The Bay Leaf Trick and My Lucky Win

The Bay Leaf Trick and My Lucky Win

Sometimes, all it takes is a leaf, a lighter, and a little bit of belief.

I’ve always liked little rituals. Not the big flashy spells or candles and cauldrons kind, just the small ones. The quiet things you do that feel like hope in your hands. Like scribbling a wish on a scrap of paper. Or, in my case last Saturday, burning a bay leaf. It was so easy too.

You wouldn’t think something that grows on a tree and ends up in a stew would have anything to do with luck. But I read somewhere that bay leaves were used for centuries to invite good fortune, clear out bad energy, even open doors that felt stuck. So I thought, why not?

It had been one of those weeks. The kind that drags its heels and doesn’t offer much back. I wasn’t desperate, but I felt like I needed a nudge. Something small. Something for me. Not a spa day or a shopping spree, just a moment to turn the tide. A little treat maybe.

So I sat with my little bay leaf. It was dry, slightly curled at the edge, and smelled sharp like old spice jars. I took a pen and wrote one word on it, nice and neat. Win. I put my intention into it.

Not a greedy win, not a big ask. Just enough to shift the mood. I held it for a second. Then I lit it.

It burned quicker than I expected. The flame caught fast, the smoke rose in one soft twist. I watched it curl into nothing, and for a second, the air in the room felt different. Warmer. Calmer. Maybe that sounds strange. Maybe it was just my imagination doing its thing. But I’ve learned not to ignore small things that feel a little bit magic.

That night, I played my usual numbers. No changes, no clever strategies. Just the ones I always pick. I’d almost forgotten about the leaf. I wasn’t watching the draw with much hope, either.

And then it happened. £30 on one draw, £10 on another. £40 total.

I blinked. Smiled. Laughed out loud, actually. Not because it was a life-changing win, but because something shifted. It worked. Maybe not in the way some people would measure success, but in a way that mattered to me.

There’s a quiet power in doing something with intention. Writing the word. Lighting the leaf. Letting the smoke carry it up and out. I wasn’t shouting at the universe. I was whispering to it, and it whispered back.

Of course, not everyone believes in this kind of thing. Some people scoff at luck and signs and rituals. That’s fine. I’ve been sceptical too. But belief doesn’t always have to be loud or public. Sometimes it’s just a private moment where you decide to trust something beyond the day-to-day.

Since then, I’ve started paying more attention to the little things. The feel of the air. The way the light falls. The tug in your chest that says try again, even if it’s only a small try. Maybe that’s what luck really is. Not a jackpot. Just a tiny shift that gets you moving in the right direction again.

I’ll probably burn another bay leaf this Saturday. Same word, same quiet hope. Maybe it’ll bring something new. Maybe it won’t. But I’ll do it anyway, because it made me feel connected. Not just to luck, but to myself.

It’s funny how a simple thing like a dry leaf can remind you what it feels like to believe again. I will keep everyone posted on my next Saturdays burn off lol it’s quite fun actually.