Can Drawing Symbols and Chanting Incantations Really Change Your Luck?
When people run into difficulties at work or in life, they often hope to find some kind of “remedy” to turn their fortunes around. Generally speaking, it’s hard to change major factors, but smaller adjustments are possible. The methods most fortune-tellers use to improve luck usually center on the Eight Characters (Ba Zi) and Feng Shui. For example, they may suggest specific colors, certain accessories, or adjustments to the Feng Shui of homes, workplaces, and ancestral graves, as well as changes in orientation to enhance one’s fortune. These two approaches aim to rebalance Yin and Yang and improve the Five Elements energy field, and they have long been regarded as relatively scientific and effective, with countless examples cited since ancient times. Additionally, there are folk methods such as drawing talismans, chanting spells, or performing rituals, though their effectiveness is more complicated to assess.
Talismanic spells originally fell within the scope of traditional Chinese medicine, primarily used to complement medicinal prescriptions for healing. Over time, they evolved into practices used in religion (Taoism, Buddhism, and folk healing) for cultivation, exorcism, and treatment. The idea is to regulate a person’s mental state, meridians, energy field, and psychology through sound, rhythm, magnetic fields, and specific rituals, thereby achieving cultivation, exorcism, and healing. However, they are not directly related to adjusting one’s life fortune. Fortune is adjusted by analyzing the auspicious and inauspicious aspects of a person’s destiny and then making targeted changes involving the Five Elements, Feng Shui, and directions to improve outcomes.
It is clear that talismans and luck adjustment are largely unrelated. If someone claims to use such methods to change your luck, it is almost certainly a scam. Moreover, for talismanic drawing and chanting to be truly effective for exorcism or healing, the practitioner must possess deep cultivation—something ordinary shamans or small-temple mediums rarely have.
Many people visit temples during holidays, where some practitioners may ask you to pay for a talisman for protection, wealth, marital happiness, or career success. This is not entirely unreasonable, as believing in the power of talismans can foster a positive mindset that benefits your psychological state. As a result, in real-life work and interactions, you may lean into kindness, compassion, and a proactive attitude, which can also lead to favorable outcomes. However, this effect comes from the mindset shift and is fundamentally unrelated to the talisman itself.
Therefore, if you wish to improve your life fortune, it is essential to address the root causes. Analyze your personal Eight Characters to identify existing issues, and make targeted, well-grounded adjustments in areas such as Feng Shui, directions, and the Five Elements. Being overly superstitious about talismans can cloud your judgment and may even expose you to deception. Ultimately, your efforts may be ineffective or counterproductive, so approach this matter with caution and discernment.