What does luck boil down to exactly?

We may be feeling a little anxious about the year 2013. We may even be wondering about “luck” and whether we should follow superstitious beliefs, but in actual fact there are a vast majority of things we need to take on board before even considering the year 2013 as unlucky.

There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term “luck”. Firstly there is the[1] prescriptive sense. In the prescriptive sense, luck is a supernatural and deterministic concept that there are forces (e.g. gods or spirits) which prescribe that certain events occur very much the way laws of physics will prescribe that certain events occur. It is the prescriptive sense that people mean when they say they "do not believe in luck". In the descriptive sense, luck is just a word people give after the occurrence of events which they find to be fortuitous or unfortuitous, and maybe improbable.
 
Usually luck will refer to an event that happens beyond a person’s control, whether the number thirteen is present or not, luck can simply occur at any time. The number thirteen is considered a spiritual and feminine number. For example the average number of menstrual cycles and lets not forget the annual cycles of the moon! Thirteen is also said to the number of fertility and is considered a very lucky number in terms of the Great Goddess herself, therefore 2013 could be a fantastic year to enhance our spirituality and get back in touch with nature.

In ancient Greece Zeus was counted as the thirteenth, and most powerful god. Here the associations of Zeus give the number thirteen symbolic meanings such as:

·                            Totality
·                            Completion
·                            Power
·                            Realization
·                            Attainment

Thirteen is considered to be a mysterious number also and is said to present a leadership quality to those born with the number 13 in their birth data. There is also a big theory that luck is down to thoughts and observations as [2]Richard Wiseman, professor and psychologist discovered after the findings of an experiment which he conducted. The findings revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune.

It is believed that lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities because they are less tense and more open minded, therefore more likely to spot a good deal or lucky exit, whereas unlucky people do not. Another experiment carried out by Richard confirmed that unlucky people are perhaps detached from society in some way which lessens the chance of making a quick observation which could potentially change their luck. The simple experiment that took place was to test both lucky and unlucky peoples’ abilities to spot opportunities.

Therefore both lucky and unlucky people were given a newspaper, and asked to look through it confirming how many photographs were inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs, whereas the lucky people took just seconds. Why? Because the second page of the newspaper contained the message: "Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper." This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than 2in high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.
 
This does not highlight levels of intelligence but rather a need to be alert and open minded. Many of us are perhaps too focussed on our anxieties and therefore miss the bigger picture!!
 
 
Ways to set yourself onto the path of good luck:
 
1 – Remember that we all have freewill. No matter what anyone says decisions in life are ours to make. We choose to take route A or route B and we make these choices based upon our instinct. We can ask for guidance reassurance but in actual fact, the answer always lies within and sometimes there is no such thing as a set path!
 
2- Relax! When we relax our minds it's amazing what we observe. Relaxation allows us to get in touch with outside sources and find new insights and inspirations. When we relax we are also inclined to take risks which we may not have considered when our minds have been repressed. In very basic terms – if something is closed, it is impossible for the light to break in – therefore be aware of being open and receptive!
 
3 – Notice patterns. Have you been following the same path for what seems like a life time? Break it if so! When we break mundane cycles and patterns we allow space for creativity and luck. You find your luck changes for example when you join a new gym class as Mr or Mrs Right steps through the door unexpectedly!
 
4 – Open up and observe! Pay attention to detail! Even if you don’t feel like it. It is likely that your subconscious mind will save it for later and then shock everyone at a dinner party or family reunion. Soaking up new information sets a trail for new opportunities. Not only that but knowledge is power and knowing the right information at the right time may be a bridge into a whole new different world!


 
Good luck! ;) x x x