What is the Evil Eye (Mal de ojo)?

And how do you cure evil eye?

Danielle MacInnes 

For as long as I can remember, whenever I would get a migraine combined with intense nausea and an odd out of it feeling… an adult would proclaim:

AH. Tienes ojo mija!

They would return from the kitchen, brandishing an egg. Once the egg reached room temperature, it was good to go for the limpia or cleanse.

Having met both Greek and Italian families in New England, I learned that there are quite a bit of similarities between the 3 cultures and their beliefs regarding the evil eye.

But 1st: a quick history lesson. Promise it won’t bore you!

Wanna know NOW? Feel free to jump around

History of the Evil Eye
Symptoms
How to do a Limpia
Protection-Amulets & Jewelry
Inspecting the Egg
2 Broken bracelets

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History of the Evil Eye

Evil Eye can be traced back to Ancient Egyptian times. The Eye of Horus was a symbol that was also used to ward off evil eye.

Several religions have been known to partake in the idea that there are evil energies; and have since protected themselves using amulets and cleansing rituals.

Evil eye references occur in the following locations: 

Africa

Albania

Turkey

Greece

Israel

Egypt

Spain

Italy

Mexico

All of these areas have the same general consensus regarding the topic:

• Envious thoughts can cause evil eye.
• Thoughts of admiration- especially towards a child, can also unintentionally cause evil eye.Babies and children should be touched on the head/forehead in order to dispel (prevent) evil eye.

In Mexico, mal de ojo has origins that date back to both ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures. The ancestors who specialized in holistic and spiritual means of healthcare were known as Shamans.

Eventually, these practices were passed down generations to modern-day healers, known as curanderas/ curaderos (depending on their gender). They perform a special ceremony in order to determine whether a person was afflicted with the evil eye.

This ritual is also known as a spiritual cleanse and consists of: lighting candles, saying a few incantations while waving an egg on the person’s body, and finally having the person sleep with the egg under their pillow.

The following day, the egg is cracked into a glass of water to inspect it.

In this instance, the egg is used as a sort of ‘vessel’ that collects the negative energy and removes it from the individual.

Italians diagnose the evil eye without the use of an egg. 3 drops of olive oil are plopped into a bowl of water. If an eye shape is formed, then the person was affected. A prayer is chanted 3 times as the oil is separated (usually with a knife) in order to ward off the negative energy.

The Greek also chant a prayer 3 times. In order for evil eye to have been present, the person who is affected and the healer both let out a yawn. There are different methods used to get rid of the evil eye: all of them dependent on several factors such as region, religious beliefs, and family.

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Symptoms

There are 4 different signs displayed by those afflicted with evil eye.

1. Mental- many report loss of memory and lack of focus; irrational thoughts; uncontrolled negative thoughts and memories.
2. Emotional- feelings of dread, fear, depression, anxiety (especially in children), and frustration.
3. Physical- headaches and feeling lightheaded; nausea and vomiting; flu-like symptoms that are unexplained; loss of appetite. Babies and children become feverish. 
4. Negativity- bad luck, obstacles in everyday life, and recurrence of old issues.

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How to do a Limpia

For children it is usually custom for an adult to perform the cleanse. You can try this on yourself to see if the bad juju goes away.

1. Start with an egg (don’t crack it yet!) that’s been brought to room temperature. You can either perform this standing up or if you’re feeling particularly ill- laying down in bed.
2. Gently trace the egg on your body, beginning at your head then moving towards your non-dominant arm. Note: Your clothes should stay on! Circular motions work fine, but my family tended to form tiny ‘crosses’ as they chanted their prayers.
3. Switch the egg to your other hand to reach the other arm, then switch it back.
4. After your arms, move towards your midsection, back, legs and feet.
5. Focus on areas that you feel need more cleansing. For ex: when there is a migraine involved- continue to pass the egg around your whole head and neck.
6. When you are done, crack the egg into a glass of water. Ensure that it is a clear glass.
7. After 5-10 minutes, you can inspect the egg. Place it in the room that you sleep.
8. Dispose of the egg within 24 hours. Flush it down the toilet to properly get rid of all the juju.

It is also important to note: Cleanses are spiritual in nature- you genuinely need to feel and believe for results to occur.

A method when in doubt- Use 2 eggs (preferably from the same “batch” or carton)

Crack one egg into a glass before you begin.

This will be the control egg.

Perform the ritual and note any differences between the eggs.

This was something my father had told me about. Although he isn’t too superstitious: he is very knowledgeable on the topic.

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Protection- Amulets & Jewelry

Mexican cultures have 2 kinds of amulets.

1. Ojo De venado, or the deer’s eye

Don’t worry! It isn’t made from a real dear.

This amulet-usually tied with red yarn or string, is then incorporated into the bracelet.

Babies are most likely to be spotted wearing these interesting-looking pieces around their ankles.

2. Evil eye bracelets

These bracelets are made with beads that are either wooden, metal, or glass

Cool thing—these beads are crafted to look like eyeballs.

Bracelets for SALE

CashApp

Grecians also have evil eye amulets, used to ward off the Mati

The tiny eyes are said to transfer the negative energy outward- sort of a return-to-sender.

Italians went a different route when it came to protecting from malocchio

Their charm of choice to ward off evil was in the form of a cornetto. Essentially, a horn that is shaped like a long chili pepper. This particular talisman could be either worn or even displayed in the home to protect its inhabitants from evil spirits. Cornettos charms can be either gold or red.

Another popular talisman is the Hamsa

The eye in the center of the hand is said to ward off evil eye. Hindu, Buddhist, and Islam faiths believe in and display this amulet. You can also find the symbol adorned on Kabbala bracelets for evil eye protection.

Most recent depictions of the Hamsa are described as Turkish in origin- these are very easy to find and are usually made of glass.

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Inspecting the Egg

Interpretations vary based on the area where you grew up.

Here are some that came from my family:

Egg positioning

Bottom of the glass–>good sign. The cleanse was effective.

If the egg floats–>denotes negative energies. You may still feel ill. If so: perform another cleanse.

The yolk

Surrounded by cobweb-like cloud, sometimes milky in color–>envious people. You are the topic in gossip.

Needle like extensions upward–>another sign of envy.

• bubbles may form at the top of these needles.

Some say the bubbles symbolize that guardian angels/ spirit are taking care of the individual.

.Egg looks cooked/ surrounded by halo–>negative vibes.   *This is serious bad juju, ya’ll*

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2 Broken Bracelets

The last photo is one taken at one of my former jobs in the mental healthcare field. 

Let’s just say there was negative energy all over the group home where I worked long shifts at. Both evil eye bracelets featured in this post broke at that house.

Back to the egg cleanse featuring the nearly cooked egg.

The migraine was intense that day. But I was in luck.

Because:

1. I had packed fresh eggs to boil for lunch- with 0 appetite, they were ready to go
2. 30 more minutes and I could go home.
3. A coworker, an older Dominican woman was also familiar with limpias was on my shift. She:
4. • encouraged me to give myself a quick cleanse.
5. • found a plastic cup to use since we didn’t have glass.

Needless to say, I had to perform another limpia when I got home. Symptoms did not improve until the following morning, after flushing the egg.

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Are you familiar with evil eye? Share your story in the comments section.

Update 7/27/21: part 2, how to protect yourself from the evil eye has posted.