The Evil Eye: Signs People Look For and How to Protect Yourself

Something good happens, a new job, a pregnancy announcement, a new relationship, and then everything seems to go wrong. A headache that will not lift, a broken phone, a run of small bad luck. In many cultures, people would call that the evil eye.

What is the evil eye?

The evil eye is one of the oldest and most widespread beliefs in the world, found across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America. It holds that envy, sometimes even admiration without goodwill, can carry harm through a look. Often the person giving it does not mean to.

What signs do people associate with it?

• Sudden tiredness or heaviness after praise or good news
• A run of small mishaps: things breaking, getting lost, plans falling through
• A headache or restlessness that started after a particular visit or event
• Things going wrong in the one area people have been admiring

The clearest sign is timing: the trouble started right after good news or praise. My guide am I cursed? goes through how to tell bad luck from something that needs attention.

How do people protect against the evil eye?

What if the eye charm breaks?

In many traditions, a cracked nazar means it has done its job. Thank it, put it in the bin outside your home and replace it. It is not a sign that something worse is coming.

A simple cleansing you can do yourself

1. Open a window in the room where you spend the most time.
2. Pass rosemary smoke through each room, ending at the front door.
3. Put a small dish of salt by the door and leave it for a week.
4. Then put the salt in the bin outside your home and start a fresh dish.

More steps are in protection basics: what to do first.

When to ask for an evil eye cleansing

If the heaviness stays after you have cleansed your home and looked after the practical side, a focused working can help. For protection work I lay a thin line of salt around the straw star, smoke rosemary in the cauldron and light a black candle, opening with three rings of the brass bell. An evil eye cleansing and protection spell clears it and shields you; the uncrossing and evil eye bundle also works on blocked paths.