Just like the five senses, the evil eye is undoubtedly born with you, grows with you, and dies with you.
As far as psychology is concerned, jealousy is a negative trait that, if intensified, becomes a psychological sickness. If not controlled, experts emphasize that jealousy can lead a person to actually inflict harm on others.
In Jewish spirituality and Kaballa, jealousy and other similar negative senses are positioned within the framework of the Sefirot in the world of Assiah (the fourth realm). It serves as a sort of bridge between the higher and earthly realms. This realm includes all the rules that animals live by, revealing the general balanced system by which all the higher principles, which are interconnected, flow by.
It is, therefore, natural that people would — from the beginning — seek methods to protect themselves and their belonging from the evil eye, otherwise known as Satan’s eye. They would try to protect themselves in any way possible. Protection primarily came from elders and wizards at first, but as mankind shifted towards monotheism, and as Man’s knowledge increased, giving them an edge over nature, human beings managed to counter the evil eye to some extend with the assistance of religious commands. Eventually, people began to believe that the idea of an evil eye was only a superstition, needlessly dominating the life of their predecessors.
Some of these beliefs, however, were not simply limited to a particular group — some became core beleifs or cultural practices among a wide range of human societies. In other words, although these behaviors were illogical and had no proper backing, they were widely accepted in the form of traditions and social practices.
Anyway, if we study the concept deeply, it is unbelievable how this concept would spread so widely within human society and be accepted as a legitimate belief, in addition to being practiced over the centuries. In this regard, every tribe and community devised its own methods and, as time passed, developed distinctive customs and rituals — each action invoking a corresponding reaction. Within this context, the market for sorcerers grew increasingly active in justifying these superstitious beliefs day by day. They managed to quickly influence individuals and the collective subconsciousness of the community by scaring them and offering guidance too, not only controlling religious beliefs but also exerting their influence across all domains, especially cultural, scientific, artistic, and literary fields, medicine, and even mysticism. They could easily dictate their ideas (right or wrong) to their followers. In other words, they reshaped history\
Misleading ideologies spread widely among civilizations, especially in the East, which later became universal and served as a protective shield or a restraining tool against the forces of darkness (negative energies), superstitious beliefs, supernatural forces, and even diseases.
An example is symbols of curses that were widely accepted. These symbols could be a sculpture of a legend, a written prayer or curse, symbolic designs, stone sculptures, idols, or anything else that could be used to cause a sense of calmness for the people. In this chapter, we are going to take a short look at some of these symbols.
Horseshoe
Wherever a horseshoe is hung with its open end facing upwards attracts success and good luck, but if hung upside down, it will bring bad luck and misfortune. This is true about any place.
Nazar-e Ghorbooni (Evil Eye Band)
The evil eye band consisted of black and white beads that are hung somewhere, attached to children’s clothes, or hung around animal necks to repel the evil eye. Farmers made these bands from dried sheep eyes.
Snake Amulet
Some individuals believe that having a snake amulet will bring them good luck.
Bala Gardan (Evil Eye Pendant)
A type of pendant in the shape of an eye that people wore on their arms or necks to protect themselves from the “evil eye” and ward off misfortune. It still exists in many cultures, and over the years, people have incorporated it into various designs on clothing, jewelry, and decorative items. (In Jewish culture, it is called a Segula or Charm.)
Onions and garlic:
In ancient Egyptian civilization, garlic and onions were considered reliable tools for warding off demons and malevolent spirits from homes. Greeks later adopted this belief. It was customary for travelers to carry cloves of garlic with them to protect themselves from illness. Some also placed garlic cloves under their pillows or a baby’s cradle to keep away misfortune and evil spirits during their sleep. People would hang cloves of garlic on the entrance door when moving to a new house or shop to ward off evil spirits.
The number 13
The number 13 is still considered bad luck across the world. In Judaism, however, the number 13 is not bad luck, because 13 is the age in which a Jewish child comes to age and celebrates Bar Mitzvah.
Further examples of superstitions in repelling the evil eye include saying, “curse to Satan”, “curse to the evil eye”, “Ma Sha Allah” (i.e., this is what Allah has wanted [for you]) when praising someone or amazed at them, “may the devil be deaf”, “without trying to predict anything” used before something reaches success — meaning that nothing can happen unless God allows it, “I hope it will be good for you”, “may his entrance be a blessing to you” for instance when a child is born, and other similar statements. Black cats are a sign of bad luck for whichever house it is in, as is a broken mirror. Solar and lunar eclipse were considered sings of God’s wrath.
Amulet:
An amulet is a prayer or supplication that was typically written on paper and then tied around the arm or worn around the neck to ward off misfortune or protect against the “evil eye.” Some of these amulets were burned during a ritual.
Eclipses:
Some believed that the solar eclipse was actually a dragon or a monster of darkness swallowing the sun. This opinion gradually made its way into religious belief, such that it was belived that afterlife is nothing more than continues war, ongoing famine, and an everlasting solar eclipse. For them, an eclipse was a reminder of the afterlife.
The prevailing opinion during the renaissance was the eclipse is an action by the devil. The darkness that occurs during an eclipse symbolizes human sin and God’s anger with humanity. They believed that the world would end as a flood (i.e. Noah’s flood) would take over. Therefore, they would fast, hold special worship session, flock to the church to confess and receive God’s pardon. No being, not even animals, were allowed to drink or eat while an eclipse was underway. They would make noise with empty pots and dishes to scare off evil spirits.
Although the meaning of all these practices was often unclear due to obscure justifications, they were accepted without much thought as remedies for protection against harm, misfortune, and the evil eye. Many other actions were considered ordinary measures, such as breaking an egg, sprinkling salt, washing one’s face and hands, burning incense, getting up on the left side, or closing one’s eyes and making a decision. Conflicts could be resolved and problems could be solved through divination or fortune-telling with geomancy, astrolabe, prayer beads, and many other tools that were commonly accepted and used.
Some other communities believed that having a rabbit’s left foot would bring good luck, tossing a coin into water symbolized the return or reunion, or seeing an owl or a raven on the rooftop was an omen of good fortune. Sprinkling water on a traveler’s back signified a safe journey, and many similar concepts, most of which have been largely forgotten. It seems that these unexplainable superstitious beliefs were often practiced to seek health, wealth, prosperity, and protection against the evil eye.
Sources:
Mythical beliefs, Yosef Setareshenas
