Can you see evil in someones eyes

There is also a store in the short north called Karavan, which is a store with all kinds of goodies from Turkey, and they have Evil Eye everything. Even though I know the belief stems from something without proof, I still love the aesthetic and the idea behind the belief so I have an Evil Eye hanging from my rear view mirror!

The store in the short north sounds super cool and I will definitely have to check it out! It was pretty cool to see all of the jewelry and other items people make and sell in relation to the evil eye when looking up information about the topic.

Meg, I thought your post was very intriguing! I sometimes feel uncomfortable taking compliments, so from that viewpoint it was really interesting to read what you found. Hi Julia!

With its rich cultural ties, relatives of those who may have moved to the states may have passed this belief to their offspring keeping the belief alive. Meg, this is a topic I have never heard of. I wont lie, it made me chuckle because of how utterly ridiculous it is.

If someone believes that a look can cause so much misfortune, do they also believe that people can fly, or turn invisible? Before reading your blog post, I had no idea what the evil eye was so I found your post very informative! How could people actually believe that few people have a power of the evil eye that causes bad things to happen to people? They look for answers as to why bad things happen to them seemingly unfairly or out of the blue and the evil eye is an explanation that makes sense to them.

I definitely agree with what you said in regards to people wanting to make sense of the unknown. Blaming random bad things on one person or one specific belief can make life a little more bearable for some. It seems like some sort of unlucky force is out to get me, like something similar to the evil eye.

Is it just a curse of bad luck? Do the people giving dirty looks also have the curse, and are able to pass it on to others? This is an interesting topic. They can only use their power against others to make bad things happen to them by giving them a dirty look. I would agree with believers attributing all bad things to this belief just because they believe.

Very interesting topic. I was a little shocked to read that this belief isnt universal because it is actually a shared belief in many cultures, religions etc. Generations of family members often carry beliefs with them and pass them along to younger generations.

I feel bad for anyone with a generally mean looking face! My friend said the exact same thing! She is often told that she naturally looks very mad or annoyed so when I was telling her about this belief, she joked that a lot of these people would think that she has the evil eye.

I think it would be hard to go through life feeling scared that someone else could have this sort of power over me just by looking at me. What should you do when someone gives you a dirty look?

Just submit to the will of the evil eye and accept all incoming tragedy? Beg the person not to curse you? This seems like such a weird, unimaginative, and un-intricate way to become cursed. If curses are real, I at least hope they would be more complicated.

I agree that this would be a hard belief to have. I feel like something like a look can be easily misinterpreted. This could cause a lot of unnecessary stress constantly thinking that a look from the wrong person could do you in at any moment. Growing up, my uncle always used to make comments and jokes about the evil eye, but I never really knew what he was referring to. Your post was very interesting to read and learn more about. I think alot of different cultures still believe in the evil eye to this day and it is a very big deal to them because they feel it truely affects their lives!

I have a friend who takes the evil eye to heart and it is definitely no joke to her! I too had briefly heard about the evil eye growing up but never really understood its origins. I think a lot of people have different perspectives and interpretations of the evil eye belief and its interesting to see you uncles! I would be interested to see where he originally heard about the evil eye. I am not a true believer on this topic, BUT there have definitely been times in my life where I have just been walking down the street and I notice someone just absolutely death staring me.

It has even been to the point where I have felt violated and offended for the stank eye someone has given me, but I never felt it had the power to cause bad things to happen to me. I think everyone has at least one experience in their life where someone has been giving them a nasty look. I always thought it was just a trend until I had looked it up and it said that the eye protects from the Evil Eye.

I never knew what that was until I read your post! It seems almost rude to accept compliments, maybe that comes from the fact that it is so deeply rooted in some cultures that it has become a staple in our manners.

Since writing about this topic. I even noticed a poster my roommate had on her wall had an evil eye reference on it that I had never noticed before. I think the societal norm is definitely to deflect compliments. That was a really good point and I too wonder if that stems from some of these beliefs.

I loved reading about your article because this belief is deeply rooted in my family. Being Greek, I was given my first evil eye necklace as a baby, and we have various depictions of evil eyes throughout our family home. I was taught not to be jealous, and to be as humble as possible so as not to give the evil eye to myself or others. Though I do not necessarily believe in this otherworldly evil that can be cast upon others, it has been a big cultural aspect of my life and the mythology behind it is quite interesting.

Cool article! I definitely think beliefs like this one have evolved into a tradition among family members and have become more of a way to teach life lessons to children. I swear that everything I tell in this story is true and this is my experience.

I never even heard of the evil eye. I had no concept of it, but I believe I have had once. This is what happened. I am a man who grew up in Norway. In a non-religious household. I have regarded myself as an atheist my whole life. I have held no religious beliefs and no superstitions. In April I was in Colombia together with my soon to be Colombian wife who I had met there on vacation 6 months earlier.

It was not many people there, but we sat together and had a good time. After a little while, I noticed a girl sitting alone on the next table looking very strong at me. It was a kind of look I had never had before. It was not a look of interest. It was an intense look of something that looked like a mixture of shock, disbelief, hate, and disgust. And she never took her eyes off me. The woman said she thought she knew me.

She asked if I was from Canada and gave a name. Eye contact can create an intensely personal connection, whether between lovers or superiors and subordinates.

Glaring or intense staring can convey power and authority over another. And of course, actors use their eyes to convey a wide range of emotions, including love, hate, disgust, boredom, scorn, surprise and envy.

In fact it is this last emotion — jealousy — that underlies the evil eye's cultural association with magic. Belief in the power of the eyes is so powerful that any eye affliction has come to suggest evil and bad luck.

People who are cross-eyed, have uncontrollable eye twitches or spasms a condition called blepharospasm , or who merely have a prominent squint have been shunned and feared as provoking bad luck, especially among those who work in dangerous occupations such as fishing and mining. Similarly, those with unusually close-set eyes or eyes of different colors were often suspected of having the evil eye. Babies and children are said to be especially susceptible to harm from the evil eye, and in many countries, including Greece, Romania, and India, praising a child publicly is sometimes considered taboo, for the compliment will draw the attention of the evil eye.

In order to ward off the evil eye, parents of a thoughtlessly praised child may ask the person who gave the compliment to immediately spit in the child's face. Because the momentarily exalted youngster has been brought down a peg, any harm by the evil eye is unnecessary; this spittle salve is harmless yet insulting enough to negate the compliment. Who has the evil eye? Maybe you do. Many believe that bad intention is not necessary, and that some people can cast an evil eye without even knowing it.

If one person is believed to have the evil eye, other members of his or her family are often treated with suspicion — and any children are assumed to have the curse as well. The best way to deal with the evil eye is to avoid it in the first place.

The method varies by culture, geographic region, and personal preference. In Latin America the evil eye is known as "mal de ojo," and belief in it is especially widespread in rural areas. In Puerto Rico, for example, newborns are often given a good luck charm called an azabache to protect them from the evil eye.

Amulets can be worn to deter the evil eye, often using the color blue symbolizing heaven or godliness and an eye symbol. Charms, potions and spells can also be prepared; garlic can be used to deter the evil eye, and some believe that just saying the word "garlic" offers protection.

Often those who believe they have been harmed by the evil eye will seek out shamans, witch doctors, psychics or other spiritual healers to remove the curse. There are several ways to cure mal de ojo; one traditional method from Mexico involves the use of a raw egg.

The egg, a universal symbol of purity and birth, is said to absorb evil energies as it passes over the forehead and prone body of the victim. The egg is then broken over a bowl of water and the resulting forms closely examined for any unusual shapes. An oval or eye shape seen in the yolk or whites is said to indicate that the evil eye's power has been successfully removed from the victim. Some claim that the gender of the person who cast the evil eye can be determined from the shapes.

It is tempting to view the evil eye as an ancient, discredited belief that plays no role in our 21st-century world.