Fortune Bound in Scarlet is a luck knot spell — a length of red cord woken with a bell, anointed with fortune herbs, and tied with nine knots to catch and hold the small pieces of good luck that so often drift past unclaimed. As the old wives knew, this red is “not the red of blood but the red of embers that will not die.” Cut a length of it by candlelight while the moon leans toward full, and each knot becomes a vow that what comes to you will stay.
Correspondences for This Spell
- Colours: green and gold (fortune’s own hues; this spell adds scarlet for the ember that will not die)
- Herbs: basil, clover, nutmeg
- Crystal: green aventurine, citrine, jade
- Day: Thursday
- Planet: Jupiter
- Element: Air
- Moon: waxing moon, to increase fortune
For the fuller table of associations behind these choices, see the correspondences guide.
What You Will Need
- A length of scarlet thread or cord, long enough to hold nine knots spaced a finger apart
- A small bell with a clear, carrying voice, to wake the thread and seal the knots
- Fortune herbs to anoint the cord — the working uses bay and vervain; basil, clover, or a little grated nutmeg serve the same luck
- A green or gold candle for casting light, and a piece of green aventurine or citrine set nearby to lend its steady fortune
- A place near your threshold where the finished charm can hang undisturbed
The Best Time to Cast
Begin on the first night of the waxing moon, and, if you can, on a Thursday. The waxing moon swells toward full, and a binding worked on its rising tide grows as she grows, so your gathered luck increases rather than fades. Thursday is the day of Jupiter, planet of expansion, abundance, and good fortune — the natural patron of a spell that draws more luck to your door. Cast in that window and both moon and planet lean their weight behind every knot.
The Working
- On the first night of the waxing moon, lay a scarlet cord across your knees and pass a bell three times above it, letting its voice wake the thread.
- Anoint the cord end to end with crushed herbs of fortune — a pinch of bay, a whisper of vervain — worked between your fingers until the red smells green.
- Beginning at one end, tie the first knot and name aloud a fortune you would keep close.
- Tie nine knots in all, spaced a finger apart, naming a new luck into each — coin, welcome, safe road, kind word, and the rest as they come to you.
- At the ninth, ring the bell once over the whole cord to seal every knot at once.
- Wind the corded charm and keep it where your threshold light can find it, untying nothing until the moon has turned full and waned again.
The Incantation
Red thread, red ember, hold what I have won,
knot by knot I gather what the careless world lets run.
Nine times bound and nine times named,
nine small fortunes, tamed and claimed.
By the bell that woke you and the moon that swells,
keep my luck close and break no spells.
What comes to my door, let it stay —
scarlet and certain, night and day.
Variations & Substitutions
- No bell? A tuning fork, a small singing bowl, or three sharp claps will wake and seal the thread just as well — what matters is the clear note that marks the moment.
- Herb swaps: if bay and vervain are hard to find, anoint the cord with basil, clover, or a little grated nutmeg — all long-trusted herbs of luck and abundance.
- Colour: to honour luck’s traditional green and gold, braid three fine strands together — scarlet for the living ember, green for growth, gold for Jupiter’s coin.
A Word on Intent
An it harm none, do what ye will. This is a spell of gathering, not of taking: it draws in the near-misses and unclaimed chances that would otherwise drift past you, never fortune pulled from another’s hands. Name only lucks that are yours to hold — a fair coin, a kind word, a safe road — and let your gain leave no one poorer. Held to that measure, the working stays clean, consensual, and in keeping with the Rede.
Related Luck Spells
When the red at last frays, burn it in thanks and bind another. For more workings like this one, wander deeper into the Grimoire or begin your own Book of Shadows.