The Evil Eye
The Evil Eye! You may have seen the evil eye worn as clothing or jewelry or hanging on the wall or above the doorway in homes, dorm rooms, offices and even in cars! But what does it mean? Is the Evil Eye the curse or the protection from the curse? The answer to both is YES! Let’s break it down!
The Evil Eye Curse is a look that is directed at someone with angry, jealous or malevolent intention. This look can be given intentionally or unintentionally. And, if the person that energy is aimed at isn’t aware that it’s being sent, it is said to be even more toxic and more likely to cause harm.
The Evil Eye Symbol is an eye-shaped design, most often, but not always, created in blue with a black center. It is worn as a necklace, bracelet, or clothing, or hung in the home, workplace, dorm room, locker, or car for protection against the evil eye curse, and is designed to absorb the curse or negative energy and reflect that energy back to the one who sent it.
Does Wearing the Evil Eye Symbol Really Protect You from the Curse?
The evil eye charm or amulet is energetically charged with the intention to recognize negative energies, protect the wearer, and return that negative energy to sender. Does it work? Many people, from ancient civilizations to modern times, believe it does! Whether or not you believe in the evil eye curse, the principles of energy, vibration and intention are real! For example, if someone sneaks up behind you, you feel something, feel your “Spidey Sense” kick in, or even feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up! That’s the sensation when their energy connects with your energy. You might even notice whether the energy is positive or negative by how it makes you feel. If it is ‘good vibes,’ you would feel comfortable and safe. If it’s ‘bad vibes,’ it might feel creepy and make you want to move away from it.
We send and receive energy all the time. Sometimes, we send it intentionally, other times, unintentionally. Either way, the energy of the evil eye can come with side effects that no one wants to experience!
A good example of sending the evil eye unintentionally is when someone feels jealous of another person’s good fortune, luck, success, or life as compared to their own. They might not wish harm on that person, just wish their own luck would change for the better, but even an envious glance could cast the evil eye curse on them! On the other hand, if a lucky person started to brag about their good fortune to others, they could attract that jealousy and find themselves on the receiving end of an evil eye curse! People throughout history were cautioned to be grateful for what they had, to not covet what others had, and to stay humble about what they received.
Today, many feel the evil eye is just a superstition; however, in many countries and cultures it is still held as a strong belief and the symbol is used religiously. Many more people wear evil eye jewelry or have the symbol in their home just in case...better safe than sorry!
How did the Evil Eye symbol get started?
Even though its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, the Evil Eye symbol is not a modern invention! People have relied on the Evil Eye symbol for protection for over 5,000 years. Beginning in Mediterranean countries with the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, then expanding to many countries as part of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, the Evil Eye symbol has been painted or hung on walls, made into clay or ceramic products like drinking vessels called “Eye Cups,” and worn as jewelry and talismans. Around 1500 BC, when glass making was introduced, glass evil eye beads became popular with Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans.
In modern times, in Mediterranean regions, western Asia, and the Balkans, approximately 40% of the people still believe in the evil eye and wear evil eye amulets, as well as other protection symbols like the hamsa, Italian horn, the cross, or Eye of Horus. In some cultures, the evil eye charm must be gifted by someone other than the wearer or the protective energy won’t work for them. That’s why the evil eye charm is often given as a gift for newborn babies, new businesses, housewarmings, new cars, and other occasions where people wish good luck for others.
It is commonly believed that if the evil eye charm or product breaks it has absorbed the curse, done its job to protect, and should be discarded, buried in earth or in water. This brings up an interesting point! Many people are having the evil eye symbol tattooed on their bodies. How are they going to get rid of the absorbed energy from the curse? Just a suggestion to give that tattoo some more thought...a lot more thought!
What Happens if You are Cursed with the Evil Eye?
Symptoms of being cursed with the evil eye range from physical illness (aching head or stomach, fever, vomiting and insomnia) to emotional or mental illness (depression, anger, mood swings, irrational fear). In other ways, the evil eye could cause monetary loss (loss of a job or business robbery, or bankruptcy), or could interfere with relationships (misunderstandings, arguments, break-ups).
How Can You Know for Sure that It’s an Evil Eye Curse?
Shamans and folk healers used creative ways to find out! Here are a few examples:
The Oil Drop Test: The healer adds one drop of olive oil to holy water. Oil normally floats on the surface of water. If an evil eye curse is present, the oil will sink. An alternative test is to place two drops of olive oil in a glass of water. If the drops stay separated, there’s no evil eye curse present. If they merge, the curse is present.
The Clove Test: The healer skewers a few cloves on a pin and crosses the pin over the person who believes they may be cursed. Afterward, the cloves are burned with a lighter. If they burn quietly, there’s no evil eye present. If they crackle or explode while burning, the evil eye is present. To remove the curse, the healer would extinguish the cloves in water then bury them in the garden, along with the pin.
The Raw Egg Test: An ancient shamanic practice was to sweep an uncooked egg over the body, without touching the body, to absorb and draw out negative energies and the evil eye. The raw egg cleanse has been used around the world, from Italy to Mexico, to the Philippines! In Italy, the egg was bathed in holy water before using it for this cleanse. In Mexico, the egg was washed in a cup of water with salt and lemon juice added. Most rituals involved telling the egg to remove the evil eye, bad luck or curse, then roll it all over the body while envisioning it absorbing negative energies. Afterward, they would crack the egg into a cup of room temperature water, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then examine the yolk, whites, and water. An egg yolk that looked like an eye meant an evil eye curse. Cobwebs in the whites meant someone is jealous. Needles or spikes in the water signified energy vampires. Foul-smelling water or blood in the water meant that evil was present, or someone used magic against the victim. Clear water without shapes, scents or blood meant that no curse was present. Once the healer finished reading the egg, it was disposed of immediately...and not by eating it because it was full of negative energy!
If You’re Going to Use Evil Eye Jewelry, Clothing, or Talismans, Here’s What You Should Know!
Evil eye jewelry is the most widely used form of protection because it goes wherever the wearer goes! Evil eye symbols are traditionally made with a blue eye, representing good karma, protection, truth, with a black dot in the center that represents powerful protection. Evil eye charms are available in many designs, shapes and colors, such as blue, light blue, black, orange, red, pink, violet, green, brown, white, and gray. Remember, this jewelry is both symbolic and energetic, charged with intention, and each color has its own symbolic and energetic meaning, so it’s important to know what you are choosing for yourself. Choose the color, or colors, you want to either preserve what is already in your life or for the life you wish to have:
· Blue: Good Karma
· Light Blue: Protection
· Yellow: Health
· Orange: Happiness
· Black: Prosperity
· White: Purity
· Pink/Violet: True Love and Friendship
What Does It Mean When the Evil Eye Jewelry or Talisman Breaks?
When the evil eye protection breaks, it means that it has absorbed the negative energy or curse and that its job is done. If you want to continue to wear evil eye protection, it’s time to get a new one and dispose of the old one, often by burying it or throwing it into a body of water like the ocean, river or lake.
One last thought to take into consideration: Some people are tattooing the evil eye symbol on their body, feeling it will offer lifelong protection...but how do you dispose of it after it has absorbed all that negativity and its job is done? Jewelry, clothing and talismans offer a much safer and more replaceable alternative!
So now you have a better understanding of what it means to display or wear the evil eye symbol. Whether or not you believe in curses, using the evil eye symbol means connecting your energy to its purpose, and it is in all ways beneficial to be mindfully aware of our practices and connections.
