March 14th, 2019 Hamsa, The Evil Eye, and Other Protective Symbols

The concept of the “evil eye” is intriguing. It is a way of protecting oneself from negative energy, or “bad vibes,” without the need for confrontation. We have all experienced that moment where we meet someone and for some unexplainable reason, we experience this uncomfortable gut feeling that something is just off. The idea of the evil eye and other protective symbols are that they can help us gain control over just those exact types of situations and end the uneasiness and negativity, which in turn may make us feel better..


Here is a more in-depth example: Imagine you build a beautiful glass greenhouse in your back yard and you notice your neighbor looking over the fence, admiring it. They complement you on how charming the greenhouse turned out and say things like, “I wish I could afford something like that.” Being neighborly, you invite them over to the greenhouse for some tea. Now on the surface everything seems pleasant enough, but something just feels a little “off” about the whole situation. After the neighbor goes home, you may notice a headache coming on, a strong sense of foreboding, or perhaps, the next day something unexpectedly breaks inside of the greenhouse.  . 


Although you know your neighbor isn’t a bad person, the negative energy attached to their feelings of envy has left their mark on you and your environment. Smudging and protective devices are ways you can take back control of the situation. You don’t of course want to fall into a habit of blaming others for every bad thing that happens in life. But in some situations like the one I mentioned, you can be proactive in protecting yourself, as well make peace with things and people that simply don’t feel right.  Imagine if you had an evil eye pendent hanging above the entrance to your greenhouse?  Your neighbors negative energy may have been left right there at the door.  


Records of traditional amulets of protection go all the way back to the stone age. The earliest protective amulet we know of were arrowheads made of obsidian. These still make great protective amulets. As time went on every culture came to use a protective symbol of one kind or another. Many of the symbols used included eyes, hands, and/or horns. Here are four of my favorite protective symbols found in different cultures. 


Hamsa


The Hamsa is an ancient amulet that originated in North Africa. In Arabic, hamsa means five, referring to the five fingers of the human hand. Another name for the amulet is the Hand of Fatima, named for the daughter of the prophet Muhammad. A folklore about the origin of this name says that while Fatima was making soup for her husband he came home with a new wife. Fatima was so startled that she dropped the spoon but continued stirring the soup with her bare hand without burning it. Since God protected her hand, that hand took on the power to protect others from harm. 


The hamsa is also a part of Jewish tradition where it is known as the Hand of Miriam. This symbol has been used by mothers to protect their children, used by brides, and used by those hoping to conceive. 

The part of the hamsa represents the divine watching over us. This watchfulness protects us from both external forces and our own self-sabotaging thoughts and actions. 


In modern day the hamsa has been seen as a symbol of peace, hope, and of mutual understanding, not just in the Middle East but everywhere in the world because of its significance to multiple religions. 


Evil Eye Charm or Nazar


Originally a Turkish talisman, the Nazar is now widely used as a protection against negativity or harm  aka, the Evil Eye.  


Egg


A Latin America tradition is to use the egg to remove the negative effects of the evil eye (mal de ojo). If the mal de ojo makes someone ill, a traditional doctor would pass an egg over their body to absorb the negative energy. 


Eye of Horus, Widget Eye, Eye of Ra


These ancient Egyptian symbols ward off evil and offer other kinds of protection. This symbol was painted on boats, carved into the tombs of pharaohs, and worn as a pendant or bracelet. The widget helps to prevent outside things from effecting us internally by consisting of six parts that represent and protect the six senses. The six senses as defined by ancient Egyptians are taste, smell, touch, sight, hearing, and thought.  This is the one I resonate the most with.  I have the eye of Horus tattooed on my left inner wrist, it has meaning to me a personal thing.  


There is also the Abhaya Mudra, Italian Horn, Algiz Rune, and of course numerous crystals. Protecting and cleansing oneself from negative energy is essential to living a happy and healthy life. Choosing which protective symbol to use is a personal decision. I urge you to spend some time learning about the many different types and chose whichever symbol resonates with you.


​I strongly advise you to always have a barrier to the negative energies we all come in contact with throughout our lives. ​