The Evil Eye of Envy
Through the ages, people have always feared various forms of evil. Folklorist Alan Dundes, in his edited volume The Evil Eye: A Casebook
notes that "the victim's good fortune, good health, or good looks — or unguarded comments about them — invite or provoke an attack by someone with the evil eye. If the object attacked is animate, it may fall ill. Symptoms of illness caused by the evil eye include loss of appetite, excessive yawning, hiccups, vomiting, and fever. If the object attacked is a cow, its milk may dry up; if a plant or fruit tree, it may suddenly wither and die."People believed, and still believe, that some people possess the evil eye. Their glance or gaze results in loss of energy. They spread negativity wherever they go. They feed on other people’s energy. The concept of witch and vampire has its origins in this idea. Then there are people who grant energy copiously; these are the saints and the gods and the holy men, even performers and film stars, who attract vast crowds.
When children fall sick for no apparent reason, when things suddenly start to go wrong or when road blocks come your way repeatedly, people say, the evil eye has struck. The idea is prevalent in almost every corner of the world. Ancient Irish legends speak of the evil eye of Balor, the one-eyed giant which inspired the concept of the Eye of Sauron in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The evil eye havoc, stemming from neighbor's envy, is called a curse or 'hex'.
The best way to understand the concept of evil eye is to accept the idea of auras. All human beings have an aura around them, known as the subtle body. It is a kind of energy shield emerging from our physical and mental health status. A beautiful or healthy object has positive aura, which is why looking at them makes us happy; they energize us. An ugly or unhealthy object has a negative aura, which is why looking at them makes us unhappy; they sap us of energy. It is possible to draw energy from positive aura objects and lose energy to negative aura objects.
An evil eye, on the other hand, can cause us to lose our aura, feel drained and powerless.
Ancient Egyptians believed that the 'Eye of Horus' protected one from the evil eye. Ancient Romans used phallic images to keep away bad luck. In Turkey, the blue 'Nazar' amulet is sold everywhere. In many Arab countries, one finds the hand of Fatima or Khamsa or Hamsa, which is a palm-shaped amulet to ward off the evil eye. Many Muslims believe that saying 'Mashallah,' or 'God wills it' creates a protective shield from the evil eye. The apparently modern idea of keeping your fingers crossed has its origin in using the Crucifix to keep away evil and ensure success.
In Edwin and Mona Radford's Encyclopedia of Superstitions
they note that in many places "a cross-eyed or squinting person was almost universally feared. To meet one on the way to work is still regarded as a bad sign by miners, fishermen, Spanish bullfighters, and others who follow dangerous trades." Though such an affliction is clearly not the person's fault, nonetheless "any visible defect in the eye is readily associated by the superstitious with the evil eye." The evil eye is also said to be prevalent among the Roma (formerly known as Gypsies).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 counteract 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.
The buri nazar (evil eye) is a big deal in India. It comes from the idea that a gaze can cause harm and commonly believed that, should someone curse you with it, the negative energy will bring about all kinds of illnesses and misfortunes. Anyone can possess an evil eye transiently. This follows envy, or even adoration, of something pretty or beautiful, like a child, who is most susceptible to nazar. Inadvertently, even a mother's gaze, can drain the child of positive aura resulting in sickness. The threat of this prompts people into taking enthusiastic protective actions ranging from drawing big black dots, the nazar ka tika, on babies’ foreheads to chanting mantras, and engaging the services of Hindu priests and astrologers, to ward it off.
The best way to deal with the evil eye is to avoid it in the first place, but there are ways to protect oneself. The method varies by culture, geographic region, and personal preference. 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.
Some shops sell nothing but talismans designed to ward the eye off. Often, people will hang up chilies, limes, and lemons as a homemade alternative. There are even places online that sell fruit-based wards to protect homes and offices against the evil eye, should you desire to improve your lot.
Alan Dundes notes, we "should keep in mind that the evil eye is not some old-fashioned superstitious belief of interest solely to antiquarians. The evil eye continues to be a powerful factor affecting the behavior of countless millions of people throughout the world."
Fair warning...before seeking retribution, seriously weigh if a suspected misfortune is actually from an evil eye attack or simply non-supernatural bad luck. The consequences can be deadly. - The Evil Eye of Envy
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Exorcism: Casting Out Devils, 1893
The following vintage newspaper article was published in Paris Figaro in October 1983:
Description of the Operation, by a Believer
The possessed woman of [?] is cured now, not by the doctors, who were unable to do anything for her, but by the theological science of the cure of the parish and the firmness of Monsignor [?oux], Bishop of Versailles, which shows that exorcism has its reasons for existence and that “possession” is as real as hysteria. As a matter of fact, the church has never laid down her arms in the presence of the the devils.
There are four principal signs through which the possessed one is recognized. First, no known remedy relieves him; second, he speaks of incidents and facts beyond his natural reach, and which nobody has revealed to him; third, he foretells events and speaks several languages unknown to him before his affliction; fourth, in the presence of a priest and at sacred ceremonies he trembles, suffers pain, writhes and blasphemes.
The Catholic priests and especially the Dominicans have, from away back, practiced exorcism. According to the canons the exorcist belongs to one of the minor orders which precede the priesthood. He must be humble of heart in his ministry, and, if he operated with any thought of display, he risks for himself the contagion of the evil spirits that still remain to be cast out.
Ordinarily the ceremony takes place in the church in the presence of the faithful assembled at prayer, particularly at the feasts of the Nativity, of the Resurrection, of the Ascension, of Pentecost, of the Virgin Mary, and of the Apostles. After the morning mass, to which the possessed one assists, the exorcist puts on the surplice and assists the priest who puts on the violet colored cape, the symbol of the pains of Purgatory. The patient who has confessed then approaches. A stole is passed around his neck to tie the devils that have become the masters of his body. Then the sign of the cross is made upon him and he is sprinkled with the holy water. In Latin, the devil is commanded to tell his name, to say whether or not he is alone, and why he is there. Finally, he is ordered to depart. The conjuration in any other language, and especially in Hebrew, is useless. Hebrew is reserved for Satan himself.
The Flagelllum demonum contains the most complete formulas of exorcism, consisting of well-known prayers mingled with the most ancient and strangest appelations of God, such as Oh, Adonal Tetragrammaton, and others, which come in part from Chaldea, from Phoenicia, and from Greece. The words are supposed to possess in themselves a certain power of evocation of celestial virtues which terrify the infernal legions. The words of Christ, according to Saint Matthew, 1, 2, 3, are the most in use to drive out evil spirits.
If the demon does not retire immediately , the exorcist takes a painted image representing him and throws it into the consecrated fire along with incense [?] and sulphur with strong mystic odor, intending to prove by this act that he will send the evil back into his natural element, hell. This done, he places upon the head of the possessed one the Book, the Relles, the Crucifix, and sometimes even the Host, the last and invincible remedy. According to the authority of certain demonographs, the devil then comes out through the nose of the patient.
In the ancient monasteries they made the exorcist carry upn his person certain amulets containing protective formulas. Sometimes thse formulas, written upon pieces of parchment, were swallowed. In the process of digestion he exorcism was accomplished without fatigue
In our days exorcism has taken refuge in La Trappa. The clergy are somewhat averse to it, while at the same time they do not refuse to admit it. The man who breaks the spells is very old. But the devils cast out by the good monks are reduced to the tormenting of animals. Pigs are their favorites. Then the old spell smasher whips them with beads and sprinkles them with holy water, and the pigs recover and beome happy, because the devils go away.
J.K. Huysmans has been able to speak of the power of demons and the efficacity of exorcisms. Morever, the emiment writer was well acquainted with one of the most learned demongraphers of his time, the Abbe Bonlian, who ran through hell in his bare feet, and holding the Host in his hands.
Either the Church of Sancipt or the Church of Senneville I received this curious document from M. Gilbert Augustin Thieery, the author of [?] The cure of Petites Dalles, in curing the possessed, says a special mass, called the “red mass” or “mass of the martyrs.” Red flowers are placed upon the altar, and the priest wear a tre dle. The church is draped in purple.
But, stranger still, a few years ago the wife of the editor of a leading Catholic journal in Paris, being troubled by evil spirits, witnessed the death of the Dominican priest who was endeavoring to exorcise her, and who was unable to guard himself against the forces with which he was contending. – Paris Figaro - October 1893
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Fishermen reel in monster-sized tiger shark off Folly Beach
Fishermen reeled in a 13-foot tiger shark off Folly Beach this past weekend.
The shark, estimated to be 800 pounds, was caught on Saturday a mile off Folly Beach near the washout.
Joe Morris said he and two other men caught the shark which Morris said was not the biggest he's ever reeled in.
According to Morris, he's caught three sharks in the past that weighed at least 1,000 pounds.
Morris says it's nothing out of the ordinary; just before catching the 800 pound tiger shark, he caught a 400 pound shark.
Since the start of the season, Morris says he's caught several sharks each weighing in at several hundred pounds. - Fishermen reel in monster-sized tiger shark off Folly Beach
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Triple Murder in Florida Possibly Ritualistic
A Florida woman and her two adult sons were killed in their Pensacola home in what investigators believe was a ritualistic murder linked to last week's "blue moon," police said on Tuesday.
The victims, identified as Voncile Smith, 77, John William Smith, 49, and Richard Thomas Smith, 47, were found dead on Friday, three days after police believe someone the family knew entered the home and killed them as part of a witchcraft ritual.
"The elements of this case are odd, at best," Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told a news conference.
"We have a very reclusive family. Obviously we've canvassed the neighborhood, spoken to people who've lived there for years and years. Neighbors have related to us that they've never met members of this family," he said.
All three victims had their throats slit and were bludgeoned with what was believed to be a claw hammer, Morgan said, and Richard Thomas Smith, a Department of Homeland Security employee, was also shot in the head, perhaps to incapacitate him before the murders.
"Initial research has led us to believe it was a ritualistic killing," Morgan said. "The method of the murder ... and our person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is indicative of that."
The crime appears to have been part of a witchcraft practice linked to the July 31 "blue moon," a reference to the second of two full moons that appear in a calendar month, Morgan said.
Police discovered the bodies after a colleague of Richard Thomas Smith at Homeland Security reported him missing from work. - Florida triple murder may have been ritualistic killing
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