Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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loona wynd
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by loona wynd »

Alura Noel wrote:This is a really interesting topic.
I thought so. I thought that this forum here in particular would be a great place to discuss it. The Evil eye is really a wide spread concept, if not always believed physically but as a superstition. I mean I know I have heard of it here in the US.
Alura Noel wrote:When I lived in Turkey, where they believe in Nazar Boncugu, or the evil eye, they had a lot of talismans like this to protect the wearer from it:

Image

Just about everyone believes in it and has one of these.
Thats actually kinda cool. It sort of reminds me of the first sculpture I had to make in my college sculpture class. It was a Hamsa or hand of God. The amulet we were asked to design and make in our own fashion was essentially a hamsa that we choose to design.

Hamsa:
Image

Mine was basically the hand with a Pentacle inside the eye. I figured that the original hand and eye symbolism to protect from the evil eye was so powerful I might as well just basically make my own with just a slight alteration. The pentacle to me made it go from an Abrahamic focused amulet to a witchy amulet. I gave it to my mom as a gift.
Alura Noel wrote:When my family was stationed in Turkey (my dad was air force) whenever we would go out places, because I have Blue/Green eyes the Turkish would like to touch me for "good luck." It was impossible to go anywhere without someone stopping us and wanting to pinch my cheek and touch me for luck. I was very young, by my parents said I didn't care much for it.

I think it's interesting how people in your country, or at least just you, think people with light colored eyes can hex people whereas the turkish were non-stop cheek pinching to get good luck because of my eye color.
That is interesting about the color of the eyes and the cultural associations. I wonder if maybe the images of a witch in that culture has to do with it.

Personally if I were you I wouldn't have liked that touching for good luck either.
Alura Noel wrote:My dad says I have the most powerful "stink eye" or evil eye when I chose to do it out of the members in my family. That's a really common saying with my family when someone gives this look, it isn't out of envy or jealousy. More like, dislike.
Thats another idea behind the evil eye. That ill will and dislike intentions can be spread simply by the look you give a person. I think we all have an eye like that we use on our family and friends to express extreme displeasure.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Well, it's not that strange, as gypsies with light color eyes are pretty rare. But on the other hand, people with light color eyes are not as common in our region as they are in England or US. (Bulgaria and Turkey share border).
There are, however some traditions and customs in the two countries that are totally different as one is christian and the other - muslim country.
As for the "Blue eye" (the talisman on the picture you shared), yes, that also helps repel the Evil eye. Many people wear it here too. Another powerful talisman against Evil eye is "The hand of Fatima". (the picture from the last post).
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Alura Noel wrote:
Just about everyone believes in it and has one of these.

whenever we would go out places, because I have Blue/Green eyes the Turkish would like to touch me for "good luck." It was impossible to go anywhere without someone stopping us and wanting to pinch my cheek and touch me for luck.
not everyone. yes the greeks do that too. I don't like it; touching for luck; violating your personal space coz of a superstition

Also to prevent getting the evil eye they extend all their fingers while thinking badly of the suspected one. This is called mutza and it's a rude gesture u can also see from drivers on the road.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by Alura Noel »

How is Moutza considered protection from the evil eye? I thought that was just a bad hand gesture...
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Elcida wrote:Well, it's not that strange, as gypsies with light color eyes are pretty rare. But on the other hand, people with light color eyes are not as common in our region as they are in England or US. (Bulgaria and Turkey share border).
So in that case it does seem to make sense that there would be superstitions attached to fair eyed people. There is definitely a cultural aspect to the colors of peoples eyes.
Elcida wrote:There are, however some traditions and customs in the two countries that are totally different as one is christian and the other - muslim country.
Both religions do have their own powerful talismans and symbols for protection and magic. When two countries share borders with different cultures (primary religions for example) they will definitely have some cultural similarities and practices. So it would make sense that there would be somethings that are the same or pretty damn close while there would also be many separate things.
Elcida wrote:As for the "Blue eye" (the talisman on the picture you shared), yes, that also helps repel the Evil eye. Many people wear it here too.
I've seen talismans like that around here before. They are sort of rare but I have seen them. personally I think they are gaudy when worn as jewelery. Now carrying it in a purse or pocket I probably would do.
Elcida wrote: Another powerful talisman against Evil eye is "The hand of Fatima". (the picture from the last post).
I had completely forgotten about that talisman (Hand of Fatima or Hamsa depending on your culture) until I saw the blue eye talisman.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Elcida wrote:The red thread works for everyone. I believe it's the egregor of the common belief that actually works.
I was curious since you had mentioned children and brides specifically in your original post. I wonder if there is a reason why children or brides would be more susceptible to the Evil Eye than others?
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by YanaKhan »

I guess it's because of the attention both kids and brides receive. I mean, a lot more than "normal" people.
As for traditions, on the Balkans it's kinda hard to say what tradition came from where. Especially when we were all under Ottoman rule for about 500 years. We mixed cultures and traditions, customs and blood.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Alura Noel wrote:How is Moutza considered protection from the evil eye? I thought that was just a bad hand gesture...
Yeah. It seems that according to the Wiki article it would be a curse in its own right, at least thats where the origins are.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Elcida wrote:I guess it's because of the attention both kids and brides receive. I mean, a lot more than "normal" people.
This is true. I mean on their wedding day everything is all about the Bride. So I can see why that would attract attetion, especially if some one else in the community loved and wanted the bride or groom.
Elcida wrote: As for traditions, on the Balkans it's kinda hard to say what tradition came from where. Especially when we were all under Ottoman rule for about 500 years. We mixed cultures and traditions, customs and blood.
That happened in the rest of Europe too. The anglo saxon traditions of witchcraft can be hard to find exactly what is Anglo-Saxon and what is Celtic as the two were entwined in England for a long time. Thats why the witchcraft I practice in the US is actually both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Alura Noel wrote:How is Moutza considered protection from the evil eye? I thought that was just a bad hand gesture...
yes it's used to curse the attacker back or something. I don't know it's tradition and superstition. it doesn't make sense to me either.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

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Kat wrote:yes it's used to curse the attacker back or something. I don't know it's tradition and superstition. it doesn't make sense to me either.
Well thanks for clarifying the post. I can understand counter hexes and curses. However to me they don't necessarily prevent or protect from a curse or a hex. Its more getting revenge and even. Which I personally don't have a problem with. However others here might.
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by hayal »

thats a good one!! im half turkish and half greek both cultures believe in evil eye!! turks have many talismans as Alura Noel stated above. my favorite is `cevshen` its a triangle shaped necklace full of protection prayers in arabic. there are sooooo many methods to undo the hex, burning cloves, dropping olive oil in water and saying a prayer or saying a prayer and breath upon salt........ there is a specific prayer in quran for the evil eye Nazar Duasi.... i believe in the evil eye...its the energy thats real...
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by Kassandra »

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Hehe, covering all her bases, fashionably so...
Evil eye nails and baubles.jpg
Source: lifestylemirror.com/beauty/nails/ten-best-evil-eye-nail-art-designs/



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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by Firebird »

Image

lovely pics of the Nazar. I love these little charms.
Interesting,... this idea runs across all cultures.
My husbands family is from Hawaii and they use the term "stink eye" all the time.
My Mother is Norwegian and she had a term ..." the hairy Eyeball", ugh,... I used to cringe at that one! she used it in the context of suspicious person or someone of questionable nature, or if we were goofing off she was giving us the "hairy eyeball".
Now that's a visual :lol:
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Re: Dealing with "The Evil Eye"

Post by loona wynd »

This just goes to show that some concepts even if the term or phrase for the practice is different are basically universal. The concept of a specific look or gaze bringing upon a person negative energy and misfortune in some manner shape and form exists in all cultures. It also shows clearly that in magic words and items are not needed to have an effect. A look or a gesture can be a spell and be an act of magic.
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