10 Ways To Rid Yourself Of Bad Luck, Curses & Negative Energy
Clear that negative energy away for good.
MillaF / Shutterstock & Unsplash No one wants bad luck. But when you have a string of unlucky moments, you may start to wonder if you're living beneath a gray cloud.
Bad luck can be described as a series of events that are harmful or negative, and sometimes people think that their own actions are the cause of bad luck.
How do you get rid of bad luck?
There are different things superstitious people do to ward off misfortune. All around the world, people have superstitions they swear by to keep bad energies and evil spirits away, while welcoming in good luck and positive energy.
Some people carry around a rabbit's foot to stop bad luck before it happens, while others knock on wood or avoid walking under ladders to stay away from negative energy.
There are lots of ways to get rid of bad luck, clear your space of negative energy, and feel optimistic about your well-being.
1. Burn incense.
Not only does incense help you sleep and reduce anxiety, but its lovely smell can purify your space. Incense was used in religious rituals in ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, and has been used to repel demons or evil spirits.
Burning incense in your home is the first step to take in warding off bad luck and negative energy. Simply light one stick of incense and bring it around your home, letting the smoke permeate each corner in every room. Strong-smelling incense works best, like sandalwood or nag champa.
2. Don't throw away broken mirrors.
Superstitions surrounding mirrors and bad luck began when people saw their reflection for the first time. People believed that the image they saw was their soul and damaging that image will risk injury to their physical self.
Ancient myths say that mirrors have magical powers, thus breaking one could terminate its powers. Upon breaking a mirror, the soul would be led astray from the physical world. And there would be misfortunes brought upon that person.
To rid yourself of bad luck, be sure you never throw away mirrors that have broken. Instead, you can grind the individual pieces down into dust and throw it into the wind, or take one piece of the mirror, using the Full Moon's reflection and gazing into the shard. Then, bury the piece of mirror.
3. Carry protective charms.
Common protective charms include a four-leaf clover, key, and horseshoe.
Four-leaf clover: During the Middle Ages, a clover with four leaves meant good luck and was believed to allow one to see fairies. It’s believed that the fourth leaf represents God’s grace, but all four leaves of a clover also represent faith, hope, love, and luck.
Horseshoe: The good luck of horseshoe comes from Irish folklore. In the 10th century, St Dunstan the blacksmith was visited by the Devil, who asked for a horseshoe. St. Dunstan gave the Devil a hot horseshoe, causing pain.
The Devil asked St. Dunstan to remove the horseshoe, and St. Dunstan agreed under one condition: the Devil had to respect the horseshoe and he couldn't enter anywhere that had a horseshoe hung above the door. Because of this story, people believe that horseshoes ward off bad luck.
Key: Another protective charm is a key. There was a time where keys were made completely of iron and were considered lucky items. It was considered good luck to touch a key once one felt they were going into a dangerous situation.
It’s thought that if there’s an evil spirit hanging around, jangling your keys can drive them away. If a singular key isn’t enough, three keys on a chain can bring health, wealth, and love.
4. Use salt.
Most people have heard that throwing salt over your left shoulder brings luck, especially after the salt is spilled. This superstition originates from a time where salt was extremely expensive, and spilling salt would mean money wasted.
To ward off bad luck, you should sprinkle salt in every corner of your home, as well as under each windowsill. You can also bathe in salt to rid yourself of the bad energy.
5. Get a goldfish.
In Chinese culture, goldfish are considered incredibly lucky and are symbols of fortune. In the traditional Indian texts, Vastu Shastra, it advises people to keep goldfish in the house, as they are considered sacred.
So, set up an aquarium and fill it with goldfish, as they bring positivity and good luck. It's said that using eight goldfishes with one blackfish can remove bad luck.
6. Use crystals and gemstones.
Crystals have metaphysical properties attached to them and can be used for a variety of reasons, including warding off negative energy and welcoming in good luck. You can meditate with them, carry them around with you, or place them throughout your home.
The best crystals to use to ward off negativity and bad luck include black tourmaline, tourmalinated quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, black jasper, and fluorite. Other gemstones include ruby, moonstone, labradorite, turquoise, and citrine.
7. Cleanse your chakras.
In order to free your energy, you need to unblock your chakras. Chakras are the focal points of the human body, all of which are powerful energy centers.
While you can meditate and unblock each of your seven chakras in different ways, you can also use flowers to clear your chakras as well. Using seven different types of flowers, one for each chakra, none of which should be white, put the flowers, no stems or leaves, in a bucket of water.
Leave the bucket outside in the sun for one hour, letting the positive rays soak into the flowers. Then, with a washcloth, bathe yourself with the water, focusing on the energy; let the energy permeate your entire body.
After doing this, dispose of the flowers in a paper bag, and as you throw them away, consider the bag your bad luck that you are removing from your life.
8. Declutter your environment and home.
Your home is often a reflection of your mental and emotional state; living in a cluttered home or room can block good energy from flowing throughout your living space! And this, in turn, can create negativity.
Luckily, decluttering your home isn't too difficult a task to take on. Go through sections of your home, one by one, discarding any items that are simply taking up space. Vacuum and dust the areas, move your furniture to allow energy to flow easily, and give your entire home a makeover.
9. Use candles.
Because light is needed to ward off negativity and bad energy, consider using candles with specific colors to help get rid of bad luck. Candles allow positive energy to come through when they are lit, and using candle magic is a great way to harness that positive power.
For example, lighting white candles helps to banish negative energy, black candles promote psychic protection, and blue candles help you connect with your chakras.
10. Try other protective methods.
If you're looking for additional ways to rid your home and your person of bad luck, there are a few other processes to try.
Bathing: Take a bath in Epsom salts, along with unrefined sea salt, allowing yourself to fully relax and let go. You can even add herbs for an extra aromatic experience.
When you drain the bath, think of what is holding you back, and as the water drains, imagine your problems going right down the drain.
Brushing/Dry Bathing: Use quick brushing movements along with short inhales through your nose. Brush your hands diagonally from your left shoulder to your right hip and your right shoulder to your left hip, doing so twice.
Then, with your left arm out and not exhaling, move your right hand down your left arm. Inhae and do the same on your other arm. With one last inhale, brush your left arm with your right hand once more. Then, exhale fully.
White Light Protection: In this visualization exercise, imagine a white light surrounding your entire body, getting brighter as it creates a protective barrier around you. In this moment, ask a higher power or spirit guide to keep that protective light around you.
Herb Cleansing: Set out herbs like lavender, rosemary, sage or cinnamon in a dish, allowing the herbs to absorb the negative energy. Then, use the herbs in a bath or burn them along with incense.
Music: Allow the vibrations from the instrument of your choosing to help bring balance to you. See if you can match the instrument with your own unique frequency.
Why do people believe in bad luck?
If you break a mirror, you might think it's bad luck. If you drop the salt shaker, you could imagine that the day is going to end badly. Those are the superstitions many people grow up believing.
While, yes, superstitions are irrational beliefs, psychologists determined that people hold these beliefs as a way to control things they may not be able to control, like their fate or destiny.
The ability to control the uncontrollable helps ease anxiety; in times of peril and stress, individuals turn to these superstitions to bring them some kind of peace, particularly during uncertain times.
Chinyere Ibeh is a writer, multimedia journalist, and host of The Chinny Chronicles radio show. She has bylines in The Depaulia, Her Campus, 14East Magazine, and others. Visit her website for more.