck in its place is to light three candles - two of them must be white, one for protection and one for cleansing, and the other one must be orange, to bring about a change in luck.
12
Travel to another country. Traveling to another country is said to get rid of bad luck, as the bad luck gets left behind and will disperse in your absence. The further you can get away from your home country, the better.
- Crossing an ocean or flying to somewhere in a different time zone works best.
- Travelling could also help you to realize that the bad luck is not on you, but on your house or job situation.
- Taking some time away may help you to understand the changes that need to made on your return, in order to get rid of bad luck.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Avoiding Bad Luck

1
Avoid actions or circumstances that bring bad luck. Many superstitions regarding things that bring bad luck are well known, but it is a good idea to recap on the main ones. This way you can try to strategically alter your behavior to avoid bad luck. Even if the bad luck is unavoidable, you will be able to recognize the signs and take immediate steps to reverse the it. Some common indications of bad luck include:
- Breaking a mirror - this is said to bring seven years of bad luck.
- Seeing a crow - if a crow crosses your path, it is said to be bad luck. However, if two cross your path, the bad luck is reversed.
- Walking under a ladder- this is believed to be bad luck as a ladder leaning against the wall forms a triangle - symbol of the Holy Trinity. By walking through the triangle you are violating sacred ground.
- Putting shoes on any table - In England, putting shoes on the table was said to be a sign of respect for a dead miner. Therefore, by putting shoes on the table you are tempting fate.
- "Jinxing" yourself - this means saying out loud something bad that you think will happen to you. This is a form of tempting fate. To reverse it, knock 3 times on a table or any other surface but, make sure your knocking can be heard.
- Wearing opals is believed to be bad luck - unless you were born in the month of October
- Stepping on a crack in the pavement/sidewalk. As the old saying goes: "step on a crack and fate will break your mother's back!"
- Having a black cat cross your path is said to be bad luck. This superstitions comes from black cats' association with witches and magic.
- Opening an umbrella indoors is considered to be bad luck - a superstition that comes from the Ancient Egyptians (who used umbrellas for shade). In those times, opening an umbrella indoors was believed to be an insult to the God of Sun.
2
Familiarize yourself with some of the more vague superstitions. Some superstitions are less well-known. It is a good idea to read up such superstitions and be aware of the risks associated with certain actions, otherwise you may inadvertently bring bad luck upon yourself. Examples of some of the less well known causes of bad luck are:
- Picking a penny up if it is tails up.
- Getting dressed with your left arm/left leg first.
- Seeing an owl during the day
- Knitting a pair of socks for your boyfriend - he'll walk away from you.
- Killing ladybugs or spiders (especially money spiders).
- It is bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.
- "Sleeping with feet towards a door will lose you your soul forevermore"
- If an owl hoots three times in your garden.
- Sleeping on or under a dinner table.
- Starting a venture on a Friday.
- Killing a bee within your home.
- Turning a loaf of bread upside down once it has been sliced will bring you terrible luck.
- Saying the word "Pig" at sea.
- If you ever drop a knife, picking it up yourself will bring you bad luck in money and love. You should ask someone else to pick it up for you.
- To start a new venture, meet someone new, or start a relationship on Friday 13th.
- Stabbing needles though your yarn balls brings bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn.
- If you buy a new pair of shoes, you must wear them on the wrong feet first or you will have bad luck whenever you wear them
3
Be careful of superstitions that foretell death and sickness. Most superstitions only foretell bad luck, however some superstitions also foretell death and sickness. You should definitely familiarize yourself with these:
- If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.
- You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died.
- If you open your front door and are greeted by a magpie staring at you, this is a sure sign of death
- If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death.
- If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.
- A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.
- Dreaming of white is believed to foreshadow death.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Recognizing Signs of Good Luck

1
Recognize when your luck begins to change. Once you have taken some positive actions to get rid of your bad luck, it is important that you stay alert to signs that your luck is changing. Examples of such signs include:

Community Q&A

Question

What are some ways to attract good luck?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Staying optimistic, doing good deeds, and considering your decisions carefully can all both improve your outlook and help things go your way more often. Learning to both expect and see the positives in any given situation will make you more confident and therefore more likely to succeed.
Question

Can breaking a mirror ever be good luck?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The legend that breaking a mirror brings bad luck probably goes back to ancient times, when the reflection in the mirror was thought to represent the viewer’s soul. Some people believe you can reverse the bad luck brought by breaking a mirror by throwing salt over your shoulder, spinning 3 times counter-clockwise, or touching a piece of the mirror to a tombstone. There aren’t any common legends that breaking a mirror can bring good luck, but consciously deciding to view it as a good sign instead of a bad one may help give you confidence and improve your day!
Question

What are some signs of bad luck?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

In some cultures, certain numbers, such as 4, 9, or 13, are considered to be signs of bad luck. Alter egos or doppelgängers also appear as a portent of bad luck in some myths and folklore. Some people believe that seeing certain types of animals, such as black cats, crows, or ravens, can also signify bad luck. However, there’s no evidence that any of these things can actually affect your luck or indicate that something bad will happen, so try not to worry if you come across any of them!