The evil eye is an ancestral belief common to several cultures in the Mediterranean and the Orient. From India to the Maghreb, passing through Turkey, Greece, and Corsica, each people have their own superstitions about it and have imagined different ways to protect themselves from it. Here is a practical guide to better understand this form of curse and simply protect oneself from it.
The evil eye is a belief shared by many peoples. There are words to describe this form of bad luck in Arabic, as well as in Turkish, Greek, Italian, and Corsican...
This superstition is based on the idea that one can be the target of a curse cast by a jealous or ill-intentioned person. It is for this reason that, in certain cultures, babies are not shown to malicious people in their surroundings, for fear that these envious individuals may "cast an eye" on them.
When one is a victim of this bad luck caused by the gaze, it can lead to misfortune or, worse, accidents and health problems.
In all cultures that are familiar with and fear the evil eye, different means of protection against ill-intentioned people have been developed.
To ward off their harmful influence, jewelry, amulets, and protective talismans are used, which are generally in the shape of an eye, such as the Eye of Horus in ancient Egypt, the Hand of Fatima in North Africa, or the Nazar boncuk in Turkey.
The Nazar boncuk (pictured above) is a glass amulet representing a blue eye. Popularized by Turkish glass artisans in the late 19th century, it has become part of the customs of various cultures in the Mediterranean basin, including Greece, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Simply hanging this amulet above one's entrance door, on the wall of their house, or in their vehicle is believed to protect their belongings. It can also be worn. It is believed that when this glass amulet breaks, it has fulfilled its purpose and repelled misfortune. It should then be replaced with a new one.
If you feel like you're having bad luck at the moment, you might be a victim of the evil eye! This phenomenon can be described as a spiral of misfortune that is difficult to escape. There are periods in life where it feels like problems don't get resolved and only worsen...
This can also manifest as physical and mental fatigue and a general sense of unease (feeling down, anxiety, scattered thoughts...).
Faced with these various worrying signs, there is supposedly a very simple test to determine if you are affected by this curse. We will explain how to know if you have the evil eye using oil:
• take a bowl of water
• add a few drops of oil to the surface
• observe the oil droplets: if they disperse, you have the evil eye, and if they gather together, everything is fine.
To check if you are affected by this type of curse, you can also consult a medium: it is said that this specialist can diagnose using a pendulum or a tarot deck!
If you believe that someone has an evil eye on you, don't panic! You probably have everything you need in your kitchen to remedy the problem.
In many Mediterranean cultures, it is believed that you can remove the evil eye with olive oil. Just apply it to your forehead to dispel the curse.
It is also said that a sea bath or a bath in salt water is enough to make the symptoms of bad luck disappear.
And if in the future, you want to protect your home from ill-intentioned people in your surroundings, you can use sea salt. Place some coarse salt under your doormat: that should be enough to keep away the envious and protect you from their evil gaze!