Types of Good Luck Symbols on Front Doors

People believe charms on front doors can bring good luck, fortune and blessings to those who enter. The most common front door charm is the horseshoe. The horseshoe installation and history is varied. Followers of Feng Shui and Judaism also have instructions for good luck and blessings at the front door.

One of the most recognized symbols of good luck is the horseshoe. The used horseshoe is usually placed, heels up or down, at the top right corner of the door frame. A heels-up horseshoe has the ground surface of the shoe facing out, and collects luck in the bowl of its curve. The used shoe, ideally a found artifact, symbolizes good luck to those who pass through the doors. However, others believe that heels down placement releases good luck to flow upon those entering.

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of locating and decorating a building to create environmental harmony. Wind chimes on a front door invite chi into your home. On the far left of a front door, falling water or money will attract wealth. Plants represent good luck, fortune, love, purity, wealth and longevity. Bamboo plants are specifically recognized for their good luck properties and are effective at the front door. The color of your front door should be based on which direction it faces.

The bagua or pa kua mirror is a Feng Shui remedy placed only on the outside of the home, usually over the front door, to deflect arrows of bad chi or sha energy. Any building with a sharp corner or angle pointing at the entry door, a street with a traffic pattern that heads directly toward the door, overhead lines of cables that form an angle or a direct path in the direction of the door, are considered negative poison arrows that will repel good chi. The bagua mirror must be placed to reflect the bad chi back where it came from, be that a neighbor's house, a building edge or a traffic corner. The remedy is a powerful one and, whenever possible, should not be used to send negative energy toward a person or another home.

While not exactly a good luck charm, Jewish people are commanded (Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:19) to put a mezuzah on the doorposts of their home. The mezuzah is a small case containing a piece of parchment with handwritten specific Hebrew verses. The mezuzah is installed at an angle to the right side of the doorpost with a small ceremony. Every time you pass through the door, you touch it with your fingers and kiss your fingers as a sign of respect. If you move, then remove the mezuzah to ensure it is not treated with disrespect.