How to Protect Yourself from The Evil Eye

We've all heard about someone giving us the evil eye. For most people, this just means that we were given a nasty look and the worst that we think is going to happen to us is that we're going to get some hurt feelings from the experience. However, the evil eye dates back to ancient times and it is taken very seriously as a curse in some cultures. Because of this, many talismans have been invented to help people protect themselves from the evil eye.

Here are some of the most common ways that different cultures might protect themselves from the nefarious effects of the evil eye:

• Fish symbols. Certain cultures, particularly the Jewish culture, believe that the fish is a symbol that dissipates the effects of the evil eye. Any piece of jewelry with the fish symbol could be worn as protection from the evil eye.
• Make-up dots or beauty marks. Some people opt to wear a black dot on their faces to protect themselves from the evil eye.
• Oils. Several different cures for the evil eye involve various oils. Sometimes they are related to anointing the affected individual. However, they may also involve using oil in water to determine the severity of the evil eye curse.
• Phallic charms and symbols. Some cultures, such as the ancient Roman culture, believe that anything horn-shaped or phallic can counter the effects of the evil eye. The basic belief is that the phallic symbol will attract the attention of the person giving the evil eye and minimize the curse.
• Prayer. Various prayers, meditations and forms of exorcism may be used to escape the effects of the evil eye. Sometimes these are done by the individual who has received the curse and sometimes they are done by an elder or a respected religious person in the community. Various rituals may be associated with the prayer depending on the culture where the practice is taking place.
• Smoke. There are various rituals done with smoke or burning sage that different cultures have adopted to get rid of the evil eye curse.
• The blue eye. Any talisman or amulet with a blue eye is said to send the evil eye straight back to the person that is giving it to you. Different cultures have different versions of the blue eye. For example, some Middle Eastern cultures use a series of concentric circles made up of varying shades of blue and white. Others specifically used a hand-shaped amulet with the eye in the center of the hand (known most commonly as a hamsa hand.)

Someone who is interested in protecting himself or herself from the evil eye needs to first decide which talisman has the most significance to him or her. Then the search can begin for the right amulet with this symbol on it. Any jewelry store can be scoured for these symbols but it is preferable to look in antique stores and local spell shops for charms that are more potent.