O Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that's goin' round?

Once upon a time in Ireland it was considered most unlucky (not to mention illegal) to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.  Not so in the rebellious United States, where March 17 has become an annual hoopla for wearing everything green--from hats to leggings to outrageously large sunglasses.  Amidst a sickly green sea of sawdust floors and shamrock garlands, drinking establishments throughout the country are filled to their “Everyone’s-Irish-on-Saint-Paddy’s-Day” gills with bleary-eyed patrons singing “The Wild Rover” and chugging down green beer.

If you don’t believe people are serious about their good luck charms, visit a Bingo hall sometime.  You’ll see Bingo junkies engaged in rituals of setting up lucky dice, copper pennies, troll dolls, family pictures, four-leaf clovers, horseshoes, ladybug pins, wishbones and rabbit feet.  In fact, luck is so important to some folks that they will consult a psychic, break a wishbone, rub someone on the head or toss a few coins in the fountain to obtain it.

My own grandmother, Stella, was our family’s Bingo Queen.  She’d bring her Bingo bag and trusty Bingo Angel pin and then proceed to win hundreds of dollars nearly every time she sat down to the Bingo table, often to the disgruntlement of the losers.  And it was the same way at the casinos, too.  Stella loved the slot machines and once she found one she liked, she’d stick with it because eventually it had to pay off, she surmised.  And then it would. 

Stella had a winner's mentality and I wouldn't be surprised if she knew all about the Law of Attraction.   (She could be a sly little grandmother.)  Abraham-Hicks says that whenever we feel that vibration of abundance, abundance surely finds us and it surely found Stella.   Alas, I didn't inherit Stella's money sense or sensibility, but I do know about the Law of Attraction and I do believe our thoughts create our future.  Truth is, I tend to be an impatient person and for times when lucky charms won't do, I turn to the power of green.

Now there are many ways to receive the green, which is the color of prosperity, good health, renewal and growth.  We can breathe green, wear green, eat green, drink green, carry a lucky green stone…even color our hair green!  

Another way to feel the green is by surrounding ourselves with leafy, green plants.  Recently, I felt I needed a bit of blooming luck so I purchased a small pot of green shamrocks at the supermarket and I’m watching over it as if it were a delicate newborn.  Derived from the Irish word, "seamrog", the shamrock is actually a three-leafed clover which legend says was used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity.

I figure the more my shamrocks grow, the greener and luckier I will become--and what's wrong with that?  But then I learn that while shamrocks can be grown indoors, there are several times a year when they go dormant.  Apparently, the leaves “die” and then the plant needs to be moved to a dark, cool place for a few months.  The experts say "Sham" (yes, I gave it a name) will awake from his sleep (yes, I think it's a "he") and then a new crop of luck-filled green leaves will magically appear.   

Well, this gives me hope that I haven't completely wasted my $3.99.   And hope is really what a lucky charm is all about, isn't it?  Whether it's a potted jade plant or an ugly troll doll with wild orange hair, a lucky charm is merely a symbol to remind us that we have the power to fulfill our own dreams.  Everything is obtainable.  Nothing is unreachable.  We can make it happen.

Could you use some good fortune?  Here is a Lucky Green Meditation you can try:

Close your eyes and imagine you are walking along a quaint country road in Ireland, hoping to find a leprechaun’s trail.

There are tall, green grasses on either side of the road and sweet-faced wooly sheep and thatched roof cottages dotting the landscape. 

Directly ahead is an old stone bridge and as you cross it, you are excited to find the tracks of small muddy footprints.  You stop in the middle of the bridge to peer down upon a lovely brook and see what appears to be an abandoned fishing pole leaning against a rock near the water’s edge.  Next to it is a small red hat and a glimmer of something gold and shiny poking from beneath. You hurry off the bridge to investigate.

Under the hat is a solid gold pocket watch.  You put it to your ear and listen to its steady ticking sound.  Not seeing anyone around, you take the watch and head over to rest in a nearby patch of green shamrocks.

From the moment your head touches the ground, you feel at peace. The green shamrocks form a soft pillow which embraces your body in loving energy.

Breathe in the green and as you inhale, breathe in good health and prosperity.  You are the luckiest person you know and you deserve to be.  As you exhale, breathe out illness and envy.  Bad luck won't stick to you!

Now open your eyes and feel completely well and lucky with green! 

Eleyne-Mari is a writer, certified color therapist, spiritual aromatherapist and the director of Aura House School of Color Therapy.  Her website address is www.colortherapyschool.com.