ways to repel the evil eye !!
here's a little collection of evil eye protections and folk practices, inspired by a question from one of my twitter followers who asked how i personally ward off the eye !! these are a mix of southern italian traditions, longstanding protective rituals, and little techniques i’ve picked up over the years: 🧿
PREVENTATIVE
in southern italy, many people carry around a mano cornuto or cornicello pendant with them. if you don’t have these pendants, it’s safe to just keep a dried red pepper on your person too. it’s also a very popular tradition to hang and dry red peppers over our stoves and windows
keep a small pouch of salt in your pocket, in your car, in your purse, or spray yourself with a salt spray before leaving your home or interacting with a specific person giving you the eye. black salt is especially effective for these purposes
burn a protective herb mix or boil some in a simmer pot before leaving your home. an herbal mixture of basil, orange peels, tarragon, rosemary, agrinomy, and lemon can be used
do a vinegar handwash — rub olive oil and vinegar onto your hands. wash off the oil mixture, then powder them with cinnamon. thoroughly rub the ground cinnamon into your skin, then wash it off. let your hands air dry. do this before interacting with someone you feel is giving you the eye
ACTIONABLE
say a beeja mantra or prayer the moment you see or think of the person you feel is giving you the eye. Durga or Kali mantras are very effective for this, i have found personally. some people prefer prayers to archangel michael, some people quote verses from the book of psalms. find what’s yours !!
make the form of the mano cornuto (🤘) with your hand around this person a few times. make sure you point your fingers downwards toward the ground when you make the gesture
cast salt over your shoulder when you feel like you’ve been struck with the eye !! the age-old tradition of throwing salt over your left shoulder isn’t just good for reversing bad luck, it’s also a tool for deflecting the evil eye !!
wear red !! this is deeply routed in southern italian folklore; this is the color we wear to keep the eye at bay. it’s very common for people in italy to wear a small piece of red clothing, jewelry, or even red nail polish every day as a protective measure
below is a video from native neapolitan, carmen mazzola, briefly explaining the cornicello and how the “red pepper” figure is believed to be a symbol of protection.
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