No doubt you have seen The Evil Eye jewelry and ornaments around people’s necks, wrists or in their cars and homes. It is one of the most identifiable symbols in the world today.
These evil eyes actually date back thousands of years to Ancient Greece, or perhaps earlier, and are still used throughout the world in a variety of cultures from Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Druids, and Persians, to name a few. Interestingly, it seems to signify the same thing to all of these cultures.
An evil eye is the look that someone gives you, mostly unknown to the receiver, which wishes you harm mostly brought by jealousy or malice. The evil eye symbol is carried, worn or displayed in order to ward this effect off, as in an “eye for an eye”.
In antiquity, it was believed that having received too much praise or adoration made one susceptible to the evil gaze of jealous people. Hence, still today in some cultures, the eye symbol is given to young children to protect them against the risks of receiving the evil eye from a jealous soul.
So, actually, the evil eye is the good eye you carry to protect you against the evil eye of others.
In a recent trip to a mountain village called Arachova in the Delphi region of Greece, which is at the foot of Mount Parnassos, my friend Dora and I went in to a small craft store and found a beautiful modern interpretation of an eye in a necklace by Katerina Ioannidis.
Dora gifted me one and bought herself one as well. I loved the interpretation the designer gave to her work which was “choose to see the world through an optimistic eye” and to “always look on the bright side of life”.
You can find this collection and many others at http://www.katerinaioannidis.com
