Do you ever feel someone has the power to curse you with just a glance? The good news is, you are not alone. The bad news is, the Evil Eye, which is the superstitious belief that an envious stare can bring bad fortune, illness, or injury upon the gazed upon person, is perhaps too popular to be ignored.

From Mexico to Turkey to Tibet, thousands of seemingly dissimilar cultures unanimously agree that the energy transmitted from the human eye has an immense and potentially destructive power. If popularity can be considered an indication of accuracy, then the Evil Eye certainly has enough constituents to make this supernatural hex a fact.

Specifics pertaining to the causes and effects of the Evil Eye vary throughout cultures. In the Mediterranean, where the belief is especially prevalent, the Evil Eye can be cast by an individual intentionally and unintentionally. In Greek, Turkish, Jewish, and Muslim culture, a person is as likely to invoke the Evil Eye through praise as he is through jealousy. For this reason, children, who frequently receive compliments, are considered highly susceptible to the Evil Eye.

Protection against the Evil Eye

Cultures in which belief in the Evil Eye thrives have created a plethora of social safeguards to evade it. For example, people refrain from asking for or volunteering good news, information about personal assets, or family in to prevent arousing envy in others. Giving compliments openly is considered one of the main ways in which a person can call the Evil Eye upon another, and is therefore frowned upon.

Jewish and Muslim traditions offer phrases to prevent the influence of the Evil Eye. A Jew who believes in the Evil Eye will probably exclaim in Hebrew “bli ayin ha-rah” (without the Evil Eye) or its Yiddish equivalent “kanayna hara” when he speaks about his good fortune or if he has received a compliment. Similarly, Muslims take care to give praise to God rather than to an individual; instead of directly commenting on a person, a Muslim will likely say “Masha’Alla”, Arabic for “It is as God has willed.” A less verbal communication of the desire for protection from the Evil Eye is to make a spit-like utterance (Tfu-Tfu-Tfu or Peh-Peh-Peh) when giving or receiving a compliment. This custom is practiced in North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Features of the Evil Eye Talisman

Doubtless, the world’s most famous defense against the Ayin Ha-Rah is the blue Evil Eye amulet. Made of concentric glass circles, this eerily eye-like talisman safeguards its wearers by reflecting envious stares back unto the individual who casts it. Its blue color is taken from the Aegean belief that blue-eyed people were particularly predisposed to giving the Evil Eye. This is likely because light-eyed individuals were uncommon in the region of the belief’s origin; light eyed people who traversed into these areas were likely travelers who were likely to unwittingly break cultural mores by gazing too long or lavishing compliments on others. Blue is also used due to its connection with water. The injurious effects of the Evil Eye are notably associated with dryness; it is thought to cause diarrhea, dehydration, and impotence. The color blue is meant to counteract such effects through its affinity to water. From Latin America to the Far East, the Evil Eye talisman is woven into artwork and jewelry to protect homes and individuals world-wide. More than a guardian of body and mind, the Evil Eye symbol effortlessly transcends borders of religion and nationality, providing a rare common denominator in the world’s pantheon of cultures.