HORSESHOES
March 7, 2008 - 3:47pm — Corys_Stories
I work in activities at the Vets Home, and one of the duties I have is to lead the boys in The Cowboy Corral. It's our chorus. Ontop of that, I compile, design and edit a little newsletter each month called THE ROUND UP. In the March issue I wrote and researched an article about HORSESHOES, tying it into both cowboys and a good luck charm. Several folks really enjoyed it, and I thought I'd post it here at storytrax, just to see if any readers wanted to discuss the topic of 'lucky charms'.
We all know that Cowboys have always used horseshoes as decorations or somewhere in their get up and go. Cowgirls too, along with wearing spurs, dingos and ten-gallon hats, will often sport a horseshoe necklace, bracelet or earring. It’s considered a good luck charm. Most of us also know, Horseshoes is a great recreational activity that has been around for years. It’s considered bad luck if one gets tossed on another’s foot. I also hear a lot of Veterans use the phrase, “ That was close! But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”. So, I wanted to narrow in on the Lucky Charm myth of the horseshoe, since it is the Luck of the Irish Month.
Years ago, when I was knee high to a leprechaun, I remember a teacher explaining the theory. If the horseshoe is hanging above your door way and it’s nailed in upright, then it’s good luck, because the bottom of the U is holding all the good luck in for that home. But, if it is upside down, it’s bad luck, because all of the good luck is being poured out. I remember being very inquisitive and saying, “ up or down should be good luck. Holding it in or setting it free would be a good thing, right? But, if it slips and falls on my noodle, well that would be bad luck.” I was never too popular with the professors.
Alright then, I had to do some research on the origin of the Horseshoe as a good luck piece. Here’s what I discovered….
3 theories involving devils, witches and metals.
1.1 St. Dunstan, a blacksmith by trade, encountered the Devil at his door. The Devil wanted to be "shoed." Dunstan, recognizing the "evil one," tied him up and went to work, inflicting great pain on his customer. The Devil screamed for mercy, and Dunstan released him-but only after the Devil promised never to enter a home protected by a horseshoe.
2.
2 Witches rode broomsticks because they were deathly afraid of horses. Hence, a horseshoe is a good protective charm against witches.
3.
3 Horseshoes are made of iron, a good-luck metal, and are crescent-shaped like the moon which is a sign of prosperity.
Placing an upright, used horseshoe at the top right corner of your front door-frame is considered to be an invitation to good luck to enter your home. Similarly, placing a used horse shoe in a north facing, upright position inside a building brings good fortune and increases the ambient positive spiritual energy in the building.
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Comments
Intriguing....
...that it had to be a used horseshoe. So I googled 'used horseshoe'
http://www.cowboyindian.com/horsshoe.htm
Check em out, lil dogeys!
2 words for you