I guess the more important aspect we ought to consider about bad luck is whether it is “chronic” or “acute”.

Lets first discuss about “chronic bad luck”. Like it or not, everyone has cycles of good and bad times. In certain decades, some make it easy and big. In certain years some achieve more than the others. In certain seasons, months or even days some find themselves having better luck. Bottom line is that life is never a stagnant thing. Neither does our luck always go up and never come down. It is part of the luck cycle and Buddhist believe it is due to karma and “cause and effect”. Which means, if something we had conducted in the past was wrong and had illfully impacted others, it will yield a similar bad impact on us to suffer some days later. On the other hand, fortune tellers will relate it to the “8 Characters” (Phat Chee/Ba zi) or what we call the heaven’s luck. This takes into account ones personal element and how the elements of time dimension (which are the year, season, months and days) produce, control or destroy his or her personal element. If one thinks along that line, it does make sense also.

Therefore chronic bad luck could be due to a few reasons:

1. The karma of a person could have been very bad due to the past doings, either during the past life or their present life.
2. The “8 Characters” reading of a person showed its personal element going haywire. Actually, some people do relate to the “8 Characters” as one’s heaven luck. And it is believed to be associated to the karma of a person also. Which means if ones karma was good, he or she will enjoy excellent “8 Characters”.
3. The graveyard of our ancestors also play an important aspect in determining the luck of the descendants according to Classical Feng Shui Principles. This could have been something not mentioned widely but has become a fact to be considered. There have been many instances where descendants of unrestful souls suffered disasters after disasters. There have been examples of family members dying of cancer one after another, or dying of tragedy one after another. Until the feng shui of the graveyard is corrected or relocation or reburial is done, the bad omen could continue. 
4. Staying in a house that has bad feng shui can lead to bad luck. This often is the case of prolonged chronic bad luck. If one finds their luck suddenly becomes very bad after they move into a new home, it is highly recommended that they move out as soon as possible. Another good case to bring up is the changing of feng shui cycles, for example from Period 7 to Period 8. We have seen numerous complaints from people that their luck cycle had changed since 2004 because they had continued to stay in certain types of Period 7 houses.

Next, we must also understand the causes of “acute bad luck”. Acute bad luck refers to bad luck that comes in an adhoc manner, could be a short term effect, but if not overcome it can become permanent. Which means if they are not being taken care of at initial stages, they could prolong to become “chronic bad luck”:

1. Undoubtedly, annual chinese zodiac afflictions does play a role in affecting ones luck. For example in certain years, some zodiacs could be afflicted with backstabbing luck due to arrival of bad stars in their constellation. What you can do is to follow instructions for our zodiac recommendation that we publish every year.
2. Undesired annual flying stars or annual killing breathe (Grand Duke and 3-Killings) that arrive in important locations can also afflict someone with bad luck. For example, if the 5-Yellow arrive at the maindoor, it would bring bad luck to the family. What you can do is to follow instructions for our annual affliction remedies.
3. Another very obvious cause of bad luck is bad temper. It is believed that bad temper destructs good luck. People who lose their temper frequently, quarrel a lot and do a lot of scolding normally will lead a long period of bad luck. Next, badmouthing others could also reciprocate bad luck. Therefore, we have to be watchful of what we talk even though sometimes it could be unintentional. People who often badmouth others normally experience frequent bad luck.
4. Negative thinking could also lead to bad luck. People who are not positive in their thoughts tend to often sway away from the positive luck. That is why chinese emphasize so much on good thoughts by reflecting them in auspicious greetings, feng shui symbols, chinese calligraphy, art paintings etc. This has got to do with the power of subconscious thinking. Do you know that our right brain will register a script on what we think and is an obedient slave that will realize everything desired in it whether we like it or not. For example, if we are sceptical that something we buy will bring us good luck, then it definitely will not bring us good luck. That is why we always recommend our customers not to waste their time on feng shui if they are sceptical about it. But wait till they are mindful and ready before they practise feng shui.
5. When one has a nocturnal habit, their energy balance within their body tend to be out of equilibrium. Staying up for late nites can create “dark clouds” on ones forehead (crown chakra). It affects the radiance and glow on our face and makes us moody the next day. Therefore, it is best to sleep relatively early and wake up early to harvest good luck. Sleeping enough and taking enough rest for our bodies will stimulate good energy “chi” within ourselves.
6. Visiting “yin” places can also generate bad luck. Some people may not have the energy to go clubbing, enter casinos, visit hospitals, attend funerals and stay in buildings with surrounding environment that has bad feng shui. That is when the protective amulets play an important role. Even if we can feng shui our house to perfection, but we have to remember that external forces and the things we do outside will also impact our luck.
7. Bringing home certain objects with bad energy could also affect ones good luck. Some objects, for example raw stones taken home from the mountains, inauspicious paintings, antique items, reconditioned cars, chinese genuine coins dugged from the grave and used ornaments from the garage sale can probably trigger bad luck when they are brought home. The best remedy is that if we do not know the background and energy source of an item, try to avoid them. Therefore, be careful when getting those kinds of items. And this also is not exceptional on feng shui objects or enhancers. Remember that “dirty energy” can stick to them also depending on the source, and if they are not properly cleansed, these objects could bring harm as well. But we are not referring to some good energy objects that could trigger the ripening of karma. For example, some auspicious feng shui objects could actually trigger the ripening of certain bad karma and result in a bad event happening fast so that we can proceed with better luck ahead.
8. Unattended wear and tear in the home can also bring bad luck. Sometimes after some time, our basins, toilet bowls and drains could get clogged, thus causing problems related to disposal of bad energy “chi”. The same goes for cobwebs on the ceilings. Accumulation of cobwebs creates obstacles in our endeavours especially if those cobwebs are directly above the bed. Our door knobs and locks of the maindoor when wearout can also bring unlimited loss of money to the occupants. Lastly, one may not know also that the fire and switches of the stove that are not working at tip top condition can bring bad effects to ones income and career.
9. Our clothes represent our soul because it has our energy in them. This is the reason why taoist practitioners bring clothes to temples for priests to stamp auspicious talisman onto them if the intended person wishing for blessings is not able to make it to the temple during a religious ceremony. Therefore, wearing clothes that are left to dry over night can bring bad luck and weak life force. Clothes are exposed to “yin energy” if left unattended overnight.