What Does a Four Leaf Clover Symbolize?

TL;DR

Do four leaf clovers actually exist and what are the chances of finding a four leaf clover? What does a three leaf clover mean and what does a five leaf clover mean? Are there six leaf clovers and what is the spiritual significance of clovers to begin with? Explore these things and the general spiritual significance of lucky clovers with Mysticsense.

The simple clover leaf , most especially four leafed clover plants have intrigued us for generations, and we are told they are very lucky to find. But what kind of luck do they bring and what’s the odds of finding a four leaf clover? What is four leaf clover symbolism and lore and are four leaf clovers real to begin with? Are five leaf clovers real and what does a six leaf clover mean?

You wouldn’t think a tiny plant like the four leaf clover would make people so excited, but finding a four leaf clover is typically a once in a lifetime occurrence and very special. The lucky four leaf clover may find its way to you, and you may find it, but before we learn the symbolism of clovers, what is a clover anyways?

What Are Clovers?

Clovers, also called trefoils, are flowering plants from the pea family, and there are over three hundred different kinds of clovers. There are tons of them all over the Northern Hemisphere, but there are some species of clovers in South America and Africa in both mountainous regions and tropical ones. It’s a valuable livestock food source, and some species of clover are grown extensively for this purpose. Clovers also enrich the soil with nitrogen and will grow back nicely if cut. Bees love clover, and reseed it as they gather its nectar to make honey. This makes for less planting work for farmers for certain.

Birds, bears, and other animals love munching on clover, and Native Americans ate the plant both cooked and raw, and smoked and dried the roots. The seeds make for an excellent bread, and the flowers are used to make teas. Blossom colors vary from white to golden, to various shades of lavender and pink, and clover is a plant that adapts well to a variety of soil types and climates.

To get an idea of how inexpensive it is to grow your own clover, look at this listing for Crimson Clover seeds from Botanical Interests.

You can even use it to make tea: Crimson Clover Cover Crop Seeds , Flowers: Botanical Interests.

Or if you prefer purple flowers, American Meadows has a listing for clover seeds you can purchase by the pound.

This clover variety is a ground cover that is bee friendly and it both loosens soil and adds nutrients: Medium Red Clover Seeds - Trifolium pratense | American Meadows

What Does a Clover Leaf Symbolize?

The clover leaf symbol means different things to different people. Some believe that to dream of clover means you will marry happily and prosper, and others feel that clover growing on the property wards off snakes. White clover blossoms are believed to protect against evil, and red clover can be used in a bath to draw money. It can also be used to clean the floor to banish unwanted spirits from the home. Red clover can likewise be used to instill good fortune in love and good marital relations.

Wear a clover over the right side of your chest to make you more successful and put it in your left shoe to ward off evil. You can wrap clover in blue silk and wear it over your heart to help you bear up while a broken heart is mending and you can put clover in the four corners of your property to break a curse. Put a two leaf clover you find under your pillow and you will dream of a future lover. Hang a four leaf clover over the entry to your doorway, and it is believed the first man to walk through that door will marry you. It is said Druids believed clover gave them the ability to see evil beings and enabled them to protect against them. These beliefs aside, there is also specific lore attached to clover depending on how many leaves it has.

No Leaf Clover Meaning

If you find a clover that has lost all its leaves, it means bad luck. It symbolizes luck running out, or lack of luck in general. A famous song by the rock band Metallica tells the story of a man who feels lucky, and disregards risks, feeling all will be well- but it isn’t! So, if you find a clover that has lost its leaves, take it as a warning omen to be careful, take all hazards into account, keep your wits about you, and try your best to navigate any dangers or difficulties.

Three Leaf Clover Meaning

Three leaf clover symbolism is more cheerful than no leaf clover symbolism! It not only symbolizes luck, but also divinity. To Catholics, it represents the triple form of their god as Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit that unites them both. Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three leafed plant of the clover family to represent this triple form of his god, and the first writing stating he used the shamrock to explain his holy trinity appeared in the 1700’s. It has been pointed out Patrick was born a free man, but at age sixteen was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

He later escaped, was ordained a priest of Christianity, and secured permission to go to his birthplace, Ireland, to preach and start churches. Being Irish himself, he understood the beliefs of the Pagans there, and it was not forgotten by him that the number three was sacred to the people. It represented all things including past, present, and the future, as well as the three ages of woman, or maiden, mother, and crone. The Irish had multiple triple deities, including the Morrigan who was the three goddesses Badb, Macha, and Nemain. The goddess whose name became Ireland, Eiru, or Erin united with her sisters Banbha and Fodla to create another trio of goddesses.

The three leafed clover or shamrock represents the complex nature of the mother goddess or father god, and how powerfully this was ingrained in the Irish culturally. The god they served changed, but their understanding of the manifold nature of god or goddess didn’t. The shamrock also symbolizes faith, hope, and love and has been used as a talisman against all evil and to break curses cast by leprechauns. The shamrock also represents Ireland and all things and people that are Irish.

Four Leaf Clover Meaning

What does a four leaf clover mean? The meaning of four leaf clover varies. Four leaf clover spiritual meaning is different than three leaf clover spiritual meaning. Photos of four leaf clovers typically show them in somebody’s hand representing finding luck, and pictures of four leaf clovers focus on the brilliant green color they are, which symbolizes money and all forms of wealth. The four leaf clover symbol expands the faith, hope, and love of the three leaf clover symbol, adding luck.

Finding a Four Leaf Clover Meaning

In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote, “ If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after, find some good thing.” The meaning of four leaf clover finding is regarded as good luck. How much is a four Leaf clover worth, luckwise that is? A whole lot. You cannot affix financial value on good luck, but only be thankful for it. When you find a four leaf clover, take notice of your surroundings. Lore states it bestows the ability to see the Sidhe, or fairies. Before you think you will see pretty little creatures like Disney’s Tinkerbell, think again.

Not all members of the kingdom of Sidhe and benevolent to humans and being reeled into their realm can result in madness or death. One story tells of a piper who believed he would pass unharmed through a fairy tunnel, and he was so confident, he played his pipes as he entered. Friends followed above ground to the sound of his pipes, and about halfway through the underground tunnel, his music stopped, and he was never seen again. If you are given the ability to see the Sidhe after finding a four leafed clover, make sure not to allow them to lead you anyplace or give you any of their food or drink or you may be trapped in their realm forever.

What are the Odds of Finding a Four Leaf Clover?

Are four leaf clovers real? Yes, they are, and they, and other clovers that have more than three leaves are simply a mutation. Finding a four leaf clover is rare. In about five thousand clovers, one is likely to have four leaves. This means you will be blessed with rare, and unexpected good fortune when you find a four leaf clover.

Five Leaf Clover Meaning

What does a five leaf clover mean? The “ultimate five leaf clover” brings the blessing of money to the faith, hope, love, and luck of the four leaf clover. While money may not buy happiness, it sure can buy a lot of things that bring joy, and financial success can secure a good future. It is said that a five leaf clover is the rarest mutation of clovers, and you have a one in twenty thousand chance of finding a five leaf clover. It is also said that finding a five leaf clover instills the finder with extra focus, and sharpens psychic gifts. It is recommended that you don’t just wait for money to fall in your lap when you find the five leaf clover, but actively search for more ways to earn money and invest wisely.

Six Leaf Clover Meaning

What does a six leaf clover mean? It brings faith, hope, love, luck, money, good fortune and it is also said it brings long life. The six leaf clover is also a mutation of the three leaf clover plant and there is a one in twenty thousand chance you will find one in nature. Believe it or not, one woman searched for a four leaf clover for decades, and instead lucked into a six leaf clover!

You can read about her amazing sixty year search here: Illinois woman finds rare six-leaf clover after decades-long search (usatoday.com)

Are Four Leaf Clovers Real?

Do four leaf clovers exist outside of folklore? Four leaf clovers pictures aside, is the four leaf clover real or is it just some myth people came up with to have us searching for luck? Four leaf clovers real appearance is just as likely as finding a five leaf clover or a six leaf clover. It’s rare, but it happens enough that the four leaf clover logo is recognizable as a symbol of luck we can all possibly find.

The chances of finding a lucky clover may be one in thousands, but you don’t have to rely on chance to get the blessings lucky clovers bring, thankfully. You can buy yours online, believe it or not. Various Etsy and Ebay merchants advertise real dried four leaf clovers for sale and some companies advertise seeds for clovers that grow to have four leaves.

You can also buy a pewter pocket stone with a four leaf clover carved into it here: Four-leaf Clover Pocket Stone | Etsy

The four leaf clover meaning, five, and six leaf clover meaning as well as three leaf clover meaning is of divinity, luck and prosperity, and blissful marital relations. Clover has nourished people and animals for generations both physically and spiritually, and for you, clover can bless you with unexpected good luck, and sight of the supernatural. Finding a clover, as long as it still has its leaves is always a welcome sight, and you can be sure the clover will bless you for many years to come.