Do we close our eyes when we pray, when we cry, when we kiss, when we dream. When are we ready to hear a good news or a result of a test, when we look at the beauty of something. Is it because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt only by heart?
“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. (Luke 11:34) .
The evil eye is a curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, which is usually given to a person when they are unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury. Many cultures made Talisman from the time of King Suleiman created to protect against the evil eye are also frequently called “evil eyes”.
The idea expressed by the term causes many different cultures to pursue protective measures against it. The concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures, It was a widely extended belief among many Mediterranean and Asian tribes and cultures.
Charms and decorations with eye-like symbols known as nazars , which are used to repel the evil eye are a common sight across Palestine, Greece, Turkey, Albania , Egypt , Iraq ,Italy to Nepal.
The “evil eye” is also known in Arabic as ʿayn al-ḥasūd (عين الحسود eye of the envious), in Hebrew as ʿáyin hā-ráʿ (עַיִן הָרַע), in Aramaic as “ayna bisha” (ܒܝܼܫܵܐ ܥܲܝܢܵܐ), in Kurdish çaw e zar (eye of evil/sickness), , in Turkish as kem göz (evil eye, usually used in plural form as kem , evil eyes) .
Classical authors attempted to offer explanations for the evil eye. Plutarch’s scientific explanation stated that the eyes were the chief, if not sole, source of the deadly rays that were supposed to spring up like poisoned darts from the inner recesses of a person possessing the evil eye .
The spreading in the belief of the evil eye towards the East is believed to have been propagated by the Empire of Alexander the Great, which spread this and other Greek ideas across his empire.
Among those who do not take the evil eye literally, either by reason of the culture in which they were raised or because they simply do not believe in such things, the phrase, “to give someone the evil eye” usually means simply to glare at the person in anger or disgust.
A Ruby Eye Pendant from an ancient civilization in Mesopotamia was possibly used as amulet to protect against evil eyes. Assyrian are also strong believers in the evil eye. They will usually wear a blue/turquoise bead around a necklace to be protected from the evil eye. Also, they might pinch the buttock , comparable to Armenians. It is said that people with green or blue eyes are more prone to the evil eye effect.
A simple and instant way of protection in European Christian countries is to make the sign of the cross with your hand and point two fingers, the index finger and the little finger and the, towards the supposed source of influence or supposed victim as described in the first chapter of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula published in 1897.
The Brazilian flag is shape like an eye of the world.
In North India, the evil eye is called “Drishti” (meaning gaze or vision) or more commonly asBuri Nazar. remove Disti people follow several methods based on their culture/area. Items used to remove Disti either Rock salt or Red chilies or Oiled cloth. Taking one of this item, people remove Disti by rotating their hand with one of the item above around the person who affected by Disti and they will burn the item.
Belief in the evil eye, or Buda (var. bouda), is widespread in Ethiopia. Buda is generally believed to be a power held and wielded by those in a different social group, for example among the beta Israel or metalworkers.
Some Ethiopian Christians carry an amulet or talisman, known as a kitab , or will invoke God’s name, to ward off the ill effects of buda.
Pakistan
In Pakistan , the evil eye is called Nazar. People usually may resort to reading the last three chapters of the Quran, ” (ما شاء الله) (“God has willed it.”) is commonly said to ward off the evil eye. Understanding of evil eye varies by the level of education. Some perceive the use of black color to be useful in protecting from evil eye.
Greece.
The evil eye, known as μάτι (mati), “eye”, as an apotropaic visual device, is known to have been a fixture in Greece dating back to at least the 6th century BC, when it commonly appeared on drinking vessels. In Greece, the evil eye is cast away through the process of xematiasma (ξεμάτιασμα), whereby the “healer” silently recites a secret prayer passed over from an older relative of the opposite sex, usually a grandparents . Such prayers are revealed only under specific circumstances, for according to superstition those who reveal them indiscriminately lose their ability to cast off the evil eye. A very similar ritual can be found in neighboring Bulgaria.
Another “test” used to check if the evil eye was cast is that of the oil: under normal conditions, olive oil floats in water, as it is less dense than water. The test of the oil is performed by placing one drop of olive oil in a glass of water, typically holy water. If the drop floats, the test concludes there is no evil eye involved.
If the drop sinks, then it is asserted that the evil eye is cast indeed. Another form of the test is to place two drops of olive oil into a glass of water. If the drops remain separated, the test concludes there is no evil eye, but if they merge, there is. There is also a third form where in a plate full of water the “healer” places three or nine drops of oil. If the oil drops become larger and eventually dissolve in the water there is evil eye. If the drops remain separated from water in a form of a small circle there isn’t. The first drops are the most important and the number of drops that dissolve in water indicate the strength of the evil eye.
There is another form of the “test” where the “healer” prepares a few cloves by piercing each one with a pin. Then she lights a candle and grabs a pinned clove with a pair of scissors. She then uses it to do the sign of the cross over the afflicted whilst the afflicted is asked to think of a person who may have given him the evil eye.
Then the healer holds the clove over the flame. If the clove burns silently, there is no evil eye present; however, if the clove explodes or burns noisily, that means the person in the thoughts of the afflicted is the one who has cast the evil eye. As the clove explodes, the evil eye is released from the afflicted. Cloves that burn with some noise are considered to be λόγια – words – someone foul-mouthing you that you ought to be wary of. The burned cloves are extinguished into a glass of water and are later buried in the garden along with the pins as they are considered to be contaminated.
(So be careful if you are ever digging in a Greek garden!) Greek people will also ward off the evil eye by saying φτου να μη σε ματιάξω! which translates to “I spit so that I won’t give you the evil eye.” The shortened version of this is ftoo, ftoo, ftoo. or tefoo,tefoo tefoo Contrary to popular belief, the evil eye is not necessarily given by someone wishing you ill, but it stems from admiration. Since it is technically possible to give yourself the evil eye, it is advised to be humble.
There are hundreds of tests and telsimans from all over the world. some made in shape of horns, or 5 eyes crystal, and some use a hand with eye in the centre or a slipper in front of the door.
Spain and Latin America ; The evil eye or ‘Mal de Ojo’ has been deeply embedded in Spanish popular culture throughout its history and Spain is the origin of this superstition in Latin America.
In Mexico and Central America , infants are considered at special risk for the evil eye (see mal de ojo, above) and are often given an amulet bracelet as protection, typically with an eye-like spot painted on the amulet. Another preventive measure is allowing admirers to touch the infant or child; in a similar manner, a person wearing an item of clothing that might induce envy may suggest to others that they touch it or some other way dispel envy.
One traditional cure in rural Mexico involves a curandero (folk healer) sweeping a raw chicken egg over the body of a victim to absorb the power of the person with the evil eye. The egg is later broken into a glass with water and placed under the bed of the patient near the head. Sometimes it is checked immediately because the egg appears as if it has been cooked. When this happens it means that the patient did have Mal De Ojo.
Somehow the Mal De Ojo has transferred to the egg and the patient immediately gets well. (Fever, vomiting/diarrhea, nausea and pain goes away instantly) In the traditional Hispanic culture of the Southwestern United States and some parts of Mexico, the egg may be passed over the patient in a cross-shaped pattern all over the body, while sayingthe Lord’s Prayer. The egg is also placed in a glass with water, under the bed and near the head, sometimes it is examined right away or in the morning and if the egg looks like it has been cooked then it means that they did have Mal de Ojo and the patient will start feeling better. Sometimes if the patient starts getting ill and someone knows that they had stared at patient, usually a child, if the person who stared goes to the child and touches them, the child’s illness goes away immediately so the Mal De Ojo energy is released.
Another aspect of the mal ojo syndrome in Ixtepeji is a disturbance of the hot-cold equilibrium in the victim. According to folk belief, the bad effects of an attack result from the “hot” force of the aggressor entering the child’s body and throwing it out of balance. Currier has shown how the Mexican hot-cold system is an unconscious folk model of social relations upon which social anxieties are projected. According to Currier, “the nature of Mexican peasant society is such that each individual must continuously attempt to achieve a balance between two opposing social forces: the tendency toward intimacy and that toward withdrawal. [It is therefore proposed] that the individual’s continuous preoccupation with achieving a balance between ‘heat’ and ‘cold’ is a way of reenacting, in symbolic terms, a fundamental activity in social relations.”
Brazil.
Brazilians generally will associate mal-olhado,mau-olhado (“act of giving a bad look”) orolho gordo (“fat eye” i.e. “gluttonous eye”) with envy or jealousy on domestic and garden plants (that, after months or years of health and beauty, will suddenly weaken, wither and die, with no apparent signs of pest, after the visitation of a certain friend or relative), attractive hair and less often economic or romantic success and family harmony.
Amulets that protect against mal-olhado tend to be generally resistant, mildly to strongly toxic and dark plants in specific and strategic places of a garden or the entry to a house.
United States.
In 1946, the American magician Henri Gamache published a text called Terrors of the Evil Eye Exposed! (later reprinted as Protection against Evil), which offers directions to defend oneself against the evil eye. Also known as “mean mugging” or “mad dogging” among urban youths.
In some cultures over complimenting casts a curse. So does envy. Since ancient times such maledictions have been collectively called the evil eye. According to the book The Evil Eye by folklorist Alan Dundes , the belief’s premise is that an individual can cause harm simply by looking at another’s person or property. But in protection is easy to come by with talismans that can be worn, carried, or hung in homes, most often incorporating the contours of a human eye. In Aegean countries people with light-colored eyes are thought to be particularly powerful, and amulets in Greece and Turkey are usually blue orbs. Indians, Muslims, and Jews use charms with palm-forward hands with an eye in the center; Italians employ horns, phallic shapes meant to distract spell casters.
Thank you for reading.
Steve Ramsey- PhD- Canada.