Looking for Luck in all the Right Places…

Druid Rituals and Spells for Good Fortune

Original Published May 18, 2023

by Rev Diane Gallagher

            Changing your luck is not just a simple matter of saying a prayer or doing a ritual and, BOOM, your luck has changed. To bring good fortune, before you get to the point of a spell or ritual, there is non-magical work to be done.

Non-Magical Work

#1 – Reframing

Is what is happening really bad luck or bad fortune? Make a list of the things that are happening. Is there any way to look at these from a different direction? For example, let’s look at the past few days in my life.

1. It was Mother’s Day. I hate Mother’s Day for a lot of legitimate reasons.
2. My car broke down. It is still with the mechanic and I’m not sure it’s fixable or if it’s worth fixing (It is an old and very beat-up SUV).
3. I had an appointment with a dermatologist. I was supposed to call in the morning the day before to get the time. I talked to the receptionist on the phone and she said that the doctor wanted to talk to me personally before giving me the appointment time. I waited 10 ½ hours for her to call and… nothing.
4. I got another appointment with a different dermatologist. Google maps took me to the entirely wrong village and I was over an hour late for my appointment.
5. I had to borrow a friend’s car to get to my appointment because my car was still not working.
6. When I finally got home, there was nowhere to park outside my friend’s house so I had to find somewhere else that was not as close by.
7. When I got out of the car and went to return the keys to my friend, it was raining so hard that by the time I got to her door, I was completely wet – hair, clothes, everything. I was soaked to the skin and I literally had water running out of my shoes.

Okay, this is going to sound Pollyanna-ish or like I am Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, but I swear this works. Here is how I reframed these events.

1. I never go on social media on Mother’s Day. The last thing I want to see is how wonderful everyone else’s mother is/was. It gives me a break from social media which means I get more work done. The only thing that I do that is Mother’s Day-like at all, is talk to my own daughter who is 9 time zones away from me. I am eternally grateful for her, and I am grateful to be living at a time when we are able to call and see each other over Zoom.
2. While I do love my car, it is very expensive to run, it is (as my friend Pat calls it) quirky. When you turn the lights on, all the dashboard lights go off. The check engine light is permanently on (the mechanic says it’s the wiring, not the engine). There is an entire process that you have to go through to lock the car. Ultimately, I don’t really trust it, and we have put a ton of money into that car. Maybe it is time to get a more reliable car. I am tired of being nervous driving even to the next village.
3. Even though I spent a day waiting for the dermatologist to call, in the end, I sent the receptionist a message thanking her for her help, but saying that I was cancelling my appointment for the next day because I could have no confidence in a doctor that was so unresponsive. In the past, I would have kept trying to find out what time I was supposed to be there, or I would have driven an hour to the next town to wait in her office until she saw me. I now have the confidence to say ‘Nope, I deserve better than that.’
4. Even though Google maps sent me to the wrong place, it was a beautiful country drive on a sunny morning. The new dermatologist still saw me even though I was an hour late. She was wonderful, checked out the moles I was concerned about, and told me everything looked good.
5. My friend’s car was a dream to drive, and I didn’t have to have that niggling worry in the back of my mind that I might not make it there.
6. I did manage to find a place to park, even though it wasn’t outside her house. This is not easy in the old part of our village where all the houses are row houses with no designated parking.
7. When I stood at my friend’s door looking like a drowned rat, she brought me inside, gave me a towel and made me hot tea until the rain let up. We had a very nice chat.

There is almost always the proverbial silver lining. It’s often not in our natures to look for that lining, but we can train ourselves to do that even if we don’t do it perfectly.

#2 – Don’t think of yourself as a victim. Or a survivor. Just be you.

It is easy to think of ourselves as victims. This was trained into me by my mother who raised victimhood to a fine art. The problem with this way of thinking is that in most cases, whatever is happening is not really happening to you. You just happen to be standing in the way. Even when it looks like it is directed at you, i.e. your boss yells at you, you don’t know what is behind the yelling. Maybe he just got some seriously bad news. Maybe you remind her of the first love of her life who cheated on her and then dumped her. In any case, even if you don’t know the motivation behind it, it really isn’t directed at you, so don’t take it personally.

Perhaps something truly terrible happened to you but you managed to come out of it okay. Thinking of yourself as a survivor, which sounds positive, is actually not that great. By defining yourself as a survivor you are still defining yourself by the event. It is just the opposite side of the same coin. You are not the event. You are you. The event is just a thing that happened to you.

#3 – Detoxifying

Decrease the amount of alcohol in your diet. Try to quit smoking if you smoke (I know it is very hard – no judgment here). Make sure you are drinking enough water.

Try to fuel yourself with the healthiest possible foods. I am not going to suggest a diet. Everyone and their bodies are different with different needs. What I will suggest is that you listen to your body. Are you craving some particular foods? Maybe there is an emotional component to the craving or maybe you are missing particular vitamins or minerals. I am not a health professional so if you are listening to your body and you think there is a problem, see your own health professional.

We are all filled with toxic chemicals. Sadly, it is the nature of living in an industrialized society. Exercising to the point of sweating is a natural way to detox. Afterwards, if you are able, soaking in a bath with Epsom salts is a good way to release the toxins (as long as your body is not reactive to Epsom salts). Not only does Epsom salt help you to release toxins, it can also provide minerals like magnesium through the skin. Burning a candle or an oil defuser is also helpful.

#4 – Destress

There are many ways to destress. Some folk need to have alone time. Others need to be around people. There are several surefire ways to help you relieve stress.

Get out into nature. Take a walk along a forest path or by a river. Go hiking (do this safely with the right equipment and someone knowing where you are going). Hang out in a park. Sit under a tree. Sit on your balcony and listen to the birds. All these things will help to destress and replenish you.

Try meditation. You don’t have to sit cross-legged for hours like a Zen master to do this. I do short, guided meditations – about 15 minutes – in the morning. That is often enough to help me start my day calmly or help me fall asleep at night. Getting enough sleep also helps to keep stress at bay.  If you don’t know how to start meditating, here are two short meditations I have on YouTube:

So, these are the non-magical things that you need to do to help you change your fortune.

Magical Work

The place that you likely spend most of your time is in your home. It is important to keep your home protected from negative energies which will also keep you protected. Here are some suggestions.

Choose the Kindred with whom you wish to work. You may already work with a specific ancestor or nature spirit. If so, go with them. If you have a particular deity with whom you already work, go with that one. If you do not have a deity in mind, here are some good choices:

1. Plutus – Greek god of wealth
2. Lakshmi – Hindu goddess of wealth
3. Fortuna – Roman goddess of chance
4. Kubera – Hindu god of wealth
5. Gefion – Norse goddess of prosperity
6. Cernunnos – Celtic god of wealth and life
7. Chrysus – Greek god, the personification of gold

Set a clear intention. After doing a morning meditation, sit down with a piece of white paper that can be rolled up like a scroll. White represents purity and freshness. Write down exactly what you mean by good fortune. Be as specific as you can. Roll up your scroll and tie it with thread (embroidery thread works best) in a colour that matches your intention:

Green – prosperity & new beginnings

Yellow – hope & optimism

Red – joy & ambition

Purple – power & luxury

Place it on your altar saying:

O (name of deity, ancestor, nature spirit), you who stand on the other side of the veil, O (name and some mention of the Kindred’s attributes, i.e O Cernunnos, rutting stag protecting the bounty of the forest), I sacrifice this (some article that is meaningful to you and that you are willing to sacrifice.) to you, and as a gift calls for a gift, I beseech you to support me in this intention for the next (month/week/year/season).

On a regular basis (monthly works well), open your scroll and re-read your intention. Is there anything that needs changing? Write out a new scroll making all the changes you need and tying it with the appropriate colour. Place the old scroll and some incense in your cauldron or in a ceramic bowl and set them alight saying:

O (name of deity, ancestor, nature spirit), you who stand on the other side of the veil, O (name and some mention of the Kindred’s attributes, i.e O Cernunnos, rutting stag protecting the bounty of the forest), you have given me care and attention, you have supported my search for good fortune in this past (month/week/year/season). I send my old intention free on the wind. I burn incense in thanks to you. I place my new intention here on my altar and I beseech you to support me in this for the next (month/week/year/season).

Banish Bad Fortune. You will need:

1. A green candle for each door and window
2. Salt – Himalayan pink salt is the most pure, but if that is not available, any salt will do in a pinch (pun totally intended).
3. A key for each door and window. The keys do not have to be the actual key for that door (or window). Old fashioned keys look nice but any key is fine.

Place a green candle at each of your doors and windows. Start with your main exit/entrance. Light the candle (safely) and sprinkle salt across the door jamb/window-sill saying:

O (name of deity, ancestor, or nature spirit with whom you are working) I ask you today to support me in this spell. All bad fortunes and negative energies, I banish you from this home and from all who may enter here. These salt crystals purify this home and all who may enter here. (Hang the key over the door or window) This key locks out all bad fortunes and negative energies.

Move clockwise around your house doing the same at each door and window. When you return to your main door, snuff (not blow) out the candle saying:

O (name of deity, ancestor, or nature spirit with whom you are working), I thank you for your protection.

Continue clockwise around your house again, doing the same with each candle.

Attract good fortune. Every morning, after your meditation, light a white candle (safely) at your altar and say:

O (name of deity, ancestor, or nature spirit with whom you are working), As I step away from this altar, bring me the good fortune of my intentions. Help me keep them in my head, in my heart, and in my actions all day. And when I sleep, bring me the same good fortune in my dreams. As you bring me the good fortune of my intentions, I will honour you in my head, in my heart, and in my actions.

And Buona Fortuna Everyone!

Original Article can be found on Rev Diane Gallagher’s personal blog site here