The Evil Eye

 

 

It was interesting to see the portrayal of the evil eye portrayed in the various mystical practices of many cultures. I have seen some friends of mine wear an evil eye, often in a religious context, like a hamsa, but it is also becoming stylized as a part of secular culture. I’ve seen phone cases, nail designs, and t-shirts featuring a stylized version of the evil eye. Greek, Roman, Christianity in the Byzantine era, Islam, all portrayed the evil eye to fend off any unsavory spirits. 

 

According to the BBC, Greek philosophers believed that blue-eyes were the most likely to deliver curses, which could be emitted through “invisible rays of energy” that could harm children and animals. Therefore, the invisible eye symbol came to adorn any person or thing that was thought to need to repel magic. Some of these charms have been found in the tombs of ancient Mesopotamia. Today, we still use the same symbol for the same goal. The article mentioned some painting evil eyes onto the side of planes, as well as celebrities, like Gigi Hadid and Kim Kardashian wearing the evil eye on jewelry. However, it should be noted that Gigi Hadid is of Palestinian descent and the Kardashians are of Armenian descent, which are both cultures that feature the evil eye heavily, so attempts to “cancel” both for wearing the symbol are an errant stretch. 

 

It will be interesting to see how the meaning of the evil eye stays the same or changes as more people begin to wear the symbol, and hopefully as more people become more aware as to its deep religious and cultural meaning.