The Power Behind the Evil Eye

The other day, I passed by a little shop located on Magazine Street called Nola Hut. I stopped right at the front because the window captivated my attention. A bunch of semi-precious evil eye stones were staring at me right in the face. I was fascinated, amazed, and very interested in why people hold such great importance to this symbol.

The only thing I knew about evil eyes was that it had something spiritual to it. Oh, and it was a pretty piece of jewelry to wear, but that’s about it. I surely wasn’t an expert in this field, but something told me to go and check out this store. I walked in, and immediately knew that the store owner held great value to this symbol and would be able to answer all of my questions about the power behind the evil eye and why people wear it (besides the fact that it’s pretty 😉 ).

So What is it?

Many people get the evil eye as a means for protection from the wretchedness in our life. The glance of the eye is seen as the ‘bad eye’. The myth states that if bad energy is directed towards you, the evil eye works to ward off pessimistic energy. The evil eye therefore is like a reflection. It is known as a tool which uses its glare to rebound the bad energy back onto the person who protrudes it towards you.

Is it Real or Just a Myth?

Think of the Evil eye as something like a safeguard. It is known that if a person is transmitting bad energy toward you or giving you the ‘evil eye’, it will break, which means the glare is doing its job, which is to protect you.

The evil-eye gained importance wayyyyy back during the B.C times, but I won’t bore you with that. The evil eye curse actually stems from Greek culture to try and unpack why bad things happen to good people. To solve this issue, the Greeks began to believe that in order to avoid bad things happening to good people, the ‘evil glare’ was to rebound that bad luck that was being sent someone’s way. This myth became the reason for the significance of the evil eye.

As I started to talk to the store-owner, I noticed she had two evil eyes around her arm. She explained to me that ever since her son was born, she wore an evil eye bracelet. One day during his birthday, the evil eye suddenly broke. She believes it was because there was bad energy directed towards her at the time. Later on, she became aware that there was someone in the room that didn’t have the best intentions towards her. Ever since the bracelet broke, she always wears two evil eyes because if one breaks again, she will have the other to still protect her.

Many people believe that the evil eye can protect someone through three negative intents: unintentional, intentional, and unseen. The store-owner incorporates her evil eye throughout her life to protect her from all of these intentions.

The Evil Eye is represented in many religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. However, the meaning of the eye has stayed consistent through all religious practices. It serves as an object for protection, good luck, and fortune. Even if you believe in it or not, the evil eye remains a positive concept, known to be the origin of ‘lucky charms’ (not the cereal).

I walked out of the Nola Hut boutique with my own purchase of an evil eye. To me, it’s an exciting idea and concept, and of course a captivating piece of jewelry. I have no strong beliefs on whether this symbol works or not, however, I am optimistic and open-minded to what experiences will now come my way.

Featured image via Eladia Michaels.

About Eladia Michaels

Eladia Michaels is a part of the Sex and the Crescent city column. She's a sophomore majoring in Communications with an English minor. In addition to being a part of the Crescent, Eladia enjoys trying new things with her friends, exploring new places around the world, and windows down car rides along the beach. Writing to her is simply thinking with her fingers.